Chapter 38
Bailey
After landing in Denver, we get the rental car, and I already know Wes is going to drive. I don’t even bother arguing when he passes his license to the worker. I do try to argue about paying for it, but he just pushes my card away silently.
It’s freezing here, the snow lining the sides of the road looks a few days old. I grew up in the cold and snow, but living in a coastal town like Amity where it stays mostly temperate throughout the year leaves me shocked at the freezing temperatures.
“Do we need to get you a thicker coat?” Wes asks as we get into the car, and I attempt to hide my shiver.
“No, I’m fine,” I insist.
He shrugs, and I glare at him from the side, knowing if he catches me he’ll likely threaten me with another punishment. One that I would happily take right here in this car. Anything to delay getting to my brother’s house would be a welcome distraction.
We drive through the unfamiliar roads following the GPS on Wes’s phone until we reach a large two story house and my jaw drops. I know my brother makes a lot of money, but for some reason I didn’t expect this level of wealth. Even for a professional hockey player.
Wes parks, turning the car off then shifting toward me. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be here if you need.”
I look at him wide eyed. “You’re not coming inside?”
He looks confused.
“You said you’ll be here, like in the car.”
He lets out a huff. “And you say I’m not good at joking.”
Without thinking, I lean over the console and press a kiss to his lips.
It’s brief, just a peck really, but the action surprises me more than anything.
I didn’t think twice about it, I just wanted to.
I wanted the small comfort he brings me.
I want him to know how grateful I am that he came.
I just wanted to kiss him without it leading to more.
Because I’m falling for Wes.
Or maybe I’ve already fallen.
“Ready?” he asks, pulling me from my thoughts before I have a chance to fall into another spiral before we even go inside.
I nod, opening the door and the cool air whips me in the face.
Wes grabs our bags from the trunk and I swing my backpack over my shoulder.
We step up to the front door, and I force myself to knock before I end up running in the other direction.
Wringing my hands together nervously, I wait to see who’s going to answer.
To see who the first person I come face-to-face will be.
I just hope that whoever it is won’t have me running in the other direction. My heart rate kicks up as I hear the lock, and even more when the door actually starts to open.
My breath hitches as I come face-to-face with my brother, who I haven’t seen in years. He looks almost exactly the same as I remember him. Tall, about the same height as Wes. His blond hair, a shade lighter than mine, but our green eyes match almost exactly.
“Hi Bailey,” he says, his voice somehow seems deeper.
“Hi Brent.” My own voice cracks saying his name, and I fight the urge to hug him. Which is unusual because we’ve never been a physically affectionate family, but something about this moment makes me want to anyway.
I hear another familiar voice right before she appears and I don’t have the chance to blink before Brynn is pushing our brother out of the way. She doesn’t bother even trying to hold back her tears, and doesn’t hesitate to throw her arms around me in a hug.
I hardly get a chance to look at her, but she looks different than the last time I saw her. She’s older, more mature. Her blonde hair is lighter than both Brent’s and mine.
“Hi Brynn,” I say softly. For some reason that only makes her cry harder. Now we’re standing right outside Brent’s front door in the freezing cold with my sister hanging onto me like a koala has me questioning my decision even more.
“I’m Brent.” I hear my brother introduce himself and realize they don’t know anything about Wes, or that he was even joining me.
I manage to pry myself away from Brynn, and seeing her tear stained face makes me feel even more guilty for how distant I’ve been from their lives.
“Wes.” I hear the man with me introduce before shaking hands with Brent, and it pulls me back to reality for a minute.
“Sorry. This is Wes my, um.” I look up at him hoping he’ll help with what he is to me. Friends? Are we even friends? Boyfriend doesn’t sound right, that sounds too official for us.
Brynn looks from me to the large man, lifting her eyebrow just waiting for me to finish my sentence that I really don’t know how to complete.
“We’re together,” Wes assists.
“We’ll get more into that.” Brynn gives me a suspicious look, then pulls me inside the house.
“We didn’t know you were bringing someone with you so I only have one of the guest rooms ready,” Brent tells me.
“You don’t have at least seven in this big ass house?” I scoff.
“It’s okay,” Wes says and I swing my gaze over to him. “We can share a room.”
I narrow my eyes at that because we’ve never stayed the night together. I feel like it happening for the first time at my brother’s house is even more awkward.
“I bet you will.” Brynn winks at me.
“Auntie Brynn! Back!” A small voice calls out from another room and is followed by stomping footsteps. A little girl with curly brown hair, blue eyes, and a wide smile appears. Her smile seems to dim the slightest bit as she swings her gaze between me and Wes before tilting her head. “Who you?”
“Evie, I told you Auntie would be right back,” another voice calls out, this one sounding out of breath. As she comes around the corner, I see the heavily pregnant woman I recognize from the pictures Brent sent of her with baby Evie.
“Sorry, I figured you’d want to get settled before meeting us.” Chandler smiles softly, picking up her daughter. Brent is quick to offer to take the child from her arms.
“It’s okay. I’m Bailey. And this is Wes. It’s nice to meet you.”
She smiles. “Chandler. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
She’s extremely beautiful with her long brown hair and soft eyes.
