Page 106 of Tortured Tones

I tugged on a fresh pair of boxer briefs. But as I straightened, my head spun. Stars sparkled before my eyes, blurring my vision. My heart rate tripled, thundering against my ribs.

I staggered and caught Ava’s arm.

“Ava? Something’s not right.” The blood drained from my face. Nausea flooded my gut. “Oh, shit. I don’t feel so good.”

I stumbled. Swayed. The world spun. My knees buckled.

With a thud, I hit the floor.

Everything went black.

Chapter 24

AVA

“Cole?” My heart jolted as I fell to my knees beside him, sprawled out on the locker room floor. I rolled him onto his side, checked his breathing and his pulse. Fuck. His heartbeat was way too fast. He’d fainted but was still unconscious. “Cole?”

As I placed my hand on his brow, his clammy skin burned my palm. I hooked his feet up on his bag to elevate them, then rushed to the cupboard, grabbed a fresh towel, wet it with cold water, and wiped his forehead to cool him down.

“Come on, Cole.” I tapped his face and gave him a gentle shake. “Wake up.”

I knew first aid, but nothing I tried worked. I’d been trained to stay calm and controlled, but fuck that. My hands trembled as I grabbed my cell phone out of my track pants to call Jade, the tour medic. I was about to hit the dial button when Cole moaned.

“Cole?” I tossed my phone aside. My breath shuddered though my chest as I swept his damp hair off his brow. “You’re okay. You fainted. Just stay down. Everything will be fine.” Hopefully. I’d seen him struggle over the past few weeks. I should’ve said something sooner. Got him help sooner. I’d tried to not get involved, but I cared about him too much.

He blinked his eyes. Their focus and clarity slowly returned as did the color to his cheeks. “Shit, huh?”

“You scared the crap out of me. Don’t do that again.”

“Sorry.” He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes.

I grabbed his water bottle and gave him a sip. “Well, that’s a first.” I smirked. “I’ve never had someone faint on me after sex before. Was I that good?”

He smiled and chuckled softly. “First for me too. And yeah, it was good.” But then he grimaced and wriggled his jaw. “But my cheek hurts.”

“You hit the ground, hard. I’m gonna call Jade to come and check on you.”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

Concern lodged in my chest. I couldn’t stand back and not say anything anymore. “You’re not.” I clutched his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “You’re not sleeping. You’ve had dizzy spells before, and don’t pretend you haven’t because I watch you. You’re pushing yourself too hard. You’re not fine. And it’s okay to admit that. I’ve been through this too. I can see the signs. You need help and rest. I’m worried about you. So I’m calling Jade or the paramedics. Which one will it be?”

He closed his eyes again, still looking pale. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Make it Jade. Buthelp me back to my room first. I don’t want to cause you any problems.”

Guilt twisted in my gut. Panic constricted my veins. I’d crossed too many lines. But his health was my only immediate concern.

“Careful, Mr. Tanner. I might think you care about me.” I hooked my hand underneath his shoulder. “Let’s get you sitting upright for a minute or two and see how you go.”

He eased onto his butt and placed his head between his knees. “Whoa. That’s not good. I’m still dizzy.”

“Take your time.” I rubbed his back and called Jade. I told her he’d fainted, and she said she was on her way.

“Ava?” he whispered. “I do care. It’s just...”

“Just nothing.” It wasn’t nothing. It was impossible to deny we had a connection. One that we kept fighting, but it kept pulling us back together.

“It’s not nothing.” Worry swirled through Cole’s eyes. So many unanswered questions and unresolved feelings swirled between us. Was this something? Yes. But it was something that couldn’t evolve. I need a clean record for Josh. We’d never cross paths or have aligned schedules after the tour. He knew that. I knew that. End of story. “Ava, if I have to be honest, so do you. We need to talk about what happened. About us.”

My chest constricted, hard and tight. The wall protecting my heart wavered. “We’ll talk later.” But there was nothing to talk about. There was no us. I wasn’t going to be one of his casual hookups or regulars. It was too risky when Josh was at stake. We both didn’t want a relationship. I had to be sensible about this. Just because we liked each other didn’t mean we should be together. “Let’s get you dressed before Jade gets here.”

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