Page 13 of From the Wreckage
She doesn’t know how wrong she is. I’ve memorized every fleeting glimpse, every fragment of her that Silverpine has given me. I know the planes of her face, the sound of her laugh drifting through the trees, and how angelic she looks when she walks downtown, her bag from the bookstore dangling from her fingertips.
“Maybe not,” I say, my voice low. “But I know enough.”
But I want more. I want to know everything about her.
Her breath hitches, and for a beat, the air between us tightens until I can’t breathe.
I clear my throat, forcing distance. “You should drink some water. Shock sneaks up on you.” I stand, grabbing a glass and filling it at the sink. She watches me the whole time, like she’s unsure if she should be afraid or… something else.
When I set the glass in front of her, her hand brushes mine as she reaches for it. I can’t tell if it’s deliberate or accidental, but I feel it everywhere.
I crouch again, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. My knuckles graze her temple, and I feel the faint tremble that runs through her.
“You should rest,” I murmur, my voice stripped of the edge I usually carry. “You’ve been through enough for one night.”
Her hazel eyes lift to mine, wide and uncertain, and something twists hard in my chest. A need I don’t recognize. A pull I can’t explain.
For half a second, the wordmineflashes through me, sharp and reckless. I shove it down before it shows on my face.
She’s not just my neighbor. She’s someone I want to take care of.
And I don’t even know her last name.
CHAPTER 10
Brielle
My chest risesand falls as Everett’s hand lingers a second too long near my temple, his thumb brushing a loose strand of my hair back into place.
The way he cleaned my wound, his touch careful but steady, sent a shiver through me. A strange flutter in my chest I’ve never felt before.
Joey never makes me feel this way.
I swallow hard and push the thought away before it can take root. I stare at the mysterious stranger standing in front of me—so tall, dark, and handsome. Something radiates from him that’s slightly dangerous. Yet, I’ve never felt safer.
It’s peculiar but not unpleasant.
I break eye contact with him, trying to gather myself. I’m unraveling, and it’s not from the accident. It’s fromhim. The intense way he looks at me, as though he’s peeling me apart, layer by layer, breaking through my barriers and seeing things I don’t want him to see.
I look out his kitchen window and catch a glimpse of my cabin in the distance. For a moment, I freeze… and then the panic wells inside me.
“Oh, God. My car.” Pieces of the accident flash through my mind, ending with my SUV crumpled on the side of the road like a discarded toy. The thought of my dad driving home from the garage and seeing that makes me ill.
“My purse,” I blurt out, vaguely aware of Everett setting it by my feet after he buckled me in the passenger seat.
“I’ll get it.” He turns, his long strides carrying him from the cabin and out to his truck.
My hands shake, and I wince as my fingers bump the bandage on my forehead as I brush my hair back from my face. It’s a nervous habit, running my fingers through my hair.
Everett comes back inside and hands me my purse. I grab it with shaking fingers. I click on my recent calls and press his name.
“Dad?” My voice wavers when he answers.
“Bri? Are you okay?” His voice is sharp with alarm. He fires off questions.“Where are you? Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay, but—there was a deer. I… wrecked the SUV.” My shoulders slump under the weight of the guilt raining down on me. I get up and start pacing.He just bought it for me. I haven’t even had it for a full twenty-four hours.
“Where are you? Are you still at the accident?”
