Isla

Chapter 6

"Aedric, this is my friend Isla," Sierra said.

If she said anything else, Isla missed it because Aedric held her gaze in a captivating hold as he made his way over to his seat. He dropped into the camping chair, staying at perfect height with the table.

Angela scooped him a piece of lasagna, and their moment was broken. Isla looked down.

Isla didn't know what had gotten into her. She was not the type to fall for someone at first glance. She wasn't the type to fall, period. Relationships of any kind were complicated. They usually left her battered and bruised.

And even though she would never assume Sierra could be capable of hurting her, there was a part of her that still wondered how long her kind front would stay on.

And her hunk of a brother, a mountain of a man, would definitely hurt her. There was not a doubt about it.

Sitting next to him was electric, casting goosebumps up and down her flesh. Her heart was racing. She could feel the thump every time her heart made contact with her ribs.

Sierra resumed some kind of conversation, and Isla kept focused on her plate, pushing at the bits of lasagna that had been left behind.

She could feel his gaze. It was intense and unwavering.

"What happened to you?" he asked, not loudly, but not quite a whisper.

Isla hesitantly peeked up under her lashes. He almost looked concerned, with deep furrowed brows shadowing his captivating green eyes that matched his sister's.

Most of the other conversation had stalled, and Isla looked to Sierra for help, but Sierra shrugged.

"An accident," Isla offered quietly.

Aedric reached over, and Isla jerked back away from his touch.

"Aedric," Sierra scolded.

"What?" he snapped back. "She's hurt."

"You don't think we know that?" Sierra rolled her eyes. "Don't touch her without her permission."

Aedric huffed.

Isla's heart pounding was for an entirely different reason. For a split second, she could see his hand coming in contact with her face, doing so much more damage than her mother's. She struggled to suck in air, feeling the heavy inflate and deflate of her chest, each breath using more oxygen than she had.

"The cake should be cool now, Isla," Sierra said gently. "Would you like my help putting the icing on it?"

Isla clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms, each pinch of her skin grounding her.

"I can get it," she said after a moment, pushing her chair back, and not once looking at Aedric, who was still looking at her. She was thankful for the excuse to get up.

She leaned against the sink, gripping it with her hands as she squeezed her eyes shut. She counted to four each time she breathed out.

She could hear them whispering, but she didn't pay them any attention. Ice the cake and get to her room.

She turned around to retrieve a spoon, gasping to find Aedric standing right there, inches from her. She didn't even hear him get up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Watching you," he said, as if it were obvious.

She frowned, going back to her task.

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier."

She looked up at him, but was unable to say anything else. He stepped closer, almost crowding her. He was even taller up close.

"What a pretty cake," he said. His voice was a gentle rumble. His proximity and his genuine attention made the blood rush to her cheeks.

She offered him the spatula she was using to spread the icing once she was finished, and his lips quirked up. He took it from her, his fingertips brushing over hers as he did so.

She couldn't help but shiver at the little touch. She stepped away from him, pulling smaller dessert plates from the cupboard to distract herself.

"You shouldn't be bothering Isla," Sierra told Aedric as she came in with dishes from the table. She dropped them into the sink.

"I wasn't bothering her. Was I, Isla?" He looked at her.

Isla froze under the attention. "I uh-"

"Mom wanted to talk to you about something anyway. We'll bring the cake out in a moment. Do you want some tea?"

"No thanks," Aedric said, giving Isla one last glance before going back to the table.

Sierra smiled at her.

"He can be a bit intense."

"He wasn't bothering me," Isla whispered. She was intimidated, but not fully afraid. There was something about Aedric that drew her in.

Sierra placed the kettle on the stove, turning on the burner.

"How about you? Would you like some tea?"

"I'm okay," Isla said. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Alright," Sierra nodded. "Thanks for your help tonight. I hope you had a good time, despite everything."

"It was good," Isla confirmed, offering a reassuring smile. "I can't wait to get to know your mom and your brother some more."

That wasn't a total lie, and Sierra beamed.