Unexpectedly You

by Lily Santana

  She gripped his arm. “What are you going to do?”

  “Swim.” He sprinted as fast as he could toward Bogie, who was ungracefully trying to swim back to shore but was being pulled farther and farther out by the strong riptide.

  Oh, hell. Mitch yanked off his shoes and felt the cold wet sand between his toes. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and pulled his wallet out of his jeans. He peered into the water, but the swell of the waves obscured his view. There was no sign of Bogie.

  Behind him, he heard Emma’s distraught cry and without another thought he plunged into the freezing water. The air rushed from his lungs. Instantly his skin puckered and his clothes tightened around his limbs, weighing him down. He tried to focus his eyes to get a glimpse of the dog.

  The strength of the riptide under him pulled him away from the shoreline. He relaxed, rather than try to swim, allowing the powerful force to drag him out. When a wave crashed over his head, salt water filled his mouth and his nose but he kept still until he no longer felt the tugging from beneath his legs.

  He heard a whimper and saw a movement in his peripheral vision, and then Bogie’s head popped out of the water. The dog saw him and instinctively paddled the twenty feet toward where he was treading water.

  “I got you, buddy, I got you,” he managed to say through numbed lips. He knew he had to get them out of the freezing water in the next few minutes or they were screwed.

  Grabbing on to the bandana Emma had wrapped around Bogie’s neck, Mitch swam sideways, parallel to the shore and away from the rip current’s band. When he finally got his footing, he carried the shaking dog over his shoulder on to the shore.

  A crowd of people had gathered and took the petrified Bogie from his arms. Mitch sank to the sand and shook his head to unplug his ears. His teeth were chattering and he could barely move his fingers.

  He heard a man’s voice barking orders and glanced up to see Officer Landis clearing the crowd. Mitch breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the officer’s Jeep a few feet away. His leg and arm muscles cramped and fatigue overwhelmed him. He didn’t think he had the strength to walk back to his trailer.

  He heard voices around him as the crowd gathered.

  Someone patted his back. “Are you all right? That was a crazy thing to do.”

  “He saved that dog’s life.”

  “Someone get this man a blanket.”

  Mitch tried to smile and nod but his face felt taut. The crowd grew larger. It seemed everyone either wanted to congratulate him or maybe see for themselves the dumbass who risked his life for a dog. The first inkling he might lose his toes from the cold sent a stab of fear in his gut.

  Officer Landis’s voice pierced his brain. “Okay, everyone back off, please. Show’s over. We need to get Mr. McKenna in the Jeep. You all right, Mitch?”

  “Just freezing.”

  Emma rushed to his side. “Let me help you up. Wrap your arms around my shoulders.”

  “Let’s get him in the Jeep. Can you stand?” Officer Landis pulled him up and leaned him against his shoulders. Emma grabbed his other arm, and together they led him to the back of the Jeep.

  Mitch peeled his droopy lids open when he felt Emma’s arm on his back. His head fell forward and his face nestled on her neck. He inhaled her perfume. “You smell nice.”

  Officer Landis cleared his throat. “Let’s get you wrapped up in the blanket. Emma, try to keep him warm.”

  Her heat seeped into his skin. His head was foggy and his lips felt swollen. “So soft...so sweet.”

  Emma rubbed his arms to get his circulation going. “I think he’s delirious. Should we take him to the hospital?”

  “No hospital. Hot shower,” Mitch mumbled.

  Officer Landis revved the engine. “He needs to get out of those wet clothes. We’ll take him back to the trailer.”

  Mitch’s lids felt heavy and he struggled to keep awake. Exhaustion fought with his desire to savor the way Emma was rubbing his neck and using her body to keep him warm.

  “Stay awake, we’re almost there,” she whispered.

  “Hmmm—” he nestled in deeper between her breasts, “—n...nice,” he murmured, a smile tugging the corner of his lips.

