Стейси Кестуик - Wet

My body was weak. I knew it. He knew it.

I needed to let my head handle this conversation, not my worthless fluttering heart.

“Sadie?” His voice sounded low and rough, and I bit my lip, ignoring the curl of desire flaring inside me at just the sound of him.

Oh, now he wants to talk to me?

My inner bitch reminded me of the Italian princess currently warming his truck bed, and the flame fizzled out. My fingers relaxed, uncurled, and dropped back into my lap.

Tilting my head up to him, I responded in a curt voice. “Yes?”

“What are you doing here?” He sounded thrilled, a grin slashing his face, and he ran a warm hand down my cheek, cupping my jaw.

Rue snorted beside me. “I think the better question is — what is she doing here?” There was no mistaking the distaste in her tone as she nodded toward West’s truck.

He glanced over, running his hand through his hair and gripping the back of his neck. Turning back to me, he shrugged. “Wyatt brought her. I didn’t even know she was coming.”

I looked him in the eye and kept my question soft, fighting my growing need to yell at him from sheer frustration. “What are you doing here?”

He snagged one of my hands and starting tugging me from the Jeep. “Now? Watching a movie with my favorite girl.”

One foot was on the ground, one still in the Jeep when I pulled free, shaking my head. “Nope. You gotta do better than that.” I picked up my beer and took a swallow, needing to break physical contact with him.

The body is weak, the mind is strong.

Propping his arms on the doorframe, he leaned down, catching my gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, but Theo interrupted before any sound escaped.

“Damn, this is better than the movie. Is it going to be R-rated too?” He crunched on a handful of chips and held the bag out toward Rue.

I ignored him.

West moved closer and ran his fingers along my hairline, pushing a chunk behind my ear. “Sadie?”

My chest rose and fell as I gritted my teeth against the instinct to lean into his hand.

The mind is fucking strong.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I pushed my skull farther into the headrest. “It was a good question, West. What is she doing here?”

“Watching a movie, I guess. What are you getting at? I already told you I didn’t know she was coming. She rode with Wyatt.” His brow furrowed, and he backed up a step.

“And what about on Saturday?”

He regarded me steadily, meeting my gaze head-on. “My grandmother called me on Friday to ask Wyatt and me to please join her for a family dinner on Saturday. I didn’t realize she had invited the Perottis over for dessert to discuss the gala.”

I forged ahead. “And the picture?”

“What picture?”

“Palm tree, her wrapped around you, ring a bell?”

West clenched his jaw. “Her mom asked to take our picture. I didn’t want to cause a scene at my grandparents, so I posed for the damn picture. Hailey and Wyatt were standing right there too. We took a group shot after that. What’s going on here, Sadie?”

“Why haven’t I heard from you since Friday?”

Just then, Aubrey slipped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his bicep, tugging on him and licking her lips while staring straight at me, her eyes bright with victory.

“West, baby, you’re missing the movie. Come back to the truck.”

I saw red.

I saw motherfucking matador red.

“Hey, Sadie. I hope you’ve been getting the referrals I’ve sent your way.”

I attempted a smile of acknowledgement in her direction but ending up baring my teeth at best.

Sneaky bitch.

Aubrey pulled on his arm again.

Theo mumbled something behind me, and Rue shifted, pressing against my side, but whether it was to urge me on or to hold me back, I couldn’t tell. Holding my breath, I kept my attention fixed on West.

He inhaled and shot an irritated glance over his shoulder before pulling his arm free. “I’m good here.”

The corner of my lip twitched, but he saw it.

And then he swooped.

I was cradled in his arms and most of the way to his truck before I figured out what was happening. My hand pressed against his chest, and I froze, paralyzed between holding on tight and pushing him away. I couldn’t see where Aubrey ended up, but really, I didn’t give a fuck.

“Don’t even think it.” The warning fell hot against my temple, and my fingers curled into his shirt, still indecisive, fisting the worn cotton.

His muscles flexed beneath me, and I failed to stop the shudder that ran through me.

The body is weak, so fucking weak.

West set me on the tailgate before vaulting up next to me and pulling me into his lap on one of the beanbags. My ass rubbed against his crotch as he settled deep into the seat with me across him, stretching his legs out wide to cradle me in between them. He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath, his chest pushing outward, and then he exhaled with a happy sigh.

Like a recurrent nightmare I couldn’t shake, Aubrey appeared at the tailgate with her hands on her hips, glaring up at me. Rearranging her sneer into a pout, her voice dripping honey, she appealed to West. “You gonna help me up too?”

I stiffened, my eyes narrowing to slits, but he wrapped his big arm around my middle, forcing me to conform to his relaxed posture.

He yawned before answering. “Nope. Why don’t you go sit with Wyatt and them? Do you want the other bean bag? I think me and Sadie can make do with one.” He flexed his hips and pressed his growing length against my side.

She couldn’t have seen his movement, but she must have noticed the change in my expression because her eyes widened and she stepped back, sucking in a breath and stumbling as she turned toward the other truck. Her words were ripped away by the breeze, and, while I didn’t catch the specifics, her angry tone wasn’t lost on me. I didn’t watch the rest of her retreat.

Instead, I rounded on West and pinned him with a flat look.

He gazed back at me through sleepy eyes, one side of his mouth hitched up. “You didn’t want her to stay, did you?”

I huffed out a breath but didn’t respond, continuing to watch him.

His brows drew together, and he brushed his thumb over my cheek. “Are you mad at me?”

My tongue traced my upper teeth in sheer frustration, and I pushed his hand off my face.

“I don’t get you,” I seethed. “You cancelled our date, ignored me all week, met other girls here, and now you’re acting like we’re together?” I tried to shove off his lap, but the slippery vinyl under me made it difficult.

West sat up straighter, leaning down until our noses were almost touching, his eyes glittering. His voice was dangerously soft. “You sound an awful lot like the whiny girl who just slunk away from here. And that’s not you. Now what’s going on?”

It wasn’t a question, it never was with him, and I swore under my breath.

His curse wasn’t as mild or quiet as mine when he yanked me closer, putting his full lips close to my ear. They brushed against me as he spoke in an angry, rapid whisper. “It’s been a week from fucking hell, and I’m not sure what’s got your panties in a twist, but running into you here has been the best goddamn thing that’s happened to me since I crawled out of your bed a few nights ago. I know I haven’t texted, but I left you two paper planes explaining—”

“You what?” I interrupted, my body betraying me and turning pliant in his arms.

His arms softened around me, and he tugged on my earlobe with his teeth, his gentle caress at odds with the growl in his voice.

“Didn’t you read my notes? I told you it was going to be a crazy week, and then yesterday someone fucked with my boat, sliced my bean bags, and fucked up one of my engines. I’ve spent two days driving all over three damn states tracking down parts and getting these new seats from the manufacturer. Last night, when I crashed for a couple hours in the back seat at some shitty truck stop along the interstate, all I could think about was your soft bed and your long, sexy legs wrapped around me. I was heading home to you when Wyatt called and told me him and the guys were coming out here to hang tonight. Asshole guilted me into stopping by for awhile.”