She looks at me for so long that I start to get nervous that she’s going to leave me hanging. “Okay, but only one more.”
My hands slide around her waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world and her hands go up behind my neck as we sway side to side.
“It’s been really nice having you back here, Sunshine.” I stare down and get lost in her eyes. She must be as nervous as I am, but she doesn’t shy away from my gaze. “I missed you like you wouldn’t believe.” I’m grateful for the slow dance and the chance to talk face-to-face.
“I’ve had a really hard time fighting the fact that I’ve missed you, too. But it has been nice. I forgot what it was like having someone you could count on.” She speaks so softly now, it would be hard to hear if I wasn’t hanging on to every word she says.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask why she can’t count on her jackass of a fiancé, but I don’t want to talk about him; in my world, he doesn’t exist. I wonder if he still exists in hers, because the ring is still off. I haven’t seen her wear it in days. “I’ll always be in your corner, Sunshine, here, or in New York. If you call, I come running.”
She laughs, breaking the seriousness that has built up. “I think I can use that to my advantage. Next time I have a midnight hankering for some ice cream, I’ll be waking your ass up.”
I wince. “Maybe I should have been more specific; the come running only applies to emergencies.”
“Craving ice cream and not having any is an emergency, West.” She looks at me with such severity that my laugh comes out on its own accord.
“Whatever you say, Sunshine.” Realistically, I know that it doesn’t matter. Because in my heart, she’s still my girl, and my girl gets what my girl wants.
“Good boy. Since you so nicely agreed with me, I will help you take down my grandpa in his quest you cheat at cards next week.” Her hand slips into my hair, ever so slightly as she speaks, making it hard to focus on her words. How can something so small feel monumental? But I feel it, I’ve felt it, the shift with us. It’s like her body and heart want to give in, but her brain won’t let her.
“Perfect, you and me, we make a pretty good team, don't we?” I ask not just about card games, but about life. How well we’ve worked together on the cabins is living proof.
“We do, don’t we?” Her face turns pensive, as if her thoughts are going down the same road mine has been.
“The best. Now are you ready for the big finale?” I ask as I raise my brows in excitement.
“The what?” Her brow furrows, clearly confused.
But as the fiddle winds down, ending the song, I spin her into a dip, her hands still clasped at my neck, my hands holding her waist, keeping her from falling. “I just wanted to prove to you that the next time you fall, I’ll be catching you.”
I bring her back to her feet, and she stands breathless, with warmed cheeks. My hand reaches out and puts her hair back in place. “Thanks for the dance, Sunshine.” My thumb rubs her cheek tenderly for half a second before I drop my hand and escort us off the dance floor.
Chapter 27
Willow
My music plays through the AirPods in my ears as my feet pound on the gravel below me. I keep replaying the conversations I’ve had with Weston, unable to shake the fire it has stirred in me. He’s made it well known that he's going to win my heart back, and the longer I’m around him, the more I want to let him. I’ve gotten a taste of what we’ve been missing, and I think I want more.
I come up around the curve and see Weston‘s cabin come into view. It’s exactly the home I would have wanted. I wonder if he thought of me while he was fixing it up. The tulips in the front add a nice splash of color. His place has the perfect bones for a forever home. It’s a perfect mix between rustic and modern, and I really love it. The interior just needs some warmth. Nice rugs, throw pillows, you know, the things men don’t think matter but make all the difference in the way a room feels.
I give the last little bit of this run all I’ve got, trying to burn off all this anxious and slightly pissed off energy. As I walk up the steps to the front door, sweat pours into my eyes. I’m definitely going to need a shower.
Walking into the house, I immediately head for the kitchen. I need a tall glass of ice-cold water. After a few chugs, I feel a little bit less like I just spent the summer in the Sahara. Humming along to my favorite song that is bumping in my headphones, I walk up to thebathroom. I should probably grab my clothes, but Weston’s at work, so it doesn’t matter anyway, plus catching me covered in a towel is probably inevitable while we live together.
I pull my phone out and press pause as I push through the door and hear my name being called.
Through the frosted glass of the shower door, I can see the side of Weston’s naked, wet frame. Time has been kind to him because, good Lord, does that man look amazing. He was a relatively scrawny eighteen-year-old boy last time I saw him naked. Even then, he got me hot and bothered, but now with his filled-out frame, wide shoulders, and muscles that definitely were not there last time.
Holy shit.
It’s clear he hasn’t noticed me come in, or if he has, he has no shame. He strokes his hand up and down his hard length, and I feel a fire bloom within me.
“Fuck, Willow, just like that,” he growls as he works his length. Water drips from his hand as it flexes around the head of his cock.
Heat blasts through me.
He said my name.
My name.
