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Blake reached down into the water with a hiss. His fingers coasted down my belly to my hip and lower. He kept his gaze locked on me as he bounced twice before disappearing under the water.
He pulled at my foot. I screamed as pain flared over my ankle and up my leg. Not so numb after all.
He came up, whipping his hair back as he exploded out of the water. “The top of her boot is wedged under a sharp piece of rock. Laces are tangled.” He swiped his hand down his face to wick the water away. “Ankle’s pretty swollen.”
“Can you cut it off?”
I pushed at Jack. “No.”
“Not your foot, Gracie. Just your boot, baby.”
“If you use one more term of endearment with my woman, I’m going to gut you,” Blake snarled.
“Dream on,” Jack said with a laugh.
“Your what?” I asked incredulously.
Maybe the combination of their hot breath in my vicinity was giving me a little clarity. Or maybe I was just living in Bizzarro World. Better yet, I was probably still dreaming.
Of course my nightmare would include two gorgeous men rescuing me, only to bitch at each other until I ended up drowning anyway.
Blake reached down into the water again and came out with a tool in his shaking hand.
“You sure you can do this, son?”
“Just pull her up when I get her foot free,” Blake said with a growl.
Jack inclined his head. “Go cut the damsel free, James.”
“Fuck you,” Blake said before gripping the tool between his teeth.
I laughed. How could I not? Blake’s hair was slicked back and he was wearing a full tux. My very own James Bond.
He slipped under the water. His hand was firm on my thigh. I could barely feel what he was doing, but the tightness around my ankle and calf suddenly let up.
Thank God.
Then there was nothing but white hot pain. I thrashed, but he held me still under the water, and there was no forgiveness in his grip.
“Gracie. Honey, stop.”
I couldn’t stop. Just let me free. Please, let me free. The water was up to my chin. I didn’t remember calling his name, but Jack’s wide-eyed gaze dragged me back into myself. Blake’s name still echoed in the cove.
He’d been down there too long.
Suddenly my foot was free. I shot out of the water like a cork. Jack dragged me out of the water. He stripped out of his tux jacket, then pulled it around me. “All right. There’s a girl.”
“Blake,” I screamed. I struggled away from Jack, and got to the edge of the ledge before he hauled me back. His arms were huge and strong, but not the ones I wanted.
An arc of water sprayed my face as my boot suddenly went flying over my head. Blake gripped the ledge.
I tried to help him up, but Jack eased me aside to stand and haul him up.
I curled into a ball under Jack’s suit coat. Wool. Gloriously fine wool, but it wasn’t warm. Nothing seemed like it would ever be warm enough again.
Blake crawled to me. He cupped my face. “Sweet Jesus.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “You have some explaining to do, Ms. Copeland.”
“Later,” Jack said. He reached to lift me off the floor of slick rocks, but Blake body-blocked him. “All right, all right. You get the hero card today.”
