Falling for Him 4 (Rachel and Peter in Love) (5 page)

David
had made it a point to inquire as to his patient’s activities and was pleased when Lara had finally told him she had started swimming once in a while.

David had encouraged her to make it a part of her daily routine, but that
was the last of their discussion on that topic. In fact, since he had chastised her for flirting with him, their conversations had been strictly professional and she carefully avoided to tell him any personal stuff abut herself if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

He had tried to be happy with that situation, telling himself it was for the best. He’d even
tried to keep away from her by all means in hopes that the attraction he felt for her would be squelched.

Letting out a breath,
David grabbed his towel and headed towards the swimming pool. Since coming on staff at the rehab center, he’d taken to swimming each evening. Prior to that, he had enjoyed swimming in the ocean several times a week, but his patient schedule prevented that now.

Thankfully, the center
hosted this gorgeous, heated swimming pool on the property and David used it as his own sort of therapy. He would swim back and forth, the length of the pool, at least forty times. By the second or third round the stress and problems of the day already started to float away. He found that swimming helped him clear his thoughts and quieted his mind.

Sometimes it
was hard for him to keep his distance and remain objective. Many of his patients were dealing with such catastrophic problems and tragedies; it was difficult to remain unaffected by all of negativity his patients unloaded upon him.

He had learned
early on in his career, to keep his distance and to shield himself from their emotions. Swimming helped. The water was cool and everything was quiet.

This night he arrived at the pool around his usual time. It was
a little after 10 p.m., and his head came up as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone in the water. In his experience, none of the other staffers swam this late. He let his eyes adjust to the dimness of the night lighting and then he noticed – Lara!

Wh
at on earth was she doing here at this time? She was supposed to be in her room by now.  David looked at the large clock hanging on the wall of the pool house to confirm the time. 10:05. Patients were supposed to be in their rooms by 10 p.m. or sooner.

Before he could question her, he was drawn to the image of her in the water. He couldn’t look away.
She looked so fragile yet splendid in her bathing suit. This suit hugged her figure in all the right places and the black contrasted well with her white skin and the red hair. She almost looked like a mermaid.

He watched her swim for a moment before he stepped farther onto the decking where he would become visible to her. She reached out with her arms in long strokes, her feet kicking in perfect rhythm behind her.
Her swim style was impeccable. It looked so effortless and elegant. She looked peaceful.

He hesitated for a moment and wondered if he should skip his exercise
tonight. He didn’t want to disturb her, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be alone with her in this situation either.

While he was still deciding his next course of action, he
saw her stop swimming and face him. She’d already seen him and shivered. He struggled to keep a neutral expression on his face as she swam to the side of the pool. He intentionally kept his eyes up, not wanting to give her any more ammunition to use against him. She didn’t need to know just how strongly the sight of her was affecting him. He just hoped his body wouldn’t betray him by showing signs of his sexual attraction to her.

Lara
swam quickly to the side and had a shocked expression on her face when seeing it was David standing off to the side of the pool with a towel hanging from his hand. With a quick glance on the clock, she said, “I should be going. I didn’t notice it’s that late already.”

David
took a step towards the edge of the pool, trying to ease the situation with a joke, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your doctor.” He watched her shoulders relax and gave her a small smile. The heat in his body built up and he fought the urge to embrace her with his arms and press her body against his.
Please, don’t flirt with me, or I’m doomed!

"I didn't know you
liked to come here too. I thought you were just doing your doctor thing when you suggested I try to swim every day. I guess I owe you some thanks. The swimming and the quietness really help to clear my mind. I feel peaceful when I’m in the water."

David nodded
in agreement. Yes, he enjoyed the mind clearing coolness of the water as well. Usually. With her looking up at him, from the edge of the pool, the atmosphere seemed to have gone from cool to boiling.

When
David didn't say anything, Lara elegantly got out of the water, grabbing a towel from a nearby stack. She dabbed the water from her face and neck before saying, "I should be going. I am late."

He nodded again
, unable to contain the smile he sent her. He did a double take immediately thereafter.
Did he dream it, or did she smile back? A genuine smile upon her face had transformed her from beautiful to angelic.

When Lara turned her back on him, sitting down on a chaise lounge to slip her shoes on, David took advantage of her distraction and tossed his towel to a chair seconds before he dove into the cool water.

He started freestyle swimming, seeing her head towards the changing room on the far side of the pool house. He was treading water in the deep end when a sudden sharp stabbing pain began in his calf. The cramp worsened almost instantly, paralyzing his mobility in seconds.
Oh no! Not now!

David
quickly paddled towards the edge of the pool, having experienced these types of cramps in the past and knowing that once the cramp fully evolved, he’d be lucky to hold onto the side of the pool, let alone get himself from the water.

He was desperate
; the only person who could help him was Lara. And he didn't want her to touch him. He didn’t know if he could trust what would happen if she put her hands upon his body. Those long and fine hands that he’d secretly fantasized about kissing, licking and caressing.

Seconds later, the cramp intensified and he found himself gasping in pain.
There was no way he was getting out of this pool without some help.
He struggled to reach the side of the pool, but the pain in his leg was winning and he felt himself sliding beneath the surface of the water as he tried to stay afloat. Swallowing harshly, he faintly shouted, “Help. Please. Lara?”

