Wesusedto do kink seriously, before something happened that made him swear it off for good.
When he went silent and glared out the window, I sank back into my seat and gave up. I wasn’t going to force him to open up to me. He clearly didn’t trust me enough with that information. Besides, there was plenty of my past I’d kept locked away too.
Yet, I was hurt. I felt silly and childish for choosing him over Jayne. Maybe, just like with Lorelei, I kept crawling back to Wes because I secretly hoped things would be different this time.
I needed to get it through my head that we were reluctant friends and allies, nothing more.
Several minutes passed, and I used them to daydream plot points and scenes and banter for my novel.
“Nova,” Wes said, ending the silence.
I panned to him. “Yep?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Now isn’t the right time, but I want to explain.”
“Explain what?” I asked, even though I already suspectedwhat.I needed Wes to use his goddamn words for once. Broody stares were not an effective form of communication.
“Why I left the scene,” he said. “Why I am the way I am.”
The corners of my lips tipped up. “Intense and confusing and impossible?”
Wes slowly smiled. “Yeah, exactly.”
“You don’t owe?—”
Wes cut me off. “Actually, I do. Butoweisn’t the right word.” His forehead creased with thoughtfulness. When he next spoke, his voice was softer, his gaze gentler. “I think when it comes to you,deserveis a better word. You deserve to know.”
We angled toward each other, slowly closing more of the space between us. It was subconscious, like we were being controlled by invisible string. Wes glanced at my lips, and his nostrils flared. My own gaze dipped to his open shirt. I released the breath I was holding.
I opened my mouth to ask,why? Why did I deserve to know?
My phone rang, and the moment shattered.
18
NOVA
“Hi Maisy,” I answered with the world’s tightest smile.
“Ohmygod hiii,” she responded, oblivious to my tone. “Are you on your way? You’re with Wes, aren’t you?”
Oh, boy. Was Jayne going to be annoyed I ditched girl time for Wes? Surely not, considering these women’s lives seemed to revolve around men.
“Yep,” I answered. No use lying.
“Oooh. He is quite rude, but very dreamy,” she said. “Are you sure nothing’s going on there?”
Wes chuckled softly.
My cheeks burned. “He can hear you, Maisy. We’re sitting next to each other.”
Wes suddenly looked like he was having the time of his damn life.
Maisy giggled. “Oops. Well, how far out are you?”
“Just under an hour,” Wes answered for me.
“Okay, great. We’ll just beat you there,” Maisy said. She was nearly buzzing. I heard other voices from her end, a few women and men. Someone was singing poorly along with a pop song I didn’t know.
