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

underwear from the bathroom floor, if she’d stuffed the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, or if she’d put all of her girly bathroom crap back in its various cupboards, Ava started to hyperventilate.
    “You okay?” Tyler’s concerned voice filtered through the car but barely registered.
    Grasping at her stomach, Ava struggled to suck in breath after breath. “Pull over.”
    She wanted to say please. She wanted to scream now. But she was too afraid to open her mouth. Without a word, Tyler flicked on the indicator and pulled onto the shoulder. Ava didn’t wait for the car to come to a halt before leaping out and sinking to her knees in the mud. She heaved and heaved until the contents of her stomach ended up in a puddle beside her.
    Ava didn’t feel Tyler’s warm hand rubbing circles on her back until she fell back on her haunches and gasped air. “Yuk.” Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Ava ran her tongue across her teeth, causing her to gag once again.
    Every bone, every muscle, every fibre of her entire being ached. Between the accident and the disgusting moments in the mud, her body had been through hell, and her mind couldn’t keep up. Sitting there in the mud, covered in sweat and her own vomit, Ava forgot Tyler was beside her.
    “Better?”
    Tyler’s voice shook Ava from her own pity party.
    “I wanna go home.” Ava sounded like a miserable child and she knew it. It didn’t matter. She was just telling the truth.
    “Come on. Let me take you home.”
    “Th-thanks.”
    Ava held out her hand, hoping Tyler would pull her to her feet. Somewhere in the trip between the office and here all of her energy had been sapped. Tyler didn’t help her stand. Instead Tyler scooped her into his arms, kissed away the rain drops that beaded on her forehead, and placed her on the backseat of the Jeep. Without a word, he grabbed a blanket from under the seat and wrapped it around Ava’s trembling shoulders before closing the door and climbing behind the wheel.
    Pumping up the heat, Tyler slipped back amongst the cars. “Where am I going, Ava? What’s your address?”
    Ava mumbled her address before she slumped down and fell asleep.
    “Hey Princess!” Tyler cooed into Ava’s ear what felt like a moment later. “Come on, Short Stack, time to wake up.”
    “Mmm…”
    “I don’t…I don’t know which apartment…” Tyler’s voice shook.
    Glancing up, Ava looked at Tyler’s nervous eyes and all thoughts of exhaustion and pain evaporated, replaced by guilt. All consuming, total devastating guilt. Tossing the blanket aside, Ava wiped her hands on her thighs and opened the door. Springing from the car, Ava was at Tyler’s door before he had a chance to realize what was happening.
    “Want to come see my home?”
    “I’d love to.”
    Taking Tyler’s hand, Ava led him to the front door and stuffed her key in the lock. As soon as the door gave, the embarrassment swallowed her and she remembered why having Tyler in her home was a bad idea. The foyer was littered with abandoned mail, while mailboxes overflowed with catalogues and other assorted junk. Years of cigarette smoke permeated the threadbare carpet. The paint on the once cream coloured walls peeled and flaked onto the floor.
    “It’s…it’s…”
    “It’s okay,” Tyler finished for her as he tucked her under his arm. “Come on, let’s get you warmed up.”
    With heavy footsteps, Ava trudged up the stairs, Tyler hot on her heels. Before she knew it and before she was ready, they were standing at her front door. Taking a deep breath and pushing stray stands of hair from her forehead, Ava stepped through her front door. Ava saw the mess that she wished she’d cleaned up before she’d left for work. But after a crappy night’s sleep, it had been the last thing on her mind. In all honesty, everyone should be thankful that she had clean clothes on today.
    “Tyler…it’s…”
    “Ava…it’s okay. It’s you.”
    “It’s a mess. I’m a