Page 22 of Ruffled Feathers

I didn’t want to say that he was the other reason I was staying, because it’d offend them both, but it still hung in the air between us. “Well, now you’ll have me too.”

I also didn’t say that she looked tired. I’d thought it had just been from staying up all night at the police station, but really, she didn’t look much more rejuvenated today. She was clearly burning the candle at both ends, and we could both use the rest.

She shrugged. “It’s your house.”

I reached out and gripped her forearm. “Stop that. It’s your house too. When Buck married my mom, this became his home and yours. I hate that you still feel like a guest here.” Her skin was so soft under my fingers, and it felt almost electrified. I spent so much time trying not to touch her that these small actions, these inconsequential brushes, felt like so much more. Her head tilted softly to the side, and I wanted to put my mark right there for the world to see.

In a different world, she would be mine.

When she looked down at where my hand was holding her arm, I released it quickly, hoping she couldn’t see me flush. Her own cheeks were pink, and I tried to tell myself it was from anger, not from anything else. Because if it were anything else…

God.How could I resist her?

How could I look her father in the eye again?

How could I look anyone in the eye again?

She was my stepsister. We sat down to Christmas mornings together. We celebrated birthdays. The society gossips wouldn’t care that I hadn’t met her until we were almost adults. They wouldn’t care that we weren’t physically related in any way,shape or form. Along with the fact that she was Unshown, it would be a scandal, and I wasn’t sure anyone would forgive me for it.

I almost didn’t care.

She chewed on her lip. “Come on. If you’re going to hang around all the time, I’ll teach you how to feed the kittens. They need feeding at least every three hours, and I think both Lance and I would appreciate the help.”

That was a big admission, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face. “It would be my pleasure, Tillie.”

We walked slowly back toward the house, and just being with her made my heart happy. I followed along as she told me about her day. About what the vet had said about the chicken she’d saved. About her run-in with Truett and how he’d gotten the charges dropped. About Strat Wilmington, who was an Omega and an assistant district attorney.

I noted how her eyes sparkled as she said Strat’s name, and I tried to curb my jealousy. I wasn’t an idiot; she wasn’t going to be single forever, though both Truett and I had done a pretty admirable job of chasing off potential boyfriends during her high school years. Since then, she’d had a few, but no one seemed to last more than a few months.

I thanked the universe for small mercies, because seeing her in love with someone else would be like putting my balls in a vice and squeezing every single time. It made my Alpha irrationally angry. I’d have to move to Antarctica or Australia, just so I didn’t have to see someone else making her happy.

She stopped at the tree, the infamous one that she’d fallen out of all those years ago, changing my life. “You know, there’s still a nest of squirrels up there. I think they’re the same ones, or at least their offspring.”

I laughed, looking up at the very top branches where I’d found her. She’d been so stubborn, and I’d been so fuckingscared. When she’d fallen, my heart had stopped. It had been the longest ten seconds of my life, watching her hit every damn branch on the way down.

I raised an eyebrow. “Rumor has it they still pad out their nests with periwinkle-blue Vera Wang.”

“Bougie.” She stopped, chewing her lip and looking up at me, and my whole world stopped once more. She was staring at me like I was her hero, with her big blue eyes staring right into my very soul, capturing it as her own. “You know, I don’t think I ever properly said thank you for climbing up there and rescuing me all those years ago. If you hadn’t helped me, I might still be there.”

Stepping closer—because I had no choice; I was being pulled as if magnetized—I gave her a soft smile. “No, you would have made it down. You’re too resourceful not to handle yourself. I have total faith in your abilities, Tillie. I just also know that even if you need it, you won’t ever ask for help.”

We were close now. Too close. Her lips were parted, and my eyes kept being dragged back down to their pillowy softness. What would happen if I just leaned down and took them with my own?

Her tongue darted out, wetting her lower lip, and I bit back a groan. I dragged my eyes back to hers. I wanted to interpret the look in them as desire too, but I couldn’t be sure. And I couldn’t ruin everything, just because I’d judged wrong.

She cleared her throat a little. “Thank you.” Her voice was soft and a little rough, and I shook myself out of my daze.

If I wasn’t reading her signals wrong—if she wanted me too—would I really risk everything just to be with her?

The answer was easy and immediate.

Absolutely.

I needed to speak to Truett.

Eleven

Otillie-James

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