Page 14 of Where She Belongs

But she did.

She’d always noticed the little things that were wholly Tate. It was what made him so different from his twin. Rylee bit back a grin and shook her head as she broke the intense connection between the two of them. “I think you already know.” At least she hoped he did.

CHAPTER SIX

A slow, wide grin spread across Tate’s lips and he brought his thumb to brush along the lower one. “Rylee Black.” Her name felt strange on his tongue. She was so… different. And in the very best ways possible.

At the sound of her name, a spark flared in her eyes. He lost track of how long they stood there, taking each other in. When he’d seen her at the meeting, he couldn’t help but notice how she’d changed. Gone was the rough and tumble girl who insisted she could keep up with the boys next door. In her place had been a strong woman who carried herself like she was ready to take control of a board room. Or maybe it was the strut of a model who knew she owned the runway. Perhaps both. Not a hair had been out of place, and she wore heels that could pierce the heart of any man foolish enough to attempt to steal hers.

But now?

He hadn’t worked out his own intent before he reached out and pinched a strand of her wet, tangled hair between his finger and thumb. He rubbed it together, one side of his mouth curving into a grin. He’d forgotten just how much he’d liked this wild creature. She’d been a force to be reckoned with. Right now, she looked more like herself—or the girl he’d once known.

Smudges of mud coated her cheeks and more mud was plastered to her clothes. Her hair was spiked out every which way. She looked like she could have been raised out here in the mountains.

And, dang, was she stunning.

Rylee exhaled, drawing his focus to her face. She blinked a few times, her eyes flared wide. And that was when it landed on him how intimate his reaction had been. His hand dropped to his side and he took a step back. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and took another step back.

Tate jerked his chin toward the hallway. “The bathroom is just down that way. You should…” He coughed. “You should shower to warm up. But ease into it. Heating up too fast can be dangerous.”

She blinked again like he’d grown two heads. “I’m n-not… That’s not…” She blushed and held out the clothes. “Look, I only c-came over here because I h-heard something.”

His brows knit together. “You… heard something?”

Her throat bobbed, drawing his attention to her slender neck. But when she spoke again, he hitched up his focus to her eyes once more. “Yeah. The p-power went out. And I was going to check on the f-fuses, but then there was a crash and⁠—”

Tate frowned, glancing at the door as if he expected the intruder to follow her here. “Did you call the sheriff?” He shook his head. “Never mind. That doesn’t matter. First, you need to warm up. Get changed and then we’ll figure out where to go from here.”

“But—”

“Now, Rylee. I’m not going to ask again.”

Her face scrunched into a scowl—one he might have found adorable if she wasn’t shivering and turning blue right before his eyes.

“I’m going to set a fire and when you’re done, come out here and wrap yourself up in a blanket.” He held up a hand before she could protest. “No arguments.”

She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. But as soon as the storm stops, I want to go over there and figure out what it was.” Rylee stomped off toward the bathroom and Tate pulled out his phone.

He hesitated. Calling the sheriff when he didn’t even know what they were dealing with didn’t seem like a good idea. It was probably nothing. He and Jason could go over to her place to check it out when he got back from wherever it was he’d been going lately.

It wasn’t normal for Jason to be out so often. Perhaps he’d finally found someone who had stolen his attention.

When Rylee came out of the bathroom, the living room was several degrees warmer. He’d considered waiting by the bathroom door so he could lead her through the house but thought better of it. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was a creeper.

He stood up and smiled. She offered him a shy smile back and moved across the room to sit on one side of the couch. He’d given her one of his t-shirts and a pair of sweats. She was practically drowning in his clothes, but he couldn’t say he hated it. Her hair was still damp and tucked behind her ears. “Thanks for the clothes,” she murmured.

“Of course.” He took a seat.

Rylee folded her legs beneath her, curling up as small as she could on her side. His hands curled into themselves to stifle the desire to reach over and touch her again. This was all so surreal.

He hadn’t thought about her in ages and suddenly she was here and consuming his every waking thought. He wanted to know more about her. What had become of her after she’d moved. Why was she back?

“Is everyone already asleep?” she asked, picking at a speck of lint on the couch. “I didn’t want to wake anyone, but I didn’t really have anywhere else I could go.”

The house had been quiet a good while. His sisters didn’t usually stay out late. Tate scrubbed at his jaw and brought his eyes back to her. He searched her face, nearly forgetting to answer the question. “Yeah, everyone is asleep.”

“But not you?”