“Could you please, please, please stop talking about me and skinny dipping?” I said, because every time he brought it up, I thought about it. And every time I thought about it, that zing of heat rushed up my body. “And on this planet, this girl is considered painfully boring in every sense of the word.”
Verbalizing it was depressing. It was somehow easier to accept when I kept it to myself.
Cole stared at me, his eyes amused and his mouth drawn in a serious line. Almost like he didn’t believe me, but was smart enough to not push the topic.
I would have been good with him pushing the topic.
In ten minutes of conversation time, most of that exchanged in snarky banter, I felt more alive than I’d felt in . . .
Well, ever.
It was dangerous, feeling this way. And intoxicating.
“So what does Elle Montgomery have planned come fall when the scintillating backwoods parties come to an end?” he said. “You strike me as the kind of girl off to some top-notch college on the East Coast. Studying to become a doctor. Or a professional skinny—”
My glare snapped Cole’s mouth shut, another point in his smarter-than-he-looks column.
“College would be nice, but my life’s kind of taking a different direction.”
“What direction?” Cole asked.
“A direction that doesn’t leave a lot of room for majors and dorm rooms,” I said around a sigh. Again, admitting this was about twice as depressing as keeping it to myself.
“And you’re okay with this?”
“I don’t know,” I said, almost wishing we were talking about skinny dipping again because at least that kind of uncomfortable came along with the image of Cole’s naked, wet body.
If I kept thinking those kinds of thoughts, I was going to have to unzip my coat and lose the gloves.
“If you don’t take control of your life, Elle, someone else will,” Cole said, his voice quiet, almost distant. Was that a glimmer of introspection that had just come from his mouth? Couldn’t be. “That’s a fact of life as guaranteed as death and taxes.”
“Sounds like a lesson you’ve learned personally,” I guessed. “And from the look on your face, I’m guessing you learned that lesson from a girl.”
For the first time since he’d made his appearance, Cole looked away. “I’m not used to perceptive girls,” he said, staring into the bonfire. He was in another world, but not for long. When his eyes latched back onto mine, I was able to exhale the breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. “I’ll have to be more careful around you.” His smile, that I’m sure had worked a handful of girls’ clothes off, formed.
“What kind of girls are you used to then?” I asked, but only to hear him confirm the answer I’d arrived at.
“The kind that aren’t exactly interested in getting down and dirty with my mind,” he replied. “The kind that don’t take a random piece of advice and turn it into a therapy session.”
“So you’re here beside me because?” I asked. I wasn’t the kind of girl that got down and dirty with . . . anything.
Uh-oh. That sexy smirk of his hit the top of its range.
Leaning in, so I could almost feel his breath against my neck, he said, “Maybe I want to get used to something else.”
I told myself the chills running down my body were due to the cool night air.
“Until the summer’s over?” I said, trying to ignore the heat rolling off his body onto mine. “I know how you smokejumpers operate. And since you were kind enough to give me a lesson, let me return the favor.” I sat up higher and pretended Cole Carson was nothing that I wanted. “I’m not a summer fling girl.”
Wow. What was coming over me? I didn’t say these things or express this kind of emotion. I needed to find myself a muzzle or some strong duct tape before I said anything else I’d wake up regretting.
Cole didn’t look phased, not even a bit. “Damn,” he said, exaggerating a sigh. “There goes my whole summer.”
“I’m sure you’ll find more than enough distractions to get you by,” I said, waving at the group that now had expanded so it was more of a four to one female to male ratio. “See? One girl for every night this summer.”
“I’m more of a quality guy,” he said. “Once I find that quality girl, then I like quantity. Lots and lots of quantity.”
When Dani caught my attention, she jacked her eyebrows and made air kisses my direction. She already had some guy latched onto her and what looked to be another waiting in the wings if option number one wandered off to refill his beer.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t want an explanation,” I said, looking back at Cole, needing to shift the conversation before he starting defining “lots and lots of quanity.” “So what about Cole Carson? Is smokejumping the be-all-end-all for you?”
“It is for right now. As far as summer jobs go, nothing can beat it,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not sure if it’s what I’ll be doing in five summers or even next summer, but I know it’s what I want to do right now. I live in the present and figure the rest out as I go along.”
I couldn’t recall a time I’d thought like that, let alone done it.
“That sounds nice,” I said a little wistfully.
“It is. You should try it sometime.” He nudged me gently.