There was no way I was changing my mind. I reached between us, gripping his hard length, and lining it with my entrance.
He didn’t force a verbal response from me this time. He slid into me with ease, digging his fingers into my left thigh as he lifted to his other arm. His eyes closed. His nostrils flared as he took a deep inhale. I tilted my hips, grinding them against him.
“You’re gonna be the death of me,” he growled, his control slipping. Pulling back, he pumped back in harder. Again, and again. His pace increasing.
I moaned between thrusts, which only seemed to encourage his fervor, each one becoming more punishing, pulling us both over. His body tensed as mine convulsed beneath him.
“Fuck,” he roared, burying his face in my neck once again.
I felt him pulse inside me as I clenched around him a few more times. Lifting to his elbows, he dotted my skin with soft kisses. This time, I was greeted with a lazy grin on his face as he gazed at me. I immediately decided it was my favorite.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll be going for round two,” he warned.
“And going again is a problem for you?”
“Nope. Just not sure you’re ready for what I have planned next time.”
“It must’ve been good, if you’re already planning our future,” I teased and then clamped my lips shut, hoping my words hadn’t scared him off.
Giving me a soft smile, he kissed my lips before rolling off me and out of the bed, leaving me alone in the room while he discarded the condom. I covered my face with my arm, wishing I’d learn to keep my big mouth shut.
The bed dipped beside me and I felt his hand at my wrist, tugging it away from my face.
“Get out of your head, Doc.”
I sighed and nodded.
“You hungry?”
“A little,” I admitted. I hadn’t had dinner, since I’d spent most of the evening camping out on watch for the scorpion.
Taking my hands, he pulled me from the bed before slipping on his jeans. I almost hated to see him dressed again. But when he started to stride out of my room, barefoot and shirtless, with his jeans hanging low on his hips, leaving me tingling all over, I decided I could live with it.
I slipped into a clean pair of panties and an oversized tee before following him into the kitchen. He was already searching through my fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs, bread, and butter.
“Breakfast for dinner?” I asked.
“Yep.” He spun to look at me, stopping in his tracks. His eyes did an achingly slow scan before he cleared his throat. “How do you feel about an egg sandwich?”
“Sounds good to me.” I grinned, glad I wasn’t the only one having difficulty controlling myself.
“Good, because it’s one of the few things I know how to cook.” He put the items on the counter next to the stove.
I laughed, opening a cabinet door, pulling out a couple of frying pans. I placed them on the stove before retrieving the non-stick spray, sliced cheddar cheese, and a package of bacon to cook.
We worked simultaneously beside each other, him manning the eggs and toast, while I fried up some bacon.
“What do you do for food if you don’t cook?”
“Grams.”
“Ah. Of course.” I smiled.
“Except, she’s still not too happy with me after our Sunday dinner. So, I’ve been living off PB&Js lately.”
“You could always apologize.” I playfully bumped my hip against his.
He flipped the eggs, glancing over at me. “Tried that after the first meal she banned me from.”
“Well, what do you normally do?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know…” I shrugged. “Like when you normally mess up.”
He stopped, his face frowning as he set the spatula to the side. He crossed his arms, turning to face me. “What makes you think I’ve messed up before?”
“Oh, come on. Seriously?” I chuckled, glancing over at him, surprised by the offense on his face. “Oh. You are serious.”
He quirked an eyebrow.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, but we’re talking about you here.”
“I’m aware. This may come as a surprise to you, but I’m not as bad of a guy as you think.”
“I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I don’t think you’re a bad guy.”
He gave me a silent look before turning back to the eggs. Despite the skepticism on his face, I truly meant it. I knew he wasn’t a bad guy. He was just emotionally unavailable for some unknown reason.
I removed the last of the cooked bacon from the pan and turned off the heat. Wes snatched the toast from the toaster and began to assemble the first sandwich, passing it off to me so I could layer the cheese and bacon. We worked together, as if we’d done it a million times before.
With our plates in hand, we sat on opposite ends of the couch to eat in comfortable silence. I studied him, my naturally inquisitive mind demanding to know more.
He was an enigma.
A contradiction.
A confident man, but not as big of a jerk as one would expect, given his reputation.
He was caring and considerate and loyal to his friends and family, almost to a fault. He did relationships well, as long as they were platonic.
It made no sense to me.
“Can I ask you something?” I took the final bite of my sandwich and set my plate aside.
“Shoot.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just curious. Why the no-relationship stance?”
His neck stiffened, the cords standing out as he leaned forward, setting his own plate down on the coffee table. He hung his head, with his elbows resting on his knees, his palms rubbing over his face.
I reached for him, ready to tell him to forget it. It was obvious there wasn’t an easy explanation. I didn’t want to push him, afraid he’d withdraw from me and ice me out once again. As my hand touched his shoulder and his eyes flicked to mine, I closed my mouth, shocked by the worry I saw in them.
16
WES
I wished I had an easy answer for her. Wished I could admit to her that the defining moment had been when I walked away from Jenna. I already knew how she’d interpret that if I did.
