of the pool with his feet dangling in the water, watching Ian quietly talking to Toby. “Did you see what just happened? The man actually threatened me.”
Jessie gave a nervous laugh, her attention divided between Toby and Merissa. “Now you know what it’s like being on the receiving end of your nurse’s voice. Oh, come on, Mer,” she said when Merissa glared at her. “If you can dish it out, then at least be woman enough to take it. You like alpha males, remember?”
“I like civilized alphas.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s an oxymoron,” Jessie muttered. Unable to stand it any longer, she carefully slid her feet to the floor, grabbed the closest arm of her wheelchair, and pulled it up beside the lounge chair. She didn’t care if all the men threatened her; she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. Toby was always there for her when she needed him, and dammit, she could do the same for him.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Merissa asked in surprise, jumping out of her chair.
“I have to go help Ian with Toby,” Jessie said, gritting her teeth against the pain as she pulled herself to her feet.
“Just call it off,” Merissa snapped, helping Jessie turn to sit in the chair. “Tell Toby to come back to you.”
Jessie started wheeling toward the end of the pool. “Toby’s no more of a quitter than I am. He . . . he’s just scared,” she whispered, seeing the dog nervously creep down one more step, his dark eyes uncertain as he stood trembling in water up to his chest. “I want to help,” she said, causing the three men in the pool to turn to her and for Duncan to stand up as she rolled past.
Ian hesitated half a pounding heartbeat before he gestured at Robbie to stay with Toby, then waded to the side of the pool and silently held up his hands to her.
“No,” Merissa hissed, grabbing Jessie’s shoulder when she bent over and slid off her shoes. “You can’t swim. She can’t swim,” she repeated more firmly to Ian, only to turn to Duncan. “Make this stop,” she growled.
“Ian has Jessie now,” Duncan said quietly, wrapping his arms around Merissa and pulling her away. “Ye need to let her go, lass.”
Despite sensing far more than just a fully-clothed dip in the pool was happening, Jessie gave her friend an apologetic smile and slipped out of the wheelchair and into Ian’s strong arms.
“I’ve got you,” he said when she gasped at the feel of the water soaking through her clothes. “Ye truly can’t swim? Because of your injury or because ye never learned?”
“I-I’ve tried to learn,” she said, clutching his shoulders in a death grip as he waded toward the center of the pool. “But I sink like a lead balloon.”
Oh God, she really hadn’t thought this through. What if her prosthesis popped out of her bra and the damn thing floated to the surface? Or worse, what if Ian felt the ugly, puckered scar on her lower back?
He suddenly stopped when she twisted to pull down the hem of her fleece, and sighed. “Are we going to go through this again, Jessie? Because Toby is going to react to your struggling this time, and I prefer this be about him right now, not you.”
Nope, she hadn’t thought this through at all. Jessie turned away from his steady gaze to focus on Toby instead of her own predicament. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’m going to have you stand here in the middle,” he said, wading away from Toby instead of toward him. “The water will support your weight,” he quickly added when she tightened her grip. He nodded to Alec, who came over and stood beside them as Ian dropped his arm from under her knees, holding her until she found her footing in the chest-deep water. “Alec will be right here to steady you. Then you call Toby to you, and I’ll stay with him the whole way.”
“You promise not to let him sink?”
“He can swim, Jessie, he just doesn’t know it or has forgotten. But he’s liable to splash at first, so don’t panic, okay?” He
Jessie gave a nervous laugh, her attention divided between Toby and Merissa. “Now you know what it’s like being on the receiving end of your nurse’s voice. Oh, come on, Mer,” she said when Merissa glared at her. “If you can dish it out, then at least be woman enough to take it. You like alpha males, remember?”
“I like civilized alphas.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s an oxymoron,” Jessie muttered. Unable to stand it any longer, she carefully slid her feet to the floor, grabbed the closest arm of her wheelchair, and pulled it up beside the lounge chair. She didn’t care if all the men threatened her; she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. Toby was always there for her when she needed him, and dammit, she could do the same for him.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Merissa asked in surprise, jumping out of her chair.
“I have to go help Ian with Toby,” Jessie said, gritting her teeth against the pain as she pulled herself to her feet.
“Just call it off,” Merissa snapped, helping Jessie turn to sit in the chair. “Tell Toby to come back to you.”
Jessie started wheeling toward the end of the pool. “Toby’s no more of a quitter than I am. He . . . he’s just scared,” she whispered, seeing the dog nervously creep down one more step, his dark eyes uncertain as he stood trembling in water up to his chest. “I want to help,” she said, causing the three men in the pool to turn to her and for Duncan to stand up as she rolled past.
Ian hesitated half a pounding heartbeat before he gestured at Robbie to stay with Toby, then waded to the side of the pool and silently held up his hands to her.
“No,” Merissa hissed, grabbing Jessie’s shoulder when she bent over and slid off her shoes. “You can’t swim. She can’t swim,” she repeated more firmly to Ian, only to turn to Duncan. “Make this stop,” she growled.
“Ian has Jessie now,” Duncan said quietly, wrapping his arms around Merissa and pulling her away. “Ye need to let her go, lass.”
Despite sensing far more than just a fully-clothed dip in the pool was happening, Jessie gave her friend an apologetic smile and slipped out of the wheelchair and into Ian’s strong arms.
“I’ve got you,” he said when she gasped at the feel of the water soaking through her clothes. “Ye truly can’t swim? Because of your injury or because ye never learned?”
“I-I’ve tried to learn,” she said, clutching his shoulders in a death grip as he waded toward the center of the pool. “But I sink like a lead balloon.”
Oh God, she really hadn’t thought this through. What if her prosthesis popped out of her bra and the damn thing floated to the surface? Or worse, what if Ian felt the ugly, puckered scar on her lower back?
He suddenly stopped when she twisted to pull down the hem of her fleece, and sighed. “Are we going to go through this again, Jessie? Because Toby is going to react to your struggling this time, and I prefer this be about him right now, not you.”
Nope, she hadn’t thought this through at all. Jessie turned away from his steady gaze to focus on Toby instead of her own predicament. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’m going to have you stand here in the middle,” he said, wading away from Toby instead of toward him. “The water will support your weight,” he quickly added when she tightened her grip. He nodded to Alec, who came over and stood beside them as Ian dropped his arm from under her knees, holding her until she found her footing in the chest-deep water. “Alec will be right here to steady you. Then you call Toby to you, and I’ll stay with him the whole way.”
“You promise not to let him sink?”
“He can swim, Jessie, he just doesn’t know it or has forgotten. But he’s liable to splash at first, so don’t panic, okay?” He
Similar Books
