Page 74 of Sweet Temptation

“I never did ask; did you ever find a suitable rebound on Anna’s list?”

His question caught me off guard, and I swallowed. Why was he bringing up the list? And why now, when we were dancing so close to one another? When he had to bring his lips so close to my neck whenever he spoke? When I was already being tempted by so many dangerous thoughts about him?

Somehow, I managed to act unaffected, and I rolled my eyes. “I told you I wasn’t going to use the list. Besides, the options Anna suggested were terrible.”

“Who was on there?” Wes chuckled, but his serious eyes suggested he really wanted to know the answer.

“Practically half the senior class. She even annotated it to tell me which guys she’d kissed herself and how good they were. I think she thought she was doing me a favor.”

“She is committed. I’ll give her that.”

I tilted my head as I stared at him. “Why are you asking about the list?”

His eyes practically glittered as he looked over me, and his gaze tugged on something deep in my gut. “I just hope you know you deserve someone great. Not some random name off a list. Even though you could get any guy on that list without trying, especially looking like you do tonight.”

My heart stuttered. It wasn’t just the compliment that was making it hard to breathe. It was the way he was looking at me, like perhaps he’d been having dangerous thoughts tonight about me too.

“What about the guys that aren’t on the list?” The question was out of my mouth before I could consider it, and Wes’s hands tightened on my lower back in response.

He brought his lips in close to my ear. “The guys that aren’t on the list too.”

A thrill ran down my neck. I wasn’t sure what was happening between Wes and I, and I had no idea where it had come from. The only thing I knew was I liked it.

His eyes were heated as he pulled back to look at me. He definitely wasn’t looking at me like I was simply his friend, and this felt like more than a little harmless flirting. He started to speak, but then something behind me caught his attention, and his voice drifted off, his eyebrows pulling in a frown.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw he was watching a girl dancing behind me. The girl had waist-length black hair and was practically glued to the guy she was dancing with. When she started to kiss him, I felt Wes tense, and I spun back to face him.

“Who—” I cut myself off when I saw the total devastation in his eyes.

Wes started to back away before he turned and rushed off the dance floor. I quickly raced after him, having to push and shove past people as I tried to keep up. He didn’t return to the VIP section. Instead, he made his way to the front of the club. The cool night air hit me as I followed him outside. My ears were still ringing from the deep beat of the music, but the gentle sounds of traffic were a welcome relief.

Wes was already partway down the street, and I hurried after him, my heels echoing through the night air as they hit the concrete. “Wes?” I called out. “Wes, slow down.”

He didn’t seem to hear me. It wasn’t until I finally managed to grab hold of his arm that he stopped. He turned to me with agony thick in his eyes.

I sucked in a breath as I realized there was only one person who could have made him react that way. “That was Sarah back there, wasn’t it?”

He slowly nodded, his hands reaching up to grip his hair in frustration. “I thought she broke up with me because of the distance. I didn’t realize there was someone else…”

I hated seeing him this way. Wes was always so sweet and put together, but right now he was a total wreck. I didn’t blame him for feeling that way. I’d be the exact same if I were in his shoes.

“Are you sure it was her?” I asked. It had been dark in the club, and all I’d been able to see was the back of the girl’s head.

“It was her.”

I swallowed, trying to ignore the way his voice broke as he spoke. “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think,” I murmured. “Just because she kissed someone at a club doesn’t mean they’re serious. Maybe she’s like you and hurting too?”

He wiped a hand down his face as he groaned. “That doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“I know.” I didn’t know what else to say to make him feel better.

I pulled him into a hug, and he grasped me back tightly like I was the only thing holding him together. I could hear his pain in his ragged breath. I could feel it in the way his muscles had seized up.

“I’m sorry, Wes. I’m so, so sorry,” I murmured as I held him.

He slowly pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I just want to forget,” he said. “I want to forget her, the pain, hell, I’d forget my own name right now if I could. I—”

I didn’t wait for him to continue. His every word was a bleeding wound, a deep gash in his chest that I needed to heal. There was only one way I thought I could help him in this moment, and I didn’t hesitate as I lifted myself against him and pressed my lips to his.

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