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She wasn’t breathing.
I’ve never felt that kind of panic in my life, and I don’t ever want to feel that again.
My hands tighten on the steering wheel and my jaw creaks with the force of how hard I’m gritting my teeth. It would be devastating if anyone died on my watch. But her? There’s something about Diana that makes the potential agony twice that. Something deep that brings out a reaction that’s fierce and feral and protective.
I’m glad she didn’t fight me, because like hell was I going to let anyone else take her to the hospital. Despite the fact that that’s what she needs to be okay, that’s not actually what I want to do. I want to pull over to the side of the road and haul her into my arms and make sure for myself that she’s okay.
I can’t do that. And I shouldn’t want to. But fuck, I do.
The other thing I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about is the way her lips felt under mine and her body too, once she was breathing again. But now that I’ve felt her body underneath mine, I can’t possibly ignore it. I want her.
“Diana?”
“Yeah,” she says softly.
“Just making sure you’re still awake.”
A sound of annoyance from her. “Sadly.”
“You can sleep as long as you want once the doctor clears you. Hell, I’ll give you my bed if you want. Down pillows. Whatever you need.”
Slowly Diana shifts in her seat so that she’s facing my direction. “Leo, you literally saved my life. You don’t have to do anything else.”
“I may have saved your life, but it was my fault you went in the water. It was my fault that we were out there at all without checking the river flow.”
“You were saving them.”
I sigh. “Still.”
We pull into the hospital parking lot, and I follow the signs for the emergency room. This hospital has valet parking for their ER. Fuck yes. I don’t want to have to wait.
I’m out of the car and handing the keys to the attendant without a second thought. Diana has the door open by the time I round the hood of the truck, but I stop her. “Let me.” The same words I’d used on her earlier.
“I can walk.”
Lifting her into my arms, I push the door shut with my foot. “You’re exhausted and you might have a concussion.”
Diana just sighs softly, but she leans her head against my shoulder and closes her eyes. I’m not sure if she realizes that she’s cuddled into me, but I don’t mind it. Hell, I want more of it. I meant what I said about giving her my bed if she wants it.
It makes sense for me to carry her, but I would be lying if it wasn’t also an excuse to hold her and keep her close. Never in my life have I felt this kind of instinct, and I am nowhere close to having it under control. Besides, she did still seem a bit out of it.
I’m careening fast toward not giving a shit that she’s a guest at the lodge. And I know full well that it started long before she went in the water. As soon as she walked in with her friends yesterday, I noticed her. My first glance was at her hand to make sure she wasn’t married, and her friends teasing her made it clear that she was single.
Thank fuck.
I check her in, and the nurse takes us back immediately. The words ‘she stopped breathing, and I gave her mouth-to-mouth’ let you skip the line.
Within minutes, I’m laying her in a hospital bed while the nurse wraps a curtain around us and starts to take her vitals. Diana is still awake, and she’s looking at me. I can’t quite decipher the look on her face.
My phone rings in my pocket, and I glance at the screen. It’s Asher. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She’s still staring at me, and I may be imagining the flash of fear that passes over her face. “Okay.”
I’ll make this short. Stepping around the curtain, I answer. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Asher says. “You at the hospital?”
“Yeah, they took us straight back.”
“Good. You have everything you need for insurance?”
I wrack my brain to remember what I need. “I think so. If not, I’ll give you a call.”
He sighs. “Great. When you come back, you, Hudson, and I need to go over some stuff in the office. But take your time, make sure the guest is okay.”
As if there was a chance in hell that I would do anything else. “Of course. I’ll let you know when I’m back.”
We hang up, and I step back into the curtain only seconds before a doctor follows me in. This has to be the fastest emergency room visit ever. But good on them for taking this seriously. Diana changed into the dry clothes while I was gone. Good.
