a reason to live(65)

Still fighting the current, she reached up and caught his hand with the tips of her fingers. They held for a split second, then slipped. “Shane,” she choked out, spitting water from her mouth, “I can’t . . . I can’t reach you.”

The terror on her face reminded him of Sloan’s every time they were on the front lines, and for a split second, he saw Emma’s face instead of Sage. His heart began to thunder harder in his chest. He would not lose her too. He would not allow this woman to die on his watch. This woman who’d crawled beneath his skin and buried herself firmly in his heart.

“Sage,” he shouted over the roar of the river. “Baby, reach out and I swear to God, I’ll grab hold and won’t let go.”

She held his eyes, searching, then choked out, “Prom . . . promise?”

Lying on his stomach, his arm burning as he held on tight to her wrist, he knew then, with a clarity of a thousand beckons, he would never let her go. Not now, not ever. He may be damaged, broken even, but it finally sunk in she would be the salvation of his soul if he’d let her. He only had to reach out and grab hold, then the endless nights of torment would be replaced with a sweetness that would slay his demons, be his light in an otherwise dark world.

“I won’t ever let you go,” he told her, reaching out his hand, pleading with his eyes for her to take it. “Please, baby. Reach up and grab my hand.”

Her bottom lip quivered for an instant, then her attention focused on his hand and she surged and caught his fingers. He crushed them in his hand and pulled, inching her further out of the water. She was pinned against the rock, so he let go briefly with one hand and grabbed her vest, pulling again. Once her legs were far enough out of the water to move, Sage brought her foot up and climbed the side of the rock as Shane came to his knees and continued to pull.

Exhausted from battling the raging water, Sage collapsed on the rock when she cleared the top. Shane let go for an instant, then hauled her up to his chest and buried his face in her neck.

“I’ll never let you go,” he panted against her cold, wet skin, then pulled back and captured her mouth. When their lips met, the surface beneath him shifted like the night before, then it tilted, spun sideways, and turned end over end until it righted itself on a firmer footing than he’d felt in a year. Warmth folded around him like a shot of whiskey and warmed his blood as his tongue danced with hers. Belonging, acceptance, and forgiveness filled his chest, and he crushed her harder against his body.

Cheers rose above the thunder of the river, and he pulled back, running his hand through her soaked hair as he scanned her face. She was smiling, tears flowing as she held on tight to his shirt. For the first time since they’d met, he didn’t see her as Sloan’s sister when he looked at her. She was just Sage. The woman he wanted. Nothing more.

The knot he’d been carrying for a year finally broke free and he kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips again, as she shook from exertion and cold. Then he moved to her ear and growled, “Just so you know, when we’re alone, I’m gonna fuck you hard while I tan your hide for that shit you just pulled. What the hell were you thinkin’ turnin’ around?”

Sage jerked back and her face paled. “Shane, I know who my stalker is,” she gasped.

“What?”

“He was on the bank watching us when I turned around. It makes no sense, but it was him.”

Shane turned and looked back, asking, “Where?” just as the report of a rifle rang out. He recoiled from the pain and grabbed his shoulder, then lost his footing on the wet rock. Sage tried to stop their decent, but Shane’s weight was too much for her and he fell, taking her with him into the river and over the falls.

***

Cold. Why am I so cold?

My eyes opened for a moment, and I saw the sky moving past.

“Keep the pressure on that shoulder,” Gregor ordered.

I was jostled as I lay on my back, then water rained down on my face. I was so sleepy I couldn’t keep my eyes open despite the cold water, so I closed them.

The rushing sound of the river followed me into my dreams. Soon I was tumbling, the air in my lungs burning to escape. Down. Swim down. I fought the cold, ordering my arms to work, but I kept tumbling, unable to stop. I didn’t know which way was down. My body fought against me; I reflexively took a breath and my lungs filled with water. When I convulsed at the intrusion, my head hit something solid and then my world turned black . . .

The roar of an engine as it accelerated filtered through my subconscious. The bouncing of the vehicle as it raced over uneven surface broke through the gloom, and I my eyes fluttered open, whispering one word. “Shane.”