40
THEA
“I want to go. I’m feeling fine!” Wesley and I have been going back and forth for the last ten minutes. He thinks I need a few more days to build up my strength before attempting a hike.
I disagree.
“You’re not ready. You are still pale and you couldn’t even open that jar of pickles earlier.” My face heats, knowing that he’s right, but I need to get out and do something aside from work. I also need to get my mind off of Gavin.
My test results came back yesterday. Dr. Yarbor confirmed I’d been exposed to gluten. Any doubt I had that it was some kind of strange coincidence vanished with that phone call. Now, being stuck in this house is only making my paranoia and anxiety grow.
I cross my arms and give him a look of defiance. “I’m going, with or without you. If not this afternoon, then tomorrow. You can’t watch me twenty-four seven.” I throw a smug grin at him.
Wesley wants to argue. However, he knows I’m right. “Get a bag packed. We leave in fifteen.” I watch him stalk off, feeling only slightly bad.
He’s trying to take care of me, but I’ve been doted on enough. I want to get my mind off of everything going on with Gavin. Cassie too.
Thirty minutes later, we’re hitting the trail head. The summer heat makes my skin sticky almost instantaneously. Fall can’t come soon enough. I’m dying for cool breezes, red and orange foliage, pumpkins, and hot cider.
“Have you been on this trail before?” I call out from behind.
I’m only half paying attention to his answer. It’s hard not getting distracted by the broad expanse and sculpted planes of Wesley’s tan back. Or his large, powerful arms that frame it. My fingers reach for the camera around my neck and I almost take a picture. But I don’t.
He’s in a testy mood and I don’t want to piss him off more.
“Are you alright with that?” Wes asks. Shit, I didn’t hear him.
My mind races, trying to think of what he might have said—nothing comes to mind. “Uh, yeah. That’s fine,” I answer, hoping that it’s something trivial about food or how long we would be out here.
He glances back, looking unsure. “Why do you have five wolves tattooed on your back?” I try to distract him. It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask and now seems like the best time to do it. “I mean, the Wolfe Creek Four is what I assumed at first. But you have five.”
“No reason,” he states, staring straight ahead. “It’s just what the artist drew up.” Maybe it’s the truth, yet something inside tells me that there was more to the story. He doesn’t trust me with that part of his history yet. I hate that it kind of hurts knowing that.
I speed up a little so that I’m right behind him. Running my hand over the design, I say, “It’s beautiful.” He stills momentarily under my touch. In time, I hope I earn that trust.
The elevation steepens and I think Wesley was right—I needed a few more days to rest. I can’t tell him that, though. I should have listened to what he was talking about when I asked him about the trail instead of getting distracted. How long is it? Is there a specific destination we’re trying to reach?
“Here’s the area I was telling you about. Follow my lead and don’t look down.” What the fuck? I definitely should have been paying attention. Peeking around him, I see a gap in the trail. There’s a small rocky ledge that leads to the other side.
“I-uh…I don’t think I can do that.” He told me not to look down. Still, my eyes are inevitably drawn to the drop off. “Let’s turn around here.”
The words are barely out of my mouth when Wesley’s made it across and is waiting for me. He made it look easy, but anxiety grips my insides. I don’t think I can do it.
“C’mon, blue eyes. You have plenty of room. It’s easily two or three feet wide. You’d have to purposely step off.” His eyes hone in on me, sharply. Wesley’s testing me. He wants to know if I trust what he’s talking about. He wants to see if I have what it takes.
There’s no shame in turning around, yet I don’t. I want to show him I can do it. No, I want to show myself.
Stepping up to the ledge, I examine the wall of rock, searching for places to grip along the path. Breathing out, I place my foot on the ledge. It feels sturdy enough. My other foot follows as my fingers claw into the mountainside. I take baby steps until I’m nearly at the halfway point.
That’s when I make a mistake. My eyes can’t help it. He said not to look down and my brain decided to do it anyway. My vision swims and my breath catches before coming out in short bursts.
