Chapter 23 #3
“Oh no,” I said immediately.
Cole grinned at me mischievously. “Oh yes.” He grabbed both my hands, walking backwards again as he stared at me.
“I will be taken out.”
His grin only widened. “That’s the fun part.”
We joined a game mid-chaos. A whistle blew somewhere, indistinct. Balls flew in every direction. I barely had time to register what was happening before one sailed past my head close enough that I felt the air move.
I shrieked, instinctive and loud, ducking behind Cole.
“Traitor,” he said, laughing.
“I don’t have survival instincts,” I said. “I have panic.”
A ball hit Cole square in the shoulder. He staggered dramatically, clutching his chest.
“Tell my story,” he said, already laughing again.
I grabbed a ball on reflex and threw it without aiming. It missed everyone and bounced harmlessly into the padding.
“Wow,” Cole said. “Devastating.”
“I’m warming up.”
Another ball came at me from the side. I screamed again, dropped to a crouch, and popped back up just in time to peg a kid who was not expecting it.
He stared at me for half a second in disbelief before laughing and jogging off.
I stared at my own hands.
“I did it,” I said.
Cole grinned. “You’re dangerous.”
We lasted maybe three rounds before exhaustion caught up with us. My lungs burned. Sweat clung uncomfortably under my hoodie. When the whistle blew again, I sank down against the padding, legs stretched out, heart hammering.
Cole dropped beside me, breathing just as hard.
“Admit it,” he said between breaths. “You’re having fun.”
I tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling lights blurring together. “It wasn’t bad.”
“That’s a yes.”
We sat there longer than necessary, watching the next group rush in, all fresh energy and reckless confidence. My muscles hummed, the leftover vibration of movement still echoing through me.
The whistle blew. Kids grabbed dodgeballs. And I realized we were still sitting in the warzone.
“Oh no,” I said, jumping to my feet in the hopes of escaping before the game got too intense.
“Imogen, where are you going?” Cole said, jumping up too.
“I won’t survive another round!” My voice seemed to get lost amongst the laughter and the sound of balls thudding and the music playing. I looked around the space, trying to find pockets of safety, sprinting between paths of flying dodgeballs.
One came sailing toward my head and I barely ducked just in time.
“Imogen!” Cole called after me.
“Every man for himself!” I replied, sprinting another stretch and stopping just behind a boy as he got hit with the ball.
I realized that the person I intended to hide behind was down now.
I was exposed. Vulnerable to the game. I looked up, panicked as I saw three boys on the other side, all with a dodgeball in hand aimed at me. “Oh no,” I said again.
The leader counted to three, then they all threw. I was frozen in place, not sure where to go or how to avoid the attack. But just before they came sailing at me, Cole was next to me, grabbing my wrist and yanking me out of the path just in the knick of time.
The boys groaned as all three of their balls missed, bouncing sadly on the floor.
Cole just chuckled as he ran with me to the perimeter of the dodgeball zone where it was safe.
I pressed my back against the wall, catching my breath.
Cole put an arm on the side of my head, his own chest rising and falling in deep breaths as he stared down at me.
He arched a brow. “What was that?”
I couldn’t think for a moment with how close he was to me. Then I shrugged and said, “Dodgeball.”
He huffed a laugh. “Princess, you froze.”
“Well, good thing you came to my rescue then.” I took in another breath. “You seem to be doing that a lot lately.”
His gaze softened. “I’m not going to just let you get hit in the face with three dodgeballs.”
“No, I mean… with Mitch. Here. You keep saving me.”
He brushed his thumb along my cheekbone. “You’re a girl worth saving.”
My breath hitched. His hand slid, moving from my cheek to behind my neck.
For a heartbeat, he didn’t move, as if he was afraid of crossing a line.
Of doing something that couldn’t be undone.
My heart pounded in my chest as he leaned forward, almost pressing his body into mine.
In my mind, I flashed back to Saturday evening outside my house, when I’d felt the same.
When he’d leaned so close to me and then pulled away like it meant nothing.
Please don’t do it a second time.
“Is this okay?” he murmured. His lips brushed mine, sending tingles through me. I nodded, barely, but it was enough for him as he closed the gap and caught my mouth with his.
It was soft at first, almost tentative—a feeling I’d never associated with Cole Mercer before today.
But that didn’t stop me from feeling it everywhere, from the warmth that spread through my chest to my fingers that curled around his shirt without me meaning to.
I melted into him as he held me close, gently memorizing every piece of him before the moment could end.