Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ELLA
Cole steps to the side, holding the door open for me as I step across the threshold.
There’s another couple waiting to get through and I give the woman a small smile and move aside to wait for Cole.
He stops next to me, his arm brushing against my own.
A gasp escapes me and I quickly look up at him, my lips parting involuntarily.
“Can I be honest?” He asks me, his voice soft and gentle as he turns to face me. I shift my body, so we’re standing toe to toe. He lifts his hand, his fingertips brushing against the side of my face as he pushes a stray tendril of hair from my cheek.
“Yes,” I whisper, silently begging for nothing but his honesty.
The ball in his throat rolls as he swallows roughly. “I’m not ready for the night to be over. I’m not ready to take you home yet.”
A wave of excitement washes over me, my heart picking up the pace in my chest as it begins to thrum harder. “Neither am I.”
The softest smile breaks out across his lips. Cole folds his arm, offering me the crook of his elbow as he holds his palm against his abdomen. “Would you like to go for a walk with me?”
I can’t decipher whether I’m nervous or excited; maybe a mixture of the two.
My heart beats harder. Fast. This is a chance moment, one I’m not quite sure I want to slip away.
Pulling my lips between my teeth, I roll them together before releasing them.
I exhale, rolling the dice, and thread my arm through his, linking us together.
“Lead the way.”
Cole’s smile doesn’t falter. His scent—leather and bourbon—infiltrates my senses.
My eyelids flutter shut, only for a fraction of a second as my mind catalogs the way he smells.
We fall into step together while Cole guides me away from the restaurant and through the parking lot.
It’s a short walk to the water and he leads me toward a path through the trees.
As we reach the edge of the clearing, Cole comes to a standstill, kicking off his boots and releases my arm.
I watch him for a second, studying the way his shirt tightens around his muscles as he bends over, takes off his socks and grabs his boots.
I slip my own feet from my boots and collect them before we’re both standing upright again.
“Shall we?” he questions me as the moonlight dances across his face, illuminating his bright blue eyes. Cole moves his hand in a sweeping motion, gesturing toward the path that leads into the sandy area along the bend.
My eyes trace his facial features, memorizing the arches of his eyebrows and the way the smallest dimples form in his cheeks when he smiles. “We shall,” I say quietly with a nod, holding my boots by my side and walking past him.
Granules of sand tickle the spaces between my toes as they sink beneath the surface with every step.
My footsteps are light as I pad across the powder, following along the path until it leads to the deserted beach along the riverbend.
A few pieces of driftwood are sticking out of the ground and I move around them as we head down to the water.
The waves are gentle, caressing the shore as it dances across the tan sand.
A soft breeze drifts past my face, swirling stray wisps of hair that broke free from my hair tie.
Dropping my sandals onto the ground, I grab a handful of my dress, lifting it higher up my calves before stepping into the river.
The water is crystal clear and cool, shifting around my ankles as I wade in a little farther.
A sense of peace and calm settles over me, soothing my soul. My eyes fall shut and I inhale deeply, tipping my head back. Since I moved back to Silverspur Springs, I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Jacob to change his mind and show up. For everything to go up in flames.
Moments like these are few and far between. They are fleeting and I grasp at them like sand running through the cracks between my fingers. If I can get one second of peace, one heartbeat where everything is calm, I hold onto it as tightly as I can, holding my breath until the moment passes.
And then I exhale, feeling reality awakening around me.
Slowly opening my eyes, I turn back to look at Cole, expecting him to be standing with me, but he isn’t. He’s at the edge of the water, the breeze tousling the waves on top of his head, brushing strands of hair across his forehead. His hands hang loosely by his sides and his gaze penetrates mine.
Vehement emotions swirl within the depths of his irises as he watches me with his lips parted.
“What are you doing?” I question him, my voice breaking into jagged shards over my words.
The slightest creases form around the corners of his eyes as his cheeks lift. “Savoring the view.”
I tilt my head to the side with butterflies fluttering to life in my stomach. “Of the river?”
Cole chuckles with a tenderness as he shakes his head once. His feet begin to move, his strides long as he closes the distance between us. He steps into the crystal clear water only coming to a stop as his toes brush mine beneath the surface.
