Page 83 of The Pact

My eyes traveled lower, landing on his ass. Fuck, Thea. Tearing my gaze away, I admired the tattoo on his back instead. A pack of wolves with a forest in the background and the sun rising over mountains. Beautiful. My first thought was that the wolves signify him and his brothers, although I counted five, not four. It must mean something else.

While that’s the first time seeing his back tattoo, I’ve noticed the others covering his arms. On one, there’s a dark forest scape with trees, misty mountains, and a river flowing over rocks, ending at his wrist. It reminds me of the Toccoa River that flows through their backyard.

The other arm is lighter, filled with delicate lines that create the illusion of an old style map. Continents take up his forearm, from his wrist to just above his elbow. Over his bicep and shoulder, there are two faces conjoined at the back of their heads, facing away from each other. A large twisted serpent, a giraffe, and a cherub surround the faces.

Thud.

The sound pulled me from my fixation on his body. Wesley’s feet hit the floor. Oh shit. He turned to see me standing there like a creep, making my cheeks flush.

Pulling out his phone, he paused the music. “You ready?” He didn’t ask why I was standing there not saying anything—he didn’t care. Why would he?

“I-uh…yes. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he pulled a shirt over his head and walked towards me. Wesley didn’t stop until he was in front of me and bending down. It took me off guard, but then I noticed he was grabbing a backpack laying against the wall. Slipping his arms through the straps, he straightened and looked at me expectantly.

His dark eyes staring intensely as I watched a bead of sweat drip down his neck, disappearing beneath his shirt.

“Are you going to move?”

Suddenly, I realized I was blocking the door. My eyes closed as I groaned internally. Yep, I’m a creep.

Fast forward, over an hour later, and aside from his occasional, “You good?” and my, “Yes” we haven’t talked much.

We come to a flat rock clearing and Wesley stops, admiring in the view overlooking the foothills and mountains beyond. “We’ll take a break here and then head back.”

He slings his bag to the ground, plops down and rustles around inside before pulling out some kind of snack bar. He hands it to me, noticing it’s gluten-free.

I smile, then quickly pull it back.

Unzipping the backpack I brought, I retrieve a container and hand it to him. “What’s this?” He opens the lid and gives me a look of confusion mixed with surprise.

“I hope you like what’s in there. I wasn’t sure how you take your salad, so I made my favorite. There’s grilled chicken, black beans, corn, cilantro, a little rice, and…” I dig for a smaller container and hand it to him. “Some salsa for dressing.” I pull an identical container out and give him a fork.

I don’t wait to see if he’ll eat it as I dig into mine and stare out at the view in front of me. After a couple of bites, I put my camera to work and take some phenomenal pictures. I’ll probably even hang one next to the mountain photo in my living room.

Glancing over, I see Wesley’s devoured his food and I fight back a grin. He slides his gaze to me. “Thank you. That was good.”

I simply nod. I thought that surprising him earlier would have made him open up a little. It didn’t seem to work. It may have pushed him away more. Maybe even made him upset. Thinking back to the conversation I overheard and what I know about Wesley, he’s guarded. That’s something I fully understand.

“I’m sorry if kissing your cheek earlier made you uncomfortable.” I’m unable to look at him when I say it, afraid of the glare I’ll get. “I was just…”

“Trying to make Damian jealous?” He says it plainly, not upset or irritated.

I push my salad around with my fork before meeting his eyes. “Yeah. I guess. I don’t know how to do this. To be everything each of you needs. Sutton and Cole are easier, but…” I pause, realizing that I’m spilling all of my inner thoughts out.

“It’s fine. You can say it.” He encourages, pulling his knees up to his chest. Somehow, it makes him appear small. Vulnerable even.

“You and Damian are harder to decipher. I don’t know where I stand with either of you. Some days it feels like I’m making headway and other days it feels like I’m back at square one. It’s tiring. Maybe this isn’t for me.” I look away from him, watching a bird circle in the sky. “Cassie was right…”

I hear him shift. “About what?”

I’m not sure why I say it. Wesley and I don’t have any sort of deep connection. Perhaps that’s what makes the words easier to admit. “Just something about how much it’d hurt to have my heart broken by four guys. It’s probably better to get it over with now, since it would only be by two of you.” Saying it out loud hurts. I don’t want to lose Cole or Sutton. It’s painful to even think about.

A tear betrays me and rolls down my cheek. I hate the weakness they’ve caused in me.

Closing my eyes, I try to force away the stinging. I flinch when I feel something brush against my skin. My lids open to find Wesley reaching across the distance, his thumb wiping away the trail of wetness. The gesture steals my breath.

“You really care, don’t you?” He asks, almost in disbelief.

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