Pretend Love Romance by Penny Wylder
Leo
She could have died.
Those are the only words in my brain. She could have died. She could have died. She could have died.
And if she had died, it would have been my fault.
I jumped into the water after her, swimming toward where I saw her hand reach out of the water. The only other glimpse of her I had was a bright yellow patch of fabric that shone under the water. And barely that, because the river was battering me just as much as it was her. The only advantage I had was that I chose to go in.
It was a miracle that I managed to keep my head above the water.
I caught a glimpse of her as she was slammed against the rock, and I saw her pulled deeper. I’ve never swum so hard. Ever. Every muscle in my body burned, to the point where I thought that they might give out, but I reached her. And she was limp. All the relief that I’d felt in grabbing her body disappeared because I knew that something was wrong.
She wasn’t breathing.
I’ve never felt that kind of panic in my life, and I don’t ever want to feel that again.
My hands tighten on the steering wheel and my jaw creaks with the force of how hard I’m gritting my teeth. It would be devastating if anyone died on my watch. But her? There’s something about Diana that makes the potential agony twice that. Something deep that brings out a reaction that’s fierce and feral and protective.
I’m glad she didn’t fight me, because like hell was I going to let anyone else take her to the hospital. Despite the fact that that’s what she needs to be okay, that’s not actually what I want to do. I want to pull over to the side of the road and haul her into my arms and make sure for myself that she’s okay.
I can’t do that. And I shouldn’t want to. But fuck, I do.
The other thing I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about is the way her lips felt under mine and her body too, once she was breathing again. But now that I’ve felt her body underneath mine, I can’t possibly ignore it. I want her.
“Diana?”
“Yeah,” she says softly.
“Just making sure you’re still awake.”
A sound of annoyance from her. “Sadly.”
“You can sleep as long as you want once the doctor clears you. Hell, I’ll give you my bed if you want. Down pillows. Whatever you need.”
Slowly Diana shifts in her seat so that she’s facing my direction. “Leo, you literally saved my life. You don’t have to do anything else.”
“I may have saved your life, but it was my fault you went in the water. It was my fault that we were out there at all without checking the river flow.”
“You were saving them.”
I sigh. “Still.”
We pull into the hospital parking lot, and I follow the signs for the emergency room. This hospital has valet parking for their ER. Fuck yes. I don’t want to have to wait.
I’m out of the car and handing the keys to the attendant without a second thought. Diana has the door open by the time I round the hood of the truck, but I stop her. “Let me.” The same words I’d used on her earlier.
“I can walk.”
Lifting her into my arms, I push the door shut with my foot. “You’re exhausted and you might have a concussion.”
Diana just sighs softly, but she leans her head against my shoulder and closes her eyes. I’m not sure if she realizes that she’s cuddled into me, but I don’t mind it. Hell, I want more of it. I meant what I said about giving her my bed if she wants it.
It makes sense for me to carry her, but I would be lying if it wasn’t also an excuse to hold her and keep her close. Never in my life have I felt this kind of instinct, and I am nowhere close to having it under control. Besides, she did still seem a bit out of it.
I’m careening fast toward not giving a shit that she’s a guest at the lodge. And I know full well that it started long before she went in the water. As soon as she walked in with her friends yesterday, I noticed her. My first glance was at her hand to make sure she wasn’t married, and her friends teasing her made it clear that she was single.
Thank fuck.
I check her in, and the nurse takes us back immediately. The words ‘she stopped breathing, and I gave her mouth-to-mouth’ let you skip the line.
Within minutes, I’m laying her in a hospital bed while the nurse wraps a curtain around us and starts to take her vitals. Diana is still awake, and she’s looking at me. I can’t quite decipher the look on her face.
My phone rings in my pocket, and I glance at the screen. It’s Asher. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She’s still staring at me, and I may be imagining the flash of fear that passes over her face. “Okay.”
I’ll make this short. Stepping around the curtain, I answer. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Asher says. “You at the hospital?”
“Yeah, they took us straight back.”
“Good. You have everything you need for insurance?”
I wrack my brain to remember what I need. “I think so. If not, I’ll give you a call.”
He sighs. “Great. When you come back, you, Hudson, and I need to go over some stuff in the office. But take your time, make sure the guest is okay.”
As if there was a chance in hell that I would do anything else. “Of course. I’ll let you know when I’m back.”
We hang up, and I step back into the curtain only seconds before a doctor follows me in. This has to be the fastest emergency room visit ever. But good on them for taking this seriously. Diana changed into the dry clothes while I was gone. Good.
“I heard you stopped breathing?” the doctor says. His tone is jovial, but his eyes are sharp and focused. Trying to keep it light for her sake.