  * * *

  With the Jeep’s heat blasted, Emma felt sweat trickle down her spine. Mitch sat slumped next to her in the back seat, his head buried in her chest. He kept murmuring unintelligible words she hoped Brandon couldn’t hear.

  Could he feel her heartbeat thumping against throat? What made him run in after Bogie into the freezing water? Why would he do that for a dog he barely knew? Why would he risk his life to save her dog? She knew if Mitch hadn’t risked his life, Bogie would have drowned.

  The reckless dog was fast asleep in the front seat wrapped in blankets. One of her neighbors had taken Lulu from her arms when she’d rushed to Mitch’s side.

  Emma pushed back the wet hair from Mitch’s face. His skin felt warm, so she knew he wasn’t in danger of hypothermia. But she kept her palms on his face just in case and was surprised when he turned his lips into them. His warm breath dampened her hands and sent tremors up her arm. She inhaled the briny smell of the ocean that clung to his skin.

  When they reached Mitch’s trailer, Brandon jumped out and opened the back door. “How are you feeling, Mr. McKenna? Do you think you can walk?”

  Emma was surprised when Mitch pulled back from her, stretched like a satiated cat and nodded a greeting to Brandon. “I can walk. I’m all right. Thanks for the ride.”

  Emma shut her eyes in mortification. He was awake?

  When Mitch’s gaze found hers, there was an unmistakable awareness within their depths. The heat in the Jeep didn’t compare to the heat spreading inside her chest.

  Mitch smiled. “Appreciate the sweet concern for my safety. Had I known almost drowning was all it took, I’d have done it sooner.”

  She frowned when she detected a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You need to take those wet clothes off and take a hot shower before you catch pneumonia.”

  “If you’re so worried, why don’t you come inside and take a hot shower with me to make sure I’m alright.”

  Her gaze flew to Brandon’s, whose brows were stacked in military precision over the bridge of his nose. “See? He’s delirious. Are you sure we shouldn’t take him to the hospital?”

  Mitch grunted. “I’m not delirious—my nuts are frozen. You want to warm those up with your palms?”

  Brandon bit back a smile. “Why don’t we figure all this out inside the trailer?”

  * * *

  Two hours later, with a bowl of steaming tomato soup in her hands, Emma knocked on Mitch’s trailer door. She’d seen Brandon’s Jeep take off about a half hour after they’d dropped off Mitch and had breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Brandon wouldn’t have left if Mitch was in any health danger.

  She waited another few minutes but heard nothing coming from the other side of the door. Worry reared up again, mingled with guilt for putting Mitch’s life at risk because of her stupid desire to let Bogie run without a leash on the beach. The least she could do was offer up some homemade soup.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and entered the cold, dark trailer. “Mitch?” she called out.

  The television was on though the sound was muted. She noticed several empty coffee cups and a bottle of brandy on the dinette table. She shut the trailer door behind her and placed the container of soup on the kitchen counter.

  She listened for any sign of movement but heard nothing. He must be sleeping. A part of her brain warned her to turn around and just leave the soup, but another part—the maternal side—wanted to make sure he was safe.

  She headed toward the small bedroom with the door slightly ajar. “Hello?” She placed her ear against the door and heard a ruffle of
sheets. She bit her lip in indecision before quietly entering the room.

  Scattered on the floor lay the wet clothes he’d had on earlier. He must have stripped off before falling into bed. Automatically, she picked them up and hung them on the hook behind the door. Taking another couple of steps in, she could make out Mitch’s body facedown above the covers. He’d stripped off everything except a pair of boxers.

  Emma glanced at the wide-open window above the bed and frowned. Isn’t he freezing?

  Careful not to wake him, she reached over the bed to try and shut the window, but her arms weren’t long enough.

  Now what?

  Why would he leave the window wide open? Looking at his motionless form on the bed, she touched the back of her hand against his neck and felt the scorching heat radiating from his skin.

  He has a fever. Panic gripped her heart.

  She stirred him, but he didn’t budge. “Mitch? Mitch, wake up. Are you feeling sick?”

