Page 20 of When We Meet Again

“Are you done?” She smirks. I rub my neck, clearly flustered.

“Yes,” I try saying confidently. She takes a step closer to me, close enough that I could reach out and grab her. If I wanted to. Ifshewanted me to. I can smell the remnants of her perfume.A scent that brings me to my knees. Causes me to lose my mind and prevents me from forming coherent sentences.

Her eyes fall to the floor. “You never looked at me like a cougar.” I nod in agreement. “But you’ve also never looked at me the way you did when we were dancing tonight. After you…” Her fingers graze her neck, her lips part and her eyes find mine. “Before I walked away.”

She’s right. She saw right through me. At that moment I wanted her; I was feral for her. The way she smelled of coconut—like a relaxing day at the beach. The way she allowed my hands to glide around her body as she turned, over and over. The way she smiled when my hand was around her neck. Like she wanted more. More of somethingIdid.Imade her feel something.

She takes another step toward me, and I grin in response.

Her hand rests on my chest. She doesn’t look at me, but at where she’s touching me.

“I liked it,” she whispers, barely audible.

I did make her feel something.

Me!

Not Patrick, butme.

Fuck my brother!

I gently take her hand from my chest and back away. Her face falls and she looks away from me.

“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking!” She shakes her head, still not meeting my gaze, but now leaning against the kitchen sink, looking out the window.

“No. No…You didn’t do anything,” I insist, but she’s still turned away from me. I take a few steps toward her and stop at arm's length.

“I was thinking it, too, Kensi. Trust me,” I grab the roots of my hair. “It’s just you’re my brother’s woman, and I know you’re hurting. I don’t want to add any more stress to an already delicate situation.”

She turns, finally, with unshed tears coating her green eyes.

“You don’t have to explain. It was the alcohol. I know something serious would never happen between us, I’m old enough to be your mom.” She laughs as a single tear slides down her cheek. “See? Iamdelicate. So…you’re not wrong there.”

“Damnit, Waverly,” I growl before I pull her into a tight hug and I feel her body shake. “I don’t mean thatyou’redelicate. It’s just that thissituationis delicate.” She doesn’t say anything, and I suddenly feel like I need to tell her everything I’m feeling. Because if my parents taught me anything, it’s to always be honest.

“You’re so strong. Not many people could have handled what happened…what you saw…how you saw Patrick get swept up with the water.” She sniffs and a quiet sob escapes her as she lays against my chest. “I don’t want to be a rebound, Kensi. I’m not saying anything will happen between us in the future, but I’d also be lying if I told you I feel nothing toward you.” She stops moving.

“And you aren’t old enough to be my mom, I mean, I guess, biologically speaking, yes, but you aren’t. The Waverly I met all those years ago…you were living life like you were young. Everyone wanted to be around you. Hell,Iwanted to be around you, but I would never do that. To you or Patrick.”

She pulls away, eyeing the wet spot she left on my chest. “Oh, that’s embarrassing. Let me get you something to clean that off.” I watch her as she pads away. Her shorts leave little to the imagination as they show her toned legs. Seeing my last name on her, knowing it’smyshirt, makes my dick twitch.

“I just keep embarrassing myself. I can’t catch a break,” I hear her voice come, low enough from the bathroom, she probably didn’t want me to hear.

It’s hard to wrap my head around what’s happened tonight. This is not the way I thought this talk would go. I thought I’dapologize and that’d be the end of it. Either she’d forgive me for what my ass-hat friend said, or she wouldn’t. But instead…

A vibration in my pocket snaps me out of my thoughts and I check the caller ID before hitting “Accept” and raising my phone to my ear. My mom’s voice drifts out of the handset, right as Waverly walks back from the bathroom and begins slowly dabbing at my shirt.

“Hi, Mom. What’s up?” I know she’s answering me, but I’m having a hard time concentrating. A set of green eyes penetrate my soul as she wipes her shed tears off my shirt. Her tongue darts out and slowly licks her pink lips like she’s solving a puzzle.

“Did you hear me?” my mom shouts in my ear.

“No. What did you say?” I’m trying not to focus on Waverly’s touch, or the fact that her other hand is resting gently on my hip as if the light touch could hold me in place.

My phone starts ringing next as a FaceTime call.Great.

“Yeah, Mom.” I should have just waited until I got in the car to answer. This just proves I’m not mature enough for the woman in front of me. My mother calls me, and I answer, allowing it to interrupt what was an intimate moment.

“I thought I’d FaceTime you and see what, orwho,is distracting you.” I glance at the green eyes staring at me wide-eyed and turn away.

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