Lara
was almost to the pool house entrance when she heard David cry out. Curiously she turned her head and walked back around the building. There he was gasping for air, trying to keep his head above the water. Without hesitation, she tossed her towel to the ground and jumped into the water. She surfaced only a few inches from his body, and quickly pushed and pulled him the remaining few yards to the edge of the pool.

Lara looked at him in concern, noticing the whiteness of his face and the lines of pain around his mouth and eyes. “David! What’s wrong? Do you need a doctor?”

He held onto the edge tightly and looked at her, barely able to speak through the intense pain. "Cramp. Calf. Ouch!" He closed his eyes and willed the horrible pain to cease.

Lara
dove beneath the water’s surface and took his foot into her hand before David could even start to question what she was up to. With a swift move, and surprising strength, she pushed the toes of the affected leg upwards in the direction off the shinbone.

After what seemed like an eternity she
resurfaced and David was almost sure, that she must be an angel and he was probably dead by now. The pain was gone and instead her beautiful face appeared in front of him. The warm and caring smile and the obvious worry she had about him, was so unlike the Lara he knew.

The angel asked “Are you ok?”

He looked at her in awe. The minute she had pushed his toes back, the disabling pain almost instantly vanished. The cramping disappeared and the tightness in his leg dissipated. He was so relieved and grateful.

Lara’s
hands on his foot had felt so good. Too good. His mind started wandering again, thinking about other places he’d like her hands to touch him. Inappropriate thoughts that needed to stop. Now! Looking at her, he asked, "Are you a magician? The pain just stopped."

Lara smiled
, "No, but I've had enough cramps in my calves to know what to do."

Da
vid still couldn’t believe what she’d done and said, "You saved my life."

He watched a blush stain her cheeks and marveled at how young she looked right then. How innocent and sweet.
And uncomfortable. When she murmured, “Not even worth mentioning,” he realized how uncomfortable she was receiving a well-deserved compliment.

He
saw her discomfort; it was written all over her face.
What was causing it?
He could tell she was feeling as awkward as he was. Lara was used to receiving compliments.
Was she uncomfortable because she’d touched him?

“Can you get out of the pool now?” Lara asked, unwilling to meet his eyes.

“Yeah, I think so.” David used his hands to lever himself up and out of the pool. Once he stood, he gingerly put his full weight up on his leg, grateful when the cramp didn’t come right back.

He watched Lara grab a clean towel and dry her face off, holding the towel in front of her body like a shield.
Something had definitely gotten to her.

David was still a bit shaken up over his near death experience and it would appear Lara was uneasy a
t playing the role of lifesaver.

David accepted the towel she silently handed him, rubbing it over his chest and arms before giving his head a cursory drying.
They are both standing less than a foot apart from each other; close enough that Lara sensed the heat of his body reaching across the small distance.

Close enough
to sense the energy and attraction pulsing between and around them. She had felt the same energy since the first time they’d met. The same energy that had been present in all their conversations, changing him from therapist, or even a casual flirt, to someone she now considered a friend.

That thought caused her to pause.
A friend?
She didn't have friends. Thinking about it, she’d never had a friend. She’d had some girls who admired her, others who competed with her on social standing and the hierarchy of who was the most important girl in school. As she thought about it, not one of those people would she have considered a friend. Lara Bishop didn’t have friends!

And men?
Well, men weren’t friends. All the men she knew had some kind of sexual interest in her. They viewed her as a plaything; nothing more and nothing less. She’d never complained because she loved to play with them. Lara used her attraction to convert them into followers. But nobody came even close to being a friend.

As the reality of her friendless status hit home,
she started crying. She tried to hide it from David, tucking her chin and avoiding wiping the tears from her eyes, but she was too slow in turning away. “Lara?”

Her head came up with his voice, and f
rom the shocked and worried expression on his face, she knew that he really cared for her. Not as her doctor, as a friend. He really wanted to know what had caused her to cry.

David wrapped her in his arms, hating to see the tears running down her cheeks. She had just saved his life, and yet she was crying as if she’d just lost something precious to her.

Lara
sighed and leaned into him. It was so good to have his arms around her. Someone to trust. Someone who didn’t judge her on her Hermes handbag or newest designer clothes. Someone who already knew her insecurities, and weaknesses, and still liked her. Someone who really cared for her as a person, not as a trophy.

The simple act of tenderness was her undoing. W
ithout even thinking about the appropriateness, or how it would look to anyone who passed by, she started sobbing. She wrapped her arms around his back and held on tightly.

As her tears dried up, she relaxed against him, enjoying the
pleasure of being held in his strong arms. She closed her eyes and without making a conscious decision, her hands began a leisurely exploration of his back. She moved them up to his shoulders, reveling in the feel of the muscles there. After several moments, her hands began a trail down his back, coming to a stop at the low of his back. They paused on briefly before skirting even lower to clasp the muscled fullness of his buttocks. Her sobbing faded away, leaving in its wake a feeling of total peace and some unknown emotion.

David
's hands also moved across her back, caressed her waist, her hips and her butt.

When
she clasped his butt, he reached up to take her head between his hands. He tilted her head to the side and kissed her. It was a wonderfully warm, sensual kiss.

Lara
longed for his lips to cover her own for such a long time and when it finally happened, her brain seemed to explode. All thought processes stopped save for the one thought that couldn’t be silenced –
I want to stay in his arms forever
.  No other thought was necessary. She didn’t analyze her emotions, she just went with them.