  “M-mm c-cold.”

  Cold. All right, she had to shut the window but to do so, she’d have to cradle his sleeping form and hope she didn’t fall flat on top of him in the process.

  Emma slipped off her clogs. The queen bed barely had enough room to place her foot on either side of his head, but she managed. The window was brand-new, thank God, and slid shut without much effort. She was about to climb off, but Mitch suddenly turned on his back and she lost her balance. She fell backward on her butt in an ungraceful swoop, balancing on her knees to keep from crushing him.

  “Crap,” she yelped, embarrassed beyond reason for the awkward way her knees cradled his head beneath her.

  She would have jumped off had his arms not come around her waist and held her in place. “And here I thought I was having a wet dream,” he said, his voice thick and hoarse.

  The look in his eyes ignited a fire inside her belly. Her lips dried and her throat tightened. She tried to say something but her tongue felt thick.

  In a single move, Mitch flipped her over on her back with him on top, his hot, naked leg over her legs. His rumpled hair and drowsy eyes made him look boyishly handsome.

  She cleared her throat. “I was checking to see if you were warm enough.”

  His lips turned up at the corner. “If I wasn’t then, I’m sure as hell on fire now.”

  The intoxicating way he stared at her melted her bones. “Why did you leave the window open? You could catch a fever. I brought you soup. It’s tomato. Do you like tomato soup?” She knew she was chattering nonsense but couldn’t seem to find the energy to meet his gaze. The ache inside of her was impossible to ignore and as hard as it was to admit, she liked Mitch’s weight on top of her. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be engulfed in a man’s arms.

  He raised his head a few inches from her face and tried to smile. “This must really be happening, because tomato soup was never part of my wet dreams.”

  Emma shrugged. “Sorry, but I wanted to check to make sure you were okay.”

  He moved to allow her to sit up on the bed and then cursed under his breath when he saw the bulge beneath his boxers. He yanked the blanket nonchalantly over his waist. “Thank you for the concern. As you can see, I survived my stupid attempt at being a hero.”

  She nodded. “That was a brave thing to do.”

  “It was a stupid thing to do.”

  “It was stupid. But brave nonetheless.” She tried to focus on finding the right words to thank him but her attention kept getting distracted by the tantalizing amount of skin and muscle on display. She drew in a long breath to gather herself. Mitch simply raised a brow. “Thank you for saving my dog. If there is any way I can return the favor?”

  He leaned back on the bed, placing both his arms behind his head. She tried to ignore the way his stomach pulled in tight and how his biceps flexed against the pillows. His amused smile seemed to have guessed at her discomfort.

  “That’s a hell of a question to ask a man when minutes ago you had his head between your legs.”

  She swallowed hard. “You know what I mean.”

  He grinned. “You know what I need you to do. That’s the deal we made, right? Just keep your end of the bargain.”

  “I’ll keep my end of the bargain. Don’t you worry.”

  “I don’t worry.” He nudged the blanket lower with his leg so it dipped below his belly button. Her mouth parched.

  “Emma?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Why don’t you go on home before I take you up on your offer?” He arched his brow suggestively.

  Mortified, she jumped up, wheeled around and walked out of the bedroom with her back as stiff as the wet jeans she’d picked up from the floor.

  “Sleep tight,” she heard him say from the bedroom before she shut the trailer’s door.

  Chapter Ten

  “Honey, I’ve been waiting years to get my hands on this beautiful hair of yours,” Lorraine gushed as she combed out Emma’s hair. The ends hit just below her shoulder blades and lay flat against the words Cutter’s Away Salon emblazoned on the back of the black robe.

  Emma smiled. “Don’t go crazy. I still want some length, but if we can tame this wild child and make it look halfway stylish.”

  Lorraine chewed on her bottom lip as she studied Emma’s reflection in the mirror. “You betcha! She’s just crying for more red, and I think a cute bob will do the trick. Let me go mix, be back in a jiffy.” Her friend practically waltzed to the back of the salon.

