Free CRUSH by Lacey Weatherford Page B

hiking?”
    “Yeah, we went up into the ruins earlier. It’s
a tough little hike, especially with kids. We promised them they could play in
the water when we came back down,” the man spoke.
    “Sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy it. We’re
just about to do the same thing,” I replied, waving at them as they continued
on their way.
    “We are?” Hunter asked grinning softly. “Funny,
but I thought things were headed in an entirely different direction.”
    “That’s what you get for thinking, I guess.” I
pushed away and left him, enjoying the sound of his laughter following after
me. I sat down in the sand and removed my shoes, leaving them there when I got
up and moved toward the water.
    I wisely dipped a toe in first and gasped. “Oh
my gosh! That is so incredibly cold!” I grimaced and waded in farther.
    “Then why are you going in deeper?” Hunter
chuckled.
    “Because it’s fun! Come on! Take your shoes off
and join me.” I carefully stepped on the slippery rocks, trying to feel each
one as I went further in until the water reached my knees and the current
splashed up around them. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see if he was
coming, but the motion caused me to lose my footing. I wobbled, furiously
trying to maintain my balance before splashing down hard.
    The cold liquid rushed over me, making me gasp,
and my mouth filled with water as the current picked up my body and bumped me
roughly against several of the stones on the bottom. I tried putting my hands
down so I could push my head out of the water, but I couldn’t get enough force
underneath me. I flailed, clawing at the slippery rocks as I tried to gain a
hold, panicking as my body screamed for air.
    Resisting the urge to suck in a breath, I
floundered. My vision started going black at the edges and I had the horrifying
thought that I was going to drown in two feet of water. My limbs felt heavy,
like I couldn’t move them properly. I didn’t think I could fight it much
longer. I opened my mouth, trying to scream, but more water rushed inside.
    Strong arms grasped me, picking me up and I
coughed, spraying liquid everywhere before dragging a giant breath of air into
my lungs. Hunter scooped me up into his arms, and I laid my head against his chest
as I clung to him, shaking with both cold and shock.
    “Just keep breathing, Cami,” he ordered.
    I couldn’t reply, shivering as he carried me
out of the water and up the sand toward his car. He set me down, leaning me
against it, pinning my traumatized body there with his hips. He reached down
and pealed my shirt off, revealing my lacy bra beneath. He tossed the top on
the hood and reached for the button on my shorts.
    “What are you doing?” My voice was trembling as
I wrapped my arms around myself.
    “Trying to keep you from getting hypothermia in
this breeze. Can you stand on your own?”
    I nodded and he stepped away, pushing my shorts
down and instructing me to lift each leg. They joined my shirt on the hood. He
reached into his pocket for his keys and popped the trunk, pulling out the
thick blanket we’d used for our picnic earlier, wrapping me up in it tightly
before hugging me.
    “Girl, I swear you just took ten years off my
life. Are you okay?” He released a giant sigh as he leaned his head on top of
mine, rubbing my back through the blanket.
    I started laughing, and then crying. “I
couldn’t get up. It was so dumb and then I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was
just flopping around like a rag doll.” I buried my head against his chest. “It
was so stupid. The water is so shallow.”
    “That current was much stronger under the
surface than it looked. It felt like it took me a year to reach you.”
    My knees wobbled, and he grabbed me tighter,
holding me up.
    “Come on, let’s get you seated.” He opened the
passenger door and lifted my burrito-wrapped body into the car, settling me
into the seat before crouching down beside me. “Cami, are you sure you’re