Nishiki
It was official.I was a disaster.
I had barely known Weston for a day and I was already feeling things for him that I probably shouldn't have, but how could I help myself? He was so compassionate and patient, not to mention smoking hot. Seriously, I could barely look in his direction without feeling my face get flushed.
And then of course I had to go and make a fool out of myself. It was true, I was no outdoorsman, but I usually had the sense to look where I was going andnottrip over roots and fall flat on my face.
Or I would have, if Weston hadn't been there to catch my fall.
Just thinking about the warmth of his body beneath me made me blush again. He was muscular and strong, but his skin was so smooth. I could've lain there forever.
It felt good to be on top of him, but I fantasized about what the reverse would feel like, too.
I forced those thoughts out of my mind before my body temperature blew up.
Honestly, the intensity of this budding attraction freaked me out a little. When Weston had shifted and soared above the canopy to scan our surroundings, I felt disappointed that he had left my side. I had always been a little high maintenance in my past short-lived relationships, but not like this. I was somebody who valued my me time. So why did Weston going away for a few minutes bother me so much? I had to get over myself. That wasn't a healthy way to think. After all, Weston didn't belong to me. Hell, we weren’t even dating!
But as soon as I had that idea, my chest felt tight and hot.
What the hell is happening to me?
Feeling a bit guilty, I put some distance between us as we walked. But Weston was keen and observant. He noticed right away. He glanced at me over his shoulder with a concerned expression.
"Is everything all right?" he asked.
Great, way to draw attention to yourself, I thought irritably.
"Everything's fine," I said, rubbing my arm and trying to force a smile.
Weston stopped walking. "Nishiki, please tell me."
God, I couldn't just act normal, could I?
"I just… didn't want to be too clingy," I admitted.
Weston raised a brow, more confused than judgmental. Honestly, I didn't think he had a judgmental bone in his body. "Clingy? What do you mean?"
I tried and failed to stave off a wave of embarrassment. By trying to make things better, I’d made them worse somehow.
"Never mind, sorry," I muttered. "It's stupid, just forget it."
Instead of forgetting about it, Weston approached me, eating up the space that I had tried to put between us out of some misplaced guilt.
"If you think you're being clingy, then I have to tell you that I have no idea what that feels like," Weston said.
That statement took me by surprise. "Huh?"
"I've never had an alpha claim to be clingy towards me before," Weston said with a hint of amusement. "So this is a completely novel experience for me."
Something about this conversation was so ridiculous that I laughed. "Wait, what? Are you saying an alpha’s never been this—" I tried to think of a word that wasn'tobsessive— "...way with you before?"
"If by that, you mean friendly and good-natured, then no."
I was so confused. Weston was an amazing guy. It was true I hadn't known him long, but he had a sincerity about him that I'd never witnessed in anybody else. He spoke his mind freely, honest but not harsh. He was kind and helpful without being sanctimonious about it.
He was… perfect.
But I couldn't say that. Even though he wasn't judgmental, I didn't want to freak him out. Telling somebody you just met you thought they were perfect was a weird thing to say no matter what.
