Stealing Hearts (Wild at Heart #1)(10)

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.





4





RHETT




Jace smacks me on the back before he sits next to me at the kitchen table. “I got you.”

That can’t be good. “Don’t do… anything. At all,” I say under my breath as I watch Paige pour a glass of juice before sitting across from my brother.

I can’t get over her red hair and how light blue her eyes are now.

Or how goddamn feisty she is.

Or those fucking curves she’s never had before.

Thank God she put on some damn clothes. I mean, if you consider those short shorts clothes. The little brat buttoned two buttons on my flannel and tied it in front like she’s a Dallas cheerleader.

It’s fucking distracting.

I haven’t seen Paige since she started college. I’ve asked Maverick about her over the years since they went to the same college, but his answers were always the same. She’s fine. She’s good. She did some cool cheerleading shit at my last game.

For some reason, having her here makes me consider my old house. My eyes catch on the mud tracks by the doorway and the pile of toys exploding out of the basket in the living room. The dirty dishes I need to wash.

I scrub my face. Not sure why I care that my house needs a good cleaning. I haven’t wanted to impress a woman in years.

“So, Paige,” Jace says as he bites into a chorizo and cheese taco, “what’s the deal with your job? Will you be heading to Austin after your ankle gets better?”