“Don’t you dare get up, Hellcat.” So I don’t and I settle back against him.
“She was everything to me. When she left us…my family changed. My dad changed. Slowly, things were different around the house. Different security came in. Guys who were meaner and angrier looking. Most of them scared me. Tighter securities went up. Gates, alarms, all that crap.” I shrug. “I just assumed because he was a politician that it was normal. But the more I think about it, the more I know…it’s not.” I want to say so much more, but I hesitate. I’ve already shared so much with him, and I can’t forget that at the end of the day, he’s friends with Julien, who has it out for me.
He takes a deep breath. “When I was seventeen, my brother, Elias, died.”
I lift my head to look at him. He turns and his icy blue eyes stare into mine. “That had to have been really hard.”
He gives a heavy sigh. “Not as hard as the survivor's guilt I’ve had to deal with for the past four years. Doesn’t help that my family blames me and has told me I should’ve died and not him.” His body tenses under mine and he tightens his jaw, swallowinghard. “If I knew it wasn't safe for him to get me that night, I never would have called him. So maybe it is my fucking fault.”
My heart breaks for him. No one should ever be told they should have died. Especially by family, the people that are supposed to love you unconditionally.
I sit up, tossing my leg over him to straddle his hips and take his face in my hands. “That’s not true, Wes. I know I don’t know a lot about you, but I can tell you that you are loyal to a fault, protective, and love deeply. You’re a good person and,” I bite my lip, hesitating on my next words, “I-I like you a lot. You’ve been an asshole to me, but you’ve also shown me a different side of you. And that side, I really like.”
Wesley gives me a cocky grin. “Oh, yeah?” He flips me under him and lowers his head to mine for a kiss. I could get used to rolling around mostly with him. And that thought maybe doesn’t scare me as much as it should.
The ache between my thighs is the only indication of how many times Wesley and I had sex. His breath is still deep and even on my cheek and I slide out of his bed, careful not to disturb him. I’ve gathered from our talks that sleep is more of a hobby than a habit with Wesley. Maybe it’s the same for all the guys. I heard someone slam their bedroom door last night just as Wes brought me to another orgasm and demanded I scream his name. Oops. I hope it was Julien that heard us. The thought makes me smirk.
I freshen up in the bathroom and take a drink of water before tossing on the oversized t-shirt Wesley gave to me last night. After our last round, we were both so exhausted that we fell asleep with him holding me. There was no need for clothing. It’slong enough that I can walk around without feeling too indecent. I don’t want to get back into my jeans just yet.
I wander around, admiring his room. It’s a little disorderly, but not dirty. Our pile of clothes is proudly on display in the middle of the room and brings a smile to my face. Five orgasms! Five. That’s how many times Wes got me off. I have never had that many in one night in my life. My face flames as I think about everything we did last night and I fan myself.Leah and Ava will never believe this.
There’s nothing too exciting in here. A dresser of drawers, desk, king sized bed, closet, and a few knickknacks. The only thing that stands out is a picture of a beautiful woman with two young boys on either side of her. She smiles brightly in the picture. I pick it up and run my finger over the three, instantly picking out Wesley—the little boy with messy hair and a shit-eating grin.
He looks so happy. He can’t be older than eight or nine here.
“That’s my mom.”
I startle and almost drop the frame before catching it and clutching it to my chest. “Jesus, Wes, you scared me.” I place it on his desk and turn to face him. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yeah,” he gives a non-committal answer.
I know he doesn’t want to talk about her. It’s written all over his face. So I decide to change the subject. “I’m starving. Got anything to eat around here?”
He gets up and pulls a shirt over his head and gives me a once over. “You look good wearing my clothes, Hellcat. Better with them off, but no need to give the guys a free show, eh?”
I smack him lightly in the chest and lean into his embrace. Then he takes my hand and leads me downstairs. The smell of freshly brewed coffee has me closing my eyes and smiling at the nutty aroma.
“I definitely need some of that coffee. The stuff in the cafeteria isn’t cutting it.”
“One hot cup coming right up.” He opens the cabinet door, pulls out two mugs, and adds a heaping amount of cream to mine, then hands me the cup. I freeze, my fingers slowly wrapping around the mug when the air changes and I feel someone walk up behind me. The hairs on my arms stand at attention as I pull my shoulders back, waiting for the inevitable fight to happen.
“Mornin’,” Wes says, looking over my shoulder.
We’re greeted with a grunt from the doorway. I turn and put my mug to my lips, blowing on the hot liquid. I stare at Julien, every nerve screaming to step away and closer to Wesley; but I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear.
“Good fight last night,” I offer the olive branch.
“You shouldn’t have been there,” he says, his eyes trained on my mouth as I take a sip.
“Wes invited me.”Jesus, could this man be any less likeable?
“Mmm.” He offers and takes the mug Wesley offers to him without breaking eye contact with me. “Don’t make it a habit of letting your fuck buddies spend the night, Wes.”
I scoff and pop my mouth open as I stare at him in disbelief. He’s joking, right? Like, there’s no way he’s being serious right now.
“Julien Azarian, you can kiss my ass.” I blurt.
His lips draw into a sneer, as if the very thought of touching me was so repulsive he would rather have his toenails removed. “I wouldn’t kiss it, Princess. I’d smack it red and then fuck it. Hard.” He steps into my space, and I press my back against the counter. “You shouldn’t be here,” he repeats.