She’d regret sleeping with me. It was the last thing I wanted her to feel. She’d think I was still hung up on Jenna.
That wasn’t the case, though. My heart was already beyond repair, my resolve had been hardening well before Jenna. She was just one tiny fissure in it. The first cracks started after my mom’s death. I’d thought Jenna might’ve been able to repair it at one point, thought I needed her to be the one to do it. But when my younger sister Jamie died, it finally shattered completely.
The fact that I’d never felt anything for any of the women I’d been with only reinforced my determination. But damn if I wasn’t suddenly questioning everything I thought I knew and wanted.
I opened my mouth, unsure exactly what it was I was going to say. My phone rang in my pocket, interrupting us. I pulled it out, seeing Tucker’s name, and hit decline, tossing it in front of me.
“You can answer that.” She glanced at where it clattered onto the table.
“I’ll call him back.”
It immediately started to ring again. I cursed under my breath, ready to hit ignore again until I saw the name flashing on the screen.
Dad.
I picked it up with a sinking feeling in my stomach. My dad hardly ever called. The last time I had back-to-back phone calls from Tucker and him was one of the worst days of my life.
I answered the call, putting the phone to my ear without a word.
“Wes?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are you?”
“In town. What is it?”
“It’s Grams. You need to get to the hospital.”
* * *
I shoved through the hospital doors, nearly running a guy over. Devin was hot on my heels, chasing after me. She’d in
sisted on coming and I didn’t have time to waste on arguing with her.
I didn’t slow until I’d reached the ER reception desk. “Where is she?” I bellowed, startling the nurse behind the counter.
“Mr. Monroe, if you’ll just take a seat with—”
“No. Not until I know where she is.”
“Wes.”
I turned at the sound of my dad’s gruff voice. He stood in the waiting area with the rest of my family, Hannah, and Billy. They were all huddled with worry-stricken faces. I stared back at the nurse, wondering what she knew and wasn’t saying. She ducked her head and answered the ringing phone beside her.
Devin’s hand gently touched my bicep in support as she urged me forward to where my family was.
My father was the first to hug me, which only increased my fear. The man rarely showed emotion. He gave my back a couple rough pats before pulling away.
“What happened?” I asked, needing some answers.
“She was having chest pains when I stopped by to pick up the kids,” Lottie spoke up. “She tried to brush it off, but I could tell she was moving slower than normal. I sent Tucker back over to check on her as soon as I got home.”
“Shit.” I pushed a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands as I looked over at Tucker. “Is she?”
“She’s alive,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. “We think it was the start of a heart attack. I got her here as fast as I could, and they took her back immediately. We’re waiting for the doctor now.”
I nodded. “Where are the kids?” I looked at Lottie again. “Does Lily know?”
“With Leighton and Aaron. I dropped them off at their house on my way here. She knows Grams isn’t feeling well. That’s all. I didn’t want to scare her any more than necessary.”
I absently nodded again.
“She’s gonna be fine, Wes,” Lottie tried to assure me as everyone else moved to reclaim their seats.
As much as I appreciated it, I knew better than to believe her. She had as much control as I did in ensuring that: zero.
“I’m gonna get some coffee. Does anybody need anything?” Devin spoke up for the first time.
All eyes went to her and then to me, most of them with questioning stares, as if they were just realizing she’d come with me. I shook my head at her, ignoring everyone else.
“I’ll go with you,” Billy volunteered. He gave Hannah a kiss on the head as he stood, then walked away with Devin in search of coffee.
I took his seat next to Hannah, resting my elbows on my knees. I felt her hand brush my back. “Hang in there, big guy. Grams is as tough as they come. She won’t go down without a fight. If I had to bet, she’ll pull through this and come out swinging on the other side.”
I blew out a ragged breath, sitting back in the seat.
I hoped she was right. Losing Grams at any point in my life would be tough. But losing her when we hadn’t been speaking for weeks, would make it nearly impossible for me to go on.
* * *
It’d been hours since we’d arrived. We were all exhausted, yet restless. When Dr. Matthews finally walked through the staff doors, Dad, Tucker, and I were all on our feet immediately.
“Dr. Matthews.” Dad shook his hand as we approached from behind him.
“Beau,” he responded. “I’m gonna get straight to it, since I know you’ve all got to be tired.”
We nodded in unison, thankful he wasn’t planning to beat around the bush.
“She had a minor heart attack, but she’s okay and resting in a private room now.”
“Can we see her?” I interrupted.
“Yes, but keep the visits short and minimal. Despite what she might think, she needs to rest.”
Tucker and Dad both looked at me, giving me a silent nod to go first. I didn’t stick around for the rest of the rundown from Dr. Matthews. After getting her room number, I darted through the hospital corridor, only slowing my pace when her room came into view.
I took a deep breath, shaking off the nerves as I turned the corner around the jamb. She was sitting up in her bed, perfectly content, watching the late-night news.
“You should be resting,” I reprimanded, even though seeing her looking mostly normal finally eased some of the worry.