“Let’s let them set their stuff down before Dumont, McQuaid, and Wheeler get in here and overwhelm them,” Brent announces. I don’t bother telling him it’s too late because even hearing the unfamiliar names has my nerves ratcheting up once again.
Wes places a hand on the small of my back and the tiny action calms me more than I’m willing to admit.
They lead us down a hall on one side of the massive house and when we approach a bedroom, I gasp.
It’s the size of the entire second story of my house.
A king size bed sits in the middle of the room with a simple TV on the wall.
There’s an en suite bathroom off to the side, and I don’t have to look to see it’s fancier than what I have at home.
“Hope this works for you,” Brent grunts, stuffing his hands in his pockets as Wes steps inside and sets our suitcases down.
“Thank you,” Wes tells him.
“Yeah, I guess this will do.” I shrug teasingly. I catch the playful glare Wes shoots my way.
“I’m glad you decided to come,” Brent says quietly.
“Me too.”
I just hope that doesn’t change.
Brent leaves, closing the door behind him with a click.
Everything seems to hit me all at once as I stand in the unfamiliar room alone with Wes.
I’m in Denver, in Brent’s house that he shares with his family.
Brynn’s here. I just saw them for the first time in over ten years.
We’re about to spend the holidays together.
Wes is here with me. Wes, who insisted on coming with me, and hasn’t shied away from a single thing since we got here. Wes, who helped me through my panic attack yesterday instead of running away screaming.
“Are you okay?” Wes asks, and I feel as though he can see the panic starting to bubble up once again.
When I don’t answer right away, he steps up to me, cupping my face and forcing my gaze up to him. “What do you need?”
I try to shake my head, but it’s subtle with the way he’s holding me. “I just need a minute, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Okay,” I whisper and his eyes search mine. Before he lets go he leans down and presses his mouth to mine, just like I did to him in the car.
His isn’t as quick as mine was. He lingers there as our lips touch gently, and I feel myself melting against him.
Especially when his tongue brushes against my bottom lip, and I open for him.
This kiss is intense but not in the way it usually is.
We aren’t trying to rip each other’s clothes off or fighting for dominance.
Right now, we’re just kissing to feel. To be there for each other. To silently say all the things we can’t voice.
When he pulls back, I think this is the first time I’ve seen his eyes so soft when he’s looking at me. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I nod and sway as he lets me go before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door.
My shoulders drop as the feelings return full force. I turn toward the bed as it’s practically calling my name. I step toward it and as soon as I’m close enough to fall face first into the soft comforter, I do just that.
I let out a long breath, listening to the shower turn on in the other room, and think about Wes in there. Which inevitably leads to me thinking about what he looks like as he strips out of his clothes and steps under the water.
Turning my head to the side, I just listen to the sound of water hitting the tile thinking about what he could be doing in there.
Then I think about what we could be doing in there together.
I get up, not thinking about where we are because I just want the distraction. The kind that only he can give me.
I remove my clothes and leave them on the floor on my way to the bathroom, opening the door slowly so I can watch him for a couple moments before he sees me.
Of course, it’s Wes and he’s hyper aware of everything that as soon as his body is in view through the glass shower he’s already looking at me.
“I thought you wanted some time.” He wipes the water from his face. I watch his arm flex at the movement, which only spurs me on to walk forward. The spot between my thighs is throbbing, needing the man currently looking at me with so much heat I think we both might spontaneously combust.
Opening the door to the shower, I tell him softly, “I had enough.”
The steam surrounds me as I close the door behind me, keeping my eyes locked on his as I close the distance between us. I can’t even appreciate how fancy this bathroom is because all I see is him.
“And what do you want now?” He doesn’t move, just waits to see what I’m going to do or say.
I let my eyes roam over him, lingering on his chest where I bring my fingertips up to a scar there.
I want to ask what it’s from, but I don’t want to ruin this moment.
I move to another mark, then another. I trace the muscles on his chest while taking in the small scars decorating his skin.
They remind me of the big one on the back of his leg, and about how I’m curious where it came from but I won’t dare ask.
Instead, I move my hand lower to his thickened cock and wrap my hand around him tightly. He grunts, but doesn’t try to stop me, just keeping his gaze trained on me. Not at my hand, not my body. He’s looking at me.
I stroke him once, twice to see if he’s going to try and regain control. I expect him to yank my hand away and slam me against the wall. But he doesn’t. He just keeps his eyes locked on mine as I move my fist over him at a leisurely pace.
“How does that feel?” I ask, just barely above a whisper.
“Everything you do feels good, Angel. You make everything feel good.”
I bring my bottom lip between my teeth, and think about what he’s saying.
I refuse to read too much into it, but it’s hard not to when I’m feeling so vulnerable.
It’s like being here has my chest open leaving my heart completely exposed for him to do whatever he wants with it.
He could take it and protect it. Or destroy it, like no one ever has.
Either way, it’s not up to me anymore. It’s up to him.
“Make me feel good,” I tell him. I just want a few minutes to get lost in him.
When I expect him to be rough and put me in my place like he usually does, that’s not what happens.
He slides down onto the ground, turning and pushing my back against the tile wall.
I yelp at how cold it is, but I quickly forget as soon as he tosses my leg over his shoulder and starts devouring me like I’m the only thing he needs in this world.