Willow
THROUGH THE BLUR OF CHURNING WATER, A SHADOW MOVES TOWARD me.
Strong arms pierce through the current, wrapping tight around my ribs and hauling me against a hard chest.
Dominik.
Even underwater, I know the feel of him, the sheer power in the way he holds me, the unyielding force dragging me upward. His kick is relentless, each stroke cutting through the crushing dark until my lungs are about to burst.
He cages me to him, his body shielding mine from the weight of the ocean, and then we're surging toward the surface together. I try not to panic as a powerful wave churns us onto the shore. I come up for air gasping and sputtering, the board still strapped to my ankle.
As I kneel on my hands and knees on shore, Dominik is already there, dropping down beside me. His hands skim over my arms, shoulders, waist, checking for injuries.
There's an urgency to him I've never seen before.
"Shit, baby. Shit. What hurts? Did you hit your head?"
