The haunting sounds of the slow melody worked its magic as they melted in to each other. Payton closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against his hard chest as he rested his chin atop her head.
Their own little corner of the universe. No one watched them, not that she cared. They swayed and moved in a tight circle. Had there ever been such a perfect day? Not even last night when he’d gone to such lengths to give her a perfect evening. The sex was good, no, make that fantastic, but it was today that squeezed her heart. Two people laughing and carefree, comfortable with each other. Was this what it felt like to be in love?
Her body went tense for a moment. He sensed the change in her because he pulled away to stare down at her, confusion registering in his expression.
She forced herself to relax and give him a reassuring smile. But her heart beat with a resounding thud, hammering against the inside of her chest like a prisoner trying to escape.
Love. Did she love him? Could she be in love with someone she’d for all practical purposes met only a little over a week ago?
Or did the feelings they’d once had for each other come into play? She frowned against his chest. No, they didn’t count. Yeah, she’d had a major crush on Wes at sixteen, but they’d only gotten together the one weekend when they’d had sex. No boyfriend/girlfriend stuff.
Yes, she’d had tender feelings for him then. But love? What the hell had she known about love then? And she certainly hadn’t spent the last twelve years pining for him. Hell, she hadn’t even thought about him except when conversations came up about old boyfriends/lovers.
That could only mean that whatever connection they had now accounted for the warm, fuzzy feeling inside her.
The song ended, and Wes returned her to her chair just as Laura brought dessert and refilled their drinks. They ate in silence, and she knew she was being unnaturally quiet, but she couldn’t wrap her brain around her almost-epiphany. Because really, she wasn’t ready to admit to herself that she could very well be in love with him.
“You’re quiet,” Wes murmured as he pushed aside his saucer.
She smiled, just a little shakily. “Just enjoying the night. The day. The weekend. It’s been fantastic.”
He leaned forward, taking her hands in his. “It’s not over yet. I plan to take you back to the hotel—” he raised her hand to his lips, inserting the tip of her index finger in his mouth, laving his tongue over it, “—and make love to you all night.”
She sucked in a mouthful of air and tried to calm her frazzled nerves. Nerves? She wasn’t nervous. She was anxious. Anxious to get the hell back to the hotel.
“I thought you needed to leave tonight? Don’t you work tomorrow?”
He nodded. “I do. Have to work, that is. But I thought I’d get up early and drive in tomorrow morning. Which gives us tonight.” He paused and gave her a sexy grin. “That is, if you’re interested.”
She met his gaze head-on. “I’m interested.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” he asked as he stood.
What, indeed.
Chapter Eleven
Consumed. There was really no other word for it. His entire thought process was a study in a curvy brunette with blue eyes and a killer smile.
Wes sat at his desk filing his latest report, cursing the fact that it was only Monday. Did it make him a pussy that he was counting the hours until he could see Payton again?
With a disgusted sigh, he acknowledged that it probably did, and furthermore, he could give a flying fuck about that.
He checked his cell phone for the hundredth time, just in case she’d called and it hadn’t rang. She probably wouldn’t call until after work anyway.
“Hey, man, we’re all going to Jake and Ellie’s after work,” Jeremy said from the door. “You gonna come?”
Wes stared up at his friend lounging against the doorframe. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll be there.”
“Good. You haven’t been around much lately. We were starting to wonder if you’d found better company.”
Wes snorted. He wasn’t going to walk into that trap. “I’ll be there,” he repeated.
“Jake wanted me to ask you to get a case of beer on your way over. The girls are taking care of the food.”
“Yeah, sure, no problem. I’ll go home and change then head on over.”
Jeremy nodded and ducked out. Wes sat there a long time pondering Jeremy’s innocent statement about better company. The more he thought on it, the more bothered he was.
He hadn’t lied when he’d told Payton that he enjoyed a simple life. Beer, good times, a job he loved, a town he loved and good friends. His friends had found happy relationships, but things hadn’t changed. They were still hanging out together, living a few miles apart. Payton didn’t live here, wasn’t a part of his circle. A relationship with her beyond sex would entail change for at least one, if not both of them.
The thought of his life changing made him uneasy. He’d always imagined that when he got ready to settle down, he’d do so with a local girl. Just like Jake, Luke and Jeremy had done. Then life would go on as usual only he wouldn’t go home alone anymore.
Payton… Well, she didn’t seem like the kind of girl willing to give everything up to move to a podunk town for a guy on a city cop’s salary.
Nor are you asking her to, dumbass. Way to get ahead of yourself.
But the fact remained. She had a successful business. One she’d built herself. She’d put a lot of time and sweat into her agency. There was absolutely nothing he could offer her that she didn’t already have. There wasn’t anything his town could offer her. As convinced as he was that he didn’t want his life to change, didn’t want to leave the niche he’d created, he knew she had to be equally determined not to give up her life either.
It shouldn’t bother him, them being at opposite ends. But it left a hollow ache in his chest. A morose feeling he couldn’t get rid of no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he should be looking at this as a temporary relationship. Sex. Good times. A little fun. Nothing more.
He had to get a grip. Being this tied up in knots over a girl… Well, it sucked. It was no way to live.
His cell phone rang, and he yanked it up to stare at the LCD. He was annoyed it wasn’t Payton, but even more pissed that he’d reacted like a lovesick moron.
Cool it, dude. Seriously.
“Hey, Gracie,” he said as he put the phone to his ear.