Page 139 of Between Never and Forever
Her eyes shift between mine. She scans my face. My heart is in my throat. And then she nods.
“I understand.”
I bring my mouth down on hers, and she meets me without hesitation. She opens immediately, letting me in to explore. Her tongue massages mine, and I squeeze her. I run my hands up and down her body, squeezing just to remind myself that she’s real and safe and here with me.
The sound of a helicopter breaks us apart, then firemen appear above us on the bridge and on the bank of the river.
“They really aren’t messing around with this rescue.”
Savannah laughs, hugging herself tighter into my chest.
“Didn’t you know? I’m a super famous rockstar. If I die, the tabloid industry will go bankrupt.”
I don’t laugh. I just hug her back and rest my chin on her head. If she’d died...
The tabloids would have recovered. But me? I definitely would not.
Savannah is sitting in the back of an ambulance wrapped in one of those silver blankets that first responders carry around for shock.
Red is with her, and they’re talking quietly. He has a bandage on his forehead where the cut was. I heard someone talk about stitching it up, but I don’t know if he let them do it.
Red says something to Savannah, and she shakes her head. He says something else, and she shakes her head again. He sighs and nods. I watch it all go down from my own spot in the back of a second ambulance, where I’m wrapped in a similar silver blanket and fighting dizziness, nausea, and a massive headache. When Red turns to talk to a paramedic, Savannah looks at me and stands. Keeping the silver blanket draped around her shoulders, she climbs out of her ambulance and walks to mine.
“I’m cleared,” she says when she reaches the bumper.
“Are you cleared, or are you just refusing to let them take you in?”
She smirks. That’s what I thought.
“What about you?”
“Possible concussion. They’re worried about the bump and gash.” I gesture to the back of my head. The scrapes on my back burn with the motion. “They want to take me in for some scans.”
The concern that takes over her face about knocks me on my ass. She scans my body frantically, then climbs into the ambulance and gently turns my head so she can see the back of it. It’s bandaged, but I’m sure there’s still visible blood in my hair. She tugs down my silver blanket and looks at my back, then gasps.
“Jesus, Levi,” she whispers.
I feel her hand hovering just above my skin, so I turn to face her and take her hand in mine.
“I’m fine, Sav. It’s just precautions. I can’t drive, though. I’ll have to get one of the guys to drive my truck back.”
“Do you have a ride home? From the hospital, I mean?”
I shake my head once, slowly, and the movement makes me feel like vomiting.
“No. Was going to ask Luke or Dustin to just wait it out with me.”
“No. Don’t. Red and I will come to the hospital. I’ll take you home.”
“That’s not ne—”
“Shut it, Levi. I’m doing it, so you might as well just accept it.”
I sigh, and she grins, then reaches down and presses her finger into the cleft in my chin. I bat her away, and she laughs quietly.
“Where are your keys? I’ll drive the truck and Red can follow in the car.”
I don’t answer for a moment. I just look at her. She’s a mess. We both are. But even after all this chaos, the fear and pain and everything with it, she’s still fucking beautiful. Hair a tangled disaster. Cheek scratched and bruised. Red-rimmed eyes with shadows forming under them. She’s pale and exhausted, but she’s still the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.
