Page 81 of Unhinged Magic
I nodded, and he slid his jacket off, wrapping it around my shoulders.
We carefully made our way back to the house until we stood beneath the overhanging veranda. He motioned to the front door. “You should go inside,” he insisted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweats.
I hesitated before speaking. He was soaked. I couldn’t let him walk home. “Stay with me. Please?” I whispered.
He stared at me as if trying to find another meaning to my words. Ran a hand through his matted hair. “Are you sure?”
“I need you,” I blurted out without thinking, but it was the truth. I had never needed him more in my life than right now. I wanted him to hold me, but how to ask that of him?
He paused before a faint smile lifted his lips. “Okay,” he replied softly.
I drew in a deep breath, emotions of every sort flitting in my stomach. Twisting the doorknob, it rattled as we entered. I stilled, spotting Scar and Jade staring blatantly at us, having not moved from the couch.
“Maybe I should go,” said Wes, halting his steps.
Jade spoke first. “Stay.” She stared directly at him. “But if you hurt her again, don’t expect a welcoming reception next time.”
I turned my attention to Scar, who nodded in Jade’s direction. “What she said.”
My lips pressed into a line, hiding a smile. I tugged Wes, and he followed me up the stairs. Butterflies roused in my stomach, my head giddy with nerves. When the door closed behind us, we stood facing each other in silence.
Wes wound his gaze around the room until it landed on the armchair. His fist clenched, head jerking back to me suddenly, as if attempting to rid thoughts.
“Do you have a towel?” He shuffled between feet, a hand motioning to the bathroom discretely tucked off to one side of my room.
“Yeah.” The word came out a whisper.
He disappeared inside, returning with a fluffy towel in one hand. Walking toward me, he swallowed, throat bobbing as he spoke. “Let me.”
He looked as nervous as I felt as he walked behind me, stopping when his front was to my back. The pads of his fingers grazed my neck as he brushed my hair from my shoulders, my skin igniting like fireflies at his touch. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were until the towel creased into my hair.
He wasdryingmy hair.
Never had I imagined such a thing could be so intimate. So sensual. I couldn’t help the sigh that fell from my lips as he massaged my scalp through the towel.
His warm breath felt like heaven on my earlobe. “Is that okay?” he said lowly.
“Yeah,” I breathed, holding back a whimper. It feltsogood to have him take care of me this way.
Once satisfied with his efforts, he replaced the towel with his hands, applying pressure to my neck in circles with his thumbs. I melted against his front, my neck in the crook of his own as he massaged the tension from my muscles.
He turned me around, staring down at me. “Let’s get out of these clothes and climb into bed.”
He was right; our clothes clung to us, sodden. We should have taken them off already, but it hadn’t crossed my mind as he set upon my hair.
He strode across to my drawers, pulling one open and finding my bedtime tee. He quirked a brow. “Do you wear underwear with…” Color flamed his cheeks as he found himself unable to finish his sentence.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, nodding as I suppressed a smile. He riffled through my drawer, selecting a pair of underwear, handing me the bundle. I rid myself of my wet clothes, slipping on the white cotton briefs, silently thanking him for choosing comfort over couture. The intensity of his gaze buzzed my skin, even as he tried to avert his eyes. But as I freed my breasts and air gathered around them, I felt his gaze like a branding once more.
“Sorry.” His intense gaze slid over my chest, zoning in on my nipples that were already hard from the cold, before he glanced away.
The two of us were acting like we had never spoken to one another before. I knew this would be awkward, but shit. I slid the top over my head, and it hung just low enough to cover my butt.
I swallowed a thick wad of air. “Your turn.” Padding over to the bed, I threw back the covers enough to slide in, pulling my knees to my chest.
He eyed me warily, watching my every movement before making his way to the opposite side of the bed.
I tried not to stare at his top clinging to the ridges of his chest. The dips and hollows stealing my attention.
