“Morning.”
“Thank you for staying last night.” I had several drinks, but I wasn’t drunk by any means. I very much remember everything that happened.
The feeling of dread I felt when he was about to leave feels as real right now as it did last night. The thought of being alone made my throat feel impossibly tight.
His face remains serious as he laces his fingers through mine.
“The quiet can feel too loud sometimes.” I shake my head, but Wyatt is nodding along like he gets it.
“The silence leaves too much empty space for your brain to be extra loud,” he says, tracing his thumb over the side of my hand.
My eyes widen slightly at the realization of how perfectly he just put the feeling into words. “Exactly.”
He lets out a deep breath. “Our house was really loud when I was growing up, and not in a good way. Yelling. Walls getting punched. You get the picture.”
I nod because I don’t want to interrupt something that I’m sure isn’t easy for him to talk about.
“Kane’s house was noisy, too, but in a good way. Laughter. I-love-yous. Music.” He smiles, clearly lost in memories. “That became my solace and beacon of hope. Little bits of silence are good for anyone, but too much and my mind races with a million different things that I usually don’t have control over.”
I blink slowly, processing everything he said. “You guys have all known each other for a long time.”
He nods against the pillow. “Since kindergarten.”
“Wow. No wonder you’re all as close as you are.”
“I have two brothers, not just one.” His face is dead serious when he says it.
I’ve seen it in the way they interact, but Wyatt doesn’t feel any differently about Kane than he does about Linc.
“Family can look a lot of different ways,” I say.
He nods again and smiles. “Kane’s parents are more like mine and Linc’s mom and dad than our birth parents. I owe the two of them everything. I wouldn’t be who I am today without their love and support over the years.”
My heart warms at the softness in his eyes when he talks about them. “They sound like wonderful people.”
“They really, really are.” He pulls our intertwined hands up to his face and kisses the back of my hand. Tingles skitter down my arm.
We can’t be more than friends, but I want more. The way his eyes are boring into me makes me want far more than I should.
My resolve is cracking, and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to fight this.Any of it.
All I want to do is kiss his perfect lips. His eyes move to my mouth and back to my eyes. Obviously, his mind is in the same crazy town as mine.
“We shouldn’t,” I say. The words are barely audible because I can’t bring myself to say them any louder. I don’t want to say them at all.
“Friends can kiss and not have it be a big deal.”
I open my mouth but quickly shut it. I could make a retort, but I really don’t want to. I want to just say fuck it and let the chips fall where they may.
He must see the moment I give in. His hand gently slides up my arm until he’s cupping the side of my face. He leans in ever so slowly, his face less than an inch away.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment my lips left yours last time.”
A shiver moves through me at his words alone. “Me too.”
His fingers slide into the hair at the back of my neck as his lips press against mine. My whole body lights up from the first moment of contact. The kiss is slow and sensual, but the need building inside of me demands more.
My arms wrap around him, my hand sliding over the contoured planes of his back. I revel in every dip and curve of muscle I feel. He lets out a breathy moan that I swallow up with another kiss.
