Read On Dry Land (Swimming Upstream #3) for Free Online Page B

across his stubble covered chin, he slumped back and closed his eyes.
    He didn’t know how long he sat there but he knew the moment a warm, soft, sweet smelling body found its way into his lap.
    “Please don’t cry,” Tyler begged, as he nuzzled against her neck.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be, Short Stack.”
    “But—”
    “Nope! No buts! Come on, it’s late and we’ve both had a trying day. Let’s go to bed,” Tyler instructed, cutting her off.
    Ava went to protest but Tyler silenced her with his lips. Rising from the lounge, Tyler wobbled under her weight but he stubbornly refused to put her down. As Ava dotted his neck with tiny, innocent kisses, Tyler’s strides lengthened. Without a word they reached the bedroom, divested each other of their clothing, and wrapped themselves in each other’s tender embrace before promptly falling asleep.
    As the heaviness settled over them and Tyler spooned Ava tenderly, the words slipped almost silently from his lips, “I love you, Short Stack.”
    When Tyler woke the next morning, the sunlight was pouring in the window and once again the bed beside him was empty. It took him a minute to gain his bearings and figure out where he was exactly, but as his eyes cracked open he realized he was in Ava’s bed. There was nowhere else it could be. The bedside table was buried under a mountain of tattered paperbacks with a pair of glasses resting precariously on top. Stretching out his aching arms, Tyler sighed heavily as the weight of last night came rushing back. Everything from Ava’s car accident, which had scared the shit out of him, to the argument that ensued right through the moment before sleep when he spilled his guts.
    “Fuck!” Tyler swore as he jolted upright, eyes suddenly frantic.
    He had no way of knowing if Ava had heard his sleepy confession. All he knew for sure was the woman he wanted in the bed beside him wasn’t. In one fluid movement he sprang from the bed and tugged on his jeans, not bothering with his underwear. Tyler was striding down the hallway as he zipped up.
    Turning the corner, his heart sank.
    Ava looked a fright. Her hair was mattered, her eyes red-rimmed and glassy, her chapped lips were slightly parted and her breathing coming in short, shallow bursts, but it was her fingers that captured his attention. Furiously they flew across the keyboard with reckless abandon. Completely hypnotized, Tyler lent against the wall, folded his arms across his chest, and just watched. Ava didn’t even realize he was standing there.
    “Morning, Short Stack,” Tyler said eventually, breaking the silence as he moved towards her.
    Startled, Ava jumped where she sat as her eyes met Tyler’s. “Fuck, Tyler! I didn’t see you.”
    “Obviously.”
    Eyeing him warily, it took Ava a moment to catch up, “You shithead!” she scolded as she attempted to cover herself. “How long have you been standing there?”
    “Long enough.”
    “Why didn’t you say something?”
    “I just did!”
    “You know what I mean.”
    Ignoring Ava’s snappy reply, Tyler tried to divert the conversation. “How long have you been up?”
    Shrugging her shoulders, Ava wiped her nose on her shoulder before realizing whose shirt she wore. “I…I…”
    With a hearty chuckle, Tyler moved towards her, almost stalking her like she was his next victim. “I-don’t-give-a-rat’s-ass-about-the-shirt,” he assured her as he kissed her neck between each word.
    “Tyler…” Ava’s voice was filled with a heady combination of lust and warning. It boiled Tyler’s blood as it pounded in his ears.
    Without warning, Tyler lifted Ava effortlessly from her chair and kissed her deeply. When he brushed the seam of her lips with his tongue he felt the fight evaporate from her as she welcomed him home. Home. As the word danced in his mind, Tyler had to force himself to concentrate on the warm woman in his arms instead of letting his mind take him places it had no right to be.
    Shifting her