Explosive chemistry, p.22
Explosive Chemistry, page 22
“You’re almost there,” he said, keeping his voice steady and calm, hoping it would be the emotional lifeline she needed.
Tears streaked her cheeks. “Thank you,” she managed through chattering teeth. The blue tinge to her lips was worrying. Either the suit had a leak, or she wasn’t dry when she put it on, and that made her more susceptible to hypothermia.
As soon as she rose to deck level, he said, “I’m going to put an arm around your waist and one under your legs and pull you in.”
She cast a nervous glance down at the ten-foot drop, the twist of her body too sharp, too sudden.
And slipped.
He shot forward, grabbing her around the waist, and held on tight, anything to keep her from plunging to the waves below. The crew behind him inhaled with a collective gasp and a few muttered curses. Despite Killian’s firm hold, the woman clung to the sling with a death grip. What little color she had left in her cheeks completely drained, as white as the inside of an oyster shell.
“No looking down. Look at me.” His heart thundered in his chest, only settling itself when she nodded, complying despite the cold fear in her eyes. “I’ve got you,” he soothed, hooking his arms around her more firmly. “Now grab onto me.”
Shaking violently, either from cold or nerves or both, it took her a moment to let go and lock her arms around his neck. But once she did, he whisked her onboard. “You appear to be borderline hypothermic, so we need to get you out of this suit and into some dry clothes. I can help with the suit and check you for injuries, but then you can do the rest privately if you are stable enough. Do you understand?”
The woman nodded.
In the distance, Killian heard a plane’s burring propellors. The Coast Guard probably. Maybe they’d have more luck and find others in the water, but for now, the woman’s wellbeing was his primary concern.
Sharing a brief look with his lead deckhand, he said, “Take command of the boat and radio this in. I’m taking her inside where it’s warm.”
Branson turned and shouted across the deck, “Ian, stop messing with the lines and grab a spare blanket from the crew’s quarters for the lady.” Nearly jumping out of his skin, their newest and youngest crew member dropped the rope he was coiling and darted inside. “Everyone else, I want your eyes on the water.”
The rest of the crew returned to their lookout positions on either side of the boat, rubbing their bleary eyes and squinting out into the fog.
Ushering the woman inside, away from the cold sea wind, Killian closed the deck door. “Are you hurt?” he asked, pulling open the Velcro to her hood and unzipping the suit. Trapped scents of salt and seaweed drifted between them.
“No. Just sore.”
“Sore how?” he pressed.
Her lips trembled. “My muscles ache. I’m cold. Exhausted. Maybe a little bruised.”
“That’s pretty good, all things considered.” He drew the suit over her shoulders and peeled it down the length of her body. Crouching to pull her feet out, he instructed her to hold onto his shoulder. She reached for him with a pale hand, icy to the touch, but at least her fingers weren’t blue like her lips. When he tugged on the immersion suit, the woman’s boot caught on the material, throwing her off her balance. She grabbed onto his shoulders, her grip surprisingly tight. A little painful even as his bones creaked and joints cracked beneath her fingers.
Damn, this woman was strong.
Masseuse or chiropractor training? Or just more of that good ol’ adrenaline?
Once she steadied herself, and eased up her hold, he suppressed the urge to roll the soreness from his shoulders. Throwing her off her balance again wouldn’t be wise. While he wasn’t old, he wasn’t a young man either, and another bone-crushing grip from her might do some damage.
“Sorry,” she muttered, a shade of rosy color returning to her cheeks. “I don’t know where that came from.”
“It’s all right.” He freed one foot and then the other. She didn’t appear hurt, as she’d said, but seawater soaked her auburn hair and clothes.
Half a beat later, Ian opened the door with a wool blanket in hand and traded it for the discarded immersion suit. The woman shrank against the rush of cold air.
Sputtering apologies, Ian closed the door. “Captain.” His voice lowered. “Should I stow this with the other one?”
Killian nodded curtly, glancing over at their rescuee. The woman’s expression hadn’t changed, so she’d probably missed Ian’s question. Thank God. She didn’t need to know they’d found another suit—bloody, torn to shreds, and without a body.
* * *
Don’t stop now. Keep reading with your copy of CALLED TO THE DEEP
Don’t miss the next book in the Liliana and the Fae of Fayetteville series coming soon, and find more from Paige E. Ewing at www.paigeewing.com
Until then, discover CALLED TO THE DEEP by City Owl Author, Desirée M. Niccoli!
First comes desire. Then hunger.
When Killian Quinn, captain of offshore fishing boat Dawn Chaser, receives a distress call from a sailing ship caught in a terrible storm, he and his crew rush to provide aid. But when they arrive, all that’s left of the ship and its crew is splintered wood and a borderline hypothermic woman who can’t remember how she survived. His attraction to her is instantaneous, and maintaining a professional distance proves to be a struggle, especially when she needs a place to stay that’s far from the press and curious townsfolk, and his idyllic cottage by the sea is the perfect sanctuary.
What was supposed to be a thrilling once-in-a lifetime opportunity for Lorelei Roth, turns into a seafaring tragedy. As Lorelei struggles to accept that she’s The Osprey's only survivor, she’s plagued by strange dreams and sleepwalking episodes that draw her into the ocean. And if the grieving process wasn’t hard enough, Lorelei also grapples with guilt from developing feelings for the captain who rescued her. But worst of all, is a new, unsettling hunger for raw flesh that’s eating her from the inside out. The handsome captain begins to look like a tasty snack in more ways than one.
Discovering she’s descended from the people-eating mermaids who devoured her crew, Lorelei struggles to accept her identity knowing her entire existence relies upon its secrecy and devouring human flesh. What happens if Killian finds out? The world at large? What if Lorelei answers the ocean’s call to the deep?
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Acknowledgments
Thanks first and foremost to my agent, Michelle Hauck, who believed in me and my work. I also owe a lot to my publisher and editor, Tina and Lisa G. at City Owl Press. Thanks for giving my work a chance.
About the Author
PAIGE E. EWING writes about superheroes and sentient cities, were-spiders and gun-loving fairies, werewolves and fighter pilots. For her day job, she gives speeches and writes about big data analysis and data architectures, a subject which also doubles as a sleep aid for many.
For fun, she shoots arrows, and throws axes. She lives in the middle of nowhere, Texas, and will show you far too many pictures of her garden if you let her. She once invented a way to grow food on Mars that NASA liked, and has a cute trophy to show for it. Her dogs and horses are unimpressed.
www.paigeewing.com
About the Publisher
City Owl Press is a cutting edge indie publishing company, bringing the world of romance and speculative fiction to discerning readers.
Escape Your World. Get Lost in Ours!
www.cityowlpress.com
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