Page 41 of Shelter
Caught and flustered, words failed me, and I stood there with my mouth open. Which made everything worse. Cole’s frown lifted as he watched me, his expression expectant with growing amusement.
“You’re blushing.” He spoke softly, the shift in his tone catching me off guard. It was so gentle. And terrifying. “Does talking about romance novels always make you blush?”
His question gave me the escape I needed. “Of course not,” I said, sounding more irritated than I felt. Actually, I wasn’t irritated at all. I was unsettled. Alarmingly so.
Cole pursed his lips together, looking thoughtful and hiding a smile. “That’s too bad.” His voice, still so soft, set my heart racing.
What is happening?
My uncertainty mounted. “What are you doing out here?” I asked, accusation in my voice. I felt short of breath, desperate to get away from him and inexplicably spurred to step closer.
His smile sobered, and his eyes narrowed on mine. “I was waiting for you.” He leaned forward on the swing and rested his elbows on his knees. “Come sit with me.”
“What for?” Suspicion. Caution. He must have heard both in my words because I watched him swallow a snicker, and he shook his head.
“Do you think I’ll bite?”
“I don’t knowwhatyou’ll do,” I shot back, years of distrust creeping into my voice.
He raised a brow at me. “Well, I’m not one of your romance vampires.”
I shook my head. “No, they’re nicer than you.”
I watched my words check him. His chin lifted quickly and then lowered slowly in a nod of assent. “You’re probably right.”
Was that regret I saw in his eyes? I was so curious, I couldn’t make my escape, though the wary part of me begged for it.
“What do you want, Cole?” I wanted to sound tough and invulnerable, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me.
“I want to know.”
His cryptic answer only confused me. “You want to know what?” I asked, scowling.
“You.”
“What?” Resentment rose in me like a storm surge. He was trying to rattle me, shake my defenses. Somehow, he sensed my confusion, and he wanted to toy with me. Make me feel stupid. Worthless. Like he always did.
“I want to know you better,” he insisted. And then he patted the swing beside him.
I should have been smarter. I knew better. But I didn’t walk away as I should have. “Why?”
“Because…” Cole’s ice-blue eyes held mine in a grip I couldn’t escape. His look was earnest, appreciative. It was a look I’d never seen before. “…you impress me, and few people impress me.”
Chapter 10
COLE
I needed to leave her alone, but for some reason, I couldn’t. Since Elise had stormed out of the kitchen in a huff, I hadn’t been able to shake this feeling in my stomach. This ball of guilt.
Besides, I’d spoken the truth. She did impress me, and judging by the look on Elise’s face, she didn’t believe that for a second. She glared at me with a wary set to her eyes like I might throw something at her — an insult or a rotten tomato.
“Iimpressyou?” She sneered, her scowl deepening.
I nodded, smiling at her fierceness. “You always have,” I admitted. And this, too, was truth. Even as a kid, she’d been fearless. Savvy. Resourceful. After I’d read the ending ofJane Eyreto her,I’d found myself asking Ava about her every time I called. I knew she’d made honor roll last semester for the first time. I knew I owed her debts I couldn’t repay. And though I was ashamed to admit it, I knew what she looked like in her orange bikini, and all of these things had kept Elise Cormier on my mind the last few months.
The image of her by the pool would come back to me at the weirdest times. Like on Saturday mornings at my apartment when I could wake without an alarm. I’d blink my eyes open to sunlight filtered through the bedroom curtains with the vision of her in my head.
Unbidden. Unwelcome. But there just the same.
