Page 54 of Beyond the Rules
Chapter14
Nina
Aiden stood at the top of the waterfall, on a towering cliff some forty feet above the little valley where I waited. He lifted a muscled arm and waved at me, wearing only his black boxers and the tie that bound his hair. He was quite the sight, strong, tall and invincible like the sheer granite walls that rose all around him and the lake lying athisfeet.
We’d been hiking all day, and I’d seen him do things that gravity shouldn’t allow the human body. He’d brought his rock climbing gear and crawled over cliff walls like a huge, elegant spider, sometimes dangling only by the tips of his strong, chalked fingers. But this? This wasmadness.
“Aiden, no!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Come down.Rightnow!”
“You’re such a bossy witch.” His laughter echoed in the quarry. “I’ll be rightthere.”
He took a step forward, bent his knees and, after pushing off, jumped. My heart shot to my throat and my belly hit the ground. Surrounded by the waterfall’s misty veil, he fell, body held tight against his legs, muscles taut, toes pointed. He twisted in midflight, one, two, three and half turns before he straightened into the long bullet that hit the water with minimum splash despite the appallingspeed.
A smallplunkechoed in the place, as quiet as the desperate prayer on my lips. A ripple formed on the surface as concentric rings disturbed the placid image of the sky and the cliffs reflecting on the lake. A few small waves splashed on the rocks at my feet and then…silence. It was only me and the mountains, and the dark, cold pool of water that hadswallowedhim.
“Aiden?” I called out and received no reply other than the steady rush of the waterfall and the rustle of the breeze on the trees. “Whereareyou?”
I had a flashback to the day I’d fallen into San Francisco Bay, of the cold ocean, swallowing me, of the sunlight’s refraction receding above my head. Panic squeezed my throat. He’d probably hit his head or something. Could he be drowning? A whole minute passed, then more. The urgency pounded in my breast. I had to goafterhim.
I dropped my backpack and kicked off my boots and socks. At the thought of going in the water, I started to hyperventilate. No matter. I had to help Aiden. I forced myself to take a step and then another. My feet sank into a shallow bed of gravelly sand. The cold stung my toes and shot up my legs. I pushed forward, until I was waist deep in the water. I looked down and saw my reflection, a woman pale with fear and shuddering in terror, back to drowning, as if it wasmyfate.
The horrified face staring back at me suddenly began to change. It widened and lengthened, darkened and shifted, acquiring new life as it emerged from the lake’s depths, transforming into a fundamentally male face, a strong chin covered with beard stubble and a wide mouth enlivened by Aiden’s cocky smile as he broke through thesurface.
“Hey, baby,” he said, his grin so pure and sweet I could’ve eaten him with mypancakes.
But I couldn’t speak, couldn’t force the words out of my throat. My toes had gone numb, my feet and calves felt like blocks of ice, and my breath had quit. I was shaking. Uncontrollably. Standing in water that wasn’t in a bathtub; very cold, glacier-fed, icy water. The only heat in my body came from the tears spilling frommyeyes.
Aiden exploded out the water. “Jesus, baby, what’s wrong?” He snatched me against his chest and carried me back to shore. “Why are youcrying?”
I couldn’t explain, couldn’t catch my breath. What came out was a sob. I clung to Aiden even though he was drenched. He was alive. He was here. He hadn’t drowned. NeitherhadI.
When I next knew, we were back at his mountain camp, where he kept a tent, a fire pit and piles of chopped wood. We sat next to a crackling fire overlooking an infinite horizon of mountains and sky. I had no recollection of the trip back or the sunset. He must’ve carried me the whole way. My pants were off and I was naked from the waist down, wrapped in a warmsleepingbag.
Aiden had changed into dry pants, but he was bare-chested, even though it was getting colder now. Aiden was never cold. Wet or dry, his body was like a furnace, one currently working for my benefit as he held me in hisembrace.
“What happened back there?” he said, feeding me some scotch from hisflask.
“You scared the hell out of me, that’s what happened.” I scowled at him, feigning indignation as the scotch burned down my gullet and all the way to my stomach. “Don’t ever do thatagain.”
“I swam to the other side of the lake to check on the beaver dams.” His eyes darkened with concern. “Did you think I couldn’t handle the jump? You weren’t worried about me doing something crazy,wereyou?”
I spotted the worries in his gaze, that I thought he was weak, or sick, or incapable. “No, that’s not it.” I rushed to correct his misperceptions. “I know you’re an amazing swimmer and very strong, both physically and mentally. I trust you, yourjudgment.”
He studied my face. “Then what was that panic attack allabout?”
A panic attack. Was that what had happened to me? Oh, God. He was right. I’d been paralyzed withterror.
He elbowed mesoftly. “Nina?”
“It’s silly, really.” I dismissed the whole episode. “Nothing to worryabout.”
“You blink quickly when you lie.” He planted a quick kiss on my lips. “The right side of your mouth comes upslightly.”
Caught like a fish onahook.
“Truth,Nina.”
“Okay, fine.” I let out a little huff. “I almost drowned as a child. I don’t like to talk about it, but no matter how hard I’ve tried to learn, I don’t know howtoswim.”