Pretend You're Mine(39)

“Sorry, sunshine, we’re on duty. Gotta make sure no one drowns or gets a Charlie horse and needs carried out and massaged by the fire. How are your calves feeling? Any knots?”

Here was a gorgeous, red-blooded man standing in front of her flirting shamelessly and her pulse had yet to ratchet up a notch. But have Luke walk past her desk into his office without sparing her a glance, and she felt like she had a hammer in her chest. It wasn’t fair.

She shook her head. “Sorry, no knots here.”

“Bummer. I’m totally great at massage,” Linc leaned against the bar and flexed a bicep. Harper eyed the bulging muscle. Yep, not a flutter.

“A toast, Harp,” Sophie announced, grabbing her arm. “To your first Benevolence Not-So-Polar Plunge.”

“Cheers!”

They clunked plastic cups and knocked back their shots. Harper gasped at the warmth that spread through her chest.

James reappeared and clamped a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, I want to be at the front of the crowd so we can be first in, first out.”

Sophie gave Ty a smacking kiss on his cheek. “Keep everyone safe, Deputy Sexy.”

“You got it, babe,” he said, smacking her on the butt.

“Good luck, sunshine,” Linc said with a grin. “I’ll be nearby if you need any assistance.”

James grabbed them by the hand and led the way through the crowd to the sandy lakefront. A crackling bonfire was already going strong, with volunteers from the fire company unpacking massive quantities of s’mores fixings.

A Santa with a snorkel and flippers took his place next to Harper. He winked at her through his mask. “Get ready for some frigid fun,” he said around the snorkel mouthpiece.

“How cold is it?” Harper asked Sophie, reaching her foot towards the water.

“Trust me, you don’t want to do that. The key is to run in, turn around, and run back out as fast as you can. Don’t stop for anything, or you might actually need Lifeguard Hot Stuff to bring you back to life.”

“That cold, huh?”

Sophie’s reply was cut off by a shrill whistle. “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Forty-fifth Annual Benevolence Not-So-Polar Plunge,” Ty announced through a megaphone from his perch on a wooden lifeguard stand in front of the bar. “Linc and I are here to make sure none of you drown and/or freeze to death.”

The crowd cheered.

Linc raised his red buoy from the lifeguard stand by the fire. “Remember the rules,” he shouted. “Get in, get out, and don’t go under. Try not to trample your neighbors,” he shouted. “On your mark, get set, go!”

Linc and Ty blew their whistles and the crowd surged forward. Harper yelped as daggers of icy water stung her legs, but she kept moving. She rushed in up to her belly and shrieked. Sophie was next to her, flapping her arms. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Okay, out, out, out!”

They turned and dodged their way through incoming plungers and towards the sandy beach. They were almost out when Snorkel Santa on her left tripped over a flipper. She reached for him to hold him up, but they both went down and under.

The cold stole the breath from her body. Her muscles instantly froze, preventing her from reaching for the surface. She felt like an ice cube floating in a sea of frigid water. Strong hands grabbed her under the arms and yanked her up. Harper surfaced and swiped a frozen hand over her face. Snorkel Santa was back on his feet and hauling ass out of the water. Linc appeared at her side grinning from ear to ear. “Let’s move, sunshine, before your feet freeze to the lake bed.” He picked her up and carried her out of the water. Harper was too cold to be embarrassed and wrapped her arms around his neck, cuddling into the warmth of his upper body until he deposited her next to the fire.

Harper’s shivers started immediately. A blue-lipped Sophie appeared with a giant fluffy towel. “Oh my God, you went under,” she said, surveying Harper’s wet hair.

“S-s-snorkel Santa took me down,” Harper said through chattering teeth.

“She’ll be okay, just needs to warm up,” Linc announced. “All right, off with your sweater.”

Harper hugged her arms to her chest, squishing icy water out of the fabric. “What? No!”

“I’m not trying to get you naked. Yet,” Linc laughed. “You’re not going to warm up wearing it. So strip.” He pointed at the clothesline behind them that was already sagging under the weight of everyone else’s wet costumes.

Still not convinced, Harper shook her head until Linc took matters into his own hands and grabbed the hem of her sweater, yanking it over her head.

“Damn, sunshine. Someone kicked the crap out of you.” He turned her sideways and ran a hand down the fading bruises on her ribs and back.