Emma slammed the front door behind her, rain dripping from her soaked dress onto the hardwood floor. The date had been a disaster — the guy was boring, pushy, and nothing like the quiet strength she secretly craved at home. She kicked off her heels and headed straight for the stairs, hoping to avoid everyone.
But Ryan was already in the living room.
He sat on the couch in nothing but gray sweatpants, his broad chest bare, muscles shifting as he looked up from his phone. At twenty-six, her stepbrother had filled out into a man who carried himself with calm, effortless control. Their parents had married when they were teens, so they had grown up together, but lately the air between them had grown thick with something unspoken.
Ryan’s eyes moved slowly over her wet clothes, the way the thi