  Lorraine returned with a metal cart filled with small bowls, brushes and slips of shiny aluminum foil.

  Squashing her second thoughts, Emma took a sip of her chamomile tea before meeting Lorraine’s knowing gaze in the mirror. Her friend squeezed her shoulders in reassurance before applying the color.

  Emma’s gaze drifted to the window as nervous energy buzzed in her stomach. Sunshine, which hadn’t made an appearance in weeks, shone bright and crisp. She’d woken up with the rays warming her face and rather than being tired after a sleepless night, she’d hopped out of bed, showered and cleared out her closet. Stacks of newly filled boxes sat in her trunk, waiting to be dropped off at Goodwill.

  Now here she was, having made the decision to change her external appearance to match the renaissance she felt inside. Maybe it was the sunlight, but she felt different today. Like a big old heavy cloud had been lifted. She tried not to think too hard on what else might be causing the surge of energy.

  “So, I missed some excitement at the beach yesterday, I hear,” Lorraine said.

  Emma coughed and spluttered as tea went down the wrong pipe. “You did. It was awful.” She relayed the events of the previous day.

  Lorraine’s mouth hung open in awe. “I was at the diner this morning, and everyone was gabbing about what a hero Mitch was to save Bogie. I can’t believe he’d risk his neck like that. Maybe we have him all wrong, huh?”

  The same thought crossed Emma’s mind whenever she remembered how Mitch had flung himself into the sea after Bogie. “Maybe.”

  “What’s he doing working over at your place?”

  “I hired him,” she lied. “I asked him to fix some things around the house. It’s the least I can do, right? His project is delayed.”

  Lorraine arched her brow. “I didn’t know he was for hire. I’d pay good money to see all that tanned muscle sweatin’ around my house.”

  Emma chuckled. “I’m sure you can ask him if he’d like to work on your house. I don’t have exclusive rights.”

  “I don’t know about that. I saw you two the other night at bingo. The man couldn’t keep his eyes off you. Not that your eyes strayed too far from him either, mind you.”

  She felt heat creep up her neck. “Don’t be silly. I took him to bingo because I agreed to help him improve his image in town. That’s all there was to it.
”

  “Considering he’s now a bona fide hero, I think your job’s done. Already, two of my ladies came in this morning to get their hairs set. But I think they just wanted to get a good look at that hunky man in the flesh.”

  Emma laughed. “You’re awful.”

  Maybe that was why she felt elated this morning. She’d done her part, and Mitch had certainly done his. Now that he’d practically won over the town, it wouldn’t be so bizarre why she would champion his project during Thursday’s meeting.

  She closed her eyes. That meant she’d be able to call Tim and tell him she’d found a way to pay off her loan. No wonder she felt good. This was going to work out after all. She’d panicked for nothing.

  “Hon, did you see him dancing with Mrs. Johnson? Forget feet, the poor woman’s got two left paws.”

  She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I did. It was pretty funny.”

  Lorraine removed her latex gloves and slapped them on the empty color bowl. “I cannot wait to see this metamorphosis.”

  “You and me both.”

  Lorraine wiped excess color from her forehead then stood back, placing both hands on her ample hips. “Are you still hosting book club tonight?”

  Darn. With everything going on the last few days, Emma had forgotten it was her turn to host their monthly book club. How would she manage to get Mitch off her back? What excuse would she use? Considering what Lorraine had just told her, she rather doubted she needed to spend any more time with him. And considering she couldn’t get the image of him in his sexy boxer shorts and the scent of his brandy-laced breath out of her mind, she should stay clear away from him.

  Maybe the book club was perfect timing. David would be there, and she could tell Mitch she was doing her part of the deal. Spending time with David meant she didn’t have to spend the evening in Mitch’s company.

  She’d be able to talk with David. Maybe she’d even call him to come over a little earlier so she could have a private word before the rest of their friends showed up.

  Emma beamed. “Of course I’m hosting. You’re coming, right?”