Into the Fire - Leslie Kelly [8]
Or so she thought, until she heard the yell, followed by the splash.
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Chapter 2
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I t was the thong panties that sent Nate's chair tipping over into the pool. He was no voyeur, but, damn, a gorgeous blonde jumping on a trampoline flashing him a sweet glimpse of her curvy backside with every bounce? What red-blooded American man would be able to resist that? He sure hadn't. So he'd leaned just a little too far and gone for an unexpected swim.
The chilly water shocked him. If it hadn't been for the chair hitting him in the head, he would likely have leaped right back out. But the plastic arm of the lounger caught him in the temple, and for a moment or two, he experienced severe disorientation. All he knew was he was in the pool, and a chair and a padded cushion, growing heavier by the second as it soaked up water, were blocking him from the air above.
Before he could move to save himself, someone was yanking him by the arm, pulling him from under the obstacle. When he broke through the surface, Nate sucked in a deep, greedy breath. His rescuer threw an arm across his shoulders and towed him, on his back, to the side of the pool.
When they reached the side, he flung his arm over the pool's edge, as did she. She finally stopped panting long enough to look him in the face.
The blonde. The gorgeous blonde with the peekaboo panties was treading water opposite him. She'd leaped into the pool to save him, not even stopping to consider her dress, which dung to her skin like shiny black Saran wrap. She was an absolute mess. Her sopping hair drooped against her head, sending rivulets of water running down her temples. Her smeared makeup had left black streaks under her eyes. She looked like a wet raccoon. A gorgeous wet raccoon.
Finally noticing his stare, her eyes widened, flashing with something. Confusion? Recognition? He didn't know, couldn't place it, but he saw something change in her expression. She looked out of sorts, confused, perhaps even a little excited. Not surprising given what had just happened. But Nate had a feeling there was more to it than that.
Finally she asked, "Are you okay?"
In spite of the pounding in his head, Nate responded flirtatiously. "I think I might need mouth to mouth."
She frowned. "You're talking. I suspect you're breathing."
He puffed out his cheeks, holding his breath.
She rolled her eyes. "Lame."
"Okay. I give up. I'm fine, thanks to you. I was getting disoriented under the water."
He glanced over his shoulder at the chair, which still floated nearby. As he watched, the cloth-covered cushion sank, disappearing beneath the surface, probably due to the weight of the water. It descended until it rested on the bottom of the pool—right where he might have ended up, had the blow to his head been much harder.
Good grief, he could have drowned! The thought sobered him, sending any flirtatious thoughts out of his mind. "You really might have saved my life. Thank you very much."
He stared into her eyes, which were a fine pale blue that picked up the light reflected on the shimmering surface of the water. Her lips were parted, her breath coming in audible gasps, much like his as they both recovered from the adrenaline rush of his accident.
Close up, she was every bit as enticing, though perhaps in a different way, than she'd been from a distance. Her features were softer, sweeter than he'd expected, given her killer figure. Her heart-shaped face was creamy smooth, and beneath the smeared makeup he could see the tiniest freckles dotting her nose. She looked younger than he'd thought. Definitely not as put together, calm and cool as she'd appeared when she entered the room. Yet the innocent blue eyes and freckles definitely suited the sprite who'd climbed onto the