Page 26 of You Found Me in the Dark
WREN
The quiet settled between the three of us, and all that was heard was the hum of the fridge and the clink of a spoon against a mug as Harper stirred creamer into her coffee. She still sat on a barstool at the island in the center of the kitchen. She was turned so her side was against the counter and her body was facing us. Reed and I sat across from each other at the kitchen table in the dining area. I glanced up at Reed, meaning only to steal a quick look, but his eyes were already on me. And then, like it was nothing, he winked.
Heat shot straight to my vagina, like a wire had short-circuited under my skin. I looked away fast, bringing my mug to my lips even though it was already empty. I could tell my face was turning pink by the smile creeping onto Reed’s face.
Harper arched a brow but said nothing. Her smirk, though? That said everything.
I stood up and walked across the kitchen to the sink and busied myself with rinsing out the cup, hoping no one noticed how red my face was turning.
The back bedroom door creaked open, and heavy footsteps padded down the laminate flooring in the hallway.
“Oh great,” came Cam’s voice, dry as ever. “The gang’s all here.”
Harper didn’t miss a beat. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
I turned just in time to see Cam step in. His shoulder-length auburn hair was messy, his blue eyes were dull with sleep, and he wore his signature pajamas of a black hoodie and red plaid pajama pants. “Morning to you, Pepto Princess.” He jokingly bowed.
“Aw, cute,” Harper said, touching her pink hair. “I missed you, my little peasant.”
Cam rolled his eyes and grabbed a banana from the counter, peeling it like he was doing it just to avoid making eye contact.
While still standing at the counter, I shot Reed a quick look, and he met it with a slight smile. He knew the deal. Harper and Cam had the emotional range of a romantic comedy couple—if the rom part had been replaced with thinly veiled hostility and sarcastic insults.
Cam glanced over at her, then at me. “Didn’t think you’d be up before five o’clock, Wren.”
“I was being interrogated,” I shrugged.
“Loudly,” Reed added, taking another sip of his coffee like a smug side character in a sitcom.
Cam grunted. “Figures. Your sister has no volume control.”
“Wow,” Harper said, eyes wide. “Are you always this pleasant in the morning, or is this just for me?”
“Trust me, this is me being nice,” Cam fired back.
“Oh, I feel so honored,” she deadpanned, clutching her chest.
“You should. It’s rare.”
“You know, for someone who gets all twitchy about peopletalking to his sister, you sure didn’t seem to care that she spent most of the night with Reed.” She changed the topic quickly, which she only does if he hasactuallygotten under her skin.
Cam froze mid-bite. Reed choked on his coffee.
I stared at Harper with murder in my eyes.
“Harper Rayne.” I hissed.
“What?” she said innocently, blinking. “You guys talked. Right?” She added air quotes around “talked.”
Cam looked between the three of us, his face shifting through confusion, realization, and then that overprotective-brother storm cloud expression I knew too well.
Reed cleared his throat. “Nothing happened, Cam. We talked. Got her out of a bad spot. That’s it.”
Harper kicked her feet while sitting on the barstool like this was the best entertainment she’d had all week. She loved working Cam up.
“Still,” Cam muttered, tossing the banana peel into the trash and avoiding everyone’s eyes. “Wish I’d gone.”
Harps’ smirk dropped a little at that. She probably didn’t realize how much Cam blamed himself for last night.
