«Andrea» by Suzie McLean

She’s adored Mac forever…but he barely even knows she’s
alive. That’s what Andi thinks, anyway, until she’s nearly killed in a freak
swimming accident, and Mac has to use every bit of unorthodox skill he possesses to keep her alive.


Why didn’t he ever give her the slightest hint of his true
feelings? And now that she knows…will he be the one to teach her the glorious
delights of making love?


~~~~~ 
Excerpt  ~~~~~


Reid quietly stepped through the open auditorium doorway,
then hesitated and blinked a few times in surprise. He tried to attend all of Andi’s swim meets, and he’d watched her cut through the water at a pretty fair
clip. But he’d never seen her rocket down the narrow lane like a runaway shark!
If she could manage this kind of speed in the competitions, she could win every
race hands-down!


Delighted, he stepped forward to applaud…and all hell broke
loose.


Andi caught a glimpse of him standing at the edge of the
pool, and even through the chlorine haze burning her eyes, she recognized his distinctive profile.


Mac! The one
person she wanted to see the most!


Dizzy elation threw her off stride—and instead of slapping
the rim in a final spin that would allow her to coast to a comfortable stop,
her right wrist connected with a sickening crunch that sent shrieking
shockwaves of pain ricocheting through her entire body. Her anguished scream
was choked off as she flipped backwards, desperately clutching her broken
wrist, and sank to the bottom like a stone.


“Andi!” Mac roared
her name as blood stained the crystalline water. His feet were in motion before
the first echo had rebounded back, and then he was diving so deep that he nearly shot past her. Her petite body was limp as he dragged her to the
surface, and tried to hoist her head above water.


Afterwards, he’d never be entirely sure how he managed to haul himself, and her, out of the pool without losing several layers of skin.
“Breathe, Andi! Come on!” Urgently he shook her, then began to pump vigorously
on her ribs. “Breathe!”


Water trickled from her mouth. Swiftly he rolled her onto
her side, and pounded on her back. He was rewarded by a sudden gush as she choked, and frantically sputtered for air.


“Again!” More water exploded from her mouth and nose as he
looped an arm around her waist, half-lifted her off the cement floor, and
squeezed rhythmically in a modified Heimlich…


Until finally, like the melodic trill of an angelic harp, he heard the sweet sound of air filling her lungs.


“Thank you, God!” Relieved beyond measure, he gently lowered
her to the floor again. “Andi, can you hear me?”


Her low moan was an agonized rasp. And then he remembered
the blood.


Reid’s face paled as he stared at her wrist in icy horror.
It looked like a clean break…but how could he tell for sure when both bones
were jutting through the skin, and she was losing blood at an appalling rate?


“Sweet Jesus!"