Page 23 of Finding the Forward: Part One
“Hi Carlos. Oh, hi, Clark!” I waved at the rookie with him.
Clark was younger than Carlos, farm fresh, and one of the Knights I knew. Poor Clark had been led to believe that I was the Knight’s rookie coordinator and asked me to help him with things like setting up utilities and cleaning basics. I helped him anyway.
“Hi! Ignore Carlos. He won’t last the whole time–he always cools down on the bike after the game instead of the ice baths.” Clark shot Carlos a grin. He was tall, with dark hair, a farm-boy body, an angelic face, and black-framed glasses. Nerdy frames aside, he looked like an underwear model. His shirt and shorts had fifty-five on them.
“I don’t need anyone to go in with me.” I waved them off.
Sonny got in position to film it for the team’s social media. “Ready when you are.”
“Are you sure you’re okay alone?” Rusty asked me.
“I’m fine.” I got into position over the large, galvanized tub filled with ice.
Rusty had a stopwatch. “Ready... set... go!”
Leaning on my crutch, I lowered myself into the tub of water and ice like I had so many times at the rehab clinic. Ash was on one side, Mercy on the other, taking my crutch when I handed it to her. The icy water hit me with a million tiny peppermint jolts. I shivered at the chill, continuing to lower myself in. The ice sloshed around the big tub.
“Prof, Prof, Prof, Prof,” my students shouted. Other people had gathered to watch.
Shit, it was cold. Painfully cold. More than I remembered. I couldn’t focus. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.Breathe through it.That’s all I had to do. I forced myself to breathe deep, but it came out shallow, ragged. As did the next.Almost there.
The cold seeped into my pores, my blood. Panic twined through my limbs as my body screamed at me to get out. Any moment, Rusty would call time. I wasn’t about to fail in front of my sister, her team, and my class.A few more seconds and I can get out.
“Halfway, keep it up,” Rusty cheered.
What? Only halfway? I exhaled with so much force, I couldn’t get a good breath in. Panic seized me. Out. I needed to get out now.
Why was it different this time?
Someone got in behind me. Strong, tattooed arms pulled me to a muscular chest, tucking me up against them. I didn’t recognize the tattoos, but one was of a griffin with music notes. There was also knotwork and a boat.
“I... I’ve got this,” I choked out, still not able to get a good breath. While it was nice of someone to come to my rescue, I’d be okay.
Though I leaned against them, cradled in theirlargemuscular body.
“I know. You’re one of the strongest people I know. Now take a deep breath, Kitten,” a deep voice rumbled in my ear.
Gasping, I got hints of rain. Was it?
No. It couldn’t be.
Could it?
No one else hadevercalled meKitten.Whoever it was held me tightly, making the panic ease with touch alone.
“So good. Take another. You’re almost there. You’ve got this, Gorgeous,” he told me, the voice growing familiar.
I took another breath, this one a little deeper as warmth from his touch, his presence, crept into me.
It was him. Airplane Guy. He’d found me.
What timing. Also,how?But questions could wait.
Taking another breath, I gulped in his soft beta rain scent, resisting the urge to bury my face in his chest. I felt safe. Secure.
A bit of outrage rose inside me as my overprotective inner alpha wanted to know why he’d risk a chill and get into a tub of ice in October forme.Even if we were indoors.
“Almost there, you’re doing so good,” he murmured in my ear, his warm breath sending shivers through me as everyone counted down.
