Page 49 of Thorns of Blood

But I knew how fickle hope was, the devastating impact it could have on a person. So I refused to overthink it.

Instead, I focused on the lesson I was about to have.

Standing two feet away from the edge of the pool, I dragged in a lungful of air, the impressive size of Giovanni’s yacht luring me into a false sense of security. My heart raced, threatening to erupt from my chest.

“This is a bad idea,” I muttered more to myself than the man who’d taken two whole hours at breakfast to show me swimming techniques on YouTube. “What if I drown?”

I pulled at the straps of my black bathing suit, grateful that the man had come through. I would no longer wear men’s clothes, although judging by Giovanni’s glances during breakfast, he seemed less than ecstatic.

“We can do it one of two ways,” he said, and part of me hoped he was about to follow up withlet’s forget about it. “We can ease into it slowly, in the shallow end.” He tilted his chin toward the side of the deck with the jacuzzi. “Or you can just rip off the Band-Aid and jump in. I’ll catch you.”

Panic clawed its invisible hands around my heart, reminding me of my last swimming experience. Although, I suspected it had a bit more to do with trusting someone versus the actual exercise itself.

My eyes darted over to the kiddie end longingly. I wasn’t a coward, and I’d survived some unfathomable shit, but at this very moment, that route seemed the best option for me. Mentally and physically.

“I’ll go in first,” Giovanni said, taking another step toward the pool’s ledge. “You jump after me.”

“You are out of your mind,” I gulped, then instantly straightened.Show no weakness. “I’m not letting you catch me. No touching, remember?”

He rolled his eyes. “This is hardly sexual, Liana.”

I wrinkled my nose.

“Still…” He jumped into the water, splashing me in the process, and I glared as he came up for air, swishing his head back and forth, droplets ricocheting off of him. “Show off.”

He chuckled.

“You can show off too.” He held out his hand, but I found my feet refusing to move. “Come on, wildflower. I’ll catch you. Promise.”

I gulped.

Trust wasn’t my forte obviously, and I saw the moment he realized he’d need to offer me more. “I vow it on the lives of my brothers and sister.”

“How about if you fail to catch me, I murder them all.” I glanced over my shoulder, surprised to find this side of the deck completely empty. “Where is your brother anyhow? And the rest of the crew?”

“They’ve been instructed to stay away.”

“You know, I could kill you.”

The corners of his lips lifted and his next words held a note of challenge. “You’ll have to get in the pool to do that.”

I edged closer and held my breath as I watched him lift his arms, readying to catch me.

I lowered on shaky legs, grabbed his hands, and slipped into the deep end. The water sloshed around my throat, and I gasped.

I fought against the images that flooded my mind, waves slamming into me and pulling me into their cold depths, when Giovanni’s voice sliced through them.

“Deep breaths and hold on to me.”

It was only then I became aware of his arms wrapped around my waist, his heat soothing the bite of the cool pool water.

“You’re doing so good,” he praised, and something about his tone sent peace and confidence surging through me. Was it really this easy to trust someone? “How do you feel?”

“Good.”

I clung to him, clearing my throat, and rather than focusing on complicated emotions, I concentrated on the task of flapping my hands and kicking my feet like I watched on the tutorials earlier.

“I-I’m swimming.”