A Guide to Being Just Friends(77)

Wes chuckled. “But food gives them energy to do the things they enjoy.”

When she stood, he was right there, making their bodies brush. He looked down at her, making her heart clutch. “That means you enjoyed—” Her gaze darted to the bed.

Wes pulled her close, his hands on her hips like that was their spot. “Was that not evident?” His gaze was serious, his tone soft.

“I just want to make sure—no regrets?”

His hands moved up, cupped her jaw. “There’s no room for regret, Hailey. I feel too many other things.” He kissed her gently. “Only good things.”

She went up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. That was a damn good answer. “Same.”

Over eggs, they talked about random things—his brothers, their girlfriends, Fiona and Piper. It wasn’t until he laughed at something Jason had said to Nick that Hailey realized things had been stilted between them for weeks now. Until tonight. Things felt “normal” with a huge side of freaking awesome.

“This should make brunch interesting tomorrow,” she said, taking his plate and hers to put in the dishwasher.

Wes leaned back in his chair, ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose it will. The good news is we can tell everyone in one sitting.”

She washed her hands before walking over to him, putting her legs on either side of his as she sat on his lap. His hands came immediately to her hips.

“Most people. I’ll tell Piper in the morning.”

One hand wandered up her back, under her shirt. “What will you tell her?”

Hailey’s fingers played at the base of his neck. She felt the slight tremor of his body. “That you fell for my charms and are hopelessly hooked.”

He laughed. “Hmm. Maybe I’ll tell my brothers the same about you.”

Her brows rose. “They will, for sure, say you are without charm.”

Wes frowned, his fingers causing tremors in her own body as they danced over her back. “They absolutely will.”

She kissed his neck where it met his jaw. “They’d be wrong.”

“It’s safe to assume that while we’re an us, there’s no one else?”

His words were like an unexpected blast of cold water. She leaned back, her fingers stilling. She didn’t want to be upset. He was still Wes. Practicality was his middle name. “I don’t want anyone but you.”

“Same.”

His words toyed with her confidence but she needed to know. “Did you have an end date in mind?”

Wes’s forehead creased. “Of course not. That’s not what I meant.”

“While we’re an us?” Her jaw tightened.

Wes reached up like he’d noticed the slight movement and stroked his thumb over her jaw. “I don’t want or intend to but I’m going to mess up, Hailey. It was part of why I fought this. I’m not romantic like Chris or suave like Noah.”

“I’m only interested in you.”

He nodded, his thumb easing the tension along her neck. “Which I’m very grateful for. But I’ve never been particularly good at emotional relationships with anyone outside of my siblings. Even then, it’s not always easy. You know my flaws—as much as I tend to voice my concerns even if they aren’t what people want to hear, I’m not adept at sharing my emotions. I try to fix things that aren’t mine to fix. I’m scared of feeling too much but with you, I can’t help myself. That’s new for me. I’m not looking at the end. I want this between us. Enough to jeopardize a friendship that means more to me than you know.”

“I didn’t want to risk our friendship. But I couldn’t fight this.”

He leaned in, kissed the underside of her jaw. “I’m glad. I don’t want you to. I want you, and I think our friendship only makes whatever this is between us that much stronger.”

She tilted her head to the side. “I know you’re cautious about your feelings but I’m clear on mine. I’m crazy about you, Wes. I’m not saying that to corner you or scare you but as reserved as you can be about your feelings, I need to be able to express mine. I don’t want to feel like the one who’s in deeper.”

He stopped kissing, stopped moving, and met her gaze straight on. “You’re right. I’ll be careful. I’m here with you, Hailey.” His hands gripped her hips again, his fingers pressing in. “Right here. With you. There’s nowhere else I want to be. Don’t doubt that.”

His grip tightened, one hand going to her butt as he stood, her legs wrapping around his waist. “I should have said you’re mine. And I want to be yours. That you’re all I can see. The only one I want.”

His kiss consumed her, sweeping away the last ashes of uncertainty. There was no room for it in the way he touched her, the words he whispered against her skin. They were all in. Together.





34


Chris tossed a crumpled straw wrapper at Wes, pulling his attention from where Hailey was laughing with a customer.

“It’s about time,” he said, looking over at Noah. He and Noah exchanged a look.

“What?” Wes looked between them.

“That you fell flat on your ass in love,” Noah said.

Wes frowned, leaned forward. “We’ve been together for a week.”