Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
My heart thumped. “I’m very attracted to you, too.”
Maybe I was a glutton for rejection, but I couldn’t help myself lately. “We could…spend one night in the land of make believe and go back to reality tomorrow.” I gnawed on my bottom lip and lowered my voice. “I really want to touch you right now, Wes.”
He let out a loud, painstaking groan. “Fuck.”
“What? Don’t you want to touch me?”
“It doesn’t matter what I want, Juliette.”
“Because of my dad?”
“Because I can’t get involved with someone I’m protecting. That’s dangerous for more than one reason. I need to keep my mind and emotions sharp, not clouded with things that distract me from doing my job.”
Because of the way I grew up, I could understand that, at least in theory. Though in reality, I wasn’t able to let go of my idea. “What about when you’re done protecting me? When I’m no longer your job. Would you let me touch you then?”
Wes abruptly shot upright. “I’m sorry. I need to go sleep on the couch. I can’t stay in the room with you tonight.”
“What? No. What about your mom? What will she think?”
He stood from the bed and grabbed a pillow. “I’ll tell her I didn’t want to wake you with my snoring.”
I rose to my knees on the bed. “No, don’t go. I’ll back off, I promise.”
Wes shifted the pillow to under one arm and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand. When he pulled it from the charger it illuminated, allowing me to see him more clearly. And what I saw made my eyes grow wide. Wes was wearing sweats, but he very obviously had an erection. A long, thick one. I licked my lips.
Wes groaned. “Fuck. Don’t look at me like that, Juliette. I have to go. Now.”
***
The following day felt endless. We attended Wes’s grandmother’s funeral, then flew back to California. By the time we made it to my place, it was almost ten at night, even with the three-hour time change. Things between Wes and I had been strained ever since he’d gone to sleep on the couch last night. He’d pretty much kept three feet of distance between us at all times. Before we boarded the plane, we’d had two aisle seats across from one another. But when we’d checked in, Wes had moved to a window seat so there was a man separating us for the entire six-hour flight.
It was finally just the two of us in my house now, yet it still felt like we were a mile apart.
I fixed myself a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, vanilla ice cream, and caramel syrup, and offered to make one for Wes. Instead of his usual sarcasm about what I was eating, he politely declined. I’d turned the air conditioning off before we left, so it was a zillion degrees in the house, yet Wes didn’t take off his shirt, even though sweat beaded on his forehead.
I couldn’t take the awkwardness anymore and was trying to figure out how to fix what I’d done to us when my phone rang. It was my mom. Ten here meant one AM at home, so I quickly swiped to answer. “Hi, Mom. Is everything okay?”
“Other than having one week left in my fifties, it’s fine.”
“You don’t look like you’re even fifty yet, so no one has to know.”
She sighed. “I feel old.”
“Are you sure everything is okay? You don’t usually call so late.”
“Everything’s fine, sweetie. Your dad asked me today what I wanted for my birthday next week, and I told him I wanted to be off lockdown and see my baby. I miss you.”
I’d been so wrapped up in myself, I hadn’t given any thought to the idea that my mom was likely on lockdown, too. My heart squeezed. “I miss you, too, Mom.”
“Good. Because I booked us a spa day at some fancy place in Beverly Hills.”
“Oh. Okay. That sounds great. You’re coming to LA then?”
“I am.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. Or rather today, since it’s past midnight here.”
“You’re coming…tomorrow?”
“I take off at seven AM New York time. Dad booked me a private flight. I’m packing as we speak. It’ll be a quick trip, but I want to see you.”
“Wow. Okay.” I had a million things to do now that I was finally back home, but I guess it would all still be there after she left. I tried to sound enthusiastic, though I had mixed feelings about my mom coming for a visit. Our relationship had been strained the last few years. Unfortunately, my disconnecting from my father’s life had spilled over to my mom’s life as well. “That’s great, Mom. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I should be to you about noon, your time.”
“Perfect.”
“Gotta pack. See you soon, baby.”
“Goodnight, Mom. Safe travels.”
Wes came into the kitchen just as I hung up the phone. I sighed. “You might want to prepare for a storm that’s rolling in tomorrow.”