Falling Like Leaves (Bramble Falls, #1)(53)

We sprint to the first task, my trusty Frye boots slipping on the grass.

“Do I need to carry you again?” Cooper shouts at me over his shoulder.

“Shush. I’m not that slow,” I pant. He sprints ahead, leaving me trailing behind him. Because I actually am that slow.

By the time I get to the pile of toilet paper rolls, Cooper is already waiting on a knee for me.

“We’re doomed,” he says, unrolling the toilet paper around my feet.

“No, we’re not. We’re going to win.”

“You’re delusional.” He makes his way up my leg with the toilet paper.

“No, I’m optimistic.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Mitchell,” he says, pushing to his feet. “Now, put your hands up and spin. It’ll be faster.”

I twirl in circles while he holds the roll in place, unraveling the toilet paper around my waist and up my torso. A jolt of electricity zips through me when his hand skims my ribs, rousing every nerve ending and covering me in goose bumps. Then he grabs a new roll and starts on my arms, moving at an impressive speed. Standing this close, I take in his familiar scent—sugar, citrus, laundry detergent. It’s the scent of horseback riding and of homecoming and of his bedspread. I want to bottle it up.

Once my arms are done, he continues to my head, bringing the toilet paper around my forehead and down the back of my head, tearing the end and tucking it into the wrapped portion on my neck while I secretly memorize him.

“You’re up,” he says. “Maybe you’ll be better at this than you are at running.”

“Ha-ha,” I say, picking up a fresh roll of toilet paper. I bend down and start wrapping him up as quickly as I can—partly because I want to win this race but mostly to avoid looking at his very kissable face any longer.

The more I’m around him, the less I trust myself not to do something foolish.

Two teams to the right of us sprint to the next task. The rest are only trailing by seconds.

“Shit,” I mutter.

“Just hurry,” Cooper says.

I hold the end of the new roll to his waist, and he begins to spin. Within seconds, his torso is covered, and I’m wrapping his arms at lightning speed.

“Jeez, don’t hurt yourself,” Cooper says, laughing.

“We aren’t losing this thing.” I move to his second arm, then up his neck. Then, stepping closer, I push up on my tiptoes to reach around his head. Our eyes lock as I wrap the toilet paper over the thick hair I’m dying to run my fingers through. With our faces only inches apart, his gaze dips to my lips then back up, and my breath hitches.

It would be so easy to close the distance between us, to lean forward and press my lips to his.

“Are you done, or…?” he rasps.

“Oh, um, yeah.” I clear my throat and secure the end of the toilet paper before backing away from him.

With two teams ahead of us, we sprint to the large steel tubs full of floating red and green apples.

“I’ve never bobbed for apples before!” I shout to him.

“Are you serious?”

“Don’t judge me!” I laugh.

We drop to our knees on opposite sides of our tub.

“Hands behind your back. You can only use your mouth,” he says. “It’s harder than it sounds.”

“I think I can handle it,” I tell him.

I lean forward, aiming for a green apple directly in front of me. I snap at it, sending it toward the bottom of the tub before it bobs back to the surface, away from me. I ignore Cooper’s laughter across from me and go for another one, this time moving slower and more purposefully. Still, the apple dips beneath the water and escapes my bite.

Sitting upright with dripping hair, I fold my arms over my chest. “Are you going to help me, or do you think we can win by just sitting here looking pretty?”

“Aw, you think I’m pretty?”

“Oh my god,” I mutter, splashing him. “Just help.”

He chuckles before leaning into the tub. A couple seconds later, he pops up with water pouring from his hair and a bright green apple obscuring his giant grin.

I shake my head and go for another one. Only this time, determined to get the small red apple that seemed like an easy catch, my weight shifts, and I lean too far in, falling forward into the tub. My head is nearly fully submerged before I catch myself with one hand in the water.

I burst out of the tub, gasping from the shock of the cold, only to find Cooper laughing so hard he’s practically wheezing.

I glare at him. “You think this is funny, huh?”

“I’m so sorry, but yeah, I really do.”

“We’re going to lose! Losing isn’t funny!”

He dips his head and grabs another apple in his mouth like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“We’re only going to lose if you can’t get one,” he says, placing the second apple with his other catch.

Then he leans down and gets another one. He sets it in the pile.

“I was born and raised in Bramble Falls. I can do this all day.” He shrugs, a hint of amusement behind his arrogant smirk. “Let’s go, city girl. Our team is depending on you.”

I frown and pick out another floating apple. I bob for it, only to come up with nothing. Again.