Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
“Relax,” he said, flipping the light on. “The football team went home hours ago. This is only a pit stop to pick something up, and then we’ll be on our way.”
The floor was slick in places, most likely from the football players showering after their game, and I kept my eyes on the ground as I trailed after Cole, not wanting to step in a puddle. Leaving my heels behind had been a major mistake. We walked past rows of lockers until we reached a small room with a wide window. Through the gaps in the aluminum blinds, I could make out a desk and some filing cabinets. Cole reached for the doorknob.
“Do you really think it—” I cut off when the handle turned effortlessly.
With a grin, Cole gave the door a little push, and it swung open. “Coach always leaves the room unlocked so his players can grab the keys and hit the weight room whenever they want. It’s a poorly kept secret.”
“Couldn’t he get fired for that?” I asked, watching him rifle through the top desk drawer. Worse, couldn’t someone get hurt? The more I thought about it, the deeper my frown grew.
Cole shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “He trusts us to—aha! Found ’em.” He held up a silver ring packed with different keys, but before I could protest the theft, Cole was exiting the office, and I had no choice but to follow.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” By my count, we were breaking at least three different school rules, and the trust I’d placed in Cole dwindled further.
He rolled his eyes. “A few months back in New York is all it takes, huh?”
“A few months is all what takes?”
“To forget my advice about living a little.” He shook his head like he was disappointed in me.
Oh, that. I huffed in response but dropped the subject as we left the locker room.
When we climbed up to the second floor, I puzzled over where Cole was heading. There was nothing of interest up here, just the liberal arts and foreign language classrooms, but I doubted any of them were our destination. I nearly asked where we were going again, but then Cole stopped in front of a door I’d never noticed before. He unlocked it and gestured for me to go first. The temperature dropped as soon as I stepped over the threshold, but I didn’t realize why until I climbed a final flight of stairs.
A gasp escaped my mouth as I stepped out onto the school roof. It was cold enough to see my breath, and once again, I cursed my decision to abandon my heels.
“Here,” Cole said, shrugging off his suit coat and draping it over my shoulders. He went a step further by kicking off his shoes.
“Those look a little big for me,” I said, even as I danced back and forth on my toes, trying to give the frigid concrete less exposed skin to freeze.
“Well, it’s either that or I carry you.” A wicked grin accompanied Cole’s suggestion, and nope. There would be no carrying of any sort, so I stepped into his shoes before he could follow through with that option.
Cole guided me across the roof, and I clopped beside him, trying not to trip. I felt ridiculous, but my embarrassment was forgotten the moment I saw the view. From our vantage point, I could see the entire town sprawled below us, lights gleaming in the night like embers of a fire.
“See that peak over there?” Cole asked, pointing to one of the mountains Copper Valley was nestled between. “There’s an abandoned ski resort about halfway up. It brought in swarms of tourists in the seventies and eighties, so the population here was much bigger back then. At some point, a second high school was built to accommodate the size of the community.”
“Ah,” I said with a nod. “I see where this is going.”
“The original school was Copper Valley High. This one was constructed at the highest point in the valley, which consequently gave it the best view in town. Hence the name,” Cole answered as he slipped a hand beneath his jacket to caress my bare back in a whisper-light touch.
“So, what happened?” I asked, trying to ignore his fingers, but each gentle brush felt like a sear against my skin, and I shuddered.
He must have thought I was cold, because Cole wrapped his arms around my waist before continuing with his explanation. “The lodge burned down, and the owners never rebuilt. That was before my time, though, so I don’t know any of the details. Long story short, fewer tourists meant fewer jobs, and eventually there was no need for a second high school.”
“The history’s a bit sad, but the name makes sense,” I said. “This really is a great view.”
“Too bad it’s cloudy, though. On a clear night, you can see the Milky Way from here,” he replied, and I tipped my head back to look up at the sky. Not even the moon was visible behind the wall of gray, but I could see how this would be the perfect spot to stargaze from.
“Then I guess we’ll have to come back when the weather’s more cooperative.” Next time with a blanket, snacks, and proper footwear.
“Is that your way of asking me out again?”
“Again?”
“Yes, again
,” he said, trailing a knuckle up my hip. “Don’t you remember showing up in my room, trying on this sinful dress, and begging me to come with you?”
“What?” I spluttered and spun around to face him. “That is not what happened.”
“How did it happen, then?” His breath fanned across my face, and I was suddenly aware of how close we were standing. If I pushed myself onto my toes, our lips would brush. Cole’s gaze dropped to my mouth as though he could hear my thoughts, and his eyes darkened. The hand he was resting at the small of my back glided up my spine to curl around the base of my neck.
Another shiver wracked my body. “I—we…”
We asked each other concurrently was what I wanted to say, but my brain stopped working, and the words wouldn’t come.
A wolfish grin slashed across Cole’s face. “We what, Jackie?”
Instead of responding, I tracked the upward curl of his lips. I didn’t realize I was staring at his mouth until he grasped my chin and tilted my head back just so. His face dipped, and this time, I was sure he was going to kiss me. I closed my eyes, heart fluttering in anticipation, but before his lips found mine, a blaring siren made us jump.
“What the heck is that?” I asked, stuffing my fingers in my ears as I glanced around for the source of the noise.
Cole peered over the railing and frowned. “I think it’s a fire alarm.”
Sure enough, when I looked down, the entire dance was streaming out of the building into the parking lot. Nobody appeared to panic, but that didn’t mean we weren’t in danger.
I licked my lips. “We should leave,” I said, wrapping a hand around Cole’s arm. Even if there wasn’t a fire, my friends were probably wondering where we were.
“Yeah,” he agreed, tearing his gaze away from the scene below. “Let’s go find out what happened.”
Ten
Ten
A pair of lips brushed against my bare shoulder.
“Cole,” I said in a warning tone. Reneging on my study session with Riley had been a major mistake. Originally, we made plans to spend Sunday preparing for our physics test at Caffeinated Pursuit, but then I woke to the sound of rain battering the windowpane and quickly changed my mind. No way was I trekking into town in this weather. The problem was all the Walters were stuck inside too, and that meant the house was loud. Well, louder than usual. It didn’t help that Parker had no concept of the word quiet. I’d been on the verge of chucking her PlayStation against the wall when Cole knocked on our door and invited me to spend the afternoon curled up in bed with him. Why I thought I’d get any work done ensconced in his room was beyond me.