Take My Breath Away

Matthew stared across the water. He saw the woman fighting against the sea currents. 'Damn it!' He didn't even know how long she'd been there!

Without thinking, he shrugged out of his suit jacket and threw it aside. Then he kicked off his shoes and rushed into the ocean.

'Rika, don't be afraid! I'll save you!'

When he swam to where he last saw her, she had already disappeared again in the dark of night. The normally calm Matthew began to lose it. "Rika!" he shouted frantically.

He could see Erica's head above the waves again. "Matthew! Over here! Blub..."

Fortunately, he was close enough to hear her. He quickly swam over to where she was, and held her tightly in his arms. "Don't be afraid, Rika. I'm here! You're safe now..." The man was so gentle and caring that Erica almost felt guilty.

'Well... he's certainly being sweet!' He was as gentle as he was when he rushed to the campus to save her the other day. The fact that he was like that made her love him even more.

"You okay?" Matthew asked breathlessly. Erica nodded. "Stay right there," he said, and with that, he dove under the water, coming up behind her. He hooked his arm around her waist, and swam with his legs and other arm, making sure to keep her head above water. Together with his wife, he made for shore.

When they were back on the beach, he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "Everything good? Are you cold—" He realized something, and it overrode any concern he might have had for her.

Erica could swim. She loved to do laps in the pool at the villa. She was actually quite good at swimming. That only meant one thing: she tricked him again!

Knowing the jig was up, Erica quickly put her arms around his neck and said fawningly, "Don't be angry, okay?"

What else was she supposed to do? He was ignoring her, so she had to see if she still had a place in his heart.

And as it turned out, she did have a place in his heart. His little freak-out there in the water was proof of that. She felt happy about that.

Matthew said nothing. He grabbed his suit jacket and wrapped it around her tightly.

Erica raised her head and looked at the man expectantly. "Matthew, you like me, don't you?" Otherwise, why did he get so anxious when he thought she was drowning?

Her sudden question made the man pause. He not only liked her, but he loved her more than life itself.

However, he couldn't just tell her that. What if she told him she didn't like him at all?

ica struggled to move, but could only manage an inch or so.

Matthew took her hand and felt sorry for her. He wished he were the one who caught a cold and had a fever. "Where does it hurt?"

"My skin hurts, my head hurts, my whole body hurts..." She didn't lie this time. She felt pain all over.

It was normal to feel this way in the grip of fever. The man sighed helplessly in his heart and suppressed his emotions. He pretended to reprimand her harshly, "Maybe you'll be smarter next time."

Erica curled her lips. "I can't believe you! I'm sick, but you still harp on me!" She knew it. He didn't love her!

Matthew didn't have the heart to nag the woman anymore. She was always lively, but she was now lying weakly in bed. He let go of her hand and poured some water into the glass. "Sit up and drink something."

"I can't get up... I feel so heavy."

Matthew wasn't going to let her sit up by herself. He sat on the bedside first and then helped her up, letting her lean in his arms.

Then he took the glass of water to her lips and said, "Come on, open your mouth."

Erica opened her mouth and took a sip of water. It helped clear the bitter taste from her mouth. "Got any juice? I'm also kinda hungry. I need sweet stuff."

'What?' She was sick, but she still asked for things like that? He asked indifferently, "Really? How about a bowl of hot and sour rice noodles, Liuzhou river snails rice noodles, or steamed vermicelli rolls?"

His words lit up her eyes. "Sounds great!" She was pretty hungry, and her mouth was watering already!

Matthew was really pissed off this time. With a gloomy face, he said, "In your dreams!"