3. PAIGE
3
PAIGE
As I’m hanging upside down over Rhett’s broad shoulder, I hammer on his back with my fists. “Put me down, you… you… turd.” I used to call him a turd when he’d pretend to put boogers on me.
His shoulders shake. Is he laughing at me right now? I pound harder.
“Are those hits supposed to hurt? We need to get you into some self-defense classes.”
He stops a few feet away in front of what I assume is his truck and lets me slide down his hard body.
Crap. Rhett still smells like that woodsy cologne, but now it’s mixed with his own scent that’s so… so masculine.
As soon as I’m free, I take a quick step away from him and almost fall over. He grabs my arms to steady me. But then he gets a good look at me and yanks his hands away. “Why the fuck aren’t you wearing any clothes?” His eyes rake over me from top to bottom before he crosses his arms and stares at the horizon like the sight of me disgusts him.
“I’m wearing clothes. This is called a sports bra, and these…” I tug at the waistband of my boy shorts. “These are called underwear.”
“Jesus Christ, Paige, I can see your nipples,” he grits out.
I point at his chest that’s wrapped in a snug white t-shirt. “If I look hard enough, I can see your nipples too. What’s the big deal? All mammals have nipples. They really shouldn’t scare a big, burly man like you.”
A chuckle from the truck has me looking around him to find his younger brother hanging out the window. “Oh, hey, Jace. How’s it going?”
“Hi, darling. Long time no see.” He motions to his face. “Love the red hair. You look gorgeous.”
I’ve been dyeing my hair brown for years, but Baylee said I needed to spruce myself up for graduation, and she thought red—really red—would be fun. I don’t know if it’s fun. I feel like a fire hydrant.
Jace’s eyes skate over me, and Rhett growls for some reason. He jerks open the door to his truck and yanks his brother out of it. “Get in the back.” Then he roots around for something. I do not check out his ass… for long. All I can say is it’s muscular and perfectly encased by his faded jeans.
A second later, he turns around and wraps a long-sleeved flannel shirt around me. “What happened to your ankle?”
My feet are bare except for the wrap around my left foot. “Twisted it.”
“Doing cheerleading?”
“No. Not this time, at least.” I don’t know why I’m answering his questions.
“You hurt it more than once?”
“What is this, an interrogation?” His jaw tightens, and I roll my eyes. “I fly off the tops of pyramids, Rhett, so sometimes I get injured. Of course I’ve twisted my ankle before. I’ve twisted my elbow, sprained my wrist, and gotten a concussion. I’ve had too many bruises to count, but I’m fine. I’m always fine.”
“A concussion? What the fuck?” His big hands reach out for me, like he’s going to cradle my head, and I recoil.
“Did I answer your questions satisfactorily? Can I go now?”
“Back to sleeping in your car?”
“Yes. It’s barely dawn. I’d like to sleep a few more hours, Your Highness, if that’s okay with you.”
Jace chuckles again, and Rhett closes his eyes like he’s praying for patience. He seems taller now than when I was younger for some reason. Maybe that’s because he’s probably gained thirty pounds of muscle. He picked me up earlier like I weighed nothing.
He hangs his hands on his hips and stares at the ground. His voice goes soft. “Paige, sister of my very best friend in the world, can I please escort you home or wherever you’re going so I know you’re not going to be kidnapped or murdered in the park by some psycho?”
At the mention of Danny, my throat closes up, and I fold my arms over my chest and look away. It pains me to admit this, but for some reason, I can’t lie to him. “I… I don’t have anywhere to go.”
Rhett goes eerily still. “What does that mean?”
“It means that Irma is hoarding French bulldogs in my house, and there’s no room for me. It means that I broke up with my boyfriend, so I can’t go back to Charming. It means, because I hurt my ankle and need physical therapy, I lost my coaching job in Austin, so…” I shrug. “I don’t know where to go.”
My eyes sting, and I blink quickly so I don’t start bawling.
“What about Baylee’s place?”
“She’s out of town, but her sister is staying over with her kids.”
“Shit.”
I motion behind me. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to snooze for a few hours. I’m sure I’ll figure out what to do once I’m rested.” I start to turn, but his voice makes me freeze.
“I mind.”
Our eyes connect, and that current of electricity I’ve always felt around him bolts through me. This man has always confused me. In a rush of anger, I hold out my hands. “What do you want from me, Rhett?”
His eyes rake over me again, and his jaw goes tight. “I want you to put on some fucking clothes. Then I want you to get your ass in my truck so I can feed you. How do you feel about breakfast tacos?”
“I’m not hungry.” At that moment, my stomach grumbles.
He smirks. At the sight of his plump lips tugging up, my heart goes crazy, racing in my chest like I’ve just sprinted across town. “Don’t lie to me, wildflower. I know what you need.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.