Third Chances (Men Of Manhattan #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,42
in anyway." She laughed and joined me on the rocks, being careful not to lose her footing.
"Yes," the tour guide said.
I stripped down to my bikini and dipped my toes into the water. It was chilly, but it felt amazing in the Costa Rican heat.
"Just watch out for crocodiles," the tour guide added.
I immediately pulled my foot of the water. "What?"
Kristen grabbed my hand before I could step back. "It's fine. The water is clear. I don't see any."
Layla grabbed my other hand. "Just don't close your eyes or one might sneak up on you." She winked.
Alina joined Layla on her other side.
"Ready?" Kristen asked, bending her legs, ready to jump into the surely crocodile swarmed water.
"No," I said immediately. But my words were drowned out as they all jumped, pulling me with them. We sunk down into the water. It was way deeper than it looked and it took awhile for my feet to touch the mud at the bottom. I pulled my hands out of Kristen and Layla's and swam to the surface of the water, breaking through the surface and taking a huge breath of air.
Everyone was laughing around me, splashing each other with water. No one else was thinking about the imminent danger. Just me. I swam over toward the rocks to climb out. Momma Bear. God I hated that nickname. If I climbed out right now, they'd surely keep calling me that. I could have fun too. I could let loose. I took a deep breath and submerged back into the water, swimming toward the waterfall.
Before I knew about the dangers, I had wanted to feel the water falling on my head. I'd do that before getting out. Then no one could say anything to me. Plus, I still wanted to do it. It still felt like the waterfall was calling to me. It was the strangest feeling.
I paused at the base of the waterfall and looked up, blinking rapidly to avoid the droplets of water spraying from it. This really was breathtaking. I had stared at waterfalls from a distance, but I had never done anything like this. I closed my eyes and swam closer and closer until the water started falling on the top of my head and shoulders. It was cooler than the pool of water I was swimming in. It felt even more refreshing. I thought the water might hurt, falling so rapidly. But the waterfall was small enough that it felt more like a massage than anything else.
My peace was interrupted by something gripping my arm. Crocodile! I pulled my arm, but it was firmly in the animal's grasp. I opened my mouth to scream, but water fell into my mouth, muting my cries. I didn't feel any pain, probably from the adrenaline coursing through my body. And I was able to briefly think about the fact that sharks hated being hit in the nose. Did crocodiles hate that too? I slammed my fist on top of where the beast was latched onto my arm, aiming for a nose I couldn't see.
"Daphne!"
My name was being called. It was a male voice. Probably the tour guide. It seemed far away from the deafening roar of the waterfall. Too far away to save me. I kicked out, making contact with something solid, probably the crocodile.
"Shit." The same voice said as the crocodile pulled me behind the waterfall toward its lair of death. I was blind in the darkness.
"Help me!" I screamed, still feeling like I was drowning in the water. I continued to kick and squirm and hit the beast as it pushed my back against slippery rock, away from the cascading water, ready to bite into my flesh.
But I didn't feel teeth. I felt lips brush gently against mine, warm breath on my skin. "It's me. It's just me. It's okay. You're safe."
My heart felt like it was breaking through my ribs as I gasped for air. My eyes still hadn't adjusted from the darkness, but I knew the voice. It wasn't the waterfall calling me toward it. It was him. Had my senses somehow known what I didn't? Had it known he was here, waiting for me? My body wanted him. But my mind was lagging behind.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Rob? You scared me half to death."
He laughed, releasing me from his tight grip, but he kept me sandwiched between his torso and the rocks. "I was trying to surprise you."