by Raquel Lyon
Matt ran outside, calling her name, but he couldn’t see her anywhere, and the longer she remained out of sight, the more anxious he became.
“I’ll check around the side. You look over there.” Johnny pointed towards the cliffs.
Matt hurried along the path and scanned the shoreline. There was no sign of her on the beach. Walking farther along the edge, he stopped intermittently, to check the rocks below, as he tried to think of where else she could be. She must have gone back inside. The girl behind the counter was a halfwit who wouldn’t notice if her own jacket was on fire. She could easily have missed Nessie walking past again. He turned to make his way back.
It was then he saw it.
The pale-blue fabric stood out in stark contrast to the dark grey of the rocks. Nessie’s body was draped over the jagged surface, and waves crashed against the stony sides, soaking and sucking the torn hem of her dress into the foam.
No. Please God, no. Matt’s pulse raced as he called Johnny over. “She’s down here,” he shouted, running for the steps with pure adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Johnny raced over and peered over the edge. “Holy crap. Do you think she fell? Is she dead?” he asked, following.
“She’s prostrate… over a fucking rock… at the bottom of a fucking cliff,” Matt shouted, struggling to get the words out of his dry mouth as he descended the stairway. “What are the odds?”
Reaching the bottom, Matt shucked off his jacket and hastily clambered over uneven, slippery boulders covered with seaweed. “Nessie. Ness,” he called. “Don’t move. I’m coming.” Of all the half-assed, irresponsible, idiotic places to come. What the hell did she think she was doing?
“Maybe we should call someone?” Johnny suggested.
“No time,” Matt snapped.
He lost his footing more than once but took no notice of his squelching shoes or the trouser legs of his hired suit sticking to his shins. With the tide rising quickly, Nessie’s rock would be covered in minutes, and her body would be swept out to sea.
Don’t say body. Don’t even think it. She couldn’t be dead. He wouldn’t allow it.
A stretch of water lay between him and his goal, but he didn’t hesitate to jump in and wade, waist deep, through the strong current to reach her. The freezing water stole the breath from his lungs. A strange numbness seeped into his limbs, and his heart felt like a lump of iron weighing down his chest. The smash of every wave thundered through his brain like a gunshot, flashing images of his partner’s mangled face before his eyes, and it took every ounce of strength and courage he had to reach her motionless body.
He couldn’t have lost her. Not like this. Not when he’d only just found her again.
When he reached her side, he wiped a wet strand of hair from her face. Her head was resting on one arm, and he stroked the back of his hand down her cheek. She was cold, but not dead cold, and there were no traces of blood. “Ness?” Matt clutched her arm and shook it. “Sweetheart?”
Her only answer was a low moan.
Thank God, she was alive.
“We need to get you out of here.”
Sweeping Nessie into his arms, Matt strained to keep her above the waves as he waded back to drier land, but her dress was heavy with water and threatened to pull them under. Angry waves raged higher, breaking on the granite slabs above and dousing the couple with a salty shower.
“Hurry up. It’s getting deeper,” Johnny shouted.
“You think I don’t know that.” Matt grimaced as he reached the edge of the pool. “Here. Take her.” He thrust Nessie at Johnny, who caught her as another wave swept Matt’s feet from under him, and everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nessie’s eyes blinked open when her back hit a cold, hard surface. It took her a moment to realise where she was and that she was freezing, drenched to the bone, and not alone. Johnny was a few feet away, hauling something from the water.
What was it? A person? Yes, it was a man. But who? No. It couldn’t be. She had to be seeing things. Either that or she was asleep and she was having a terrible nightmare. She squeezed her eyes closed and opened them again, but the nightmare continued.
Johnny leaned back, fighting to regain his breath as the side of Matt’s face grew redder by the second.
Cold fingers of fear clutched Nessie’s heart as she crawled over to the boys. “Matt? Matt!” She picked up Matt’s head and cradled it in her lap. “He’s bleeding. Why is he bleeding?” Tears pooled and spilled over. “Do something,” she shouted, shooting an angry glare at Johnny.
