Page 37 of Weston

“Mmm, I’m ready whenever you are,” she teased, squirming against him, and he chuckled.

God, I love you.He didn’t say the words out loud even though he wanted to so badly. The last thing he wanted to do was put any pressure on her to say them back. When she was ready, she would. Until then, he vowed to let her move at her own pace and not rush her.

He loved her too much to do that.

???

After their romp in the jungle, Wes and Ellie made their way back to the safehouse. Corey had whipped up a taco bar while Wes had fucked her senseless against a palm tree, and she’d definitely worked up an appetite. Now the team was circling it like sharks, filling up their plates.

It didn’t take long for the banter to begin. God, they were a motley crew. Ellie munched on a taco, completely entertained by their antics. When it came to ribbing each other, it seemed like their favorite subject was tossing around the old man jokes.

“I’m telling you guys, he’s sporting a crisis beard.” Lex gave Chaz a smug smile then bit into his third taco. It was so full that one bite caused almost everything to fall out on his plate.

“Crisis beard?” Chaz echoed with a scowl. “I swear to God, you just make this shit up.”

“No, I don’t. You always used to be clean-shaven, but not anymore. That’s the first sign.”

“First sign of what?” Chaz scoffed. “Corey and Xander both have beards.”

“Their beards are different,” Lex insisted.

“You’re an idiot,” Chaz grunted, and everyone laughed.

“Hear me out.” Lex wiped his mouth and swallowed. “Their beards are full and bushy beauties that say ‘I don’t give a fuck,’ while yours is a cry for help. When a normally clean-shaven man stops shaving, it’s to let others around him know he’s fully engaged in resolving said crisis and not worrying about minor things like hygiene. That’s a crisis beard.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Chaz shot back. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“What crisis is Chaz facing?” Jayson asked.

“He’s trying to figure out what to do about Lottie and the magical pull she has over his little man.”

“Fuck off, Battle.” Chaz set his taco down. “There’s nothing little about him.”

“Lottie is off-limits,” Brand stated. “I’ve already made that clear.”

“Who’s Lottie?” Ellie asked, looking from Chaz to the others.

“She’s the little ray of sunshine who works at Old Glory and makes Chaz go all mushy,” Wes told her.

“Mushy? Or hard?” Lex teased.

“She’s too young for me,” he growled. “Besides, she needs someone who will marry her and become an instant stepfather. No thanks. Marriage burned my ass once. I’m never making that mistake again. Besides, I’m no good with kids.”

Even though Chaz was saying one thing, Ellie picked up on something entirely different. He might be bitter from a past relationship, but she saw the longing in his green eyes. If she had to guess, the big, gruff former military man had a massive crush on the waitress and would do anything she asked.

They eased off Chaz and started talking about the mission. The plan was to leave at sunset, so there was still some time to kill. Finishing her taco, Ellie turned to Wes and batted her lashes. She had a mission of her own to accomplish, but she’d need to persuade him to accompany her.

“What?” he murmured, the look on his face telling her he already knew she was up to something.

“Could we take a little field trip before your mission?”

“Where?”

“I’d really like to check on my sea turtles.” Before he could say no, she very softly added, “Please. I want to give them the leftover lettuce from our tacos.”

He sighed and she wondered if he had ever denied her anything. “Fine, but we only have an hour.”

Ellie popped up, a huge grin spreading across her face as both Lex and Chaz lifted their hands into the air, flicked their wrists and made whipping noises.

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