Wes, who was zoned out and staring at a spot on the floor, barely nodded.
Gabe stood and walked me to the door. “Let us know if you hear from Callie.”
“I will.”
I was tempted to go to Callie’s house to check on her, but I wanted to give her a chance to try and work through things on her own, so I forced myself to drive back to my apartment building.
I’d just changed into a pair of oversized sweatpants and a tank top when a knock echoed down the hall. I walked from my room, arching on my tiptoes to peer through the peephole. My brow furrowed as I stepped back and opened the door.
Wes was standing on the other side.
“What are?—”
I was cut off by his lips crushing against mine as he stepped over the threshold. His hands gripped my hips as he kicked the door shut and started walking me further into my apartment and toward the hall that led to my bedroom.
“Wes—”
“Shut up, Princess,” he murmured against my lips before kissing me again, hard and rough, as he continued to guide me down the hall. And it wasn’t spoken with underlying mischief like usual.
The kiss was desperate, but not in the way it typically was between us, with sheer lust and nothing more than the need for release fueling it. There were no teasing smirks, no arrogant remarks.
It was desperate in a way that said he washurting…aching for atemporary distraction so he could momentarily forget the deception and duplicity of the man he’d looked up to his whole life.
When we made it into my room, he guided us back onto my bed, his body settling above mine. His hands were rough as they started to push up the hem of my tank top, but I pressed my hand against his hard jaw, gently pushing him back to break the kiss as I let out a breath. “Wes…”
As he stared down at me and searched my eyes, I could see the pain hidden in the depths of his. And he knew it.
“Please,” he whispered. My brow creased, and I started to shake my head as my lips parted to speak. “Please,” he repeated, cutting me off. He bowed his head, pressing his forehead against my chest. “Please…” The plea came out strained and fraught.
And at that moment…my heart actually hurt for him. No, what he experienced may not have been the same blow it was to Lucas or Callie, but it didn’t diminish the way his dad’s involvement broke him.
Without even thinking, my hand gently curled around the back of his neck. He slumped against the side of my body, sliding his arm around my waist as his head rested on my chest.
And we just…laid there.
Wes didn’t need sex right now.
He needed someone to justbewith him, to exist with him in the silence.
And I happened to be there to be that someone.
So, we lay in the quiet, my fingers softly combing through the hair at the nape of his neck while my eyes alternated between the ceiling and him. I watched his brow knit and heard him sigh every now and then as he sifted through the myriad of thoughts in his head.
If I was being honest, it was a bit awkward, not because of the long stretch of silence that followed but because it was him…and me…us. But I pushed that aside because no matter how awkward it was or how much we may have disliked each other, I knew he wouldn’t be doingthis, especially withme, if he didn’t need someone at that moment. And I wasn’t a complete monster with no heart.
After forty-five minutes of silence, he finally spoke. “Your chest is comfy…”
My eyes slid down to him as my brow arched. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” he said softly. His head tilted back so he could look at me, and I saw a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he nuzzled his cheek against my boob. “Emotional support tiddy pillows.”
I scoffed through a laugh. “You are such an ass.”
He was shaking against me with silent laughter as I shoved him away from me and grabbed a pillow, smacking him in the face with it.
He was obviously feeling a little better.
I got up from the bed and walked out of my room, and he trailed behind me. “It’s pretty late,” he said, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I should go.” I nodded and walked to the door, opening it for him.
