“Yes, Dad,” she sang back, having already made her way into the water up to her knees. It crashed against her and made her giggle.
Damn if that sound didn’t have an impact on him. A slight one, but an impact nonetheless. He glanced back to see she’d waded out to her thighs. A few waves rolled in and picked her up, floating her farther and farther out. She giggled and his chest pinched. “You’re ruining your dress.”
“I don’t care,” she yelled back.
“You should come back in.” She ignored him and waved. “Charis. Now.”
She stood up, the water to her waist, soaking the little blue number. Who swims in eveningwear? And why then didn’t this surprise him that she would? “What’s the big deal? It isn’t like—”
Before she finished her thought, he widened his eyes as his heart painfully stopped at the sight sneaking up behind her. A wave larger than life crashed down and she disappeared beneath its frothy surface.
“Oh shit,” he muttered and ran into the water. “Charis? Charis!” He spun in all directions, looking for her to emerge, but as the water pulled back out, no Charis.
A shudder ripped through him, sharpening his senses. The waves crashed against him, nearly knocking him over. The storm made an early appearance. He widened his stance and waded out further. “Charis!”
Still nothing.
Oh Christ. She had to be scared now. Hell, this scared him. He couldn’t see shit. The moon barely glowed to give him enough light. More clouds oozed in, signaling the brewing storm, which would explain the crispness in the air and the six-foot swells.
Six-foot? Hell, the wave that pulled her out had to have been at least ten.
Pulled her out? Fuck me.
A slight gasp and cough caught his attention and he turned to the sound. “Charis,” he choked on her name as he spotted her. She struggled against the surf and just as she brought her head out of the water, another wave crashed down and she disappeared again.
His heart raced as he pushed against the wave. Panic rioted within him, kicking up his pace. He spotted another wave about to crash and dove into it. He surfaced and looked off in the direction he last spotted Charis.
She wasn’t there. Shit! This was not good. He no longer had traction against the bottom. Even worse, the pounding waves had forced him a good twenty feet out.
They’d be lucky if either one of them made it back to shore now.
SEVEN
She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs burned, ached, begged to take a breath. The all too familiar feeling of not being able to drag in any air sent her into a panic. At once she was thrust back to that field, something warm trickling down her temple as she stared up at the sky. When the force of the explosion had thrown her to the ground, she couldn’t breathe.
Like now.
Surrounded by complete blackness, her panic set in. The ocean robbed her of any control. Thrashing, she was completely, utterly helpless against the powerful waves. The water pushed her. It pulled her. Wanting to cry out, positive she was going to die, she fought to break through the water.
“David!” Charis screamed as she surfaced. The world spun in chaos as she fought the ocean. Hyperventilation robbed her of what little oxygen she had in her lungs. The crisp water cooling her flesh enveloped her, capturing her in its unyielding, deadly clutches.
“Charis!” The distant, yet distinct voice rang out.
“David!” Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. She tried to kick, but the dress tangled around her legs and worked against her. Blinking the stinging, salty water out of her eyes, she finally spotted the lights from shore. The sight made her breath hitch on a painful sob.
Oh no. She had to be a good thirty feet out. Even on her best day and wearing something that didn’t bind her legs, she couldn’t swim thirty feet fighting a strong current. The harsh realization gripped her, halting her heart. No way would she survive this.
Another wave came up and pulled her under, sucking her back down into its liquid, relentless darkness. The water rolled her over and over. Panic, cruel and stunning as the blackness swallowing her whole, kept her from taking in a full breath even when she surfaced.
The dress wrapped her legs together, sealing her fate. She wanted to cry, to scream for help. She wanted to take a breath. Her lungs suffered, felt like collapsing in her chest. If she didn’t take a breath soon, she’d lose consciousness.
This was not how she’d wanted to get David Snyder’s attention. Stroking with her arms and swimming the way she assumed a mermaid would, she pushed herself out of the water just long enough to scream.
“David!” she cried, choking on saltwater and a sob. Gasping, gagging, she couldn’t breathe.
The black abyss robbed her of her senses. She pulled herself, pushed herself, and fought the current, the painful burn in her arms and legs. Still, the waves made it impossible to swim any closer to shore. On top of that, she grew more and more exhausted. The wine in her blood worked against her. Her limbs felt heavy, useless. Her dress acted as restraints, restricting her limbs. Resting, unable to fight, she let herself slowly, lazily descend into the dark water.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live, damn it! As the water took her deeper, capturing her as its prey, its reward, she decided now was as good a time as any to start praying.
Okay, God. I’ll make you a deal. If you spare my life, I promise to finally live it. I’ll stop living my father’s idea of my life. Just please, don’t let me die.
Someone grabbed her and pulled her clean out of the water. She wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life. Gasping for air, coughing up water, she closed her eyes and buried her face against him.
Her lifeguard towed her toward the shore. The waves still grew, angrily crashing down in protest, trying to take them both out to sea, not willing to give up the prize without a fight. She shook uncontrollably and tightened her hold, too scared to do anything more than gasp and cough. She expected relief to wash over her, but as long as water still surrounded them, she wouldn’t be able to take a stable breath.
