Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan Page A

Then I smirked, which irritated her more. I took the oversized beach towel from her and wrapped it around my shivering body. Even with the towel, my muscles were rigid, aching with cold. Peyton picked up my clothes when we approached them.
    ‘I brought your bag, so you can put something dry and warm on,’ she explained.
    ‘You brought my bag?’ I looked over at her, and she averted her eyes.
    ‘I was hoping you could stay here and let Tom and I have some time alone for a day or two,’ she replied sheepishly. I raised my eyebrows. ‘Cole doesn’t mind, despite how strange you’re being.’
    ‘He thinks I’m being strange?’ I enquired curiously.
    ‘No, but I do. He just said that you were trying “something new” and handed me a towel.’
    I laughed.
    Before we entered the house, Peyton stopped me to make certain I had covered everything I needed to cover, since Tom was sitting on the couch. I rolled my eyes, and brushed past her into the house.
    ‘Your bag is in the bedroom on the right,’ Peyton informed me.
    Tom asked, ‘How’s the water?’ as I passed behind the couch.
    ‘Shut up, Tom,’ Peyton snapped. Cole was leaningagainst the counter, watching me. I glanced at him, and my mouth shaped into a subtle grin as I entered the bedroom and shut the door.
    I stayed under the shower’s hot stream until I finally defrosted. My grogginess had dissolved in the waves. I took a deep breath, satisfied with the invigorating clarity the experience had unleashed. When I walked into the kitchen, dressed and with dry hair, I could feel my skin glowing.
    ‘Hungry?’ Cole asked as I seated myself at the island.
    ‘Starving.’ He set a huge plate of pancakes in front of me.
    I looked around the small space and realized we were alone. ‘Where’s Peyton and Tom?’
    ‘They went back to her place,’ he answered, washing a bowl in the sink. ‘Was it everything you expected?’ Cole glanced back with a gleam in his eye.
    I swallowed a mouthful of pancakes. ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Skinny-dipping.’
    I shifted uncomfortably on the stool. ‘It was better,’ I replied softly. I heard him release a breathy laugh without turning around.
    Cole selected some music and disappeared into his room to shower.
    The fog had thickened outside. I was suddenly very aware that I was going to be spending the entire day with Cole in this house … alone. I looked around and realized there wasn’t a television, so I considered shutting myself in the spare bedroom to read all day. That’s when I noticed the boxes of puzzles stacked on one of the shelves. I’d never done a puzzle before, and I was intrigued by the thought. It seemed like a thousand pieces would be distractingenough. I wouldn’t have to think about anything other than finding the right ones to fit together.
    I chose a box with a scenic mountainscape and sat down, pulling the coffee table until it was flush against the couch and spreading the pieces out before me.
    Cole emerged from his room smelling like a cool breeze, his wet blond hair swept back, like he’d just run his fingers through it to style it. I shifted my eyes down when he caught me looking at him and continued flipping the pieces picture-side up.
    ‘I haven’t done a puzzle in years,’ Cole said, standing beside me and picking up the box cover.
    ‘I’ve
never
done one,’ I admitted without looking at him.
    ‘Really?’ He sounded surprised. ‘Want help? Or do you feel like putting together a thousand pieces all by yourself?’
    ‘You can help if you want.’
    Cole settled in on the cushion next to me with his legs crossed. He began separating the edge pieces from the middle pieces. When he leaned forward, his knee brushed my thigh, sending a shiver along my skin. Suddenly I wasn’t sure if this was such a good idea.
    ‘You okay?’ Cole asked, noticing my stiffened posture.
    ‘Uh, yeah.’ I choked, coughing to clear my throat.
    ‘Want something to drink?’ He stood on the cushion and