Beauty and the Price

Chapter 14

Savior

Sang

I balanced myself along the edge of the dock with my arms spread out like an eagle, the tip of my shoes landing on the wooden pavement. I bit my lip in concentration, smiling each time I managed to keep my balance.

With my eyes on the ground, I listened to the water gently hit the dock. A sudden wave of dizziness hit me but I dismissed it, assuming it was the terrifying excitement of possibly falling into the water.

For a second, I lost footing but caught myself before I ended up falling in. My heart pounded in my chest, I giggled at the sudden rush it gave me.

My bookbag slipped off my shoulder and landed on the ground. My eyebrows furrowed when the ocean scent became stronger and slightly warmer. I looked up to see a large body directly in front of me, the unexpected stranger caught me off guard, the shock caused me to completely lose my balance. As I reached out to hold onto something, my hand gripped the material of the person's shirt. A large arm went around my waist but it was too late, I was already falling and bringing the person with me.

We landed with a loud splash. I coughed up some of the water when my head came up and swiped at my eyes.

"Are you okay?" the voice was so deep it reverberated through my chest. I heard a hint of an accent but I was too stunned to try to identify it.

I opened my eyes to see the person who tried to save me. His soulful deep brown eyes locked on me with concern, his thick lips were turned downward. The two-day stubble on his face made him appear much older than me. I stared at him not knowing what to say.

"Let me get you out of the water," he mumbled.

I placed my hands on the dock to push myself up but the guy was there before me and pulled me up by my elbows.

I stood there, dripping wet in my uniform. I glanced at my bag, at least that was saved. My eyes traveled up. The stranger who stood in front of me was at least a whole foot taller than me. I didn't want to admit that he looked pretty intimidating, scary even, and if he didn't try to help me a minute ago I might have been afraid of him. He eyed me curiously and I realized he was soaked, too.

"I... I'm... I'm sorry," I stuttered, blushing. I licked some of the water from my lips and resisted making a face from the salty taste.

He offered a smile, softening his features. "It's fine. I wasn't expecting that," he chuckled before removing his blue Red Sox T-shirt. I couldn't help but notice his large, prominent muscles. Almost as defined as Nathan's but much smoother. This guy was pure raw power.

I averted my eyes to my shoes and squeezed the water from my skirt. I looked around him, spotting a bucket alongside a fishing pole just behind him. I frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

He shook his head, causing drops of water to fall from his dark strands and onto his naked shoulders, sliding down his tanned chest and disappearing just above his belly button. He glistened with the sun shining on his wet skin, making his olive complexion appear golden. My eyes followed the last drop that led to the waistband of his dark blue jeans, even his thighs bulked with muscle in those pants. "I wasn't having any luck," he said, snapping me from my trance. "I caught some small ones, though."

"Oh," I said, feeling some of the guilt lifting. "So, I didn't completely ruin your fishing?"

He smirked. "No."

I continued to clutch my skirt in my hands, squeezing out as much of the water as I could. There was an awkward silence after his response. I questioned if now was a good time to leave.