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“Sophie,” Cole’s voice was low, his hand stretched out to her, “You have my attention. My full attention. Put the harness on and trust me to take care of you.”
She did trust him. Silly, because outside of his journal, she barely knew him, yet she trusted him completely. Probably just her impulsiveness getting her into trouble again. Or maybe that was her heart pitter-pattering at what he’d just said.
She breathed in deeply, the cold air settling heavily in her lungs. She had to let go of the limb.
Keeping her focus on Cole, she pried one hand loose from the branch, brushed the bits of bark and moss off on her jeans, then grasped for the harness. Following his instructions, she put it on, then took Cole’s hand.
“I’ve got you. Thank God,” he breathed, as he helped her onto the ladder.
Sophie was the one thanking God as the realization hit that she was alive and in one piece and Cole’s arms were around her, warming her chilled body.
For the briefest moment, she thought his lips brushed against the top of her head.
They hadn’t, of course. That she’d thought they had was pure craziness. Fear had obviously muddled her mind and she was in shock and hallucinating.
Such a sweet hallucination to have his arms around her and him kissing the top of head, though.
Sophie shivered.
“I’ve got you,” he repeated. “You’re safe now.”
She leaned back against him, thankful to be off the branch. Thankful he’d come for her.
“I’m going to lower us down,” he told her. “Are you ready?”
She nodded but felt wobbly, as if she’d fall if he let go of her. He must have known because rather than the ladder moving, he leaned in and turned her chin so she could look at him over her shoulder.
“I take it you didn’t climb many trees as a kid?”
She hadn’t expected his teasing tone now that she was out of the tree. But his silly question was exactly what she’d needed as laughter bubbled up inside her. Perhaps it was tinged with a bit of hysteria, but hysteria apparently went well with hallucinations, because she felt better than she had since realizing she couldn’t get down from the tree.
“It’s not the climbing that was the problem,” she managed to bite out, resting her chin against his warm fingers where he held her face. “It was the threat of a rapid descent.”
His eyes twinkled in the glow of the streetlight. “Gravity is so overrated.”
His face was so close to hers, the warmth of his body around hers comforting. She couldn’t have stopped herself from smiling even if she’d wanted to.
Her heart ka-thunked as Cole’s mouth curved in a grin back.
Yep, she was suffering from a complete and total mental breakdown, because she’d swear Cole looked at her with…well, something way more than just relief that his current assignment had ended well.
“Everything okay up there?” Ben called from the ground, obviously wondering why they hadn’t moved.
“She’s just getting her bearings,” Cole answered. The warm look in his eyes dissipated so quickly that she almost thought she might have imagined it all as he said, “We better get down there before they call for backup.”
Feeling as shaken from her encounter with Cole as she did from being stuck in the tree, Sophie nodded, and they began their trip downward.
“I may or may not have taken pictures,” Ben teased as Cole helped Sophie to the ground.
“You would,” Cole shot back.
“I did. It isn’t every day I get to see you rescue a beauty from a tree.”
“You just wish it had been you,” Andrew accused.
Ben grinned at Andrew. “I’m not the one who was dateless this weekend.”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Here we go again about you and your date. Take out a billboard or something.”
