Beautifully Broken Pieces (Sutter Lake, #1)(31)

I stood, the chair legs scraping against the wooden floor. I wasn’t going to let her swim until she passed out. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed out the back door.

I stepped to the edge of the pool so she’d catch sight of me. My lumbering frame did the trick, and her head popped up as she reached the wall. She lifted the goggles from her red face. “Hey.”

“You’re done,” I barked.

Her hands went to her hips as she stood in the shallow water. Liquid ran down her face to her neck, kissing her collarbone and then dipping between her breasts. My pants got tighter. Shit.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“You’ve been swimming for over two hours, it’s time for you to call it quits.”

Taylor’s face hardened. “Have you been watching me?”

I fisted my hands. “I’ve been enjoying a beer at my parents’ house and couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been racing up and down the length of the pool like you’re running from Satan himself.”

She scowled. “It takes you two hours to drink a beer?”

“Not all of us are lushes.” I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Taylor’s face reddened even further. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve just had a shitty day.” And I had. Between thoughts of Taylor distracting me, relentless texts from Caitlin, and still being unable to find the missing hiker or the woman from Willow Creek, I was about ready to snap.

Taylor ran her tongue across her bottom lip. My teeth clenched. “Can we just forget that last night happened? I was wasted, I had no idea what I was doing.”

Those molars of mine ground even harder together. It was for the best to play along. To let Taylor believe I bought the I-was-just-drunk act. “Of course. Come on, hop out of the pool, and I’ll feed you dinner.” She blinked up at me. “I know you didn’t eat before a swim like that one.”

When I went for a run to clear my head that morning, I’d had a little come-to-Jesus talk with myself. I wasn’t going to hold myself back from Taylor. That sultry mix of fire and ice that flowed through her just called to me. Ignoring it was stupid. I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to soothe some of those hurts and show her that a full life had plenty of risks, but those gambles were what made the journey worth taking.

But I knew if I wanted her in a way that wasn’t just a quick tumble in the sheets that ended with her kicking me to the curb, I would have to move at a snail’s pace. I could go as slow as I needed to.

Taylor said nothing, just continued to study me. I cleared my throat. “Look, I’d really like it if we could try to be friends.” I felt like a five-year-old asking someone to play with me at recess—a jumble of nerves and anxiety.

She turned her head to look out at the darkening fields, and I held my breath, hoping she’d stay. Moments passed before Taylor returned her gaze to me. “Okay.”

“To friendship or food?”

A small smile tipped her lips. “Both?”

The tightness between my shoulder blades eased, relief coursing through me. I reached a hand down to help her out of the pool. Water splashed, and then she was standing in front of me. I grabbed her towel from the lounge chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. A shiver coursed through her, and I rubbed her arms. “Let’s get you inside.”

She nodded, saying nothing as we walked up the stone path to the back door. I cleared my throat as we stood in the kitchen. “I’ll show you to the guest room, and you can shower and change while I fix you something to eat.”

Taylor’s eyebrow quirked. “You cook?”

I smirked. “I do. But in this case, I’ll just be heating up leftovers.” My parents had taken my grandma, Jensen, and Noah out to dinner, but I hadn’t been up for a crowded restaurant after my crappy day.

“You’re full of surprises, Cole.” She was still uncertain around me after last night’s events, but we were slowly finding our way back to normal.

I led her towards one of the downstairs guest rooms. “Here you go,” I said, opening the door. “There are towels and soap in the bathroom. Do you need anything else?”

“Nope. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I shut the door on her towel-clad form, fighting the desire to follow her into the shower. I shook my head and turned towards the kitchen.

I busied myself heating up last night’s lasagna and reciting baseball stats in my head. Before long, I heard soft footfalls on the hardwood floor. Turning around, I took in Taylor, pink-faced and freshly showered. Her wet hair was piled on top of her head, and she was wearing short-shorts and a t-shirt that clung to her petite yet curvy frame.

It was apparent that she wasn’t wearing a bra. My gaze zeroed in on a pair of perky little nips, and I ground my teeth together so hard, pain shot through my jaw. “Do you want to borrow a sweatshirt? It’s pretty chilly.”

She flushed. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

I jerked my head in a nod and went in search of one of my high school football hoodies in my old room. Finding a worn, gray one, I returned to the kitchen to see Taylor nibbling on her thumbnail. “Here you go.” My voice was rough, even to my own ears.

“Thanks, not just for this, but for dinner too.” She slipped the sweatshirt over her head. It almost came to her knees, meaning it looked like she could be naked underneath.