Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Don’t let this be how I die. As the thought crossed her mind and the wind whipped at her, making it impossible for her to see anything, she felt the panic rising within her. His fingers brushed along her waist before quickly grabbing onto her and pulling her into him.
“I got you.” Even as he said it, she felt his foot slip and they sank lower into the water.
“No!” Torn between clinging to him and pushing him away so she didn’t go under with him, she froze.
“It’s fine,” he reassured her as the current tugged at them.
She could feel him fighting to regain his footing as they were chest-deep in the water, but since she couldn’t even touch the ground, she just clung to him. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, trying to cling to the safety he offered, and forced herself to open her eyelids and look at him. If I’m going to die, I want to see my rescuer first.
Inches from his face, she could see almost every detail, even in the dim lights from the headlights in the distance. His short, sandy brown hair, piercing green eyes, and most importantly, the smooth scar along his cheekbone.
I’m trained for this…I was a firefighter. His earlier words floated through her thoughts. How did she not realize it before? Dixon Meyer. After all these years, he was not only there in front of her, but had his arms wrapped around her waist. “D?”
“There’s only a handful of people who still call me that.” The corner of his lips curled up into a smirk. “Most of which I went to school with. Do I know you?”
“I would say so.” She shivered as water splashed up against her bare arms. “After all, you just said my name a few minutes ago.”
“Lexie?” He stared down at her, his eyebrows drawn in confusion. “Naw, she’d never come back to our one stoplight town.”
“More like she never wanted to leave.” She met his gaze before adding, “If you don’t believe me, I can prove it.”
“That damn backpack.” He shook his head. “Everything inside is ruined. You should have left it in the vehicle. If I wouldn’t have caught you…”
“It’s not ruined,” she reasoned. “Let’s get out of here and I’ll prove it. Milton designed this and everything inside is dry. I couldn’t leave it. It’s everything I’ve worked for.”
He shook his head as if he didn’t believe her, but instead of arguing, he grabbed hold of the rope. “I want you to spin around so you’re on my back. Keep your arms around my neck and you can wrap your legs around my waist. It will allow me to pull us back to my patrol vehicle.”
“I—”
“You used to trust me, Lexie, now I need you to again. I won’t let you go,” he assured her. “We’ve got a few things to discuss once we’re back on dry land. Like what you meant about not wanting to leave.”
“You tried to teach me how to swim once.” Without taking her arms from around his neck, she twisted around so she could press her body along his back. “You didn’t let me drown then either.”
“You should have kept up with those lessons. Though I never thought you would need it for something like this.” He reached back, putting his hand on her thigh. “Wrap your legs around me.”
“Like I’m a spider monkey.” Even as she said it, her lips pulled upward into a smirk. “Sorry, too much time around my nephew.”
“Never apologize for that. Family is everything.” With one hand still on the rope, he grabbed hold of her wrist. “Talk to me, Lex.”
“Umm…”
“Tell me what you’ve been doing all these years. Come on. I know you’ve been living some exciting life out there.”
“I don’t know about that.” As he took a step forward, water splashed up against her, sending a chill down her body. “I’ve been working for Milton’s company, in marketing and public relations. Not that it’s needed anymore but the last few months I’ve been spending more time in New York than in Virginia where the company is based. Then tonight…”
“Tonight, what?” As they slipped deeper into the water, she tightened her grip on him. “It’s okay, Lex, I got you.”
“I needed out of there. I couldn’t stand another minute in the city.” With the rain and water splashing in her face, making it difficult to see, she tipped her head into the curve of his neck. The intoxicating scent of cedarwood and cardamom filled her senses, leaving just a trace amount of orange. As if needing to fill her lungs with the aroma, she took another deep breath, enjoying the scent.
“Why?”
“I…” Not wanting to get into it, she was left with uncertainty. “Let’s just say I needed out of there and the only place I could think to come was here.”
“To the little town you couldn’t get out of fast enough.” He let out a light chuckle. “Makes a lot of sense.”
“Screw you, D, you have no idea.” She pulled away from him, forgetting they were still surrounded by water and a current that wanted to drag her down river.
“Hey now.” Letting go of the rope, he tightened his hold on her wrist and reached back to cup the back of her thigh.
“Let me go.” She struggled against him as the rain pleated down on them and the wind howled. “I—” Her words were cut off as he lost his footing and the two of them went under. Instantly, her arms went from around his neck, as she fought against not only him but the strong current dragging her deep into the water. Even as she struggled against him, he held on tight, bringing her to his chest as he brought them both out of the current.
“Damn it, Lexie!”
Gasping for air, her fight was gone. “What was I thinking?”
“Just now or in general?” he questioned.
“Both.” She glanced up at him. “Every decision I’ve made lately has been detrimental.”
“How about we get you back on dry land and then we can see about fixing whatever went wrong in New York?” He slipped his hand under the backpack and ran his fingers up her back, gently caressing as he brought her close to him. “Milton would kick my ass if I let anything happen to you. So come on.”
“Is that the only reason?” Maybe she was reading too much into the caress and the current in the air, but it seemed as if the spark that had been there between them years ago was still burning bright.
“No.” He pulled his hand back and stared down at her before adding. “I think we have a few things to discuss. Like that kiss.”
“Kiss.” The word came out as a whisper, so low she doubted he heard her over the wind, but the feelings it stirred in her brought a warmth to her skin. Her thoughts filled with their goodbye promises, sealed with a kiss before she got into the car with her parents and Milton headed across country.
“Come on, we need to get moving. The water’s getting deeper.”
As if the mention of their situation popped the bubble, she glanced down at the now chest-high water and nodded. Out of the freezing water and into a sticky situation, not much of a choice. I knew by coming back to this town, it was possible I’d have to face the past.