AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his wet hair, dragging it away from his brow. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes. “He started to struggle about a half mile in. The current is strong out there. By the time I turned back, he’d gone completely under. I had to dive to find him.”
“You saved his life,” she said. “And nearly lost yours.”
“There was no chance of that. I can swim two miles easily.”
“At night? Carrying another body?”
He gave her a half smile. “Yeah, well that made things a little more complicated.”
“What did the doctors say about you? Shouldn’t you be monitored, too?”
“They offered. But I just want to go home as soon as I know Sam’s okay.”
She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. He’d been through more than enough. He didn’t need her begging him to listen to the doctors. “Okay. But you’re coming home with me. That way I can keep an eye on you, even if the doctors can’t.”
“Is that some kind of cod
e for a booty call?” he asked, giving her a crooked smile.
She bit down a laugh, her muscles relaxing for the first time in hours. “If that’s how you want to take it.”
“I do.” He nodded, his expression serious. “Just as soon as I’ve had some sleep.”
“Okay then.” She blew out a mouthful of air. He was all right. No, better than all right. He was alive and smiling at her like nothing had ever happened.
Right now, she’d take that.
* * *
It was another hour before they made it home. Lucas gave them a ride to the beach cottage, lifting his hand in a wave as he pulled away to head back to the fire station. Griff was still wearing the scrubs he’d been given, his clothes too far gone to bother bringing home, and his feet were stuffed into undersized white slippers, the kind you saw in expensive hotels.
Autumn unlocked the door and stepped to the side so Griff could follow her in. The early morning light flooded in through the doorway, illuminating the white washed wooden floor and pale walls. Griff closed the door behind him and Autumn looked at him with raised brows.
“What do you need?” she asked, kicking her sneakers off and feeling the warm wood on her bare feet. “Food? A shower? Or do you want to go straight to sleep?”
He slid his hands around her waist and buried his lips in her hair. “I just want to hold you for a minute.”
“Okay.” She let him pull her body close against his, feeling the hardness of his muscles through the thin fabric of the scrubs. He smelled different, of somebody else’s body wash, but underlying it was the deep scent of him.
She could have lost him. Lost this. The thought of it made her legs tremble. She lifted her head up and saw the darkness in his eyes, and knew last night had been so much worse than he made it out to be.
Griff slid his hands beneath her hoodie, his palms splaying on the soft skin of her back. “God, you’re warm,” he murmured. “You feel so damn good.”
“It must have been cold in the water.”
“It was, but I didn’t notice until we reached the shore.” He swallowed hard. “The adrenaline took over.”
“Were you scared?” She reached up to cup his jaw. He leaned into her palm, his lashes sweeping down as he closed his eyes.
“There was a point where I wasn’t sure we were gonna make it.” He let out a mouthful of air, the warmth sweeping over her fingers. “There was a voice in my head telling me to stop trying to save Sam. To let him go and save myself.” His own voice cracked as the words came out. “I thought about it.”
“But it didn’t happen,” she soothed. “You’re both okay.”
He opened his eyes and the darkness was still there. “Yeah, but what kind of man does that make me?”
“The best kind. It’s easy to be brave when you’re not scared. But when you are and you do something anyway? That makes you a hero.”
He gave a little half laugh, though there was no humor in it. “You’re biased.”