“Hey. Hey!” Wesley snaps, trying to get my attention. “Fuck.”
I can hardly hear him around the pounding of my pulse in my ears. My palms feel too sweaty to keep my grip on the rock. Logically, I know that this is just fear, that I’m perfectly fine. Although that emotional part of my mind is overriding everything else. “Wes-Wesley,” I squeak.
In an instant, he’s stepping out onto the ledge and then there’s darkness. His towering body has me pressed safely against the rocky wall while his back faces the steep drop. I panic more and I wrap my arms around him, my nails digging in, afraid he’ll fall.
My entire body is shaking and I can hardly catch my breath. This is how I die. It’s a horrible thought, yet it’s all consuming.
“Thea,” Wesley grits out. “I need you to focus on me.” I want to listen to him, but I’m too scared. I claw deeper into his skin. “Can you feel me breathing? Pay attention to my chest, how it rises and falls.” Somehow, his voice is now completely calm. “Can you feel it?”
I nod, feeling the heavy press of him when he inhales and the lightness of when he exhales. That’s not all I feel. His entire body is pinning me and I notice…his erection. Jesus, Wes. Now’s not the time. If I wasn’t so busy being scared for my life, I’d roll my eyes.Of course, this turns him on.
It actually takes my mind off of the drop below, for a second. Then I refocus on his breathing.
“Perfect. Now, when I inhale, you exhale. When I exhale, you inhale.” I can do that. It takes me a minute to find the rhythm, although once I do it’s like our bodies easily sync. “Good. You’re doing so good. Are you feeling better?”
I am—a little. “Yes, I’m starting to.” My voice is shaky.
“I’m going to get you to the other side, but you have to trust me. Alright?” I know there isn’t another choice. We either have to cross over or go back. Neither is ideal, however, I trust Wesley. “I’m going to slide my foot over, then you slide both of yours.”
I watch as he moves his left foot closer to solid ground. I move both of mine. Then he moves his right. We do this until we make it across.
I nearly fall to my knees and kiss the ground. My hands are on my knees as I take full, deep breaths. Then, I notice something under my nails. Holding them up, I see…blood. Blood!
My hands grip Wesley’s arms and I turn him without explanation as I stare at his back. “Shit,” I gasp as I stare at the long lines of bloody scratches I’ve left on his skin. “I’m so sorry, Wes.”
His head peeks over his shoulder and I’m sure he’s only getting a small glimpse of the damage I’ve done. Wesley’s eyes flick to mine after assessing his back. He lets out an amused chuckle. “I would have liked those scratches to come from us doing something else, but I’ll take it.”
I narrow my eyes. We were on the verge of life or death and he’s so smug about these marks I’ve given him. “Is that why you haven’t fucked me yet? You need some danger with your pussy?” The words are so crass that I surprise myself, but I hold my expression.
He turns to face me. I don’t know what I expect—surprise, challenge, or maybe annoyance. Instead, Wesley’s raking his teeth over his bottom lip and eyeing me up and down. I want to roll my eyes, but he looks so fucking hot with that messy hair and my marks on his body.
“Maybe I’ll start calling you kitten. All claws and sass wrapped up in that cute package.” He laughs as I push past him to continue up the path. “You don’t even know where we’re going,” he calls out after me.
“Only one way up, Wesley. I’m sure I’ll manage.”
Any annoyance I’m harboring for Wes fades when we reach the landing, where he tells me to stop. We’re on a flat rock that looks out over the slope of the mountain. I feel like a speck staring out over the vast expanse of greenery.
“Look behind you,” Wesley says, bending down close to me.
I turn and off in the distance I see pops of yellow, pink, orange, and red against vibrant green. The flowers. The ones he left in a vase on my nightstand.
I glance back at him, my jaw slack and eyes wide.
“I thought you might want to take pictures of them,” he explains, nudging me towards them. How—how did he know?
That’s a question for later. I hurry towards the blooms and hear his laughter behind me. I must spend an hour taking photos and to anyone else, each one will look the same, but they’re all different to me.
