Protecting Benoit: Steamy MM Military Romantic Suspense by T.S. Ankney

Author:T.S. Ankney [Ankney, T.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

7

When Vic had said he’d be hard on Ben earlier, he’d figured it was just a figure of speech. But never in a million years had he pictured this—floating alone in an inflatable raft in the middle of a rushing stream with no paddle and no way to reach the shore. The stream wasn’t super deep, but the currents were strong and could easily pull him under if he wasn’t careful, so wading was out.

“What am I supposed to do here?” he yelled to Vic who watched him from the shore.

“Learn to think fast and trust yourself and your abilities,” Vic shouted back.

Yeah. Not all that helpful. Whatever delusions he’d had about spending a few days with Vic and maybe finally having a chance to discuss what had happened between them the other night in the cove were dead in the water—pun intended.

Because dead in the water was exactly where Ben would right now if this scenario was the real thing. God, at least his sisters couldn’t see him now because his sisters were all accomplished swimmers and diver. Because of course they were. They’d proven it countless times on family vacations and winning medals on their swim teams. Ben had taken classes too, but he’d never taken to it the way they had. Then one day their dad had gotten the idea that tough love was the answer. He’d taken Ben out one day and dumped him in the middle of the lake and ditched him there, way too far for him to swim back on his own. It had taken Ben all afternoon to get to shore and he’d swallowed enough lake water on the way to become a fish. He’d been traumatized ever since. And yeah, his dad had felt awful afterward when Ben had gotten a respiratory infection because of it, but still. He’d stood by his initial decision. His mother, on the other hand, had gotten even more overprotective of him, which maybe was understandable given that Ben had been a preemie baby—born small and with many health problems he’d eventually outgrown, thankfully—but still.

Growing up in a bubble wasn’t doing him any favors now.

“Do something for Christ’s sake, Ben!” Vic shouted, his tone growing more impatient. “If you just sit there, you’ll die, either of dehydration or sun exposure or being shot.”

Desperate, Ben searched around the raft for something he could use to pull himself to shore. But all that was in the boat was what Ben had had on him at the time Vic had tossed him in here and shoved the boat off the shore—which was nothing but the clothes on his back.

Ben didn’t even have his smart watch, so he had no idea what time it was. Given the sun’s position low in the west and the lengthening shadows, however, it must be getting close to sunset now. Which meant Ben had been splashing around out here for hours. He was hungry, tired, and getting grumpier by the second.

Vic, who’d hiked along the shore along with Ben, had stopped periodically to watch his efforts.

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