Fighter {Completed}

Chapter Eighteen: Just Peachy, Sweetheart {Cole}

Chapter Eighteen: Just Peachy, Sweetheart {Cole}

I watch as Ellie's form dives into the water, head first into a deep pool, and surfaces next to a laughing Sebastian.

He holds up a 5 on his chalkboard.

Johnny holds up a 10.

Jude holds up a 10.

She splashes Seb, earning a laugh from Julia, Scar, and Marcus. They sit next to me at the poolside table, all reclined back and relaxed.

I wish I was relaxed.

All that keeps going through my head is Ellie's face as she takes off away from me through the house, her face in the car, her face at the gas station. All that I can think about is her face when she realized I'd betrayed her.

"My turn!" Scarlet yells, springing from her seat and heading for the diving-board. She strips off her shorts, revealing her bikini bottoms underneath, before climbing up, getting ready for her turn.

My skin prickles with the sensation of someone staring.

Marcus and Julia watch Scarlet take her turn and Sebastian and the boys watch her as well, holding up their scores. Ellie, on the other hand...

Ellie's eyes are on me, more so my body. Her emerald eyes light a fire across my chest and arms, and even down towards the little trail of hair leading beneath my swim trunks.

I shift, reclining back even further and watching in amusement as her eyes look at the hard abs that decorate my stomach.

Her eyes finally look to mine. She freezes, and then as if someone dumped a bucket of paint on her, she turns a deep red. Even the sliver of skin between her top and bottoms on her belly turns red.

That's right, sweetheart. I caught you staring.

"Cole, come on!" Jude says, distracting me from Ellie. He stands from the pool and races toward me. "Your turn to dive!" I pull him to a halt, and he keeps tugging.

"I'm good, kiddo. How about you go dive and I'll score you?" He grins, before nodding and letting go of my arm. I head for the vacant seat he left, squeezing myself in between Sebastian and Ellie.

Sebastian's eyes cut to me, a strange look in them, before he grins wickedly.

"What?"

"Nothing, man. You're just way too easy to read sometimes."

Confused, I don't have the words to reply, so I just stare at him, to which he smiles even wider.

"Ellie, can you come help me out?" Jude asks, smiling as he waits by the edge of the pool, hand extended. I see her eyes focus on him and I almost curse him as she falls for it, standing and heading for him.

"Jude, don't you dare, you little shit," Scarlet raises a warning brow.

He doesn't listen, and instead, flashes a charming grin at Ellie that has her smiling and me scowling.

I swear, if you hurt her, Jude... Your parents will have to adopt another kid to replace you.

Ellie extends a hand downward, ready to pull him from the water. His smile turns sinister as she places his hand in hers, and before she can process, he's yanked her into the pool beside him.

She's under the water for only a few seconds before she surfaces, sputtering.

"Jude," she groans.

The little fucker's face lights up with an evil grin.