My stomach grumbles. It’s the only reason I decide to take a break.
I join Wesley on the flat rock where he’s been sitting and staring out over the edge while I’ve been busy. Grabbing my bag, I pull out two containers, handing one to him.
I think this is our thing. He takes me on a hike and I pack a lunch for us. It’s simple, yet something about it feels profound.
“Pasta salad,” I tell him. “Gluten-free pasta. I hope you don’t mind.” He takes it and thanks me. We eat quietly, enjoying the view. I have a million thoughts rolling around in my head, none of which I’m sure he’ll answer. But it’s worth a try.
“How did you know I’d want to take pictures of the flowers?” I take a bite of food to distract me, in case he decides on silence.
Glancing over at me, he smirks. “Sutton’s idea.” I stop chewing.
Of course, Sutton would know this was something I’d like. The fact he’d share that with Wesley, he’d let him take credit, makes my heart tingle.
“Well, thank you for bringing me here. This is exactly what I needed after…” I don’t want to finish. We both know the things I could list.
Wes nods. “How are you holding up?” I shove another bite into my mouth, this time to avoid answering. “I’ve got all the time in the world, blue eyes.”
I finish chewing and give in. “Let’s see. I no longer have a best friend to talk to. My ex is stalking me. And half of the guys I’m dating hardly want to touch me. So yeah, I’m just peachy.” I throw him a sarcastic smile, then immediately feel guilty. He didn’t deserve that. “Sorry,” I mumble.
Wesley takes a swig from his water bottle and is silent for a few minutes before speaking. “I don’t need danger to fuck you,” he offers. My body freezes. “There are things I like that…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to scare you.”
I put my food down. I think I know what he means. “Like the scratching and biting?” I ask gently. His smooth jaw tightens—he’s holding back. Trust issues.
“Yeah. Although that isn’t all of it.” My curiosity’s piqued. Admittedly, the mark he left on my thigh had me smiling for days afterwards. Whenever I caught a glimpse of it or my legs rubbed together a little too closely, my bruised skin would ache and that familiar throbbing in my clit would start up. It’s been a reminder of that night in the theater room. I’ve been eager for our next encounter.
I reach a hand out, unsure at first if he’ll be okay with me touching him. He seems so guarded lately.
I push past that hesitation and rest my fingers on his arm. “Wes, I loved what you did to me that night.” Saying it out makes me blush. “I’m not sure what else you like, but you can trust me. I won’t judge you. Let me be the one to decide if it’s something I want to explore with you.”
He tilts his head to look at me, judging my words against my face to see if I speak the truth. After a few moments, his shoulders sag. “I like getting my adrenaline pumping. It excites me.” The first thing that comes to mind is the feeling of his excitement when we were on the ledge. He must take my silence as ignorance. “God, this is so fucking embarrassing,” he mutters, hanging his head in his hands. “I want to chase you, catch you, pin you down.”
Chase me?My mind churns with his revelation. “Like a predator chasing prey?”
Wes lifts his head, eyeing me, and I know that’s absolutely what he means. I nod in understanding. I’m unsure of what to think. That’s not something I’ve ever done. Still, for him, I could try it.
“Yeah, exactly like that,” he confirms.
I tread carefully, not wanting him to feel judged. “So, you want me to be…what? The hare and you’ll be the fox?”
He laughs. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. I wasn’t expecting that. You’re so sweet sometimes.” I’m thankful that he’s lightening up.
“Only sometimes?” I throw back playfully.
“Yes, but I like that. I don’t want you to always be so sweet. I want you to be scared, too.” He stares at me and waits for my reaction. I put two and two together. Not only does he want to chase me, he wants me to fear him. My eyes widen.
His eyes drop to my neck. Reaching out a hand, he brushes back some of the hair that’s come loose from my ponytail. “I want to catch you and mark you as mine.” Our eyes lock and heat spreads through me. Something about him claiming me is turning me on. My mouth is suddenly dry.