“It’s okay. He’s breathing. Just unconscious.” Johnny panted. “I mean, don’t mind me. I only left my lungs on the seabed.
“Unconscious is not okay. What happened?”
“He almost lost his life saving yours.” He coughed. “What the fuck were you doing out there?”
Out there? Out where? Nessie wondered, looking out over the rolling surf. She didn’t know. Why couldn’t she remember? She remembered needing to be alone. She remembered coming to the beach and ripping her dress climbing across the rocks. She remembered feeling too afraid to go back and admit to her mother that she’d ruined it. She remembered the dress constricting her airways and how it made her feel sick and faint, but after that, nothing. And now Matt was here unconscious and covered in blood. She had no idea how one thing had led to the other, but the condemnation on Johnny’s face indicated it was her fault. Big surprise. Wasn’t everything? It didn’t matter what she did. Trouble always camped out on her shoulders.
Johnny pulled his phone from his pocket. “Ah, crap. I won’t be calling for help on this,” he said, holding it up to let the water drip out.
“No need. I’m good.” The voice came from Nessie’s lap. She looked down, and Matt smiled up at her. “I thought you were dead,” he said.
Nessie let out a relieved breath. “I thought you were too. Can you move? Is anything broken?”
Matt raised himself up to sitting, wincing slightly from a sudden pain in his head. “Only my pride.”
Nessie reached up to wipe away a droplet of blood about to enter the corner of his eye. “You should get that seen to.”
He dabbed the cut with his finger. “It’s just a scratch. Stings like a bitch, but I’m fine.” He looked down at the state of his clothing, sodden with a rip in the trouser leg and a pink stain spreading across the shirt’s collar. “Better than my bank balance will be after I’ve forked out for this gear, at any rate,” he said, reaching for his jacket, and placing it around Nessie’s shoulders. “How about you? Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said, accepting the offer of something warm and dry. “No, I think I must have fainted. This damn dress, all the food… you…”
“Me?” His stare was hopeful and inquisitive.
“Hey! What are you lot doing down there?” a voice called from the cliff top. “There’s a bride up here who’s doing her nut.”
“Yes. Thank you, Kendrick. I can speak for myself.” Cora appeared at Kendrick’s side. “What on earth is going on? I demand an explanation. Up here all of you… now!”
The trio exchanged glances before dutifully obeying and ascending the cliff to face the music.
Nessie hadn’t met such a thunderous expression on her mother’s face since she was five-years-old and she’d decided to make all the ladies in her mother’s photograph album prettier by cutting out dresses from a magazine and gluing them onto the pictures.
“I’ve never seen such a sorry set of miscreants in all my life.” Cora scowled. “Vanessa, I’m not surprised you’re involved. Matthew, I expected better of you, but Johnny…” She shook her head. “How could you do this to me? You should be by my side. This is our wedding day, not your stag night. This is not a time for pranks.”
“I realise—”
“Please tell me I haven’t gained another child instead of a husband?”
“You haven’t. I—”
“What will people think when they see
the state of you? Do you know how dangerous it is to go swimming when you’ve been drinking? And fully dressed. What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t—”
“And another thing, Vanessa. Where is that errant boyfriend of yours? His seat’s been empty all afternoon, and I haven’t seen any of the musicians around, either. I want to know what’s going on.”
Nessie stared at the ground and tucked the jacket more snugly around her body as Matt laid a hand on Johnny’s shoulder.
“I thought you were going to talk to her, mate?”
“Never found the right time.”
Cora stuck her hands on her hips and angled her head. “Talk to me about what?” She paused, waiting for an explanation, which wasn’t immediately forthcoming. “I’m waiting.”
“It’s my fault,” Nessie said. She was already in the shit. She might as well lay it all out there. Johnny didn’t deserve a tongue-lashing just because she was such a screw-up.
