Page 77 of Guarded Deputy
“But behind closed doors we can break all moral codes,” he leans in and whispers, and my body heats to the point where the water may boil around us.
“You really are trouble.” I jab his chest.
“Trouble is fun.”
“And dangerous.” I lift a brow.
“Nah.” He shakes his head. “All fun.” His hand flattens on the center of my back, the rough pads of his fingers tingling my bare skin. “Wanna bet?” He smirks like a sinner trying to lead me down the path of no return, and I’d follow him without a doubt when he looks at me as if I’m his favorite meal.
“By all means.” I play along.
His hand moves further south, stopping at the base of my spine.
“Is this okay?” he whispers.
I nod, staring into his eyes. I love that he asks.
He rubs his nose back and forth on mine, and I pull him closer, enjoying this quiet, intimate moment. Our bodies are flush, and I can feel his chest against mine, rising and falling peacefully with each breath. I tilt my head and smile at him, wanting nothing more than to freeze this perfect moment and frame it so I can look back on it in the future and remember what it felt like to be cocooned in Nate’s arms.
Until a stinging pain hits my leg.
“Ow!” I yelp and jump away, grabbing my foot and looking at the water.
“What happened?” Nate’s eyebrows pull together as he stares at me while I hop away on one foot and release a slew of curses.
I see a jellyfish a few feet away and scream, running to the shore, which is almost impossible in water and with an injured leg.
“That’s colorful language and all, but you need to tell me what happened. Are you hurt?” Nate is right behind me.
My leg throbs and stings at the same time. It’s a pain I’ve never felt before, and I stare at Nate with my mouth open. He looks at my leg and drops to his knees to check it out. Welts are already forming on my skin. I take a deep breath to try to ease the pain, but it’s pointless.
“A jellyfish stung me.” I get out through my breaths.
“What?”
“It hurts.” I cringe. “Pee on it!” I stare at him as if he could be my savior.
“What? Why?” He jumps on his feet and backs away as if I’m going to grab him and milk pee out of him.
“That’s what they do inFriends.“ I pierce my nails into my skin right next to the sting in hopes that the pain from my nails will ease the other. It’s a stupid attempt.
“This isn’t a sitcom!” he yells.
“My skin feels like it’s on fire. Nate, help!” Tears burn my eyes from the pain. “Just pee on me.”
“I’m not about to whip out my dick and pee on you. We haven’t even gone to second base.” He throws his hands in the air.
“What does second base have to do with anything? This is a medical emergency. Come on. This stings like a mother…” I trail off when I see a family with young kids staring at us.
Great, I can’t even curse right now.
“I’m taking you to the doctor.”
“Fine.” I huff and limp away while Nate grabs our things. Just my luck to get stung by a sea creature. If I were a mermaid, this shit wouldn’t happen.
I’m silent on the drive to the doctor’s office, focusing on my breath and shaking my leg. What if I’m allergic to jellyfish and never knew it? Is my chest tighter than before? My hand presses against it, hoping that’ll help me breathe easier, which makes no sense. Maybe the poison or whatever jellyfish release into my system is going to my brain and frying brain cells.
“Are you okay?” Nate asks quietly.