He let out a deep exhale, finally looking away. Jeez, that sounded heavy. “Is there anything going on between you and Cooper?”
“What?” I swore I heard him wrong.
“Do you have feelings for him?” Wesley questioned. “I’d get it if you want to be dancing with him instead.”
I blinked up at him, my mouth open as I shook my head slowly. “Why would you—no, I don’t have feelings for Cooper. I’m friendly with him because he’s your best friend and one of the handful of people I know here tonight. If I wanted to be dancing with him, I would be. But I’m not, because I want to be dancing with you.”
His shoulders visibly relaxed at my words. Interesting.
“Is that—were you jealous?”
The muscle in Wesley’s jaw twitched. “No, of course, I wasn’t jealous.”
“I can’t believe you were jealous!”
A low growl left him, and he pulled me closer into his chest, a satisfied smile on my face.
The music quickly picked up.
“You ready?” Wes asked.
I looked up at him, confused. “Ready for—” I started to ask but was cut off when he stepped back. He held on to my hand but dropped the one that had been on my waist.
He spun me around. Once. Twice. Before pulling me into his arms, my back against his chest.
Wesley Richards was full of surprises.
I leaned my head against his chest, tipping it back to sneak a look at him as we swayed. We didn’t stay in that position for long—unfortunately—before Wes spun me again, unraveling his hold on me. The whole time, I couldn’t stop smiling. My cheeks were even starting to hurt.
We stepped and moved our bodies in a casual rhythm, his shoulders relaxing. Wes was focusing on us—nothing else mattered.
As the song started to wrap up, Wes gave me a final slow spin, pulling me close and firmly placing his hand on my lower back as he dipped me.
I tipped my head back with a laugh, and when I looked back up at him, he was grinning down at me. A full-fledged grin that made him even more devastatingly handsome, if that was even possible. Maybe it was good he didn’t smile often. I didn’t know if I could take it.
“How did you…” I stammered, unable to find the words.
He pulled me back up. His grin softened, but he was still smiling. “You’ve kept me on my toes all summer. Thought it was time I repaid the favor.”
I gave his chest a gentle push and immediately regretted it. Because his chest was a wall of solid muscle I wanted to drag my nails down.
“Well, you certainly did. That was…really nice.” The song was replaced with a slower one, couples now drawing closer and swaying together. I licked my lips. “We don’t—” I started at the same time Wes pulled me closer. His hands found the same position as before—one on my waist and the other holding my hand—but he was more confident this time. His grip even moved down ever so slightly so he was holding on to my hip instead. It was a hot summer night, and yet I craved Wesley’s warmth.
“You wanted to dance, so we’re dancing.”
“You said one dance wouldn’t kill you, but what about another?”
“I’ll be fine, Juliette.”
I rolled my lips, hiding my smile, and nodded. “Okay.” I stepped closer to him, tempted to rest the side of my head against his chest as “Love You Anyway” by Luke Combs played through the speakers.
I’d heard this song countless times, but it was the first time I truly listened to the lyrics. About loving someone even if you knew it was going to end in a broken heart. About how it’s worth it anyway.
A lump formed in my throat, and tears welled in my eyes. Something about being in Wes’s arms in this moment, dancing to this song, and knowing this all had an expiration date caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it, just like I didn’t expect him.
“What’re you thinking about?” He dipped his head closer to me, his forehead nearly resting on mine. His low voice was barely a whisper above the music, but it vibrated through my body and cut through my thoughts.
I let out a shaky exhale, keeping my eyes down. I didn’t want him to see me like this.Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking about howI like you more than I realized and how this is all going to end when summer does. So, even if this did turn into something, it would only be temporary. The very thing you don’t want.
