Page 26 of Bodied

It had been so long since Lauren talked — really talked — to a friend in person that she had to pinch herself. This felt like one of those dreams she sometimes regretted waking up from. She and Wesley had been talking so long that the sun had set and the light had grown dim. Normally, she would have gone around and turned on every lamp in her apartment, but she was enjoying the ambiance this evening.

“It’s good to have a friend to talk to,” she said to Wesley, whose arm was still around her shoulders. “Everyone I know around here only talks to me to get closer to my mom. I’m their foot in the door, I guess. Maybe that’s why I trust you.” She smiled up at him. “Because you hated me from the beginning, and you were already close to my mom, so you didn’t need me for anything.”

It was evening now, and the only light that trickled into her apartment came from the other buildings outside. Raindrops pattered against the window and sent the light streaking in patterns down the walls. Wesley tightened his arm around her shoulders, and Lauren could have sworn she heard his breath catch.

“I didn’t hate you from the beginning,” he murmured.

“It’s totally okay,” she said. “I know I can be an acquired taste.”

“You’re not an acquired taste, and I didn’t hate you from the beginning,” he repeated. His fingers pressed hard into her skin, and she could have sworn she felt him tremble right before he finally snapped. He turned on her and pressed his forehead to hers for a split second before his mouth covered hers completely.

This kiss was far from Lauren’s first. She’d messed around with strangers at parties and the occasional boyfriend. First kisses were always fun, but after a while, they all seemed to blend together. This one, on the other hand, had her toes curling in her shoes and her hands curling into a claw shape, digging into his muscular arms. However much she tried to deny how long she’d wanted this to happen, her body was not going to allow it. She clung to him, opened her mouth, and let his tongue past her lips. He tasted amazing, exciting, like youth and vacation and rebellion all at once. He tasted like freedom.

She pulled back to take a breath, and he took the moment to explain. “From the beginning, I thought you were beautiful. I didn’t hate you. I misjudged you, but… I wanted you. You… You’re beautiful.”

Lauren could tell he was lost for words, so she just said, “You’re cute,” and kissed him even harder.

He was solid, heavy, and his strength shone through with each and every movement. His hand wandered from her arm to her side, from her side to her breast. He muttered, “This is a bad idea,” under his breath.

“A terrible idea,” Lauren agreed while she pushed a hand up his shirt. He was so warm, and she wanted to feel more of his skin. It didn’t take him long to take the hint and remove his shirt and undershirt. His physique left her breathless. Why this man was working in security and not modeling menswear, Lauren had no idea. She ran one hand from his throat to his stomach, and not one inch of him was soft.

He pushed her down and settled beside her, kissing and pressing into her. “The worst idea I’ve ever had,” he said.

“So, does that mean you’re cool with making a huge mistake right now?”

“Ask me again in the morning.” His mouth was at her throat now, and one hand was wrapped around her thigh. He slid his fingers up past the skirt she was wearing and teased her at the edges of her underwear. Then he paused and hovered over her. “Are you cool with making one?”

“Didn’t anyone tell you? Huge mistakes are my specialty.” She laughed.

But Wesley wasn’t laughing. He dove into her hungrily, passionately, like he could never, ever get enough of her. After another minute of teasing her, he finally pulled her shirt and bra off. Every time he dipped down to kiss her, his skin brushed against her breasts, and the sensation drove her crazy.

He stripped her, one article at a time. He pulled her underwear off in one smooth motion, and then his hand was back under her skirt again, teasing her and applying pressure in all the right places. She reached down to reciprocate and gasped. He was… surprising, and she was already aching for him.

It didn’t take him long to get the rest of her clothes off and his as well. They were both so wrapped up in each other, they didn’t even bother to go to bed. Lauren didn’t care. The light filtering through the rain and streaking on the walls was mood lighting enough. The patter of raindrops on the glass of her windows was the best music. And the sound of Wesley kissing her skin in so many places, moaning whenever she shifted under him, was the perfect accompaniment.

She wasn’t sure when the last time he had been with a woman was, but the way he moved, she would have guessed he was an expert. He gave her the perfect amount of touch, paid close attention to all her cues, and waited until she was practically begging for him before he gave her his whole self. He was buried in her, wrapped in her legs, adding his weight to her body. The whole couch moved with him as he made love to her.

For one beautiful moment, everything in her life — all the stress and worries, every awful thing weighing her down — just disappeared and floated away. Lauren saw stars and couldn’t keep her voice to herself. The sound of her pleasure seemed to fuel his. He swelled, groaned, and she heard him lose his mind as he finished. She followed shortly after him, and then she melted into her couch.

His body was blanketed over her when he wrapped his arms around her and held her. It felt so good to just lose herself in that hug. All her walls had come down, but she still felt safe. That wasn’t something that had ever happened for her before. Suddenly, everything about what Wesley did for her started to make sense.

Lauren couldn’t open up until she felt safe, and already, he made her feel safer than anyone else in her life. It wasn’t just because he was her personal bodyguard, although that didn’t hurt matters. She got the impression he would protect her whether he was working for her mom or not. He had come to pick her up before he was even on the clock, after all. When she asked him to give her a ride home, he hadn’t even hesitated. He hadn’t complained about working in his off hours. He hadn’t even asked her if there was someone else she could call first. He’d just shown up, like a real friend… like a real boyfriend, even.

Oh, no.Was she really falling for him? What if this was more than just a passing attraction? Did he feel the same? And why was she overanalyzing everything so soon after coming down from paradise? Silly questions, really. She wrapped her arms around him, too, and held on to him like he might fall off the couch if she didn’t. It was a good excuse, anyway — a good reason to be so clingy. Deep down, though, she knew her clinginess had nothing to do with him possibly falling off the couch, and everything to do with her absolutely falling for him.

Lauren dozed next to Wesley, waking once to hear him snoring lightly beside her. He had fallen asleep in her arms, and something about that did her in completely. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into a deep sleep right along with him.

All her dreams were sweet that night, and she slept like a bear in winter.

* * *

When Lauren woke the next morning, she was still tangled up in Wesley’s arms. But he was already awake, staring at her. At some point in the night, he appeared to have snagged a blanket from her easy chair and thrown it over both of them. He had, apparently, then decided to wrap himself around Lauren again, and keep her close throughout the night.

The whole thing was more romantic than Lauren could stand. Had it been a movie, she would have rolled her eyes and criticized the director for creating a wholly unbelievable scene. But this was real. She was right here, and still, Lauren couldn’t believe it.

“You slept well,” Wesley said with a smile. He hadn’t asked, she noted. He’d simply told her.

“Wait. Were you watching me all night?”

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