Page 32 of Where the Stars Heal

My eyes snap toward him, and he leans out his window. “Get in the fucking truck.”

Not wanting to piss him off and bring back Mr. Angry, I run over and climb into the passenger seat, a mix of nerves and excitement coursing through me.

Shit. Today’s either going to go terribly wrong or terribly right.

14

SHE’S HUNTER’S LITTLE SISTER

ASHER

Halle sits in the passenger seat next to me, her body angled so close to the door that if I opened it, she would fall out on her ass. Her palms run over her legs, and she lets out a slow, shaky breath. My hand tightens on the wheel as I continue to peek over at her. She’s nervous and on guard. She’s built these walls up to keep everyone out, but all they’re doing is keeping her in, and I want to knock them down.

Last night, when I found her down at the park, I saw a side of her that I don’t think anyone ever gets to see. Her mask slipped a little, and she was playful at times, like she forgot about everything that was weighing her down. It made me wonder how much fun she could be without those walls up, without the mask she wears or the worries she carries on her shoulders.

The tension in the cab starts to grow as we sit here in silence, and I realize as I pull out onto the street that I’m still in my running gear, my hair damp with sweat. If we’re going out of town, I should probably head home and change first.

“Mind if we stop by mine so I can change quickly?” I ask, breaking the silence.

When she doesn’t answer, I glance over to get her permission, but instead, I find her staring at me with her nose scrunched up.Fuck, that’s cute.I want to lean over and pinch it, to hear the giggle that I heard last night.

“Yeah, you kinda stink, you know,” she says, one side of her mouth twitching, like she’s trying to hold back a smile.

I bark out a laugh, and this time, she doesn’t fight it. She smiles back at me, her eyes lighting up with it. My stomach flips with that look on her face. I like this side of her, the one where she just lets go and says whatever comes to her mind without thinking. I want to see more of it.

“What, you don’t like my sweaty smell?” I ask, lifting an arm toward her as I turn into my driveway.

I watch her from the corner of my eye, grinning as she tries to slap my arm away, her nose scrunching at me again.

“No one likes that smell,” she laughs.

I park the truck and step out, closing the door behind me and turn, popping my head through the window to look at her. There she is with amusement dancing in her eyes and her shoulders relaxed. She leans into the door, looking back at me. Her mask has slipped, and I can’t hold back the smile, knowing that’s because of me.

“Come on, Halle,” I say, “I’ll shower real quick and you can snoop through my shit while you wait.”

“Snoop, huh?” she questions, raising one brow at me.

“Yeah, you can try and find all my dirty little secrets.” I wiggle my brows back at her.

“Fine, but whatever I find, I’m telling Madi and Tessa,” she tells me playfully as she hops out of the truck, leading the way toward my house.

Unlocking the door, I step inside and motion for her tofollow me. Kicking off my sneakers, I look around, trying to see my space through her eyes. The house is only small and mostly empty. I’ve never bothered to add more furniture than necessary or any personal touches. The walls are still the pristine white they were originally painted. My dark furniture stands out sharply, making it feel even more boring.

It’s an open-plan living area. The entryway opens straight into the living, dining, and kitchen area, and a hallway off to the side leads to the two bedrooms and bathroom.

I watch Halle take in the space, curiosity written all over her, the way she tilts her head and inches toward the coffee table.

“Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, look around, make yourself at home,” I say as I head toward my room. “I’ll be quick.”

Grabbing some fresh clothes, I walk into the bathroom to shower quickly, not worrying about Halle looking through my things at all.

There isn’t anything in the house that she’ll find to tell the girls because I didn’t bring anything to Sunlit Cove with me. Just my truck and a bag of clothes, leaving all my belongings behind. After that night, nothing mattered anymore. I didn’t want to carry anything with me that held those memories. The nightmares that follow me around are enough. A cold shiver runs down my spine at the thought of them.

Standing under the spray of the water, I scrub at my face. No matter how hard I try every day, I’ll never be able to wash away the guilt that clings to me. The choices we made, that I made, will hang over me like a shadow for the rest of my life.

I hear doors open and close down the hall, and a small smile pulls at my mouth. Well, damn. Sheissnooping. I didn’t take her to be that way. I figured she would just sit on the couch, too nervous to look at anything. Anticipation builds in me with the thought of spending the whole day with her, with no one around to take her attention from me.

I make quick work of washing my hair as images of her bending over, searching through my things flash through my mind, causing my chest to tighten. The thought of Halle in my room, looking at my bed, sitting on my bed. Biting down on my lip ring, a wave of heat runs through my body and I picture her crawling up to my pillows, her ass in the air, curves on display that are begging to be held. My cock begins to stiffen at the thought and I grab…fuck.

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