“Oh, really. You astound me,” Cora sneered.
Unable to meet her mother’s eye, Nessie pulled a piece of seaweed from her bodice and threw it on the ground. “Garrett’s gone, Mum. So has the band, and they’re not coming back.”
“Gone? What do you mean gone? Gone where?”
“I couldn’t care less,” she said, staring out over the bay. “Things didn’t work out between us.”
“What did you do?”
Her attention snapped back to her mother. “Nothing. Why do you automatically presume it was my fault?”
“Because it usually is, and this is just another example of your selfishness. I have guests expecting a show.”
“And they’ll get one, sweetheart,” Johnny interrupted, laying a soothing hand on his wife’s arm. “Molly’s agreed to sing.”
“Molly?”
“Yes. She’s very good. You won’t be disappointed.”
Cora’s eyes narrowed. “And you organised all this behind my back? Everyone knew about the situation, except for me?”
“It was very last minute. We didn’t want to worry you.”
“So you lied to me instead?”
“I was going to tell you.”
“Of course, you were. Just like you’re going to tell me why I’m dragging my wedding dress in the dirt, looking at my new husband standing in a muddy pool?”
“That’s my fault too,” Nessie interrupted.
Her mother stabbed her with one look. “Naturally. When is it not? It’s about time you grew up and started thinking about other people for a change.”
“Oh, that’s right, Mum. Why don’t you get it all out of your system? Tell me everything I’m doing wrong,” she said in the sickly sweet tone she knew her mother hated. “Go on. Let it all out. You could start with how I never liked Johnny and thought he was only with you for your money.”
“I could say the same about you and Garrett. Is that what happened? Did the money run out?”
“Why do you always make out that I’m some immature, little gold-digger?”
“Because you are, dear. As much as I love you, you are what you are. I blame myself. You were a spoilt child.”
“I’m not a child anymore. I’ve changed.”
“Oh, yes. The evidence of that is abundantly clear today.”
“I’ve tried, Mum. I really have. I didn’t do any of this on purpose.”
“Babe,” Johnny stuck his head between the sparring women, “can we take this inside. My bollocks are starting to chafe.” He steered her back towards the hotel. “Come up to the room while I change, and I’ll explain everything.”
“I’m not done with you, young lady,” Cora said, giving Nessie a top to toe as they left. “Go and put on something respectable before I see you again.”
Nessie felt the weight of her mother’s anger lift before being replaced by embarrassment over her stupidity almost costing Matt his life. She turned to him and smiled nervously. His shirt was sticking to his chest, moulding into every contour. Droplets of seawater glistened on the ends of his hair and fell into the bloody trail oozing down his cheek. She’d never seen anyone in such a mess look so sexy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for her own bedraggled state. She glanced down at the rip splitting her skirt from ankle to hip and attempted to cover her thigh with the remaining fabric.
“Don’t do that on my account,” Matt said, smiling. “I like looking at your legs.” He offered her the crook of his arm. “Shall we?”
Reluctantly, Nessie accepted it and allowed him to escort her inside. Kendrick followed two paces behind. She didn’t trust herself to speak. She really should thank Matt for saving her life, but she felt awkward saying the words in front of Kendrick.
“I’ll be up in a few minutes after I’ve changed, okay?” Matt said, exiting the elevator on the first floor.
Nessie nodded.
When the doors closed, Kendrick said, “The suspense is killing me.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sure you do. The guy’s been pining after you all week, and any mole in a hole can see you still have feelings for him.”
The elevator stopped at the next floor, but there were no guests waiting to utilise it. Nessie sighed as she waited for it to begin moving again. Yes, she had feelings; she had more than feelings. That was the problem. If she let them out of their imprisonment and allowed them to run free with a man she didn’t trust, they were in grave danger of being trampled all over again. “Did you know he’s a stripper?” she asked randomly.
“You found out, did you? Is that what’s stopping you?”
