Rebel Soul: (Rebel Series Book 1) ((Rebel Series)) by J.C. Hannigan

my brother then and there.
    “No,” I answered, keeping my tone neutral and my expression indifferent. “Braden’s just on a mission to set up his girlfriend’s best friend with someone. I’m definitely not interested.”
    “Well, you should come tonight anyway. Gordon’s gonna be there; the whole gang will be. There’s a huge after-party at the Clayton’s barn.”
    “Yeah, you could go get your licking early from Gordon, then Tessa will be free game!” Braden joked, cackling at his own joke.
    I glared at him. “Seriously, Braden. Shut the fuck up.” I shook my head, my irritation at my brother growing tenfold.
    Grady grinned, amused by the situation. “Well, either way. Gordon has his own construction company. They build houses and cottages. He’d give you a fair price on building the cabin.”
    “I’ll think about it,” I said distractedly.
     
    * * *
     
    Showering in my tiny trailer wasn’t exactly easy at my height. I was six feet, and I had to crouch down in order for the water to hit my hair. The pressure was shit too, but the trailer served its purpose as a temporary home until I could get the cabin set up. It was definitely a good motivator, if anything.
    I knew I’d be welcome to shower at my mom’s house, where Becky and Braden still lived, but that would mean going there and facing her. So I sucked it up, crouching beneath the slow stream of water and washing away the hard day of work.
    I still hadn’t decided on whether I wanted to go to the concert. On one hand, it’d be nice to see everyone again. On the other, I was having a goddamn difficult time getting Tessa out of my head.
    My thoughts drifted back to earlier that day, when I saw Tessa leaving her tent through the tiny window over my kitchen sink.
    I was about to make myself a cup of coffee, but my hands had stilled, and I found myself watching her for a few moments…just to make sure she was okay. She walked gingerly towards her truck and paused with her hand on the door as if she was considering leaving. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and her fist went up to her mouth, tears spilling from those amber eyes. The sight of those tears prompted a lot of heavy emotions in me; anger, guilt, compassion…and something strong and potent that I was afraid to label.
    It was a vulnerable moment that I knew she hadn’t meant for me, or anyone for that matter, to witness. The urge to fix things took over and before I could talk myself out of it, I was leaving the safety of my trailer and walking towards her.
    She hadn’t liked that I’d seen her tears, and her sass and attitude towards me when I told her she had a right to feel scared, had me smiling when I shouldn’t. She had me smiling, and I hadn’t smiled like that in years.
    Then there was whatever the hell happened in my trailer when I was trying to tend to her wounds. When she looked up at me and bit her lip, the desire was so potent it took everything I had to not kiss her, although I knew I had several opportunities. Any time our skin touched, she’d inhale sharply. I could practically see her pulse jumping the same way mine was.
    She wanted me too.
    It was the strangest feeling, watching the tires of her old Ford spin out as my brother’s girlfriend peeled out of the clearing. Normally, I’d be pissed that Elle had torn up the grass, but the only emotion that passed over me was regret. Regret to see Tessa go, regret that she’d been hurt last night and regret that I didn’t ask her for her number.
    But acting on my strong feelings of desire and even just asking for her number would have been a dick move. She’d been attacked the night before, and having some guy hit on her was probably the farthest thing from her mind. But oh, how I’d wanted to.
    The need to get to know this girl was alarming. The desire to be with her was staggering. It was almost acutely painful.
    The cold water finally roused me from my thoughts and I finished washing the soap away