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He bowed his head to kiss her, and convince her she absolutely should love him. She could explain why she’d cheated on him later. He’d forgive her. They’d be together.
The rumble of a vehicle pricked his consciousness. The shuttle van. It was coming up the road, and this road was narrow.
Malik instinctively rolled with her in his arms to the closest edge to avoid getting run over. Unfortunately, the closest edge was the sharp ledge that led to the deep ravine and fast-moving river below.
He’d been overly ambitious. They rolled a little too fast and a little too far.
“Malik!” Sophie cried out as they slid off the side.
Malik tried to hang onto her, but she was wrenched from his grip as they both tumbled down the vicious decline. Rocks and bushes ripped at his Brioni suit. His head hit a large boulder and he was dizzy and disoriented from the pain. The world dropped out from underneath him, and he free-fell at least thirty feet. Landing in the cold, deep river with a jarring splash was actually a relief. The chilly water soothed the cuts, scrapes, and future bruises, and more importantly cleared his foggy brain.
Where was Sophie?
He pushed his way to the surface and blinked water out of his eyes. Spinning with his arms, he saw her bobbing with the current ten feet away. Was she unconscious? No!
He swam quick freestyle strokes and reached her, flipping her over and securing his arm over her chest and through her armpit. Adrenaline sent a surge of strength through him, and he swam with her to the closest shore. Sophie was in danger, and he had to save her.
Tugging her up onto the bank, fear rushed through him. Her eyes were closed. Was she unconscious? She couldn’t be dead. No! It wasn’t possible. Heavenly Father had already taken his mum. He couldn’t snatch the other woman Malik loved from this world.
Pressing his fingers into her neck, he felt her pulse. It was strong.
“Thank you, Heavenly Father!” he yelled out, surprising himself with his own gratitude. He’d had a quarrel with the good Lord for years now and couldn’t remember the last time he’d thanked Him for anything.
Sophie’s eyes blinked open, and it hit him strongly—heaven did love him. No matter what they’d been through. Heavenly Father loved him, He loved Sophie, and Malik and Sophie had a chance to right a ravine deeper than this one full of wrongs.
Those stunning revelations would have to be dealt with later. Right now, he had to focus on this angel.
“Sophie? Are you all right?”
She nodded, staring at him as if not comprehending why they were lying on the river’s bank. Her eyes widened and filled with comprehension. She shoved her hand into the bodice of her dress.
Malik thought it would be prudent to look away. What was she keeping in there?
She sat upright, swaying and grabbing onto his wet suitcoat with both hands. “Malik! Does your phone work?”
“I don’t know. Did you lose yours?” Who cared about phones at a time like this? They were both alive, had survived a tumble down a steep and deadly incline and a dousing in the freezing river. It was time to reconnect and kiss for a long time.
“Yes,” she exclaimed. “I had to put my phone in my bra because … no pockets in this dress.” She was wet, scratched and banged up, exquisitely beautiful, and far too appealing to him.
Sophie had always looked at him as if he were her hero. How he’d missed her and that almost worshipful look in her dark eyes. It was very different from the worshipful look other women gave him. Other women didn’t know him. Sophie did. And she still loved him, or at least she used to.
“I need your phone. Urgently.” She put her hand out, her eyes now begging.
Malik tugged his phone out of his wet pocket. He’d heard you shouldn’t turn a phone on after it was submerged in water, but weren’t modern devices supposed to be water resistant? He didn’t care. He’d do whatever he needed to help Sophie. Something was desperately wrong for her to run from the royal wedding she was in charge of catering. Now, when she should be letting him administer first aid and warm her up, she was begging for his wet phone instead.
“Thank you.” Sophie took the phone and tapped on it. She held it up to his face and then swiped it open. Pushing the contacts button, she scrolled through, and her eyes widened. “Don’t you have my mum or dad’s phone number?”
“No.” He stared at her. After the way she’d viciously dumped him, pregnant with their friend’s child, he’d deleted every text and number from anyone associated with her.
“Oh no. Oh, no.” She looked up at the steep ascent in the evening light. “Can we climb that?”
“No.” He shook his head, pushing the water from his hair. “We’ll have to walk down to the lake and town.” Picking their way down the riverbank was the most viable option. At many spots along this ravine, the river raged right up against the canyon wall. He wasn’t certain they could skirt those. The other option was to take a dangerous ride in the river. He and his brothers had accomplished the feat in rafts. He and Sophie might have to do it without even the aid of a life jacket. Unless somebody had noticed their accident. He looked up the steep canyon wall but couldn’t see anybody.
“No, no, no.” Sophie scrambled to her feet, her heels sinking into the spongy earth.
Malik stood as well, holding out a hand. “Are you able to walk?”
He looked down, then up, her beautiful body. He was already feeling some new aches and pains from their tumble. They were both lucky not to have broken bones. Her silky blue dress clung to her curves and was ripped in a lot of places.
