Catch Me Falling by Elizabeth Sade Page A

asked.
    “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She was nervous but excited, too. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She felt safe. It was a heady mixture.
    “Good.” He kissed the side of her head and then straightened slightly. “Goal is to tighten your ab muscles and your legs so you can stand and stay standing.” He lifted his head to angle his mouth away from her. “Go, Mike!”
    The engines roared and for a moment Alexa thought they were in trouble. The tension on the rope started slowly then increased, and they were forced through the water. She kept her feet up, felt him holding her effortlessly, cradling her in his arms as they moved through the water. Inch by inch they rose until they were standing, Mike driving the boat around as they rode.
    It was even better than she had thought it would be. There was warmth behind her, Isaac’s hard chest melded against her back. There was the wind whipping at her hair, at her eyes, the spray of the water blasting her as they rode. She felt like she was flying, like she was flying away from all of her problems.
    No wonder people considered this place an escape. It was magical.
    All too soon the boat slowed down and they sank down into the water. The boat circled around, heading back towards the dock. “Next you’re going to ride solo,” Isaac said, his voice louder, to be heard over the noise. “And we’ll see if you can stand on your own.”
    He grinned at her and she grinned back. For the first time in a long time, she felt free.
----
    A lexa led the way out of the boat and onto the dock, her entire body aching. No wonder he had said she would be sore. They had only been on the lake two hours and she felt like she was dying.
    Her arms were jelly, her abs ached, and she was throwing herself into the water more than she was standing up. She hadn’t even gotten past the basics.
    “That was,” she panted, trying to get her breath back, “amazing.” It had gone a lot better than she’d expected, given her general lack of athleticism. She wasn’t unfit, but she definitely didn’t have core strength. When she glanced at him he was watching her, the warmth in his gaze heating her up despite the chill against her wet skin.
    “Want to go again?” He winked, and for a second she couldn’t tell if he meant sex or wakeboarding.
    She laughed, and then winced as her stomach muscles complained. “You're crazy.” There was no way she was doing any of that again anytime soon.
    He chuckled but didn’t argue. “I recommend taking up jogging,” he said as they started their walk back to the house.
    “Excuse you?” She raised her eyebrows.
    “If you want to do more than the basics, the endurance that you can build from jogging would serve you well.” They were almost back to the house, almost inside. “Plus core exercises.”
    “Are you trying to get onto my wakeboard again?” It wasn't a funny pun, probably not even in the realm of vaguely amusing. But she got a faint chuckle from him anyway.
    “Of course.” He grinned. Then his hand brushed hers, so softly she thought it was an accident. The simple touch sent heat flooding through her body. The sun was lower in the sky, the wind starting to pick up, and when a breeze hit her she wrapped her arms around herself.
    He picked up a towel by the door and wrapped it around her. Held it there, his arms wrapped around her, his chest pressed to her back. She wanted him, she did. Just him touching her even through the wetsuit turned her on. But there were other emotions, too. A warmth, a contentedness. She could have stood there for an hour, wrapped up in him, and she would have been happy.
    She leaned into Damien, smiled at him. Ignored the bruise forming on her stomach, the half-healing cigarette burn on her shoulder. He loved her, didn’t he? He was just having a bad day. But love conquered all, and for now she could relax into him. Try to feel safe, protected.
    Instead she just felt uneasy.
    Suddenly