Page 11 of Make Me Unwind

She blinks, and some of the blankness from her brown eyes vanishes. “What?” Her brows furrow as she jerks her head backward. “Oh….” She scrambles, trying to climb to her feet.

“Careful, baby.” The word falls from my lips, and I cringe. The endearment didn’t feel wrong when she was out of it, but now, it feels…. Too much. She’s not mine. I rub my palms on my thighs and stand.

“Thank you.” She rests a hand on my lower arm and licks her lips. “I’m sorry you saw me like that.”

She trails off, and I cup her cheek, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Piper, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You went through a trauma when you were younger, and certain things still bother you. I know that better than anyone.” If I only believed the words. Somehow, it’s easier to tell her these things than believe them myself.

“You’re right.” She licks her lips again and straightens as the rain continues to fall on and around us. “I’d better get inside.”

As if on cue, the door to her cabin opens, and a man steps out onto the porch. “Piper, get your ass in here before you get electrocuted.” My arm drops to my side as heat covers my cheeks. I shouldn’t have been standing this close to her.

“That’s my brother.”

I study the man. He’s muscular, fit, broad-shouldered, dark-haired. I rotate my shoulders backward. Imposing. The man glares, and even from this distance, I feel his disapproval. I get it. We’re probably the same age from the looks of it, and I’ve been groping his baby sister in a parking lot. If I had a sister, I’d want to kick my own ass.

Rain smacks against my face, trailing down in streams of water. Fuck. I took too long. I’ll be lucky not to get struck by lightning on my way to the resort.

“Come on.” She grabs my hand and runs. I have no choice but to follow her unless I want to delay her retreat inside. Which I don’t. The rumbles of thunder crack around us as we sprint toward the open door.

If her brother wasn’t standing there with his feet braced and his hands balled into fists at his sides, I’d see the humor in the situation.

As we tromp up the steps, he moves out of the way. “And you are?”

“My instructor.” Piper grins at him with eyes that twinkle. She squeezes my fingers, lets go as if she senses her brother is about to snap, and pats his chest. “This is Asher. You signed me up for paddleboarding and kayak lessons, remember?” She winks and breezes past him and into the lit interior of the cabin. “And he’s a thorough instructor.”

Fuck. I remain rooted in place. He’s going to kick my ass. When was the last time I fought someone over a girl? Age ten? I rise to my full height and meet him eye to eye. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I bet.” His eyes narrow into tiny slits. “You’re too old for my sister.”

I open my mouth and snap it back shut. He’s right.

“Piper.” A beautiful woman with the little boy I met earlier steps into the living room from the kitchen. “Come inside and bring your friend.”

“He’s not my friend.” The man’s jaw flexes as he blocks my entrance. Not that I was going to go inside. Torrents of rain pour down around us. The water flying out of the gutters cuts into the gravel by the flowerbeds.

The woman rolls her eyes. “That’s why I said Piper’s name and not yours.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll stay outside. I’m sure it’ll let up soon.”

“Weston.” An older woman with the same cheekbones as Piper and Weston breezes into the room with her long skirt swaying around her ankles. “Let the man inside. Now.” She stops in front of the sofa, placing her hands on her hips.

“No.” I raise my hand, palm facing outward. The word comes out more panicked than I want to hear it. “I’m fine.” I reign in the tone of my objection to a reasonable level.

“Asher helped me through a panic attack.” Piper rests her hand on what I presume is her mother’s shoulder.

“That’s wonderful.” Her eyes dart to Piper as she clutches her chest. “I told you.”

“Stop.” Piper’s eyes widen as the color on her face blanches.

“Come on in.” The woman with the child marches past her husband, grabs my hand, and drags me behind her. “I’m Charlotte, Weston’s wife, and Piper’s sister-in-law. This is Andrea, their mother.” She inclines her head toward the older woman. “And this is our son, Gavin.”

“I’ve met Gavin.” I glance around the room. “Where’s Roe?”

“She doesn’t like storms,” Weston mutters as he shuts the door with a snap. The storm howls outside, causing the windows to shake.

“I don’t either.” Now that the worry of getting my teeth knocked out seems to have dissipated, the sounds of the thunder and wind break through. I was so preoccupied with Piper’s panic that I ignored my own.

The rumble of thunder reminds me of the motorcades we formed to and from the camp. The cracks of lightning are visual reminders of the flames as the metal of my truck was impacted. And the wind? The wind rattling the windows reminds me of the blood thumping in my ears. I hate it. The way the storms eat at me. I ball my hands into my fist, exhale slowly, and shift my stance from one foot to the other.

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