On Dry Land (Swimming Upstream #3) by Rebecca Barber Read Free Book Online Page A

next ten minutes Ava scrubbed and shaved and exfoliated every inch of her body. With every pass of the loofa, the grime went down the drain and the aches and pains returned. As did the memories. The car accident. Inviting Tyler into her apartment. Then his night time confession. Suddenly Ava was chilled. She didn’t know why. Was it Tyler’s words that had freaked her out? Ava didn’t think Tyler knew she’d heard him. She’d pretended to be sleeping so she didn’t have to reply. The truth was, she didn’t know what she was going to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat, so instead, she squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could.
    “Ava, come on!”
    “Coming!”
    Ava jumped from the shower and hastily got dressed. She had no doubt Tyler was serious about leaving whether she was ready or not and she wasn’t about to risk it. She pulled her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and waved the mascara wand over her eyelashes.
    “Leaving now!” Tyler announced as he pushed open the door. “Shit, Ava!”
    “What?”
    Butterflies filled her stomach with dread.
    “Has anyone ever told you how gorgeous you are?”
    Ava felt her cheeks burn. She hated compliments. Always had. Always would. Coming from Tyler made them even harder to take. “Where’d you get the clean shirt?”
    “You mean one without the snot covered sleeve?”
    “Yeah.”
    “The car. But don’t change the subject. You’re beautiful, Short Stack!” Tyler tugged her into his arms and held her firmly against his chest.
    “If you think so,” she dodged as she traced her fingers across his stubbly cheek.
    “Well, I do. So you best believe it. Now, put your shoes on so we can go.”
    Not wanting to continue this line of interrogation, Ava ducked under Tyler’s arm and escaped into her wardrobe, rooting around for her boots. Ten minutes later, dressed in her skinny jeans, a charcoal sweater, and black boots, Ava sat in the front seat of Tyler’s Jeep as he navigated the streets carefully. The rain had stopped but they were still slick and Tyler was taking it more cautiously than ever. Ava was grateful for his thoughtfulness.
    As he twisted and turned corners, Ava remembered that she no longer had a car. That’s when the anxiety took over. Tyler wasn’t fully aware of how bad a mess she really was inside. It was part of the reason she never stayed. Too much time together and he would see all of her. All her faults. All her insecurities. All her fears. And there were just so many. She’d had mini melt downs in the past couple of months, but somehow she’d managed to get herself under control before pure panic took over. The problem was, it was only possible when things went according to plan. Tyler had never been in the plan, but somehow she’d adapted and kept moving forward. But a car accident, losing her only mode of transport, hadn’t been factored in. Now it had to be.
    Reaching for the door handle, Ava white knuckled the bar. Digging her fingernails in, she prayed for the panic to pass. She forced herself to concentrate on her breathing as she stared aimlessly out the window. Without a word, Tyler’s hand landed on her thigh and took hold of her free hand, intertwining their fingers.
    Suddenly the world seemed calmer.
    The darkness started to lift.
    The air wasn’t as thick.
    There was light.
    Focusing on her breathing, Ava felt the weight lift and she got herself back under control. The whole time Tyler had remained silent beside her.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
     
     
    Tyler
     
    What the fuck was that? Tyler screamed in his head. Nothing had happened. Nothing had changed. Then suddenly everything had. Ava had fallen silent and when he’d looked across to see what had captured her attention he barely recognized the woman beside him. Long gone was the playful, sexy woman who’d been teasing him to the point of distraction merely moments