Page 123 of Unapologetic Obsession

“See those rocks down there? You could hit one on your way down. Then you’d crack your head open and there’d be blood. Bits of your brain will probably scatter everywhere. Messy way to go. It would take the fun out of the whole peaceful drowning thing. Just make sure to concentrate on the deepest part of the water when you jump.”

My jaw dropped. “Shouldn’t you be trying to talk me out of this?”

He shrugged. “Looks like you aren’t going through with it, anyway. Oh well. Not every day can you achieve your goals. Give me your hand, Little One, and I’ll pull you back over.”

No. I couldn’t go back to my hospital suite. My parents forced me to meet the plastic surgeon today. Despite my protests and pleas against more surgeries, they had signed the documents to approve the procedure. The date had been set.

Defeat wore me down. I couldn’t go through one more surgery, let alone the several suggested by the physician.

Just jump, and it will be over. No more pain.

“Take my hand, Little One. Maybe tomorrow will be your day.”

“Go away.”

“Can’t. I’m already involved. If you jump, I’ll be the last person to see you alive. The police will think I pushed you and make me their number one murder suspect.”

“Then go back downstairs.”

“This hospital has cameras everywhere except the roof. They’ll see that I went to the rooftop and then connect me tothe dead girl floating in the river.” Crouching down, he started unlacing his shoes. “I think the only way out is for me to jump after you once you let go.”

“You’re crazy.”

He chuckled wholeheartedly, and for the firsttime, he didn’t sound bored or sarcastic. It was real. Something about him told me that he didn’t laugh very often. The sound warmed my chest. “I’m crazy? I’m not the one hanging off the railing of a hospital roof.”

“You’ll die if you jump after me.”

“I’ll be charged with murder if I don’t. I’m a good swimmer. I’ll take my chances with the water against life in prison.”

He removed his socks next and threw his wallet and pack of cigarettes on the ground.

He was impossible. “You said it yourself. There are rocks. The fall alone will kill you.”

“To tell you the truth, I am more worried about the water than the rocks.”

“Why?”

“It’s below freezing.”

I peered over the edge, suddenly unsure whether drowning would be less painful than plastic surgery.

“Water that cold hits you like a thousand knives all over your body.” He removed his jacket next. “Which is why I’m not looking forward to jumping after you.”

I realized my tears had dried at some point during our conversation. “Then don’t.”

“Like I said, I don’t have a choice. I value my freedom more than ice-cold water.”

“There has to be another way.”

He seemed to be considering my words at great length. “I guess you could always climb back over the railing. Then I don’t have to jump or go to jail.”

I looked from him to the water. I really didn’t want to jump into that cold water or hit my head on one of those rocks.

My resolve broke when he extended his hand. Without knowing much about him, I could tell he didn’t like being touched. Like me, there was a clear reluctance to make physical contact. This was a monumental gesture for people like us. Perhaps it was because I was so touched that I slipped my trembling hand in his.

He didn’t miss a beat. He was well built for a teenager and lifted me with one hand, as if I weighed nothing. He pulled me over the railing so fast that our bodies collided, and the impact sent us sprawling. For a second, I thought he’d drop me, but he wrapped an arm around my waist and twisted so that he hit the concrete first, cushioning my fall with his body.

When I realized there wasn’t any pain from the impact, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a startling pair of the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. It stunned me into stillness. Hovering inches from his face, I couldn’t remember where I was or what I had been doing. I only saw his eyes and his strong jaw and his generous lips above the wild collar of his T-shirt. Beneath me was a wall of chest—his chest—that rose and fell in ragged, close-mouthed breaths.