“Yesterday, I asked him what he was doing, nowadays, and he told me about his studying and his new job. Not one word about his little sideline.”
“Probably because he’s given it up.”
“Didn’t look that way Sunday night.”
A jolt signalled they’d reached their destination. Kendrick followed Nessie down the corridor. “He didn’t want to do it, you know. His mother forced him. She wouldn’t pay for his trip unless he did it.”
Nessie arrived at her room and paused to ponder Kendrick’s words before opening the door. “I’ll see you downstairs, Rick.”
She sank onto the bed and tried to make sense of everything. Maybe she had misjudged Matt and jumped to the wrong conclusion? Sitting on that fateful rock, she’d spent most of her time thinking about him and reliving the moments they’d shared over the past few days.
Being mad at him for being a stripper was a flimsy excuse for her not to be with him. She didn’t really care. So he took his clothes off for money? So what? Hadn’t she basically done the same thing with Garrett? Matt was the only boy she’d ever truly loved, and as for their past, if anyone should want revenge for what had happened between them, it should be her. She was the one who’d been hurt, and she was the one who’d built a wall around her heart, determined not to let it happen again. Jumping into a rebound relationship hadn’t helped, and the way it had evolved had been a complete disaster and had almost convinced her she wasn’t worthy of being loved. But she was, wasn’t she? She wasn’t a bad person, and she was sick of the endless drama in her life. Wasn’t it time she found some sense of order, some happiness? Didn’t she deserve that? At twenty-two, she should be having a normal relationship like a normal person, but to find the kind of love she craved, she would have to take a risk to find it. The wall had to come down. It was time to stop making excuses, open her heart, and let love in again.
She stood up with renewed determination to start afresh. First things first, the dress had to go. Contorting her arms, she located the zip’s tag and managed to pull it down an inch before it lodged fast. She tried to yank it back up, to come at it from a different angle, but the zip wouldn’t budge.
Great. So much for the new start.
She needed help. She needed her sister.
Locating her phone, she scrolled down her call list, but as her finger hovered over Amy’s number, there was a knock on the door.
It was Matt.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Matt stood in the doorway as if the past hour had never taken place, looking gorgeously hot in a white shirt and black pants, with his brown waves combed back into place. Nessie offered him a small smile and allowed herself to feel happy he’d come to check up on her.
He stared at her in astonishment. “You’re still wearing the dress, Ness.”
“The zip’s stuck.”
A familiar scent of lemons preceded him into the room, and she tried not to picture him in the shower he must have taken.
“Turn around. Let me try.” His fingers brushed her bare shoulders and heated her skin as he tugged and jiggled the zip tag. “You’re right. It’s not going anywhere.”
“Ugh.” Nessie threw her hands in the air. “I’ve got to get out of this sorry excuse for a dress. It’s driving me crazy. I did everything I could to get into it, and now I can’t get the damn thing off. It’s a nightmare.” She snatched at the bodice angrily. “This piece of shit has been the bane of my life all week.”
“I thought that was me?”
She turned to Matt and held his eye. “You’re not shit.” She smiled.
“I’m not?”
“No.”
“And it took me saving your life for you to realise that?”
She took a step closer to him. “I wanted to thank you for that. I’m sorry. I’ve been a bitch.”
“No need to thank me or apologise. I deserved everything you doled out, and I’d happily die for you any day.” He mirrored her move and reached up to stroke her cheek. “You are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met, but I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. And you can protest as much as you like, and act as if nothing’s going on, but I’m not going to let you pretend.”
“I won’t. I-I think I finally know what I want now.”
“Then it had better be me, because I don’t think I could handle it if it isn’t.”
“Are you sure you can handle me for more than one night?”
“I can handle you every night. I know I have a lot to make up for, but I want you, and only you. I want to wake up every morning and see your dimples. I want to curl up on the sofa with you and watch James McAvoy movies every evening. I want to marry you and have babies with you. I need you, Nessie. I love you. Please say you could love me again?”