On Dry Land (Swimming Upstream #3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

up and moved away from Ava, almost intimidated.
    “Matt?” Tyler’s voice was calm but strong. Inside however, Tyler was anything but. The desire to shove Matt out of the way and drag Ava into his arms was almost suffocating him. In his arms she’d be safe. She’d be okay. She’d be right where she belonged.
    “Thanks for coming. You right to get her home?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Okay then. Ava, you’ll be okay. Just take some aspirin for the pain if you need it and get some sleep. You’ll be bruised for a couple of days, probably a bit stiff and sore, but if it gets worse or anything else happens, you need to go straight to your GP.”
    “Thanks, Matt.” Ava smiled. Barely.
    Tyler watched as she unwrapped her shoulders from the blanket and shivered in the cool air. Without a word, Tyler shrugged off his jacket and as soon as Ava was within reach, he draped it over her shoulders before tucking her against him.
    “Mmm,” she murmured against his chest as she snuggled as close as she could.
    “Take care of yourself, Ava. And Tyler, you might want to get out of here before anyone recognizes you.”
    “Thanks, Matt. You ready, Short Stack?”
    At the mention of her nickname, Ava smiled—the first genuine smile Tyler had seen in days. Maybe there was still hope. Maybe they could get past his stupidity and selfishness, because as Tyler led Ava back to his car, he realized it didn’t matter. Nothing did. Nothing except being together. He’d take every moment he could get. And in those moments when they weren’t together, he’d wish they were. But he wouldn’t push her for something she couldn’t give. None of that mattered anyway. Now he just had to make Ava believe it. Perhaps a task that was easier said than done, but damn it, he’d die trying.
    Tyler was desperate to ask what happened, but every time he glanced across into Ava’s ashen face, the words caught in his throat. Instead, Tyler stuck to safe topics. “Did you want to come back to my place?”
    Ava’s head snapped up so quickly Tyler heard the protest in her neck. Turning at the sound, he was surprised her eyes had widened even further if possible and they looked panicked. Sucking in a deep breath, Ava stared straight out the window, “Would you mind if we went to my place instead? I…I don’t have any spare clothes with me and what I really want more than anything is a hot shower and to get out of these wet clothes.”
    He couldn’t mask his surprise. In eight months together Tyler had never been to Ava’s apartment. He’d never been inside and he’d never once picked her up from out the front. Every time they’d arranged a date, Ava had cleverly found a way to get him to pick her up from work or meet him there.
    “You sure?” Tyler tried to remain calm, cool, and collected, but the trembling in his voice gave away the truth.
    “Yeah.”
    “Okay.”
    They drove in silence for a while, the rain pounding on the windscreen and the light fading fast. Even though they were barely crawling along in the traffic, Tyler’s heart was racing. He knew the next words would hurt, but he didn’t have a choice. After the day Ava had endured, the best thing he could do for her was suck it up and be the bigger person. Now wasn’t the time to make her feel bad. Just one look at her reminded him that she was feeling miserable enough.
    “Ah, Ava?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Where exactly am I going?”
    Ava giggled. It lit up Tyler’s whole world. As the sound crackled through the car, it brought a smile to Tyler’s face he couldn’t hide.
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
    Ava
     
    Outwardly Ava was smiling and giggling and doing everything that was expected of her. Inwardly, she was a mess. Freaking out was an understatement. Confusion was total. Ava wasn’t sure if she was still shaken up by the accident or the idea of Tyler being in her space. Racking her brain, trying to remember if she’d picked up the dirty