My hand flies out, palm flat toward him.“Whoa!What are you doing?”My voice is sharp with renewed panic.
“Nothing.”He slides his hands into his pockets, infuriatingly relaxed.“Left our coffees.”He gestures with his chin.“Came to check out the view with you.”He offers a confident smile, oblivious to the terror he just ignited.
“Well, you can enjoy it alone.I’m getting off.”I try to turn back toward the deck, my balance precarious on the oscillating surface.
“Why?Stay.Enjoy,” he says lightly.
“No!Matt, I’m going to fall!!Please!”Every shift of my weight sends terrifying wobbles through the board.“Oh my God…” One more movement will send me plunging into the deep water below.The turquoise depths pull at me, promising an icy shock.
“I’m not good with deep water.”The words escape in a whimper.
My hands clench at my sides, gripping railings that aren’t there.
The terror in my tone finally cuts through to Matthew.“Okay, okay,” he says quickly.The teasing vanishes.“My bad.Let me help you back.”
He takes a step toward me, extending a hand.But his weight shifts the board again.
It’s the final straw.
The surface gives a sickening dip beneath my shaky feet.
A strangled scream rips from my throat.
I’m going down.
Survival instinct takes over.I throw myself forward, launching blindly at Matthew.I crash hard against his chest, burying my face in the thin cotton of his tank top, fingers gripping its straps.His arms wrap around me, absorbing the impact and steadying us on the bouncing board.
“You’re going down with me,” I mumble nervously into his chest.
Deep, unrestrained laughter rumbles against my forehead.He holds me steady until the last tremor subsides, his arms a secure cage around me.
“I thought it would be relaxing coming out here,” I admit, my voice muffled.
I lift my head to let out a shaky sigh, braving a quick glance at the glowing water below.
The fall still feels terrifyingly possible.
“I’m pretty sure I have a phobia of bridges,” I blurt out.A desperate grasp for an explanation.
Matthew’s chest vibrates with another soft chuckle.His hands shift to my hair, fingertips brushing stray strands away from my temples and cheeks.
“This hardly qualifies as a bridge, love,” he murmurs.His endearment is dropped so naturally it almost slips past me.
Almost.
This confirms my muddled brain wasn’t playing tricks on me earlier.
Love.
My gaze is drawn upward.
The sight holds me captive.
The upward-cast glow from the pool illuminates his face, catching the sharp angle of his jaw and highlighting his cheekbones.His jade eyes are deep pools of liquid green.His tousled brown hair gleams.The white tank top highlights the sculpted lines of his shoulders and the hard curve of his biceps.He looks unguarded, overwhelmingly male, and devastatingly handsome in this ethereal light.
The earlier fear, the exhaustion, the chaos of the night… it all recedes, leaving only this.
Only him.
