Page 33 of Wilde Secrets

Harper looked at her hand and hesitantly reached out. “Harper.”

“So, you need a guitar?” Cassie asked, chin resting on her hand as she glanced between Logan and Harper, one eyebrow flicking up in question.

“Yeah.” Harper looked at Logan with nervous eyes before looking back to Cassie. “But just for a loan. I’ll give it back, I promise.”

Cassie waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t be silly. It’s nothing fancy. It’s just been hanging around.”

Logan put an arm over the back of Harper’s chair, and didn’t miss how she moved ever so slightly toward him. He gave her a nod of encouragement.

“You don’t mind?” Harper reached hesitantly for the instrument that Cassie had taken from its case.

“Not at all. Take it for as long as you need.”

He might have only just met Harper, but he felt protective toward her in a way he usually only did toward his family. She just needed his help, that was all.

Sure, buddy. Keep telling yourself that.

Rowan nudged his sister with his elbow and grinned. “Was this the phase where you were certain you were going to be the next Isla Holden?”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Harper stiffened next to him, her hands, which had been moving gently over the instrument, stilled. He cleared his throat.

“Did you hear that Rowan has a commission for some big New York building?”

Turning in her seat to face Rowan, Cassie gaped. “Really? Why didn’t you say something?”

Logan stopped paying attention to their conversation and turned his head toward Harper so his lips were near her ear. She smelled like jasmine and some fancy perfume, and he almost groaned but managed to get ahold of himself. “You ok?”

She nodded and swallowed. “Yes—” she squeaked and then coughed. “I’m ok.”

The way she sat bolt upright on her chair, the guitar clutched to her chest as if it were a shield didn’t lend him confidence that she was, in fact, alright.

He sighed.

Sometimes, he wished he was able to be something other than himself. Able to know what to say instead of just being quiet. He absently lifted his hand from the back of her chair and slid it under her hair to brush a thumb over the nape of her neck.

She let out a little whimper and leaned her head to one side, pressing closer to him. He was so lost in her reaction, caught up in the web of Harper, that he didn’t notice that his siblings were no longer talking.

“So, I hear you had something of a mishap in that storm two nights ago?” Cassie asked.

Harper started, jumping a little in her seat. Logan pulled away slightly, feeling the loss of her as his hand no longer touched her warm skin.

Harper nibbled on her bottom lip as she relaxed her grip on the guitar to hand it back to Cassie, who placed it in its case.

“Yeah, I slid off the road in the wet, and your brother found me.”

“Really?”

Logan kept silent. He knew Rowan would fill in any gaps in the conversation.

“Well. I mean, he drove past me and sprayed me with mud.”

“Bro! Seriously?” Rowan shot him a look. “You didn’t tell me that part.”

Logan felt his cheeks warm and narrowed his eyes at Rowan. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him.

“You were in a car accident?” Cassie was suddenly all business. “Did you take her to the clinic?” She tilted her head as she looked at Harper, as if inspecting for visible injuries

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