Page 24 of Hunted
“And I can’t lose you,” he whispers before turning me around to face him. “Baby, you’ll exhaust yourself and drown if you keep this up. Steve could be anywhere; it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry, Zee. You can hate me for this, but I won’t let you kill yourself out here.” Before I can respond, he lifts me up and throws me over his shoulder, his large arm banding around my legs so I can’t move.
“No! West! Put me down!” I try hitting his back, but he doesn’t seem to notice. I push myself partially upright so I can see the ocean he’s taking me from. “Steve!” I yell, my eyes scanning the water as if I expect him to suddenly make his appearance known to me. “STEVE!”
“What’s going on?” I hear Bower’s voice and try to turn to face him, but Weston has me firmly in place.
“She’s having a panic attack,” Weston tells him.
Tears of frustration stream down my face as I yell, “No! I just need Steve! Then everything will be fine! Let me go!”
“Maybe youshould—”
“No,” Weston says, cutting Bower off firmly. “If I put her down, she’ll run right back out into the ocean. I’m not gonna let her drown herself.”
I scream for him to let go as I try to wiggle free. I hear all of their voices around me as we step up onto the beach, but I can’t focus on any of them. I just see myself getting further and further away from my rock.
Reece comes into view behind me. “Darla, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“You threw him away! He was my best friend, and you just tossed him a-away!” My voice cracks on the last word, tears streaming down my face. I don’t care that Reece looks heartbroken and guilty. That doesn’t make me feel any better. If anything, I feel worse, knowing I’m upsetting him, too.
I turn my head away, not wanting to see his expression anymore, and my eyes connect with Kingsley’s. My whole body freezes in that moment. He looks upset and worried, and something about that breaks me.
A huge sob bursts free as my emotions overwhelm me. I struggle to breathe in this position and Weston must notice because he carefully places me on my feet. When he stands up and looks down at me, all I can think is that I’m falling apart and he’s the one I need to hold me together right now.
I jump up into his arms, wrapping myself around him as I cry into his neck, hiding my face from everyone else. He doesn’t disappoint. He holds me tightly, his large hand slowly stroking up and down my back in a soothing manner.
I cry as I think about Kingsley, how he looked at me with concern, but only minutes before, I was sure he was having second thoughts about us. The truth was, I have no idea what he was thinking, and I’ve probablyjust made this whole problem up in my head, but it’s like my thoughts keep spiraling out of control.
Even the thought that I was wrong makes me cry harder, knowing that by freaking out, I’ve probably pushed him away. Who wants to be with a mess like me? Maybe Weston does. He’s still here, giving me what I need, and saving me from my panic and almost drowning.
That reminds me of Steve and the fact that I’ll never see him again. I know he’s just a rock, but he’smyrock. And yesterday wasn’t the first time he’s killed for me. In some ways, I felt like if I give him a name and a personality, then it’s like he’s the killer, not me.
I cry and sniffle against Weston for what feels like an eternity, and as I start to calm down and come back to myself, I notice there’s something warm and firm against my back. As I try to figure out what it is, my eyes blink open, feeling swollen and sore. It’s dark out now, only a small amount of light reaching us where we lay, inside the hut.
Realizing I must have fallen asleep, I try to wipe my face, then tilt my head up and see Weston’s gorgeous hazel eyes staring back down at me.
His hand slides up until he’s cupping my cheek, his thumb wiping away the last of my tears.
“Please don't hate me,” he whispers.
My eyes widen in surprise. “Hate you?Weston, I could never hate you, I love you.”
Relief covers his face as a small smile graces his luscious lips. Slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted to, he moves closer until his lips are hovering over mine. “I love you, too, baby.” He presses his lips to mine and my body instantly melts against him.
When his tongue makes its presence known, I moan, my fingers digging into his chest. He has a small amount of hair here, and the roughness of it, the sheer manliness of it, has my core heating instantly.
I lift my leg and wrap it around his waist as I start to grind against him, my core seeking out his hardness.
He groans, his fingers digging into my thigh as he pushes against me. The second his hardness rubs against my core, I whimper against him as I try to push him to his back, but he resists.
“Baby,” he whispers, resting his forehead against mine as we both pant heavily. “As much as I’d like to take this further with you, we’re not alone in here.”
I take a moment to absorb what he’s saying. If it was only Bower, I wouldn’t hesitate to keep going. But Reece and I have only just started being friends again, and I’m not sure where I stand with Kingsley. Having sex with Weston, especially for the first time, shouldn’t be under those conditions.
“Okay.” I nod, reluctantly unhooking my leg from him.
