Dirty Delivery (Bound & Delivered #1)

Chapter Eleven

Savannah

The weight of Rylan's news crushes me, the emotions swirling inside are suffocating. The storm outside doesn’t help—it’s as if the raging wind and rain are echoing my own frustration. I’m curled up on the couch in the library, pretending to read, but my mind is far from the words on the page.

Rylan has answers—answers I need—but he won’t give them to me. Every conversation is a dead end, every question met with his infuriating deflections. And yet, despite the anger bubbling under my skin, I can’t bring myself to hate him. There’s something in the way he looks at me, like I’m the only thing keeping him tethered to the world. It’s foolish to feel anything for him, but that doesn’t stop the treacherous flutter in my chest when I think about it.

Rain lashes against the windows, and the lights flicker once, twice, before plunging the room into darkness. I sit up straighter, my pulse quickening. I’ve never been afraid of storms, but in this house, where every shadow feels like it’s watching, the darkness is unnerving.

I hear the faint creak of the door behind me and twist toward the sound. My breath catches when a beam of light sweeps across the room, illuminating Rylan’s tall frame in the doorway.

“Relax,” he says, stepping inside. His voice is calm, almost teasing. “It’s just me.”

“What happened?” I ask, clutching the blanket tighter around me.

“Power’s out,” he replies, holding up the flashlight. “The generator should kick on soon, but I figured you’d be here.”

I bristle at his tone. “I’m fine. You didn’t need to check on me.”

“You sure about that?” His smirk is maddening, and I glare at him even though my heart stumbles in my chest.