Page 118 of The Pact

I’m only half paying attention to his answer. It’s hard not getting distracted by the broad expanse and sculpted planes of Wesley’s tan back. Or his large, powerful arms that frame it. My fingers reach for the camera around my neck and I almost take a picture. But I don’t.

He’s in a testy mood and I don’t want to piss him off more.

“Are you alright with that?” Wes asks. Shit, I didn’t hear him.

My mind races, trying to think of what he might have said—nothing comes to mind. “Uh, yeah. That’s fine,” I answer, hoping that it’s something trivial about food or how long we would be out here.

He glances back, looking unsure. “Why do you have five wolves tattooed on your back?” I try to distract him. It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask and now seems like the best time to do it. “I mean, the Wolfe Creek Four is what I assumed at first. But you have five.”

“No reason,” he states, staring straight ahead. “It’s just what the artist drew up.” Maybe it’s the truth, yet something inside tells me that there was more to the story. He doesn’t trust me with that part of his history yet. I hate that it kind of hurts knowing that.

I speed up a little so that I’m right behind him. Running my hand over the design, I say, “It’s beautiful.” He stills momentarily under my touch. In time, I hope I earn that trust.

The elevation steepens and I think Wesley was right—I needed a few more days to rest. I can’t tell him that, though. I should have listened to what he was talking about when I asked him about the trail instead of getting distracted. How long is it? Is there a specific destination we’re trying to reach?

“Here’s the area I was telling you about. Follow my lead and don’t look down.” What the fuck? I definitely should have been paying attention. Peeking around him, I see a gap in the trail. There’s a small rocky ledge that leads to the other side.

“I-uh…I don’t think I can do that.” He told me not to look down. Still, my eyes are inevitably drawn to the drop off. “Let’s turn around here.”

The words are barely out of my mouth when Wesley’s made it across and is waiting for me. He made it look easy, but anxiety grips my insides. I don’t think I can do it.

“C’mon, blue eyes. You have plenty of room. It’s easily two or three feet wide. You’d have to purposely step off.” His eyes hone in on me, sharply. Wesley’s testing me. He wants to know if I trust what he’s talking about. He wants to see if I have what it takes.

There’s no shame in turning around, yet I don’t. I want to show him I can do it. No, I want to show myself.

Stepping up to the ledge, I examine the wall of rock, searching for places to grip along the path. Breathing out, I place my foot on the ledge. It feels sturdy enough. My other foot follows as my fingers claw into the mountainside. I take baby steps until I’m nearly at the halfway point.

That’s when I make a mistake. My eyes can’t help it. He said not to look down and my brain decided to do it anyway. My vision swims and my breath catches before coming out in short bursts.

“Hey. Hey!” Wesley snaps, trying to get my attention. “Fuck.”

I can hardly hear him around the pounding of my pulse in my ears. My palms feel too sweaty to keep my grip on the rock. Logically, I know that this is just fear, that I’m perfectly fine. Although that emotional part of my mind is overriding everything else. “Wes-Wesley,” I squeak.

In an instant, he’s stepping out onto the ledge and then there’s darkness. His towering body has me pressed safely against the rocky wall while his back faces the steep drop. I panic more and I wrap my arms around him, my nails digging in, afraid he’ll fall.

My entire body is shaking and I can hardly catch my breath. This is how I die. It’s a horrible thought, yet it’s all consuming.

“Thea,” Wesley grits out. “I need you to focus on me.” I want to listen to him, but I’m too scared. I claw deeper into his skin. “Can you feel me breathing? Pay attention to my chest, how it rises and falls.” Somehow, his voice is now completely calm. “Can you feel it?”

I nod, feeling the heavy press of him when he inhales and the lightness of when he exhales. That’s not all I feel. His entire body is pinning me and I notice…his erection. Jesus, Wes. Now’s not the time. If I wasn’t so busy being scared for my life, I’d roll my eyes. Of course, this turns him on.

It actually takes my mind off of the drop below, for a second. Then I refocus on his breathing.

“Perfect. Now, when I inhale, you exhale. When I exhale, you inhale.” I can do that. It takes me a minute to find the rhythm, although once I do it’s like our bodies easily sync. “Good. You’re doing so good. Are you feeling better?”

I am—a little. “Yes, I’m starting to.” My voice is shaky.

“I’m going to get you to the other side, but you have to trust me. Alright?” I know there isn’t another choice. We either have to cross over or go back. Neither is ideal, however, I trust Wesley. “I’m going to slide my foot over, then you slide both of yours.”

I watch as he moves his left foot closer to solid ground. I move both of mine. Then he moves his right. We do this until we make it across.

I nearly fall to my knees and kiss the ground. My hands are on my knees as I take full, deep breaths. Then, I notice something under my nails. Holding them up, I see…blood. Blood!

My hands grip Wesley’s arms and I turn him without explanation as I stare at his back. “Shit,” I gasp as I stare at the long lines of bloody scratches I’ve left on his skin. “I’m so sorry, Wes.”

His head peeks over his shoulder and I’m sure he’s only getting a small glimpse of the damage I’ve done. Wesley’s eyes flick to mine after assessing his back. He lets out an amused chuckle. “I would have liked those scratches to come from us doing something else, but I’ll take it.”

I narrow my eyes. We were on the verge of life or death and he’s so smug about these marks I’ve given him. “Is that why you haven’t fucked me yet? You need some danger with your pussy?” The words are so crass that I surprise myself, but I hold my expression.

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