Page 57 of Secrets in the Deep

Ryan: Good. I need a distraction right now. What is it?

Nora: Oh, I’m not telling you right now.

Ryan: Then why the fuck mention it?

Nora: First of all, you owe a dollar to the curse jar. Second, because I like to tease you. What’s wrong?

Ryan: What do you think?

Nora: Emi? Did you kiss again? No, then you’d be in a good mood. Did you try to kiss her and she turned you down?

Ryan: I’ll call tomorrow.

Nora: Why not now?

Ryan: Why not tell me your surprise now?

Nora: Touche, my friend.

A sudden ringing of his doorbell had Ryan straightening. Who the hell was that? He wasn’t expecting anyone.

He crossed to the door and looked through the peephole.

Shit.

He tugged the door open. “Jesus, Emily! You’re soaking.” He gripped her arm and pulled her inside, not missing the limp as she walked. The second the door closed, he gripped her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

“What happened? Are you hurt?” If someone had put their hands on her, that fucker would die tonight.

She shook her head.

“Did you walk here?” Either that, or she’d stood in the rain for the last hour.

She nodded.

He cursed beneath his breath before setting a hand on the small of her back. She took a step toward the stairs, but her knee hitched.

Goddammit. He slipped his arms behind her back and legs, then lifted her against his chest.

Upstairs, he didn’t go to the hall bathroom. He went straight to the one in his room, because he knew it was fully stocked.

Inside, he set her on her feet beside the shower, only leaving her for a second to grab one of his oversized sweatshirts. “Once you’re warm and dry, put this on.”

She nodded.

He stepped closer, cupping her ice-cold cheek. “Are you going to be all right if I leave?”

“I won’t drown, if that’s what you mean.”

What the hell had happened?

Without a second thought, he pulled her close. At first she was rigid, her body stiff in his arms. Then, slowly, she melted into him. Her arms curled around his waist, her cheek pressing to his chest. And then he was holding her.

He wasn’t sure how long they stood like that. Maybe seconds. Maybe minutes. Whatever it was, it wasn’t long enough.

She stepped back, and he forced himself to let her go. To turn. To step out of the bathroom and listen as the door clicked behind him.