Part 5 (2/2)
”I landed the plane! And I didn't kill us! Gen, that's awesome.”
”I guess it is.”
”I can hardly believe I did that.”
She'd never noticed that his eyes were blue, maybe because they were usually bloodshot and covered by smudged lenses. She'd have better luck finding him a girlfriend if she could get him into contacts. Then again, maybe he looked better because one of her contacts was missing. She closed her right eye and used only her left. And there he was, still fairly date-worthy.
”Are you winking at me?”
”No. I lost one contact.”
”Oh. For a minute there I thought you might be trying to hit on me.”
She knew he was joking, and yet something in his voice told her it wasn't totally a joke. Before the plane crashed he'd said something about coming on this trip so that he could help her. Was it at all possible that Jackson had a crush on her? Now, that would be awkward.
”Come on,” he said. ”Let's get moving.”
”Okay.” Taking a breath, she started swimming toward sh.o.r.e again, and not having her shoes helped considerably. She would make it, d.a.m.n it.
But distressingly soon her arms began to ache again and she grew short of breath. She switched to the breast stroke and then the side stroke, always aware of Jackson swimming steadily beside her. Whenever she slowed, he slowed. He was keeping pace with her. She just wasn't sure she'd be able to keep pace with him.
They needed to discuss it. She stopped swimming and began treading water again.
He noticed immediately and followed suit. ”Need a break?”
She nodded, too winded to speak. But he didn't seem winded at all. She'd never have guessed he'd be in good physical shape. She'd a.s.sumed that he spent all his time in front of the computer and never got any exercise.
”You can make it, Gen,” he said.
She liked the way he'd started calling her Gen instead of using her foil name. It made them seem closer, like buddies, and right now she needed that feeling, because he was her only hope. But she didn't want to put him in more danger because she wasn't up to the challenge.
”It's not much farther,” he said.
She glanced toward sh.o.r.e and was even more discouraged when the vision in both eyes was blurry.
”I lost my other contact.”
”When we get there you can wear my gla.s.ses.”
His gentleness made her want to cry. ”I'm not sure I'm going to get there,” she said. ”I'm so tired.” She looked at him with a mixture of admiration and frustration. ”How come a brainiac like you swims like an Olympic athlete?”
He tread water and gazed at her. ”Nerds work out, too, you know.”
”You belong to a gym?” She couldn't picture it.
”No. I have a whole setup at home. I work out when I'm thinking about a project, and since I'm usually thinking about a project, I work out a lot.”
”Well, I don't work out at all, and I'm fading fast. I want you to go on ahead.”
”Like h.e.l.l.”
”No, really, Jackson. Don't be n.o.ble. You said that when we left the plane we'd both have to fend for ourselves. That's the way it should be.”
”That was just to get you started. I never planned to abandon you.”
And she didn't want him to, either. But he might have to, for his own good. She wouldn't drag him down with her. ”Look, it's stupid for both of us to drown or get chewed on by sharks. You go ahead and I'll either make it... or I won't.”
His expression tensed. ”Do you imagine for one minute that I'm the kind of guy who would leave you out here?”
Until now, she'd never thought about what kind of guy he was, and he was surprising her at every turn.
”I know you wouldn't want to, but be realistic.”
”Are you done in? Is that what you're saying?”
”Not completely, but close.”
”Can you float okay?”
”Jackson, I want you to-”
”Can you float?”
The edge to his voice took her aback. That was twice now he'd shown a tough side she'd never imagined good old Jackson would have. The first time was when he'd demanded to know if she could swim. She was beginning to realize that if she'd said she couldn't, he'd have tried to land the plane on the top of the island, no matter how impossible it had looked. For whatever the reason, he'd appointed himself her protector.
”Yes, I can float,” she said.
”Then get on your back. I'm towing you in.”
”No. That will take twice as much energy, and I don't care how often you work out, you're going to get tired.”
His expression was like granite. ”I'm not leaving you. You can either get on your back and let me tow you in or we can stay here and tread water until you're too exhausted to move, and then I'll tow you in, but by then I'll be more tired, so we'll both be at greater risk.”
”You're not towing me. I'm swimming.” And she set off, although every muscle in her body protested. d.a.m.n his n.o.ble hide. He was liable to kill himself trying to help her. She couldn't let him do that.
Chapter 5.
Jackson swam beside her, painfully aware of her gasping, flailing struggle to make it to sh.o.r.e. But she had grit, and she wasn't about to let him help her until she couldn't move another muscle. Thank G.o.d they were getting close to the beach and the swell of the incoming waves lifted them toward the water's edge. They would make it.
Then, without warning, she sank.
He dove under the water, eyes open, and saw her gliding slowly down toward a bed of coral, her muscles limp. He got to her right before she reached the coral, which looked sharp as gla.s.s. Hooking an arm beneath her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, he surged upward, dragging her with him.
When they broke the surface, they were both sputtering and coughing. He figured as long as she was making noise, she wasn't going to drown on him, so he started swimming with one arm and pulling her through the water with the other. Stupid, stubborn woman.
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