Sleep With Me (Be With Me) Read Online Free Page B

gleaming white teeth. Fish of all shapes and colors darted around and below her, and her pulse raced as she tried to remember which of them were potentially dangerous.
    Her lungs felt like they were going to burst, and so did her thighs. Shivers racked her body as her pace faltered. Her kicks grew more erratic, and that just made her pulse beat faster, knowing all sorts of dangerous creatures could sense her struggle.
    The water grew choppy as the sand rose higher, and she finally gave in and flipped to her back, floating motionless in the tide.
     
     

 
    Chapter 3
     
    Skimming over the wide reef top, David fought the urge to go faster. He guided the boat in a zigzag pattern parallel to the shore before heading in toward the natural lagoon between the coast and the inland side of the reef. Kat was smart. She wouldn’t have gone further out into open water if she had any choice in the matter - she would have tried for the island. It was a long swim even for a strong swimmer, so her chances weren’t good, but if she could manage to stay afloat she might be able to ride in with the tide.
    Taking note of the direction the currents were moving, he moved with them as he criss-crossed the lagoon toward the shore. He checked his watch - it had been a little over an hour since she’d gone missing. It wasn’t a long time to be in the water, but considering how far she might have gone and what her mental state might be, it was still too long.
    As he approached the beach, he scanned the sandy coast but it was empty. He started a new search grid moving farther down, assuming he’d underestimated the current. He went out to the reef and back again, but there was still no sign of her, and the dinghy only had enough gas for one more trip out if they needed to get to the coast guard ship.
    He ignored the niggling voice in his head telling him the search was futile, and pulled the boat up onto the beach, intending to walk and watch the coastline. If she’d made it far enough in, the tide should wash her up on shore eventually. He just hoped she’d be alive when it did.
    A flash of hot pink caught his eye in the water fifty yards down from where he stood. The island was deserted as far as he knew, so unless it was a tropical flower of some sort, there was a good chance it could be Kat. He grabbed the emergency bag from the boat and sprinted down the beach. Definitely human now that he was closer, the body rolled up and down with the gentle waves as it descended toward the beach.
    Kat. It had to be, considering it wasn’t a popular tourist destination, which made it the perfect spot, usually.
    Wading out with a feeling of dread in his stomach, he finally grasped her under the arms and pulled her the rest of the way to shore. She didn’t move or struggle at his touch, and he feared the worst as he dragged her high up on the warm sand.
    Prying the snorkel out of her mouth, he removed the mask as gently as he could, relieved at the slow rise and fall of her chest. Feeling the side of her neck with two fingers, he pressed in until he felt a strong, steady pulse.
    She stirred restlessly, her brow wrinkling and her head moving side to side. Quickly checking her over for injuries, he pried off her fins and checked the heel compartment for the GPS tracker chip.
    It was missing.
    “Am I dead?”
    Her voice was groggy and weak, her eyes blinking rapidly against the bright afternoon sun. David moved to kneel at her head, shading her face with his body.
    “Nope. But you are incredibly lucky. And stupid too, but we’ll talk about that later. How are you feeling?”
    Her body trembled visibly, and she brought her arms up over her chest, hugging herself. Her flesh prickled as the shivering grew more violent.
    “D-d-dead,” she mumbled through her chattering teeth. “F-f-freezing.”
    David got the emergency bag and opened it, taking out a chamois and a rolled up blanket.
    “You’re in shock. We need to get you dried off and out of this