I do know. I want to lose myself with Wes for a little while. I want him to kiss me and tease me and play with me. I wantto close my eyes and see the vibrant life in his instead of a tornado swallowing houses.
But I also don’t want to open a door that I’ll never be able to shut. I’m not a casual sex sort of person. Sometimes I wish I was. This all would be so much easier if I could just enjoy myself and let the chips fall where they may.
I’m already in dangerously deep. I want to believe Wes meant it when he said he’s wanted to kiss me for years. I want to trust him that he chose not to tell me his windows were fixed because he wants more time with me.
The thread of panic that’s been building since we got in bed has other ideas. “I don’t do casual,” I blurt, immediately followed by a curse under my breath. That was supposed to be an inside-my-head thought. “Sorry, I—”
“Don’t you dare apologize.” There’s a beat of silence before Wes lets out a long sigh. “I knew we should have had this conversation yesterday.”
My heart sinks. I concentrate on keeping my breath even. “Got it,” I mumble, easing away. “You don’t have to explain.”
Wes tugs gently on my shoulder, nudges me onto my back, and leans over me. My vision has adjusted to the darkness, all the little LED lights and the glow of the parking lot leaking around the edges of the curtains enough for me to take in his expression. A slight groove between his brows, lips just barely parted, he stares down at me as though he might be able to read my mind if he looks hard enough.
He might actually manage it.
“What part ofyearswas unclear to you, darlin’?” His eyes glint in the dark. “I get why you might think that that’s all I want here, based off my history. You’re wrong. My reasons forstaying single have had a lot more to do with the amount I travel and how hard that can be for someone at home. I tried, in the beginning, but a lot of women don’t get why I can’t just take the corporate job my dad keeps trying to push on me and keep photography as a hobby.”
I barely manage to contain a snort of laughter. Wes belongs in an office the way a wild mustang belongs in a zoo enclosure.
“Let me be clear,” he continues. “I want you. Ihavewanted you. When I said ‘years’ earlier, it wasn’t an exaggeration.”
Desire and embarrassment rush into my cheeks. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own crap that I’ve invented my own reasons for his behavior and ignored the simplest explanation—Tracy and Matt, the two people who know us best, have been right all along.
“Sloane?”
“Yeah?” I ask, still too dazed to form a full sentence.
“I’d really like to kiss you now.”
As soon as a breathlessyes, pleaseleaves my mouth, Wes slams his lips into mine, one hand on the back of my neck in a possessive hold I like far too much. The kiss doesn’t last long, but his mouth might as well be a brand.
“You and me? It was never going to be casual,” Wes says in a quiet, intense murmur when he breaks the kiss. Our breaths saw in and out like we’ve both just outrun a storm. “We good?”
I stare up at him, searching for some hint that he’s just telling me what he thinks I want to hear. That he might not mean it. All I find is patience and warmth. “Yeah,” I whisper into the dark, so quiet it’s a miracle he can hear me over the hum of the air-conditioning. “We’re good.”
Reaching up, I curl my fingers into his hair and tug lightly,drawing his mouth down to mine in a languid kiss. Our lips and tongues tease, slowly reigniting the fire in my belly that never quite goes out when Wes is around.
“If you need me to say it,” I murmur against his skin, “this is me, starting something.”
“That so?” Wes’s rough voice scrapes over me. His laughter fades quickly, replaced by pure need when he curves his fingers around my jaw to keep me in place for a kiss that holds nothing back. His other hand skims down over my body, then under my shirt, his thumb caressing the dip of my waist and then higher. I groan into his mouth when he reaches my nipple, my nails digging into his shoulder in an attempt to bring him closer.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about your hands on me,” I confess in a breathless rush, arching into his touch when he palms my breast.
“Just my hands?” A wicked laugh sends heat pooling low in my belly. “Because,” Wes begins, lowering his mouth to my shoulder and trailing kisses down to my chest, “I’ve been thinkin’ an awful lot about getting my mouth on you.” His tongue dips under the neckline of my tank top in a filthy tease. “I’ve been thinkin’ about how good you’ll taste coming on my tongue.” He lifts his head and stares down at me, dragging the neckline of my tank top a little lower and staring like he wants to take a bite out of me. “How’s that sound?”
“Great,” I squeak, right before swallowing a moan when he lowers his mouth to my breast.
It’s late, and we should both be too exhausted for this, but he takes his time anyway, mapping my breasts and hips with light touches that transform into punishing pleasure, only tosoften into a tease. He peels my tank top off slowly, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes at the sight of my bare skin. We kiss and touch, my lips tracing his tattoos like I’ve wanted to since that morning in my kitchen. His hands roam the entire time as though he can’t bear to stop touching me.
I’m gasping for air by the time he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of my shorts. Wes isn’t in any better shape, his chest rising and falling with each harsh breath.
Wordlessly, I lift off the bed to help him. My shorts land somewhere on the floor, but my attention is fixed on the rapt expression I can just barely make out on his face. His hands drop to my hips and hold me in place as he takes in my nakedness.
Self-consciousness stirs, but it’s quickly swept away by the way Wes bites his bottom lip and reaches into his pants to stroke himself. “Your hips drive me wild. I have a real love-hate relationship with those damn leggings.”
I’ve always thought my hips were wider than they should be. But under his rapt gaze, the thought melts away. I can’t argue with him when he’s looking at me like that.
“You going to stare or you going to do something about it?” I tease when I try to sit up, only for him to gently push me back down. “Or do I just…” Sliding one hand down my stomach, I lift one brow and give him a taunting smirk. “…take care of myself?”
