Page 61 of All the Promises We Break

The greater realization is that we, neither one of us, stopped to ask about one key point. “Hayley?” I finish settling my belt buckle and slide my hand into my pockets. “I’m sorry.” Her face falls a bit. God, I’m an idiot. “Stop. No.” I stare into her eyes. “I’m not sorry in any way for what just happened.”

“Then what?”

“We didn’t… I mean… I didn’t stop to protect you.”

“Wes, that’s not just on you. That’s on me too. I could have asked. I could have taken care of it too. Just tell me, do I need to be worried about anything?”

I kiss the tip of her nose. “I know what my reputation is. I know what my past is, but I would never lie to you about this. Yes, Hayley, you’re safe.”

She places another soft kiss on my lips as she floats back off the desk to the floor. Instinctively I pull her into my arms again. My hands lie gently across her back as she twirls a couple of the hairs at the base of my neck in her fingers. “You’re safe too.”

“I never doubted you for a second. So, is this for sure going to be our secret for now?” I ask.

“I want to keep this still just for us, for now. Is there anything else you want or need to tell me?”

“No. I mean it. No promises. No lies. Those are rules I can live with, Merlin.”

Hayley giggles again. “Merlin?”

“Well. All those in the inner circle…”

“No pun intended,” she laughs.

I growl. She knows she’s got me. “Well, if I’m going to continue to talk about you without talking about you, I’ve given you a call sign. You’re Merlin to me. Because without being about as fucking cheesy as I get, we were just fucking magic.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hayley

It’s so much easier to be this way with Wes than to be angry. His charm and everything else I love about him so much wasn’t enough to override being lied to. He knows that now. I also know that I’m not just someone he’s passing time with. Not only could I tell by his words how he feels about me, but I can also see it in his actions.

If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have apologized a million times. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have pursued me. We’re finally at a real place. We could have been seen. He didn’t care and neither did I. Today isn’t the day, but we’ll have to decide soon how to approach Eli.

We emerge from the hallway as Wes is still working on my covered button that popped just above my zipper. We hold hands as we walk back toward the party. The closer we get; his hand slips out of mine and to my back. He ushers me back to the dance floor while we hold each other close.

Other than my dad, Eli, Pops, or Sam, Wes is my only other partner. The bartender did end up asking for my number, but I told him I was seeing someone. I am.

All of our hotel rooms were in a block on the same floor. Eli and Dylan’s suite was at the far end, Wes and I are across the hall from each other in the middle, and the rest of the family is at the far end. Once I know everyone’s in for the night, I walk across the hall to knock on Wes’s door.

He opens it quickly. His jacket is now gone, his shoes and socks are gone, and his tie is hanging loose around his neck. I've always thought Wes was good-looking. Now, he’s become sexy and all I want to think about.

“What took you so long?” he asks.

I duck in under his arm. “I wanted to make sure the coast was clear. Now, would you like to take this dress off me?”

“Fuck, I really would.”

Wes shuts and locks the door.

Inside this room there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. Inside this room we’re together and that’s all that matters.

I stretch my arms out in front of me before my eyes open. Wes’s arms tighten around my body with just the slightest movement. I slide my cheek up and down his bicep, while my palms rest over the back of his hands. “I hate daylight,” he groans.

“I know. I don’t want to move either. Promise you won’t laugh if I tell you something.”

“I promise,” he whispers, as he nibbles on my earlobe.

“I didn’t know sex could be so amazing.”

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