“The view of you.”
My throat constricts, my breath catching within the confines as he plucks the oxygen from my lungs with his words. I swallow roughly, forcing my emotions back down into my chest, tucking them away in the neat little box I keep them in. I’m conflicted—so goddamn torn.
“Cole,” I start, my voice trailing off as his name dissolves on my tongue.
He smiles at me, shaking his head again as a touch of sadness creeps into his expression. “Compliments are allowed to be accepted, El.” He pauses, letting out a ragged breath. “Please, just let me speak my truth.”
The fact that he reads me like an open book has me instinctively wanting to take a step away.
It’s like he reaches inside my brain and plucks my thoughts out with his fingertips.
My facade is threatened by him. My mask has cracks in it and if he stares too intently, too closely, he’ll see the broken pieces inside.
What happened with Jacob and I destroyed my self image and confidence. Only within the past year have I grown more confident in myself and in my own skin.
I struggle accepting compliments from Remi and Iris. My mind can’t even begin to fathom accepting them from someone like Cole.
Someone who might mean it.
“Tell me about yourself,” I chance, breaking through the silence, attempting to shift the conversation. It’s an easy question, almost like an icebreaker. I’m not asking him to tell me his deepest, darkest secrets. Just the simple things.
“You already know me.” Cole tips his head to the side as he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his shorts. “What do you want to know, El?”
“Pretend this is your first time meeting me. What would you tell me if I were a complete stranger?”
Amusement dances in his eyes and he laughs quietly as he ducks his head.
I watch him walk a slow circle around me, gently kicking the water with the tips of his toes.
Droplets scatter along the surface of the river.
He’s silent with his own thoughts and I desperately want to know what he’s thinking.
I want to know what keeps making him look at me from the corner of his eye with a coy smile, like he’s cradling a secret only he knows.
“What if we play a game?”
My lips form a flat line and I snort with annoyance, although I’m not annoyed at all. I’m entertained by this man. Enchanted, if you will. “We’re not children anymore, Cole.”
He chuckles softly, shaking his head. “No, I know that, Ella. Trust me.” His eyes darken slightly before softening. “Let’s do two truths and a lie. That’s easy enough, right?”
I swallow back the hesitation. “Right. You go first.”
Cole blinks, a smirk lifting his lips. “Okay. I never planned on staying in Silverspur Springs, but after I left, I found myself wanting to be back here.” He pauses as a thoughtful look passes through his eyes.
His voice dissipates, getting carried away by the breeze. I don’t care what words he speaks, I only want to hear more. I want to hear everything.
“That’s only one thing.”
He titters, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. “Greedy,” he mumbles as he shifts his weight on his feet and moves beside me.
My heart skips a beat as his arm brushes against mine and he doesn’t move away. We both stare out at the river, the stars speckled in the night sky above us.
“My favorite color is green. I wanted to ride bulls instead of playing baseball, but I chose baseball instead.” He lets out a breath and turns to look at me. “And I enjoy long walks along the river at night.”
“We’re not even walking,” I say pointedly as a smile creeps across my lips. I look at him and meet his eyes.
He shrugs with a mischievous grin. “Tomato, tomato. Standin’ or walkin’—I just like the water.”
“Fair enough, but that was four different things.”
“Damn,” he chuckles, wrapping his hand around the back of his neck. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“Yep,” I laugh softly. “The lie was riding bulls. You never wanted to do that.”
His eyes narrow, not in a negative way, but like he’s assessing me. “How do you know that?”
“Because I remember you talking about it when we were younger. You were only ever interested in baseball, not rodeoin’”
“Hm,” he blows out a breath. “Alright. It’s your turn now.”
Well, darn. I didn’t think about me having to do the same thing. I shift my weight from foot to foot, anxiety dancing in the pit of my stomach.
“Are we keeping things superficial?”
“You’re in control, Ella” he tells me in a hushed tone, his eyes burrowing through mine. “We can go as deep as you want.”
Heat creeps up my neck, quickly spreading across my cheeks and I break the stare, looking back out at the river, clearing my throat. I give myself a moment, trying not to focus on the two different meanings his words could hold. The surface of the water shifts, shimmering beneath the moonlight.