“Hang on. We’re almost there.” David’s velvety baritone voice sounded through the heavy pounding in her ears. He held her head above water and swam toward shore. She kicked until her legs were useless, dead weight.
By the time he had them out of danger, she was ready to collapse from exhaustion. His exhaustion had to be twice that of hers since he did most of the work. Her knees wobbled and she wanted to fall to the ground to kiss it.
He pulled her into his arms and held her so tight she couldn’t breathe. The pace of his heart pounded against her chest, beating as fast, if not faster, than hers. He fought for air, wheezing and dragging the oxygen into his lungs. Lung.
Oh, David.
He only had one and a half lungs, and a piece of plastic for a shoulder blade. He’d had to swim out in choppy, stormy waters to save her, and even the unforgiving ocean couldn’t stop him from retrieving his find. He was stronger now than he’d ever been.
“Charis.” David whispered into her ear. It was the most incredible and welcome sound she’d ever heard. His voice reverberated through her system, and she trembled against him.
Her throat closed. Her breath hitched. She burst into tears, giving in to the all-consuming emotion of nearly dying out there in the water. Burying her face into his neck, she sobbed uncontrollably. Huge sobs that tore at her chest. “D-D-David.” She held him even closer, never wanting to let him go.
He stroked her hair, kissed the top of her head and temple over and over. The gentleness in his voice had an undertone of desperation. “Don’t you ever do something that stupid again.”
Not a problem. She hated the water now and would probably have a hard time drinking a glass of it after this. She cried harder, the painful sobs too much for her to control. “I-I’ve never b-been s-so s-scared.”
He kissed her temple. “That makes two of us, baby.”
This proved it. She’d go back to Seattle and tell TREX to sh
ove field assignments up its ass. She didn’t know how the field agents risked their lives day in and day out. She had a newfound respect for them. Just the thought of what almost happened out there turned her into a blubbering idiot. TREX Rule #53: A TREX agent never breaks under pressure.
Easy for a rulebook to say. She wanted to throw the rulebook into the ocean and see how well it held up against the undertow.
David stroked her hair and kept her head tucked safely into the crook of his neck. After she brought her heaving sobs back under control, he asked, “Are you all right?”
She nodded. Changing her mind, she then shook her head, the tears streaming down her face. She’d never be all right again.
He chuckled softly, the sound rumbling in his chest. They stayed there, him holding her and comforting her with his words, his touch. When she was sure she’d be able to stand under her own power, she pushed away.
She was wrong.
He let her go and she melted to earth with an unceremonious plop on the sand, dissolving into a puddle of ruined silk and blubbering tears. She’d lost her contacts somewhere out in the water, her cell phone, and her dignity.
“Charis?” He knelt down, tilted his head as he eyed her.
Closing her eyes, the warmth of her tears streamed down her face, mixing with the rain and seawater. Now that God had given her a second chance at life, she didn’t have any strength to do anything more than just sit there, wallowing in self-pity. The whole night came crashing down. More tears burned her eyes, melted down her cheeks. “Just go.”
“No.” He pulled her up, his hands rough and unforgiving as he grasped her shoulders. “Look at me. Goddamn it, woman.” His grip tightened. “Look at me.”
She jumped at his tone. Opening her eyes, she squinted to bring him into focus. “What?”
“Don’t you dare,” he ordered her. “I did not just risk my ass to save yours only for you to go all depressed on me about it. Life is too fucking short to feel sorry for yourself.”
And then he kissed her. Oh, he didn’t just kiss her. He consumed her. He plunged his tongue deep into her mouth, exploring the recesses, tasting her. A fire ignited in her womb and she let everything go, liquefying her arousal, heating up her desire. He held her to him, possessing her. Ravishing her into oblivion, his kiss successfully rendered her incapable of conscious thought. Hell, she couldn’t even breathe. This time, she was just fine with that.
He broke their kiss, nipping her lips as he pulled back. His gaze danced in the faint light—well, at least it looked like they were. Without being able to see, she couldn’t be sure.
“I want to see that light back in your eyes. Those beautiful eyes,” he murmured and went for her lips again. “They haunt me. I can’t close mine without seeing them.”
She kissed him back, matching his passion with equal fury. “Get me out of here.”
He pulled back, panting. With a squeeze of his hands, holding her even closer to him, he drew in several breaths as he nodded. “Right. We are... You are... We aren’t... Right.”
She brushed her hands across her face, pushing her hair out of her eyes, trying to clear her head. Looking down at her appearance, she let out a slight giggle. “I must look awesome.”
“You do,” he responded in a gruff tone. He glanced at her and shifted from one foot to the other. He then blew out a long breath and chanted, “Agent. Agent. Agent.”
“Excuse me?”
He did everything possible to avoid looking at her. Swallowing visibly, he finally gave her a sideways glance. The smile that curled his lips just about curled her toes. “Let’s get you back inside and out of those clothes.”
She lifted her brow.
“Stop that. You know what I mean.”
Knowing when to raise the white flag, she conceded even though he’d just kissed her like he’d die without her touch. Her short run of recklessness had come to an end. And that really sucked.