“That would be new for me,” I admit. The look he gives me says, No? Really? I ignore the taunt. “Can we try it?” I can’t believe the words coming from my mouth. I’m asking this towering, muscular man who could easily hurt me to chase me down and bite me.
“Thea. I’ve kept my distance so that you wouldn’t feel pressured to do that. I got carried away last time.” His brown eyes shoot down to my legs, then back up. Wesley isn’t going to take me seriously. He didn’t want me to go on this hike and he didn’t want me to ask to be chased—he’s too busy trying to coddle me rather than enjoy me.
I lick my lips. My eyes dart to the field behind us. I only have a fraction of a second, the element of surprise, to get a head start. A bird squawks in the distance and Wesley’s head turns towards the sound.
Suddenly, my hands are pushing me off the ground and I stumble over my feet as I take off running. I right myself pretty quickly, although I can’t tell if Wesley’s following me. I don’t know if I want to look back and risk tripping myself up.
My breaths come fast as I weave through trees and navigate the uneven ground. I’m not a runner, I’m not even a fast walker. Stinging hits my ribs. Spotting a large tree trunk, I head towards it to hide and recover.
Swinging around the base of the tree, I press my back against it and try to steady my breathing, but it comes out too loudly in this now quiet forest. Clamping my hand over my mouth, I try to contain the sound.
The pounding in my ears makes it nearly impossible to tell if Wes has followed me. He had to, right?
I don’t hear footsteps or the crunch of branches being stepped on. I close my eyes, trying to steady my heart so that I focus on the sounds around me. Why am I scared? I know who’s chasing me. I know he won’t hurt me. The rationalizations do little to ease the fear coursing through my veins.
My heartbeat finally calms enough to fade from my ears.
Slowly, the sounds of chirping comes to me. I strain to hear anything else. No twigs snapping. No grass crunching underfoot. What the hell? Did he not come after me? That thought frightens me the most because I don’t know how to navigate myself back to the trail.
I peer around the edge of the trunk. Nothing. I swear to God, if he’s just sitting on that rock laughing at me, I’m going to kill him.
I decide to head back the way I think I came when something snatches my wrist and yanks it.
Wesley’s face comes into view as our chest smack together. My pulse is in my ears again. I’m not sure how he crept up on me so quietly. Twisting my arm hard, I wriggle out of his grasp and run back towards the rock.
This time, my head start is non-existent. Wesley’s on my heels and I can hear him getting closer with each step. Those damn long legs of his. The stitch in my side returns full force and I know I don’t have much left in me.
Surrendering might be the better option, but it’s one I’ll never allow myself to make.
I push harder—it’s not enough. His enormous arms are wrapping around me and we go down.
Bracing for the impact, I shut my eyes. My whole body goes tense. All I feel is a forceful thud against my back. When I open them, I’m looking up at the bright blue sky. He took the brunt of the fall.
I’m about to ask if he’s alright, but he’s rolling me off of him and climbing on top of me.
Wesley’s hand effortlessly pins both of mine overhead and something about this massive man holding me down mixed with the fear of the chase is turning me on.
I squirm beneath him, pushing my pelvis into him. His lids shut momentarily.
Then his mouth is on my bare shoulder, licking a trail until he reaches the spot he wants. His teeth clamp down on my skin and I let out a cry. He releases me immediately. “Too much? Do you want me to stop?”
“If I want you to stop, I’ll say stop,” I push out breathy and agitated that his mouth isn’t still on me.
Wesley doesn’t waste another second finding the spot again and latching on. I can tell he’s bitten me hard enough to leave a mark, but I don’t know if he’s broken skin. When he lets go, he kisses along my neck and up to my jaw. “I want to fuck you more than I’ve wanted anything in my life, blue eyes.” I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s what I want too.
My mouth captures his and I kiss him roughly, biting his lip and drawing blood. He laughs at my eagerness and kisses me back. The taste of metallic coats our mouths and there is something so primal about this, like anything can happen.
No rules.