Page 119 of The Pact

He turns to face me. I don’t know what I expect—surprise, challenge, or maybe annoyance. Instead, Wesley’s raking his teeth over his bottom lip and eyeing me up and down. I want to roll my eyes, but he looks so fucking hot with that messy hair and my marks on his body.

“Maybe I’ll start calling you kitten. All claws and sass wrapped up in that cute package.” He laughs as I push past him to continue up the path. “You don’t even know where we’re going,” he calls out after me.

“Only one way up, Wesley. I’m sure I’ll manage.”

Any annoyance I’m harboring for Wes fades when we reach the landing, where he tells me to stop. We’re on a flat rock that looks out over the slope of the mountain. I feel like a speck staring out over the vast expanse of greenery.

“Look behind you,” Wesley says, bending down close to me.

I turn and off in the distance I see pops of yellow, pink, orange, and red against vibrant green. The flowers. The ones he left in a vase on my nightstand.

I glance back at him, my jaw slack and eyes wide.

“I thought you might want to take pictures of them,” he explains, nudging me towards them. How—how did he know?

That’s a question for later. I hurry towards the blooms and hear his laughter behind me. I must spend an hour taking photos and to anyone else, each one will look the same, but they’re all different to me.

My stomach grumbles. It’s the only reason I decide to take a break.

I join Wesley on the flat rock where he’s been sitting and staring out over the edge while I’ve been busy. Grabbing my bag, I pull out two containers, handing one to him.

I think this is our thing. He takes me on a hike and I pack a lunch for us. It’s simple, yet something about it feels profound.

“Pasta salad,” I tell him. “Gluten-free pasta. I hope you don’t mind.” He takes it and thanks me. We eat quietly, enjoying the view. I have a million thoughts rolling around in my head, none of which I’m sure he’ll answer. But it’s worth a try.

“How did you know I’d want to take pictures of the flowers?” I take a bite of food to distract me, in case he decides on silence.

Glancing over at me, he smirks. “Sutton’s idea.” I stop chewing.

Of course, Sutton would know this was something I’d like. The fact he’d share that with Wesley, he’d let him take credit, makes my heart tingle.

“Well, thank you for bringing me here. This is exactly what I needed after…” I don’t want to finish. We both know the things I could list.

Wes nods. “How are you holding up?” I shove another bite into my mouth, this time to avoid answering. “I’ve got all the time in the world, blue eyes.”

I finish chewing and give in. “Let’s see. I no longer have a best friend to talk to. My ex is stalking me. And half of the guys I’m dating hardly want to touch me. So yeah, I’m just peachy.” I throw him a sarcastic smile, then immediately feel guilty. He didn’t deserve that. “Sorry,” I mumble.

Wesley takes a swig from his water bottle and is silent for a few minutes before speaking. “I don’t need danger to fuck you,” he offers. My body freezes. “There are things I like that…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to scare you.”

I put my food down. I think I know what he means. “Like the scratching and biting?” I ask gently. His smooth jaw tightens—he’s holding back. Trust issues.

“Yeah. Although that isn’t all of it.” My curiosity’s piqued. Admittedly, the mark he left on my thigh had me smiling for days afterwards. Whenever I caught a glimpse of it or my legs rubbed together a little too closely, my bruised skin would ache and that familiar throbbing in my clit would start up. It’s been a reminder of that night in the theater room. I’ve been eager for our next encounter.

I reach a hand out, unsure at first if he’ll be okay with me touching him. He seems so guarded lately.

I push past that hesitation and rest my fingers on his arm. “Wes, I loved what you did to me that night.” Saying it out makes me blush. “I’m not sure what else you like, but you can trust me. I won’t judge you. Let me be the one to decide if it’s something I want to explore with you.”

He tilts his head to look at me, judging my words against my face to see if I speak the truth. After a few moments, his shoulders sag. “I like getting my adrenaline pumping. It excites me.” The first thing that comes to mind is the feeling of his excitement when we were on the ledge. He must take my silence as ignorance. “God, this is so fucking embarrassing,” he mutters, hanging his head in his hands. “I want to chase you, catch you, pin you down.”

Chase me? My mind churns with his revelation. “Like a predator chasing prey?”

Wes lifts his head, eyeing me, and I know that’s absolutely what he means. I nod in understanding. I’m unsure of what to think. That’s not something I’ve ever done. Still, for him, I could try it.

“Yeah, exactly like that,” he confirms.

I tread carefully, not wanting him to feel judged. “So, you want me to be…what? The hare and you’ll be the fox?”

He laughs. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. I wasn’t expecting that. You’re so sweet sometimes.” I’m thankful that he’s lightening up.

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