But I don't ever get that water. I take a deep breath to try and stop the tears, but I can't seem to stop them. The tears just keep coming and coming, no matter what I seem to do, I can't get them to stop. Suddenly, I find it hard to breathe. I hear a whooshing sound in my ears when all the blood rushes into them.
Dark spots litter my eyes and I start to feel lightheaded. The room starts to sway, I fall out of the chair, opening my mouth to yell but the sound seems to be stuck in my throat. I try to put myhands out, but they feel heavy with pain radiating through my head and then everything goes dark.
***
My eyes flutter open to a handsome man, one I recognize, crouching over me, his hands on my shoulders shaking me, "Elsie, are you okay?"
"Matt, what are you doing here?" I ask, trying to sit up, when he sees I'm having difficulty doing so Matt holds his hand out. The moment I place my hand in his, it feels as if an electric shock runs through me. The feeling makes me pull my hand back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. It's a ritual I've come accustomed to when I'm around him.
This isn't the first time I've had this feeling around him. The first time I felt it was when I came home my freshman year during the summer. I hadn't been back home all year because of basketball, but this time I had a week off and decided to spend it with my dad. When I walked in, he was sitting at the table with a man I'd never met before, laughing.
When they both looked at me, I remember the only thing I could think of was, what a beautiful man. Now ten years later, I still feel the same, but he's made it clear over the years that it will never happen.
"Don't you remember calling me?" He asks me, arching his brow.
I shake my head. Because,fuck, the only thing I remember is the feeling of fear wracking my entire body, but something in the back of my head keeps trying to push forward.
"It doesn't matter. Drink this," he says, pushing a bottle into my hand.
The moment our hands touch a shiver runs down my spine, but I push those thoughts away, murmuring, "Thank you," before taking a sip of the water.
"We need to get you to the hospital," Matt says, standing to his full height, looming over me, not giving me any time to process what's going on.
"I'm fine. I don't need a hospital. You need to go look at my apartment," I tell him, giving him a pleading look.
He looks me over from head to toe but ignores the message I'm trying to give him, because he demands once more. "You're going to the hospital. No arguing."
I go to open my mouth, to tell him I'm fine, that I don't need to go to the doctor, but when I look at him, he shoots me a look that has me reconsidering. Feeling defeated, I drop my head into my hands, but Matt doesn't give me long to wallow before he picks me up bridal style, carrying me to his car.
Chapter three
Elsie
"We need to get her out of town," I hear a deep voice say, breaking through the haze. The voice is close, as if they're standing next to me. A very sexy, burly voice. One I've heard before but can't seem to place at the moment.
I try to open my eyes, to see who is standing next to me. To see if I can recognize them. Instead, they stay closed, feeling too heavy, I can't seem to get them to obey.
"I could take her to my cabin in Rose Valley," the voice says, and that's when I realize that Matt is the one speaking. I try to contain it, but can't. His voice washes over me, and no matter how much I hold back, it seems to have a mind of its own. Maybe because I'm in a vulnerable position and am not able to push down these feelings of attraction. My whole-body shivers, and my traitorous mind begins to conjure up images of his rough hands inspecting me. Making sure that I am okay.
"Phil. You should've seen it. Someone is after her," the mention of my father's name is as if someone threw a bucket of cold water on me. That's when it all comes back too. My apartment being trashed, the writing on the walls.
Who would do that? Is this some weird attempt to get my attention?
This time my body shivers with fear and not attraction. Tears well up in my eyes, and though they're closed, I can feel them escaping. How am I supposed to go home after that?
"Yeah, I'll watch over her and keep her safe while the police figure it out." He says, and in that moment I feel his eyes on me.
I grit my teeth to keep me from letting out a sob when I feel his eyes on me. He confirms it with his next words, "It seems she's awake. Let me talk with her and I'll have her call in a moment."
A few seconds later, I'm clenching my eyes shut when Matt says, "I know you're awake."
This time it's much easier opening my eyes. I stare at him, he doesn't say anything. Just stares back at me with his deep brown eyes. Though my brain knows this is not the time nor the place to do it, I still do. My gaze drifts down his body, taking him in.
Matt is a huge guy, I only know because my Dad and him love to compete on who is taller. Spoiler alert, it's Matt. Though my Dad is tall, which is where I get my height, he's about 6'4 and Matt is 6'7.
Not only is he tall, he's made of pure muscle. Someone who could just pick me up and throw me over his shoulder. He's wearing his typical flannel with jeans that fit his body perfectly.
I can't help but notice that his beard is peppered with grey, something that is new since the last time I saw him.
