Under Pressure
Page 2

“Come on—we need to suit up.” Cole holds my shoulders and turns me toward the back of the boat, where the crew and wetsuits await. He follows me closely, the warmth of his body chasing back the cold in mine. I stare into the water as I get sized for a wetsuit, boots, and hoodie. Cole and I both climb into the gear and listen to the instructions as we, and six other thrill-seekers step into the cage.
I rest my feet on the platform and move closer to Cole. He smiles at me and adjusts my eye goggles. The crew slowly lowers the cage into the water, the big white flotation devices attached to it keeping it buoyant. Our heads remain above surface, and I don’t have to hold my breath and dip under if I don’t want to, but I’ve come too far to back down. Plus, if I chicken out now, it will only give Cole ammunition, and he’s teased me enough for one day—in far too many ways. From the boat, the guide fills a rubber seal-shaped decoy with chum, and my stomach sort of turns. Great, any second now I’m going to lose two things: my lunch and my dignity.
Cole nudges me and points down. I submerge to see a big freaking shark, with big freaking teeth clamping onto the side of the cage. I panic, and I’m about ready to scramble back onto the boat when Cole wraps his arms around me and pushes upward until we burst through the surface.
“Oh my God,” I shriek.
“Pretty cool, right?”
“Cool?” Was he serious? “That scared the crap out of me.”
“Yeah, but now you know you’re safe. They can’t get in. Come on, let’s go back under.”
I mull that over for a quick second. I guess it was kind of cool, and the shark couldn’t get near me. I look at the structure surrounding me and feel a little more confident.
“Okay.” I suck in another breath and go under with Cole. He keeps his arm around me, and I slide mine around him to keep him close.
More sharks come, and while it is scary, it is kind of exciting, too. A shark hits the cage and it jolts me, but Cole is right there holding tight—protecting and helping me out—like always. I steal a glance and find him looking at me, not the set of teeth trying to get at us. He smiles, and it’s weird how my heart seems to skip a beat. I probably never would have climbed into this cage if it weren’t for him. Maybe I do need him more than I let on. Maybe that’s why the friend who drew my name sent Cole along—so I’d go through with it.
The truth is, I missed him so much when he left New York. His departure ripped my heart in two, but who was I to hold him back? Yeah, we were close, the tightest of friends, but I was engaged and he needed to find himself, live his own life.
Cole looks away, but before he does, I catch something in his eyes. Something that just might resemble…desire. My pulse jumps a notch and my entire body tightens. Confusing feelings surface, and I can’t believe how girly I am in my reaction to him.
You are a girl.
Not to Cole, though.
Surely I’m mistaken. Must be the water on my goggles, obscuring my vision and making me see things that aren’t there. Cole doesn’t think of me as anything other than the pig-tailed tomboy next door. And I don’t think of him as anything other than the scrawny boy who lived beside me—one who always protected me, helped me with everything, and grew into a smoking hot guy with a killer body that I suddenly can’t seem to keep my eyes—or hands—off of.
Oh shit.
 
 
Chapter Two
Cole
I stretch out on the catamaran, and I can’t help but smile at Reese as she bites into her chicken wrap and chews like she hasn’t had a meal in days. “Cage diving really builds up an appetite, huh?”
She nods, and her big brown eyes go wide. “That was actually kind of fun.”
“Want to do it again tomorrow?” I ask.
Her hand stills just as she’s about to take another bite. She lifts her head, but her act of bravado isn’t fooling me. “I would, but we’re hitting the Spookdraai hiking trail tomorrow. Then the day after we have that African wildlife tour and game drive safari. All part of my dossier, remember?”
I laugh and nudge her chin with my fist. “I remember. You were brave today, Reesey Piecey.” I gave her that nickname when we were kids, partly because her name is Reese and partly because she is as sweet as those little chocolate candies she’s always popping into her mouth.
“I’m brave every day,” she counters, then chews her sandwich. She swallows and adds, “I just don’t know why one of my friends would put me in a dangerous situation where I had to prove it. I mean, I like animals and all, but still.”
My gaze moves over her face as she takes a drink and continues to talk about this adventure she’s on. My stomach tightens as I listen. She always tries to present a brave face, but she doesn’t have to pretend anything with me. I know her better than she knows herself, and she’s been through a lot over the last few years, which makes me feel like a total and utter prick for taking off to Colorado. But fuck, how could I have stayed in New York? Watching her with that asshole Jared nearly fucking killed me. Every time he touched her, kissed her, walked into a room with her, it was all I could do not to punch him in the face. I never liked the guy. Then again, I never liked any guy she dated.
How could I, when I had a secret crush on her for years? But no way am I about to jeopardize our friendship by telling her. She thinks of me only as a friend, and I couldn’t risk losing her by spilling my guts. Besides that, I’m not the guy for her. She’s the white picket fence and family kind of girl, where I’m an adrenaline junkie out for the next adventure. There hasn’t been a guy in my family who could settle down, not even my father. Bastard left when we were just kids.
I toss the last of my wrap into my mouth and take a long pull from my water bottle. I shift and rest my back against the catamaran as we head back to shore. Around us, the others are taking their lunch to the back of the vessel to watch the video of the dive, but I’d rather hang out and enjoy the sunshine for a bit longer with Reese. I missed her so goddamn much when I was away.
“I want to hear me more about this pact you made with your friends,” I say. She’s told me bits and pieces, but I get the feeling she’s still holding information from me, which is weird because she tells me everything. Or at least she used to.
“What do you want to know?”
I lean into her, and when my leg touches hers, she flinches. The movement is slight, but I still notice it, even when others might not have. Okay, what the hell was that all about? When did she ever not want me to touch her? Shit, I hope she didn’t see the way I was looking at her earlier. Usually I can keep my shit together, but seeing her big eyes, wide and excited beneath the mask, looking so adorable as she faced a shark, fucked me over big time. All I wanted to do was pull her against me and kiss the hell out of her.