Page 48 of I'm Not Yours
I felt a hand grab mine.
A hand.
Grabbing mine.
Within a millisecond, I was hauled up as if I weighed no more than a seagull. An arm curled around my waist, and I was thrust up against a wall of steel, the freezing water pouring off my body.A hand pounded my back as I doubled over and indelicately wretched out sea water and, I think, part of a shell, maybe a seahorse or a shark, and sand. I made another gagging sound, more water poured out, that strong arm still linked around my waist as body freezing water swirled around us. I wretched again.
And again.
I spit out sand, my whole body going into semishock as I shook and shook. Sucking in air with a gurgly, gasping sound, my lungs totally depleted, my legs shaking, my hair glued to my head, I held on tight to the wall of steel as another wave rolled in. The wave receded, as fast as it came, the chilly water circling our thighs.
“It’s okay,” the wall of steel soothed, both arms tight around me. “I got ya. You’re okay.” He hit me on the back again, and once more I released part of the Pacific Ocean. I inhaled again with a jagged breath, vaguely thinking I sounded like a hyperventilating octopus, however that would be.
Seconds,that was what it took. Seconds before my life was suddenly in danger. Seconds after that and I’m being pounded on the back.
“Sorry about that,” the man drawled. “I’ve never hit a woman, but this seems to be an occasion where it might be beneficial.”
I leaned against his chest, arms around his waist, my whole body trembling, and between long strands of sandy, soaked hair, I eyed my rescuer.
He was a giant. I was being rescued by a green giant with blondish wavy hair.
“How ya doing?” he asked, his emerald eyes concerned, brow furrowed. “Can you get enough air?”
I studied those eyes for a minute. Honestly, they were hard to look away from, bright and intense, steady on. “Yes,” I gurgled out, “I have air.” I then leaned over, coughed in a particularlydisgusting fashion, and this time spit up seaweed. I dragged one end of it out of my mouth until I had about six inches hanging from my fingers.
“Better now.” My voice was still hoarse, sand crunching between my teeth. “I had not planned on seaweed for lunch.”
“Good.” He still held on to me so I wouldn’t collapse. “I personally prefer clam chowder. Garlic bread. Less green, more flavor.”
Ah. A man with dry humor. If I wasn’t busy spewing out more sand, I would enjoy the verbal sparring. Leaning over again, his arms supporting me, I choked out yet another piece of seaweed and a mouthful of water. “Tastes terrible.”
“Some people eat it with a dash of salt. Me, personally, it has never held appeal at all. At least you didn’t swallow a fish.”
“For that, I am grateful.” I wiped my mouth. I was stunned. Overwhelmed. Two seagulls squawked above. “Thank you very much.”
“You are quite welcome. Any time.”
“Thank you,” I said once again, my teeth now chattering, as he guided me out of the water and onto the sand, an arm still slinked around my waist. He took off his green rain jacket.
“Here, take off your jacket, we’ll put this one around you instead.”
“That’s chivalrous, but I’m soaked. You take it. It’ll get wet.” My body jerked as if it was being electrocuted.
“Please. Wear it. Let me help you. You’re shaking too much to do it yourself.”
That was true.
He unzipped my jacket and took one of my arms, then the other, both rattling around from cold and shock, and pulled my rain jacket off. He threw his jacket around me, stuck my arms back in, and zipped it up. I was instantly dwarfed by the giant’s jacket.
He pulled the hood over my head.
“But you’ll get wet now,” I gasped.
“I am not going to get anywhere near as wet as you already are. Please. Wear it.”
He was wearing a blue sweater and I noticed that his chest was flat and the type you could sleep on, not that I would sleep on a man’s chest ever again.No way.
“Thank you. I’m so, so glad you were here.” A sense of utter relief, utter gratefulness flooded over me. Had he not been here, not taken action . . .I could have died. That had not been on my agenda for today. I bit my frozen lip and tried not to cry.
