They were almost there and she knew they’d be fine, but the cold from the wind and water had seeped into her bones. The tips of her fingers were numb and icy as she forced herself to keep paddling. Though deep down she knew Mac was basically carrying them at this point. The canoe was moving far too fast, an arrow through the choppy water. She felt like she was hardly helping at all.
“Put your oar down!” he called out over the rising wind.
Lightning flashed across the sky and she jumped, goose bumps skittering down her arms.
She wasn’t sure why he wanted her to put the paddle down, but she pulled it in and tucked it under the seat in front of her.
He continued through the water, even faster as the canoe rocked, only twenty yards to go now. They slammed up against the boathouse dock as he guided them in.
“Sit tight,” he ordered as he jumped from the boat.
She couldn’t have gotten out on her own if she’d wanted to. And she did want to. But her fingers weren’t obeying her as she fumbled to reach the side of the dock.
Suddenly Mac was next to her, slipping his big arms underneath her armpits and hauling her onto the dock. He moved with such a rapid efficiency that all she could do was stare at him as he then hooked the boat up and tossed the life jackets into the bin. Instead of securing the oars, he threw them on the dock and scooped her up into his arms.
Her teeth chattering, her jaw was tight as she tried to force words out. “What…you doing?” Well, duh. Why had she asked?
“Getting us inside.” She could see chill bumps on his face and neck but he was moving so smoothly, as if he was completely impervious to the rain and wind.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, grateful for his presence and strength. She wasn’t so sure she’d have made it to the house without him and that was terrifying. She was so damn cold, all her muscles pulled taut, almost locked in on themselves as she fought the iciness that invaded her marrow.
He shoved the back door open and immediately the warmth of the living room rolled over her. But he kept going, moving all the way to the bathroom where he set her on her feet and turned on the hot shower.
“You need to strip.” There was a flicker of worry in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” she rasped out as she fumbled with the edge of the zipper of her pants. Stupid thing wouldn’t work. Yeah, clearly she was freaking fine. But her fingers weren’t listening to her.
He took over in an instant, quickly unzipping it before he tugged her sweater over her head.
She didn’t have any time to be embarrassed as he then bent down and tugged her soggy shoes and socks off—then helped pull her pants off. The man undressed her with an impressive efficiency, and thankfully didn’t touch her underwear. The fact that he didn’t, mattered. And he averted his gaze as she managed to unhook her bra and slide it down her arms. Chills covered her entire body, though the warmth from the house was helping already.
He looked to the right and up, not focusing on her. “Can you get in the shower without help?”
“Yeah,” she got out through chattering teeth. The curtain jingled as she managed to shove it open and step inside.
The moment the warmth of the water hit her, the frostiness eating up her insides started to ease.
“Sorry,” she called out, unable to form words without her teeth chattering. “I don’t know how I got so chilled.” Especially when he seemed to be fine. She swore it felt like it was in her marrow, the way it had invaded her so quickly.
“Don’t apologize. Are you doing okay? Do you need help?”
“No, I’m good, I promise.” Her words were coming out stronger now. It had just been a shock to her body.
“I’m going to take your clothes to the laundry room and clean up all the water on the floor. I’ll be back in a minute. Unless you want me to stay?”
“No, I’m good, and you don’t have to take my clothes.” She was embarrassed that he was so strong and capable and—
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve got this. I’ll also start a fresh pot of coffee. You’ll feel even better once you drink some.”
Okay, so this man was seriously like a knight in shining armor. The mere thought of someone taking care of her, helping her like this, would have sent her running in the past. Now? She wanted to run all right, straight into his arms. “Thank you.”
* * *
Adeline stepped into the kitchen minutes later, wearing a thick sweater, jogging pants and two layers of socks, to find Mac pouring two mugs of coffee. “You are a prince,” she murmured as he placed the hot drink in her hands. She savored the warmth against her palms as she lifted the mug to her lips.
His eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled but his expression quickly morphed to one of concern. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a new person. And a tiny bit embarrassed that you literally had to carry me inside and…” She cleared her throat, deciding not to finish that he’d seen her naked. Or mostly, anyway.
His frown deepened and it just made him sexier. Apparently everything he did was sexy. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. We shouldn’t have gone out. It’s my fault.”
“Yeah, because you control the weather,” she murmured. “If you remember correctly, it was my idea. And it’s no one’s fault, just dumb luck. Also, for the record, I hate Florida weather sometimes.”
He picked up his own mug and leaned against the counter as he nodded in agreement. “No kidding. So I got cell service back and we’ve got a bunch of flash flood warnings in the area. Looks like we’re stuck together for a little while longer.” His tone was so neutral, she wished she could read him better.
“I can definitely think of worse things. At least we have power.” Thunder rattled the house just then, making the windows shake. She winced. “You know, unless I just jinxed us.”
He snorted softly. “If you want to paint or relax, I’ll get out of your way.”
She shrugged, not wanting to be alone right now. “Want to play some board games?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“I love them, but I get it if you don’t want to. I am the queen of board games, so if you can’t handle losing to a girl, I completely understand. Because I will utterly destroy you.”
He blinked in surprise, then grinned. “Bring it on, then. I should warn you, I’m the undefeated champ of Monopoly with my brothers. I have a dance.”
She sputtered out a laugh, not expecting this at all. “A dance?”
His lips twitched slightly. “That’s right, my friend. A dance. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see it.”
“I’m tempted to throw the game just so I can see what this is all about.”
He grinned and she felt that look aaaallllll the way to her belly. Good God, this man was her kryptonite. He was sexy, fun, had pretty much saved her from hypothermia. And earlier he’d made it clear that he still wanted to take her out on a date. There were no mind games with him. It was terrifying.
Adeline knew she needed to get over her past, needed to move forward. It was just taking that next step that was the difficult thing.
And something told her that if she took it with Mac, she wouldn’t regret it. No, she would only regret it if she took a chance and then lost him.