Page 12 of Wild Peak

Shit.

I’ve messed up.

And she’s clearly mad, but… is that wrong of me? Wouldn’t it be worse to presume that Brooke would want to share my bed? Worse to keep her here tomorrow too, and the day after that, and the day after that, stealing her away to my mountain cabin like an ogre abducting a princess?

Of course Iwantthose things. I’d love nothing more than to feel Brooke beneath the sheets with me, the bed warmed by our shared body heat. To be able to reach out and touch her in the night, dragging her closer. Smelling her hair.

And I’d love for her to stay here with me for the rest of her days, but I’m not an idiot. A few kisses don’t mean that she’s mine.

“I thought you’d want…”

I trail off, still reaching for those stupid peas. My brain is sluggish, addled by the memory of her touch. Her taste. WhatdidI think?

Brooke huffs. “Don’t pretend you know a single thing about what I want, Hunter. You’ve been out of my life for years now.”

My arm drops, the peas forgotten.

“And I don’t know why I’m letting this bother me so much,” she goes on, her voice getting kinda shrill, “don’t know why I’m getting all hurt and twisted up over a guy who was so quick to forget I was alive. Of course you don’t want a second date. You haven’t wanted anything to do with me for years.”

A second date?

Wait, what?

“Of course I could never forget you, Brookeworm—”

“Youleft.”

The pain in those two words floors me. Has Brooke really missed me all this time? Did I hurt us both when I fled up here to this cabin, desperate to escape my guilty attraction?

Fuck. I’ve messed up even worse than I thought.

Now Brooke grips the edge of the breakfast bar, like it’s the only thing keeping her upright. She’s still in her hiking clothes, scuffed up with dirt from her fall, her dark hair windswept and wild. Behind her, the rest of the cabin is lamp-lit and still. Judgmental.

“I know you were always Jake’s friend, not mine,” Brooke says, her voice cracking. “And you probably never cared all that much.”

“That’s not true—”

“But I never thought you’d become a stranger to me.” Her eyes are damp with tears. “I’ve missed you so much, Hunter. And now, after a single day, you can’t wait to get rid of me again.”

The full weight of this misunderstanding, of how much I’ve accidentally hurt this girl, slams into me. I stagger back, my whole body flushing hot then cold.

How could I have got so many things wrong?

It seemed so impossible that she’d want me too. Seemed so messed up, how badly I longed for her.

But it turns out I’ve had my head firmly lodged up my ass this whole time.

“You know what, forget it. I need a shower.” Brooke slides off the stool, wincing slightly as she tests her weight on her sprained ankle. “Could I borrow a towel, please?”

She won’t look at me. And when I hurry around the breakfast bar to help her limp across the room, Brooke accepts the support with muttered thanks but doesn’t lean into me like she did before.

There are no shy, sideways glances; no biting her lip like she’s holding back laughter. Brooke stares directly forward as I guide her to the bathroom, her jaw set like a general going to war.

“It’s not what you think.” The bathroom door swings open, and I push it wide for her before tugging the light on. There’s a spare towel in there already, stacked on a shelf. “I swear, Brookeworm. I’ll explain later. Please let me explain.”

She presses her lips together and limps into the bathroom.

My mouth opens for another plea, but the door swings shut in my face, and the lock clicks into place. A minute or so later, the sound of drumming water seeps through the door.

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