“Apparently,” Diana says. “I don’t exactly remember. I was unconscious at the time.”
I laugh in spite of myself, and so does the doctor. Then he looks at me. “You revived her?”
“Yeah.” I give him a brief rundown of what happened and what I witnessed of Diana in the water. While I’m talking, he’s doing some basic checks like her lungs and shining a light in her eyes. Diana winces when he feels the bump on her scalp, and he examines her limbs and ribs.
“How do you feel?” the doctor asks Diana.
“Mostly just tired. I always thought dying would be more painful.”
He chuckles. “Well, you definitely have a concussion, but your pupils are normal and responsive and you’re holding a conversation just fine. I think you got lucky.”
“If luck’s name is Leo, then yeah. Sure.” Her eyes flick to mine.
The doctor smiles at me before looking back at Diana. “I wish I could do more, but you’re in good shape. General painkillers should be fine for the bruising and maybe a headache. Lots of rest until you feel back to normal. If anything seems strange or you notice any cognitive effects, come back right away.”
“Okay,” she says softly.
He smiles. “Glad it was this kind of visit. Rest well and I’ll get a nurse over here to start the discharge.”
I blow out a breath as he disappears behind the curtain. “Fastest emergency room visit ever.”
“I’m glad,” she says.
“Me too.”
Now that the doctor’s come and went, she seems more alert. Like she woke up once I left to take that call. She doesn’t stop stealing glances at me even when she thinks that I’m not looking, and every time she does, her cheeks tinge pink with a blush. If she’s thinking about me in a way that makes her blush, I’ll take it. Hopefully the thoughts are good ones.
The discharge is easy, and since she was pronounced healthy, there’s nothing that I have to do. Her admittance and discharge records will be enough to prove that we did our due diligence. I hate that I have to think that way, but it’s true.
Diana puts up a fight when they force her into a wheelchair to exit the hospital, but it’s policy for everyone. I hide my laugh as I watch the nurse wheel her ahead of me. This woman is a force of nature. She almost died and she still wants to do everything herself.
When the valet pulls up with my truck, I let her get in herself, even though my hands are itching to touch her again. But I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t.
Every time I repeat to myself that it’s a bad idea, it seems less and less true. And now it’s basically the only thing that I can think about.
The ride back to the lodge seems faster. Probably because I’m not overwhelmed with worry about whether she’s okay. Diana is still stealing glances at me, but she doesn’t say much on the drive back.
I take her all the way to the guest cabin, and this time when I get out of the truck, I make it to her door before she opens it. There’s a smile on her face, but suspicion and worry too. “You’re not going to carry me inside, are you?”
“No,” I say, as I help her down from the truck. Standing in front of her even closer than I did this morning, it’s clear just how much taller than her I am. She has to tilt her face up to meet my eyes, and I purposely don’t step out of her way.
This is a bad idea. It’s such a bad idea.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she whispers.
I can’t help myself. Closing the remaining inches between us, I kiss her. Even though I shouldn’t. Even though it’s still broad daylight and anyone can see us. I don’t fucking care.
Diana’s mouth opens under mine, and it feels like she blooms under my touch. Her arms wind up around my neck, and our tongues dance together like they were always meant to do that. It’s the best kiss I’ve ever had.
I let my hands slide down her body, exploring the curves that I was barely able to feel while carrying her. The soft curve of her back and ass, the feeling of her chest pressing against mine. I’m harder than a rock, and practically dizzy with the sensation.
No one has ever done this to me. The chemistry feels like it could explode, and I need to back away or we’re going to do some things that are very inappropriate for someone who’s recovering from a near-death experience.
But at the same time, her lips are addictive. They’re soft, and she’s kissing me back just as hard. If this kiss were a battle, I wouldn’t be able to tell who’s winning. My thoughts are running wild, imagining what would happen if I pushed her back onto the seat of the truck and explored her more.
Would she be wet for me? Would she moan? Fucking hell, I’m going to need a cold shower and the longest jerk-off session in history to get through the sheer level of arousal in my system.
I should get a fucking medal for pulling back from her, but I manage. My voice is raspy with lust and desire when I speak. “It was my pleasure to rescue you.”
Diana’s entire face is flushed, lips a bit swollen from the unexpected intensity of our kiss. She doesn’t say anything as she slips around me, and I don’t take my eyes off her as she walks into the guest house.
She looks back only once, and I make no secret that I’m staring at her ass. It’s a great ass, and I’d love to get more familiar with it. But right now she needs to sleep, even though I want to haul her back and drag her to my house.
The door closes behind her and the connection snaps. I need to think about something else. Something that will get my dick under control before I get to the office. And I can’t keep thinking about Diana and her body and the way she kissed me back.
Yeah. I’m in trouble.
