“Wynter…”
“I know… I know what I said. I want to know if he’s okay,” I whisper.
Her shoulders lift in another sigh. “Look Wyn, even if I wanted to tell you, I can’t. Reece and I decided that you two need to figure out your own shit without us. I’ve got your back. Whatever decision you make I’ll stand behind and I’ll gladly be your sounding board, but that’s the extent of my involvement.”
I takesome time off from work. Time to step back and look at things and decide how to proceed with life. I’d had another sleepless night of tossing and turning in bed. It’s been like this for a week now. I’ve still gotten more hours than I did at the hotel listening to the couple next door sounding like they were always amid a porn video. It had made me incredibly irritated and horny.
The only person that came to mind was him. The one man I’m trying to block from my central nervous system. He’s like a drug fighting to get into my system. Well, now he’s there, and he’s caused enough damage to make me addicted.Weston.
I enjoy the light peeking in through the shades as I open my eyes this morning. Nice to be in my bed again. I’d had to replace the mattress but was able to get an exact replacement of the one I had previously, so I felt like I was sleeping on air.
The sun givesme a renewed optimism. The hope that today will be better and maybe I’ll have more answers. As I take a long, leisurely shower, wash my hair, and deep condition it, my mind wanders off to the Carlisle Fundraiser Gala happening tomorrow night. It’s the one event I don’t miss even though I walked away from my family. As if bringing them to life, my phone dings.
Mother:Gala event tomorrow. Your attendance is mandatory. Bring a date. Do not make us look bad.
I roll my eyes.As if I could forget.
My heart squeezes over wanting to invite Weston. He would be an ideal candidate to bring before my parents and show off but asking him would surely give the wrong idea.
Who knows if he’d even say yes at this point.
Pushing away the stress of finding someone, I blow dry my hair into long shiny cascades of red around my face. The last strip of black liner flows across my eyes, finishing the final touches on my makeup. Now all that’s needed is some work clothes. My navy dress slides down my body, over my hips. I throw on some shoes and I’m ready to hit the ground running.
I make my way into the kitchen and Addison’s jaw drops. “Look at you, girl.” She holds out her arms to me, face pulling into a wide smile. I step into her hug. We’ve hugged more times in the last two weeks than the entire time of our friendship.
“You look happy, Wyn. Did you decide finally?”
“No, but I have a feeling that today will be an enjoyable day.” I smile. “I need to just get out there and face everything. Try to fix things with my coworkers. Let them see that I’m not a domineering bitch, that I can be friendly too. It’s important to me to make things right, and maybe if I do that I can resolve some other things in my life.”
“I’m proud of you, Wynter. Stepping up and deciding to be brave and figure out what you want.”
“I don’t know if I’ll figure it out, but I want to try.”
“Does Weston figure into that somehow?” she asks tentatively.
I sigh and shrug. “I can’t exactly avoid him forever. Eventually we’re going to have to come face to face and lay out our issues and fix them. We can’t keep going on in this web of uncertainty. Deluding myself to the fact that if we don’t talk about it, these feelings will go away.”
A week away has given me a fresh perspective on things. It’s time to pull up my big girl panties and get on with my life. Weston and I both work at The Avant Garde and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I could pick up tomorrow, leave the city, and find a new job, but I don’t want to run. Not anymore. I’m tired of being scared to love and alone.
A simpleyou can do thisbecomes my motto for the day. Arriving early, I hurry to my office and get settled in, catching up on emails and responding to those that required it.
I know it when he arrives for the day. Tension creeps in and spreads around me like a fog. The deep timbre of his voice penetrates the air, he’s speaking but not loud enough to hear the words.
Heading to the break room, I let the bitter aroma of coffee as it brews take over my senses and lose myself in the smell of something familiar. Topping off my queen cup, I turn and my body collides with a broad muscled chest. I cringe, watching a couple drops touch his skin and singe.
“Weston.” His name slips from my mouth in a whisper, unbidden. He leans above me to grab a coffee mug for himself, and I ogle his muscles as they ripple and bulge. I can’t help but inhale the musky scent of his cologne as it whips into my nostrils uninvited and consumes me.
Every bone in my body wants to climb him and have him manhandle me like he did the night we had sex.
Don’t. You can do this.I remind myself. Backing away, I search his eyes for something. What exactly, I'm not entirely sure. It’s as if I’m anticipating him telling me every word that hangs in the balance. Every single sentence that’s yet to be spoken.
He reaches out, stroking a manly finger down my arm. Goosebumps erupt all over my body and my stomach flips.
His scent engulfs me. Enchanting me. Entrancing me in everything Weston Croix. Setting my coffee down, I try to move to get out of the suffocating air between us, but he follows suit, boxing me in. Breathing my oxygen.
A smirk graces the corners of his lips, he knows the effect he's having on me.Fucking hell, this is hard. I didn’t think it would be this hard.
“We need to talk.” His voice comes out pained as he exhales slowly, waiting for my response.