Her eyes did a slow roll as she looked over at me. “If I needed you to give me free medical advice, I wouldn’t be wasting all my money on that good for nothing Dr. Matthews.”
“He saved your life.”
She huffed, crossing her arms. “He’s trying to kill me.”
“I doubt that.”
“I almost keeled over when he said I needed to cut back on my biscuits and sausage gravy. What kind of man did his momma raise? I’ll be having a talk with her come Sunday.”
“You’re lucky you’ll be seeing her on Sunday,” I reminded her, pulling a chair next to her bed.
I took a seat, shaking my head with a small chuckle. Hannah was right. Despite the exhaustion in her voice, and the winces she was having trouble hiding, she’d come out looking for a fight.
I took one of her frail hands in both of mine, and she covered them with her other, giving the top a slight pat. My eyes dropped and my gaze rested beside her on the bed.
“I’m still here,” she said after a few moments of silence.
I swallowed the lump of guilt in my throat. “I’m not sure what I would’ve done if you weren’t. I’m sorry, Grams.”
“I know you are, but it’s not an apology I’m looking for.”
I stared up at her firm gaze.
“I want to know when I’m gone that you’re taken care of.”
All the puzzle pieces suddenly clicked into place.
“How long have you been sick?”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is I want to see my first grandbaby happy and married before I die. I promised myself I’d see that happen, and I have no intention of dying until I do.”
“Are you saying if I refuse to, you’ll be around forever?”
“No. I’m saying I don’t want you to force me to break a promise to myself.”
“I don’t need to get married to be happy, Grams. I’m already happy and I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t disagree, and I’d believe that had I not seen the way you lit up around Dr. Chaplin the other night. I’d known it before I’d even seen you together.” She lifted a hand to my cheek. “You’ve never once been curious enough to ask me about a girl, especially a random one you met at a bar. There was a change in you that night. I saw it and I still see it.”
“I’m not sure what you saw, but I’m not capable of opening up like that to anyone.”
“You are. You have the biggest heart out of everyone in this family. It’s a large target, easy to hit, which only makes it more vulnerable. But it’s okay to be vulnerable and let that guard down when it’s the right one.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about you calling me a pussy, Grams.”
The yank and twist of my left ear came quick. I laughed despite the slight pain, ducking out of her reach.
“I said no such thing!” She chuckled, despite herself.
There was a knock on the door. “Sounds like a party in here,” Dad said, walking into the room.
Tucker followed him, each of them taking their turn to give Grams a kiss on the cheek. I was relieved at the interruption. The last thing I wanted to do was work Grams up or disappoint her any further.
“Where’s Lottie?” I asked, looking over my shoulder, having expected her to follow behind them.
“Looks like we’re gonna be adding another member to the family tonight. Hannah just went into labor.” Tucker smiled.
“No shit?” My eyes widened.
“Yep. Lottie is with her and Billy, but she’ll be by in a bit to see you, Grams. I’m gonna take off to get the kids from Leighton. There’s no way she’ll want to miss her first niece being born.”
“I understand. The babies always need to come first. Don’t you worry abou
t it and tell Lottie to take her time. I’m not going anywhere. Hannah needs her right now more than I do. And you boys all need to get yourselves home and get some rest.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” my dad announced. “You’re stuck with me for the rest of the night.”
I stood, giving her one last peck on the cheek. “I’m not gonna argue. I’ve gotta check on Hannah and then drive Devin home. I’ll be back by in the morning.”
A single gray eyebrow lifted at my mention of Devin. I grinned, giving her a wink before walking out the door, knowing she’d have a million questions for me when I returned.
Devin was seated alone in the waiting room where I’d left her. “Hey,” she said, standing as soon as she saw me. “How is she?”
I pulled her into my arms without a word. She didn’t hesitate to wrap herself around me, nuzzling her face into my chest. It felt so damn good. And for the first time since I’d gotten the call, I finally felt myself relax.
After a few minutes, I pulled back to look down at her. “Thank you.”
She had no idea what it meant to me to have her there. She’d stayed by my side all night, giving me silent comfort. Being the rock I needed.
She lifted to her toes, giving me a soft kiss on the lips. I knew every nurse and patient in the room was watching us, and that the rumors would be all over town before dawn.
I didn’t give a damn.
* * *
“She’s beautiful, Hannah,” Devin cooed down at the tiny baby girl bundled in pink and asleep in my arms.
Remy Marie Miller was born less than twenty-four hours ago and already had wrapped those tiny damn fingers around my heart. Maybe I was the pussy Grams said I was.
“She sure is. You sure she’s Billy’s?” I asked.
All three glared at me. Billy crossed the room immediately, reaching for her.
“Chill out, Miller. It was a joke. You don’t have to take her from me.” I moved her to the side, holding on tight.
“Give the man his daughter,” Devin lectured.
“I will when I’m ready,” I shot back. “Besides, I give it a couple weeks and then he’ll be begging me to babysit.”
Taming Wes: BOOK THREE|BILLINGSLEY SERIES Page 14
