Page 36 of Tell Me You Need Me

“We drove here,” Willa points out. “And I don’t drive, so I can’t drive it back.” I’d been thinking that too. I know West isn’t letting me out of his reach right now. I can see it in his eyes, and honestly, I don’t want to be. I’m still a bit shaken up.

“I’ll handle your car,” West says, placing his hand on my hip.

“No one will touch it,” King adds. “And I’ll take Willa home.”

“She can come with us,” I say quickly. I don’t know who this King guy is, but it’s clear he is majorly in charge around here. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to be bossing Willa or me around.

“I want to stay.” Willa takes half a step back. I'm not sure if she even realizes she's doing it. It’s in King’s direction.

“Your brother will lose his mind.” He’s gone to change. I guess when West burst down the door Derrick took me through, people started to notice that something was going on.

“I can do what I want.” Willa's eyes bore into mine, and our conversation from the diner pops right into my head.

“All right, but I want his number.”

“Give me your phone, princess.” Willa hands over her phone to King once it has been unlocked. He navigates to her messages, clicks on my name at the top, and sends it. “Now you have it too.” Her cheeks flush as he hands her the phone back. I suppose that is that.

“You sure?” West asks me.

“Willa can do as she wants.” He nods.

I give Willa a hug, and I let West lead me from the warehouse back to his vehicle.

"I don't want to hide us," I tell him as we make our way back toward home.

"Good," he says, giving my thigh a gentle squeeze, his hand resting there.

“You don’t worry about what might come of this or what others might say?”

“I don’t care, Teddy; there is nothing I want more than you, and I’ll do anything to have you.”

“I love you,” I blurt out.

“Teddy.” He flicks a glance over at me. “You say that when I’m driving and can’t touch you?”

“Sorry, it kind of popped out. Been holding it back.”

“Never hold back from me. I love you too. Think I have from day one.” I place my hand on top of his as he passes through the gate.

"If you're going to your place to grab stuff, I'm coming with you," he tells me when he parks.

“We’ll get all my stuff tomorrow.”

“All your stuff.” West turns to face me.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to my mom. I’m not sneaking around anymore.”

“What if she isn’t happy about all of this?”

“She’ll have to learn to deal.” Mom may be upset or worried, but in time she’ll get over it.

West leans in and kisses me. “Come on. I want to get the blood off of us.”

He takes my hand, leading me inside through the side door. I hear music when we enter, followed by my mom laughing. She must be cooking.

When we step around the corner, I see Jack and my mom dancing. He spins her, and she twirls back, resting her hand on his chest, extremely close. Intimately so. When he leans down to kiss her, I'm pretty sure my mouth drops open.

West and I are both standing there, seemingly in shock.

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