Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Wesley
Prove Me Right
Wes hated the reason he finally got Shelby back in his bed but was also grateful for the opportunity to hold her close again.
She’d been so vulnerable with him, sobbing after the loss of her grandfather and betrayal by her father.
Now the steady sound of her breathing told him she’d succumbed to the exhaustion of the day.
Her head was buried in his neck, one leg flung over his right side, and his arms wrapped around her.
Exactly where he wanted to be. He knew in the morning she may decide to leave, but he was going to do his best to get her to stay because he needed her.
He woke up in the morning, in the same position, with Shelby’s body draped over him and his arms wrapped around her.
There was no way he was going to risk waking her, so he just held her and waited.
As the morning light started to cascade in through tall windows in his open living room she started to stir.
He could feel the moment she remembered what had happened the day before and heard her breath catch.
Then she looked up at him with fresh tears sparkling in her brown eyes and he kissed her.
It was the only thing he could think of to get her to stop thinking about her recent loss. And her body responded.
She moved over him, straddling his hips, pulling at her own clothes, and neither of them denied they each wanted this, needed it.
Within another few moments she was naked on her back, writhing under his attention as his mouth traced his path back up her body.
And he drove into her on a mission to make her feel everything he wanted to say.
She belonged here, with him. They were made to fit perfectly and he knew she could feel it too.
As her eyes closed and her head arched back on a scream of ecstasy, he was certain he would never get enough of her.
After they’d both caught their breath, he walked her to the bathroom and started a steamy shower. She followed his lead like their routine had been developed over months together when in reality it’d been only a few days they’d shared such intimacy. But everything with her just made sense.
“I need to go see your lawyer friend this morning.” Her voice was scratchy and distant-sounding. Even as he soaped her hip and ran his hands up her back.
“I can go with you.”
She shook her head no. “I think I better do this alone. You can’t rescue me from this part. I need to find out Pops’s wishes and make sure they’re met.”
“And then?” he asked, turning her to face him.
She looked up, meeting his eyes. “And then I need to go back to Atlanta.”
He nodded, knowing it made sense, knowing there was next to nothing for her in Sandy Point now.
“Or you could stay longer, with me. For me,” he said, unable to not ask.
“But even if I stayed, in the end I’ll have to return back to my normal life at some point. And staying would only make it harder to leave. Instead of going home with two heartbreaks, I’d leave with three. And I don’t want to regret you when this ends.”
He wiped at her tears. “Maybe it doesn’t end.”
“We both knew what this was when we started. We live in two different places.”
“I’ve been considering my next move, maybe I need to take a break from this town.”
She shook her head. “You’re the next Sheriff of Sandy Point. This path may not have seemed like your choice when you returned home all those years ago, but you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. You’re great at what you do, and your family is here.”
He knew deep down she was right. There was something about his hometown that made him feel proud and possessive all at once. As much as he felt overwhelmed or in awe of the trust his town put in him, it drove him. Gave him purpose, and he didn’t think he could recreate that anywhere else.
“But I need you now too. Atlanta isn’t that far.”
She just looked up at him in disbelief, shaking her head from side to side. “That’s impossible.”
“Why?” He ran his hands up her arms and gently gripped her face, meeting her eyes.
“Why shouldn’t I need you?”
“Because we just met, and I don’t belong here. I never have.”
“Maybe you’re wrong, Shelby Bell; maybe you’ve always belonged here too.”
He kissed her, not wanting to hear her deny it or try to talk herself out of it. If she wouldn’t stay, he was going to have to figure out a way for them to be together. But for now he was going to do whatever she needed.
Once they were both dried off and dressed Wes made her some breakfast and coffee she barely touched.
“Do you want me to call Declan for you?”
“No, but if you have his number, I’ll take it.”
He slid his phone over so she could copy the number and cleaned up breakfast while she made the call. From their conversation he could tell Declan confirmed he was her grandfather’s attorney, and he agreed to see her right away.
“I’m going to head over to his office now. Do you have to work today?”
“Yeah, but put this code in your phone, then you can come and go as you please. It’ll be easier to manage everything if you’re in town, so you don’t need to head back to Atlanta just yet, don’t you think?”
“Yes but I’m going to see about a room at the inn anyway. The last thing I need to do is arm my family with one more reason to hate me. And you really don’t need their wrath before a big election.”
“Or maybe you shouldn’t worry about what they think at all?”
“I know I shouldn’t care, but old habits.”
“Okay, look, I want to see you and be here for you, but if you want time alone I get it.”
She just nodded. “I’m going to grab my things, then I’ll get out of your way.”
But he grabbed her before she could walk by him. “Let’s just be clear, you’re not in my way, you’re not a nuisance, you’re not someone I don’t want to spend time with. As far as I’m concerned you belong right here, in my kitchen, in my home, for as long as you want to be here.”
Her sad eyes looked up at him, but he was full of relief when she let her body sink into his.
“You’re completely unexpected,” she whispered.
“Right back at you.” Then he kissed her and hoped she could feel at least some of his need for her.
“I’ll get a room at the inn, but let you know what I find out from Declan, and maybe I can sneak back over here later.”
“Or I can pick you up and we can take a drive out of Sandy Point.”
“That sounds nice.”
He hated that she felt like they weren’t allowed to be together, or she needed to protect him from her family.
But he needed to let her manage them on her own terms or she was going to go running back to Atlanta and he’d never get a chance to see her or figure out why he couldn’t seem to get enough of her.