Beneath the Wreckage (Wrecked #5)

by Catherine Cowles

“Friends aren’t always forever. Sometimes, they’re just for a season. Others might fall away, only to come back when you least expect it.

She was beautiful in a way that stole my breath and froze my brain. Especially when she seemed flustered or riled. And that only made me want to push her buttons.

That was the thing about being the one left behind. You couldn’t help but look for your loved one in the face of every new person you met, scanning everyone you passed on the street, hoping against hope that she’d somehow simply appear again—even if your gut told you she’d never left the island you’d lost her on.

Soft fingers wrapped around my forearm. “Are you okay?” My eyes met brown ones so dark I could get lost in them for days. “Fine.” Those dark depths scanned my face, silently telling me she knew I was lying. Her hand squeezed my arm before releasing it. She didn’t say a word. And I missed her touch the moment it was gone. Something about it was grounding. And as I turned my gaze back to Parker, I realized that single touch had dialed back the worst of my panic. Distracted me enough that my lungs had forgotten they were struggling to breathe.

The soft smile on her face punched me right in the gut. A sick feeling spread through me. Jealousy, I realized. I hadn’t felt envy before over where a woman pointed her smile. Ever. The sensation threw me for a loop. And it wasn’t a pleasant ride.

“I’ll be back in an hour or so.” “I’ll be here.” And that was the most dangerous thing of all. A living, breathing temptation would be just a few doors down.

When I reached the cabin, I almost swallowed my tongue. Hunter appeared in the doorway, shirtless. His golden skin seemed to gleam in the afternoon light, his muscled chest on display.

I grabbed my t-shirt from where I’d tossed it on the worn couch and pulled it over my head. Just as I regained my vision, I caught sight of Piper tracking my movements. Hell. The last thing I needed was the knowledge that this attraction was two-sided. But it was more than attraction. It was lust mixed with a healthy dose of understanding. And it packed a potent punch.

“If you think I’m just going to let you take off alone, looking white as a sheet and with so much pain in your eyes, you’ve got another thing coming.”

I wanted nothing more in that moment than for Piper to let me in. To let me share her burden and ease a little of her pain. Because I was falling for this pint-sized spitfire with more heart and work ethic than I’d ever seen before. And I couldn’t find it in me to tell myself that it was a bad idea. The only thing I cared about right now was Piper.

“Piper?” “Yes?” I couldn’t breathe. He was so close that I could feel the heat of his body. Smell the scents of sawdust and pine that clung to him. “Are those sloths on your pajamas?” My gaze shot to what I was wearing—my favorite sloth pajamas that were about the nerdiest things you could imagine. The tank had a scrawled message, Slothy Sleeper, and little sloths clung to branches on both the top and the shorts. My face flamed. “I like sloths.” Hunter chuckled, deep and rich. “I can tell.” He bent and pressed his lips to the top of my head. “So fucking adorable.”

When I walk out those doors, I’ll be strong. But right now, I just want to wallow. Can you let me do that?” “I can let you do that.” I simply held her, rubbing a hand up and down her back, keeping her close so she didn’t feel alone in this. After a couple of minutes, she sighed and stepped back. “Thank you. I needed that.” My mouth curved. “I don’t mind holding you, Piper. I’ll do it anytime you want.” A hint of pink hit her cheeks, and she turned away towards the door. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The world around us could burn, and I wouldn’t give a damn. Just as long as Piper was in my arms.

“You keep touching me like that, and this is going to go way too quick. Hell, I feel like I’m in high school again.” Something about the knowledge that I affected him like that, that I had the power to bring this strong man to his knees, stirred something in me.

I let go. For the first time in years, I let go of everything and drowned in feeling. I didn’t try to push it away. To manage or control it. I let it overtake me. And as I fell, I knew I’d never be the same.

“Life is full of unknowns. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take risks. Make that jump. Because as many things that can go wrong, a million more can go right.”