“Does ‘Hurricane Hales’ ring a bell?”
Hurricane Hales. I hadn’t heard that name in…
My eyes slowly widened.
Oh…oh no.
“Hal-Haley…?” I breathed.
As in…HaleyCallahan.
As inWes’ssister.
As inmy best friend’s younger sister.
A sheepish smile ghosted her lips. “Um…hi…?”
Oh, fuck me.
“Jesus Christ.” I sat up straight with a rush of air, raking my hand through my hair again as panic raced through me, and she hopped off the bed. A cold sweat prickled my skin while guilt and dread collided in my gut. “Shit.Goddammit. I can’t believe–” I flung the covers off, grabbing my clothes with shaking hands. I pulled on my boxers, then my jeans, already feeling the guilt pushing to the surface. My voice was tight with worry. “Do you haveany ideawhat your brother is going to do to me if–”
She cut me off with a laugh. “Have youseenyou? Wes isn’t going to do a damn thing.”
I shot her a look. “If he finds out I slept with you, I’m not sure size is really going to matter.”
I only had an inch of height on Wes, but I was broader in every other aspect. Still, I stood by what I said about that not mattering. Wes was protective of Haley. He always had been. He wouldn’t hesitate to go toe-to-toe with someone bigger—even his best friend—when it came to her.
The last time I saw Haley was thirteen years ago, at Wes’s high school graduation party. I’d gone off to college afterward, and I wasn’t home often, save for a couple of the summers. Even then, when I was back, we didn’t cross paths. Then came med school, residency, and the Army. During those years, I was barely home at all.
Haley was a far cry from the thirteen-year-old I remembered—the girl with braces who used to annoy the shit out of Wes whenever Luke and I were at his house. She’d storm in, a little ball of chaos—hence her nickname—wanting to hang out. Wes would refuse, and then she’d deliberately try to piss him off in sisterly retaliation.
Hurricane Hales had grown up. And she’d transformed into a natural damn beauty.
And I slept with her last night.
Fuck.
“Look, I–” Haley blew out a breath as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I really thought you knew who I was, that you were just messing with me. I didn’t mean–”
“No, it—it’s fine,” I interrupted as I pulled my shirt over my head. “You just…God, you grew up, and you look so damn different…” I looked her up and down.So damn different. Butnow, knowing who she was, I recognized parts of her. The eyes, and her smile with its lingering mischief.
How the fuck had I missed it? The way she talked last night, the amusement in her voice, the way she laughed at me when I asked her if she was from the area. It all made sense. She must have thought I was a fucking idiot. I sure as hell felt like one.
“Well, yeah. That’s usually what happens.” She smiled, her eyes traveling up and down my frame. “I recognized you almost instantly, though. You haven’t changed. Not much. You’re just a bit…” She trailed off, eyes wandering. “…biggerthan I recall.”
“Bigger…” I repeated. I shouldn’t be smiling right now, considering the circumstances, but something about the way she said it made me unable to help myself.
Her eyes met mine again. “Yeah. And you still got your signature dimples.” She pointed to my face, chuckling.
I cleared my throat self-consciously as I rubbed my cheek. “Yeah…”
Haley let out a breath. “Look, Wes doesn’t need to know about this.”
My brow arched, my expression one of disbelief. “You don’t think he’ll find out? And how am I supposed to keep something like this from–”
“He may be one ofyourbest friends, but he’smyolder brother, and that doesn’t make him privy to every aspect ofmypersonal life. I get it. You’re loyal. And I respect that. But there was alcohol involved, and you didn’t recognize who I was. There’s no need to get his dramatic ass all worked up over a one-time thing that didn’t mean anything.”
I blew out a shaky breath, scratching the stubble on my chin, guilt tugging harder now. She had a point. I knew that. Wes may be my best friend, but it washerbrother. “Fine.But…if for some reason—don’t ask me how—he finds out and he comes to me and asks me about it directly…I won’t lie to him.” Even as I said it, my stomach twisted in knots. I’d still be lying by omission…which made more guilt curl in my gut.
