Page 70 of The Love Position

Lifting an arm from her back, she moved closer to him as if scared he was going somewhere. Another bolt of pain lanced his chest. Grabbing the bottle from his bag, Isaac unscrewed the lid and held it to Sophia’s lips. She took it, blood from her palms smearing against the sides, the sight magnified by the water through the clear plastic.

His stomach lurched. This is your fault.

‘Thank you. I was so thirsty.’ She lifted the bottle. ‘There’s still some for you. I’m sorry I’ve made such a mess.’

‘It’s fine and I’m fine. You finish it.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Absolutely. Please.’

Sophia drained the bottle, then settled back against his chest.

‘Isaac…’

‘Yes.’

‘Are you leaving once we get to the hospital?’

Jesus Christ. ‘No.’

‘Thank you. I’m not great with new situations. Or people I don’t know. Or hospitals.’

‘I’ll stay with you the whole time.’

‘Promise?’

He gently squeezed his arms around her a little tighter. ‘Promise.’

‘Hanuman!’

Isaac lifted his head.

Mohan was beside the boat. ‘There’s a taxi waiting at the entrance. I’ll give you the boat keys for later, then take the ferry back to the island. Can I help carry her?’

The sensible answer to Mohan’s question was ‘yes’, however some primal part of Isaac growled ‘no’. He’d got Sophia into this state, and it was his responsibility to get her out of it.

And, much as he didn’t want to admit it, the caveman side of him was beating his chest and roaring that Sophia was his woman and no-one would touch her but him.

‘Hanuman?’

Get a hold of yourself.

‘Thanks, Mohan, that would be great. I’m not sure if my legs have gone to sleep or not.’

Sophia went to move and Mohan leapt into the boat to help her up.

Getting to his feet, Isaac rubbed his legs as pins and needles pricked his muscles. As soon as he could trust them to work properly, he helped lift Sophia onto the dock.

Waiting for them was a trolley.

‘I thought we could push her on that?’ Mohan suggested.

Sophia stiffened, then took a breath. ‘Great idea.’

‘No,’ Isaac replied, sweeping her into his arms. ‘The dock is uneven and there’s nothing to absorb any of the impact.’

Sophia relaxed, and his own stress eased a little.

---