He slams his hand against my back, getting all the water out, and as he does, I look across my backyard to where Cruz sits on the top step of the pool, completely drenched, watching me with fear in his eyes. Seeing the water come up and the life in my eyes, his head drops into his hands and I watch as he takes slow, calming breaths.
King and Carver are on the opposite side of the pool. Carver straddled over my attacker, beating the ever-loving shit out of him while King grabs his head and slams it down over the concrete. The sound is like music to my ears, and I watch intently as he does it again.
I take a deep breath with Grayson hovering over me, and as my hand finds his on my hip, I silently let him know that I’m okay. His body sags as he finally begins to relax. “Fuck, babe,” he sighs, falling back onto his ass and closing his eyes, but keeping his hand tightly in mine. “I thought we lost you.”
My head lolls against the wet ground and I focus on the air traveling in and out of my burning lungs. Being drowned wasn’t exactly my favorite experience to date, and if I had to give it a star rating, it would definitely receive one star. I do not recommend.
No one tells you how bad it burns, but then no one tells you about the peace right at the end. But I guess, who would be around to warn me? The people who have drowned before me are probably all dead, not lucky enough to have four overprotective asshats coming just in time to save the day.
I guess I can add thorough ass kickers and life savers to their resumes now. Is there anything these guys can’t do?
Grayson’s thumb moves back and forth across the top of my hand as I let the familiar sounds of Carver’s punches soothe and relax me. Cruz stands and climbs the final step of the pool before striding toward me and dropping down by my head.
He grabs me and pulls me into the space between his legs while Grayson still refuses to release my hand, even though he has to stretch to reach it now. I’m not complaining though. After he saved my life, he could be holding my fucking pussy hostage and I wouldn’t give a shit.
Cruz’s arms curl around me as he leans me back, letting me rest. “How are you feeling?” he murmurs, pushing the wet hair off my face and meeting my eyes with his blazing green ones.
I shrug my shoulders and press my lips into a tight line. “I feel like I just died,” I tell him, feeling both Grayson and Cruz flinch at my words.
“I hope you’re not fond of swimming,” Cruz tells me. “Because I’ll be damned if I ever let you near a pool again. Do you have any idea what it’s like to run back here to find you lifeless under the fucking water?”
My heart aches for him, hating that he had to see that. It’s probably one of those things that will always stay with him, but at least this time there was a happy ending. Today could have easily ended a different way. “It’s not like I fell in there on purpose,” I tell him, each word burning my throat, but I put my pain aside, desperate to ease his.
“I know,” he tells me with a broken sigh. “I promise, you’ll never have to worry about that fucking bastard ever again.”
I raise my head, watching as Carver and King continue to let loose on him, using his body to release every single one of their frustrations. Though if I were to walk across there and search for a pulse, I’d bet that he was already rotting in hell, making friends with Kurt and Royston.
They both step back from him and stare down at their handiwork. Carver’s knuckles are stained with blood and the same goes for his clothes. He looks back over his shoulder and our eyes meet for an intense moment. His face is a hard mask, and I can’t get a read on him, but my gut is screaming that maybe I don’t want to hear what he has to say.
Carver turns and starts walking back toward us, leaving my attacker lying helpless on the ground as King walks the other way around the pool. He bypasses Ember lying sprawled on the ground with the remains of my daiquiri spilled across her face and chest.
I sit up straighter as King stops to check on her. “It’s okay,” Cruz murmurs as I watch King pick her up and lay her down on one of the shaded sunbeds. “She’s fine, just knocked out. She’ll have a killer headache when she wakes and a shitload of questions.”