She thought about her pact with God. Did giving up fall within her living her own life?
Uh, not. She racked her brain trying to think of something to say to talk him into spending the night with her. “Will you at least take me to my room? I can’t see past my nose and I feel like an idiot looking like this.”
“Looking like what? You said so yourself. You look awesome. I’ve never seen a more tempting sight.”
The blue dress had turned into wet tissue paper, clinging to her skin and leaving nothing to the imagination. Even without being able to focus she spotted the dark circles of her nipples spiked against the material. The crisp air, the fact she was sopping wet, and having David a mere foot away, kissing her with such furious passion made her body clearly respond, making her even wetter. Crossing her arms to give herself a little modesty, she looked away.
He removed his shirt and covered her with it. It sheltered enough of her to not faint from humiliation when they faced the public. His arm lingered, his thumb gently caressing her shoulder through the shirt. “No need to get everyone’s attention any more than you already do.”
Grabbing her hand, he led her to the resort, through the lobby, and over to the elevators. He squeezed her hand like a vise, cutting off her circulation. She tried to wiggle free, but he wouldn’t allow it and even tightened his grip in response. Her lust mixed with fear as the doors whooshed open and he practically threw her inside the elevator. Finally, after the doors closed, he let go of her hand.
She shook it to get the blood flowing. “What was that all about?”
“What floor?” he barked.
Did she just see his dick jerk? She studied it closer, taking a step toward him to get a better look. Her vision sucked and she only saw a blur, but the blur looked huge.
There! It just did it again. “How are you doing that?”
“Doing what?”
He jerked his swollen cock again. This time he moved his pelvis as well. “That! Right there! You made it move.”
He made a guttural growl. “Is this how women feel when men stare at their chest?”
She blinked and looked up at him. “Huh?”
He flashed a crooked grin. “You really have no idea the effect you have, do you?”
Shrugging, she shook her head, baffled.
With a chuckle, he joined her in the gesture and shook his head. “Never mind. Floor?”
“Eleven.” Men had the ability to make their penis move on command? Fascinating. She wanted to see more and lowered her gaze to his hard cock trying to escape. “Wow.”
“Quit staring at my crotch,” he stated without an ounce of firmness. “We are not having sex.” He backed into the corner and studied the ceiling, the ground, even the numbers as they lit up. His jaw clenched and relaxed over and over as he fought his internal battle.
To keep her sense of bravado as well as his attention, she removed his shirt and handed it back to him. “I’m good.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled and accepted his shirt, shrugging it back on and taking his time with the buttons. The doors whooshed open and he hurried out. “Which room?”
“1121. It has this amazing view of the ocean from the lanai.”
“I see the ocean every day.”
“Not from my balcony.” She pulled her key card from the inside of her dress—thank God it didn’t fall out when she went for her swim—and opened the door, offered for him to enter.
He let out a long sigh and mumbled something about this being a bad idea. “Fine, you win. But we are not having sex.”
“You already said that.” She eyed his sexy ass as he waltzed ahead of her. She needed to start living her life, one of her promises to God. Since He sent her a lifeguard—she eyed David—she needed to hold up her end of the deal.
No more waiting around for something spectacular to happen. No more standing still and watching life pass her by. If her near-drowning experience had taught her anything it was to seize the moment. Charis swayed in his direction. With every step she took toward him, he retreated until he fell into a c
hair behind him.
“Stay.” She ran into her bedroom, then poked her head back out. “Don’t you dare leave or I will hunt you down like Gabrielle.”
He chuckled. “We don’t want that.”
“Exactly.” She closed the door, hoping this little play would hold his curiosity long enough for her to change into something he’d tear off her body. Tugging on her dress, and tugging again, and again, she muttered her father’s favorite curse when she couldn’t so much as get the dress to move more than a few inches. Her lust subsided for more pressing matters.
She was stuck in a blue fabric prison.
Of course. She pulled. She pushed. Tugged. Wiggled. Nothing would get the darn thing to budge. She’d have to call upon her lifeguard again. “Uh, David?”
Silence.
No! Did he leave? She threw open her door and hurried out of the room, colliding with him. He put his hands on her shoulders. “What now?”
“I can’t get my dress off.”
That caught his attention. He traced her frame with his gaze before resting it on her face. Her nipples hadn’t recovered from the last time he looked at her like that. They hurt as they puckered. The heat coming off the moisture pooling between her thighs made her shudder out a breath.
“Seems like you have quite a dilemma on your hands.”
“Will you help me?”
His lip twitched. He brought his hands up, then down, then up again. Finally he rested them on his hips. As he spoke, the words came out as a husky rasp. “You want me to undress you?”
She nodded, knowing how it sounded. Sure, she wanted him to undress her, but not like this. Still, he obviously wanted her. She clearly wanted him. And by that look in those incredible eyes, he was about to take off her dress.
He took a step toward her and then stopped. The protest slammed into her desire. “Charis,” he moaned. “I don’t think I should.”
“What? Help me out of a dress that has somehow plastered itself to me?”
Seek and Destroy (TREX, #5) Page 9