Jill Shalvis: Storm Watch

She felt a funny sort of pop, then the warm wetness on her thighs and, cringing, she looked down.

With a sigh, she shook her head. “Not the ‘break’ I meant, but thanks, Karma. Thanks a whole hell of a lot.”

LIZZY GASPED AT the slap of cold rain as she and Jason ran through the storm toward her car. There she grabbed her bag and they turned to Jason’s Jeep. A heavy gust had her staggering backward, fighting gravity, but Jason was behind her. “Sorry,” she gasped, her back plastered to his chest.

He merely slid an arm around her waist, helping her secure her balance. His feet were planted. He was a solid rock behind her.

But she was a rock, too.

And well used to managing on her own. She struggled to regain her footing, determined to do so, extremely aware of the fact that he stayed right at her back until she did, only dropping his arm when she nodded.

Water ran down her in rivulets, making her grateful he’d given her the rain gear, and she stared in disbelief at the street, which appeared to be under a sheet of water.

“It’s rising fast,” Jason said, voice raised over the wind.

Visibility was just about nil. The air was thick with rain and whatever the wind was tossing around-tree branches, sand, dirt, lawn furniture…

Jason helped her into the Jeep, his hands on her waist, her hips. A light touch. An impersonal touch. He’d have helped anyone.

But she absorbed the feeling of his hands on her, the one on her spine, the one on her hip, both coaxing a shiver from her that had nothing to do with the icy air, and she realized something horrifying.

Her secret little crush, the one buried deep inside her, had renewed itself.

She watched as he came around the driver’s side, moving with the easy grace of a man who’d been trained and honed into a physical prowess she could only dream of.

He was as drenched as she, his hair dark and shiny, his lashes inky and spiky over those solemn and determined eyes.

Being wet suited him.

He tossed the backpack to the backseat and turned on the engine. “What?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

“Nothing.” At least she wanted it to be nothing. She put on her seat belt as he flicked on the radio, searching for local news. “Jason…I realize I’m completely overreacting. In my heart, I know Cece’s fine.”

“But you have to see for yourself. I get it. It’s your hang-up, not hers. I feel the same about my baby sister.”

She let out a low laugh. “I’ve just been in control for so long, I’m having trouble letting go.”

“I get that, too. Loss of control sucks.”

She got the feeling he was speaking from personal experience, but he turned his attention to the rain that pelted the roof, only partly drowned out by the heater, which he cranked full blast. She blinked out through the windshield wipers whooshing back and forth. The ocean to their left was a frothy mess, the waves higher than she’d ever seen, splashing up and over the entire beach and onto the parking lot across the street, a sight that made her breath catch.

“Evacuations are in effect from Eastside to Sixth now,” the deejay said. “Repeat-the streets on the Eastside are flooding. Stay off the roads from Eastside to Main. Head to higher ground from the west.”

She looked at Jason. “There’s no reason for both of us to risk our necks.”

“You’re going to piss me off with that.”

“Just saying.”

“Well, stop. Just saying.” He shook his head. “You always did have a problem asking for help.”

“Me? I never needed your help. It was your teacher who made you come to me for tutoring.”

“Well, I guess that makes us both stubborn asses then.” He pulled out his vibrating cell phone and looked at the ID. “It’s Dustin.” He flipped open the phone. “Yeah, yeah, I’m home two days early. You order all this rain for me?” He listened a minute then looked out the window, away from Lizzy, his shoulders tensing. “If you’ve talked to Mom, you know I’m fine-No, I don’t want to talk about Matt. Jesus. ” He glanced back at Lizzy. “Yeah, I’ve got her. She came to the house, looking for you-Uh-huh, that’s the plan.” He paused. “Okay. I’ll tell her.” He closed his phone, shoved it into his pocket and put the Jeep into gear.

“Tell me what?”

“Dustin’s at the hospital, part of the roof blew off and the backup generator failed. They’re transporting patients to San Luis Obispo Memorial, he’ll be busy for hours. So you really are stuck with me.” He looked at her as if expecting further objection. When she didn’t say anything, he pulled out of the driveway and turned right.

Except they needed to go left to get into town. “Where are we going?”

He downshifted to merge onto the main highway above town. “Keeping out of the low areas.” There were no other cars on the road that they could see, which was just as well, as every time he turned, the rear-end of the Jeep fishtailed. He kept his focus straight forward, his body seemingly relaxed, but she knew it was taking all his concentration to keep them on the road.

“According to Dustin,” he said. “Main Street is a water slide. The Jeep might be able to plow through.”

Or might not.

He didn’t say it, he didn’t need to.

“A foot of floodwater will float most vehicles. Two will plain and simple just carry us away. I don’t know how much water we’re dealing with right now, but it’s clearly rising. We’ll go the long way around, get on the highway and come in from the other side. It’s an extra two miles, but on higher ground.”

Okay, smart move. “Thank you.”

He flicked her a glance. “Are you going to thank me every step of the way?”

“Maybe.”

His lips twitched as he drove down the highway at ten miles per hour instead of the speed limit of sixty-five miles per hour. Still, the water shot up from beneath the tires in two matching plumes along either side of the vehicle. Lizzy leaned forward as if that would help her see better. It didn’t. She had no idea how he could tell where they were going. “Maybe you’ll be thanking me for something by the end of the day.”

“Yeah?” He looked amused. “Like what?”

Well, he had her there.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said after a minute. “Maybe you’ll save my sorry ass again, like you did with the window. Or better yet, tell me what the hell to do with my sorry ass.” He offered a self-deprecatory smile, letting her in on the joke, and a reluctant one tugged at her mouth, as well. “Look at that,” he murmured. “That smile sure looks good on you.”

“I smile plenty.” Okay, maybe not plenty. “When it’s warranted.”

“Yeah, see, the thing about smiling is that it’s supposed to happen whenever and wherever, not just ‘when warranted.’”

“There are inappropriate times.”

“Like?”

“Like this. This is an inappropriate smile time. It’s a serious situation.”

“There’s always a serious situation.” His smile faded. “It’s what you make of it.”

Wasn’t that the truth. She could see in his eyes, from the sudden haunted hollowness in them, that he was once again speaking from experience. Like her, he’d lost his father young, but unlike her and Cece, he still had great family support. He’d grown up with a sense of responsibility, even giving back with his job. In fact, his job was the ultimate give-back, putting his life on the line for his country. “I think it’s amazing, what you do.”

“No different than you,” he said.

“I’m an R.N. in the emergency room, Jason. We both know I’m a dime a dozen.”

“That’s not true.” He flicked her a glance. “And you don’t really feel that way.”