He was quiet for another moment, his gaze never once leaving mine.
"Because I can see the demons in your eyes, Brookelyn. The ones that surface when you think nobody's paying attention. The ones you can't tell me about … and that's okay." I opened my mouth to respond but he continued, "I want to take them away from you. I want to help you heal. But I won't let myself kiss you until I know that you can trust me with those demons."
"I … " I started.
"It's okay, Brooke. You don't have to tell me." The he lightened the mood, flashing me a perfect, crooked smile. "But you do have to dance with me."
He took my hand and led me back inside, straight to the dance floor, pulling me into him as our bodies melted together as one.
TEN
I danced with Wes for a solid hour, enjoying the feel of his body pressed tightly against mine. I was drenched in sweat, my baby doll nighty sticking to my skin. I could feel the fabric of Wes's shirt was also damp so I motioned to go outside for some fresh air.
"Fuck, it's hot in there." Wes said, pulling his pack from his back pocket.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, loving the chilly air brushing over my skin. I heard the flick of the lighter as Wes lit hit cigarette and looked over to see that he was watching me.
"Too cool to dress up, Walker?" I joked, referencing his wardrobe. He wore his usual blue denim but he was sporting a stark white collared button up with the sleeves rolled up at the elbows rather than his usual t-shirt.
He fiend offense and held his arms out, looking down at himself.
"I think I look sexy!"
I laughed and opened my mouth to agree when a harsh voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Well isn't this just super cozy." Our laughter halted and I groaned, Wes's jaw clenching, his eyes narrowing.
"Get lost, Emmy." He said through gritted teeth.
She tsked and looked me up and down, a disgusted look on her face. She was one of the hundred bunnies that I had seen in the club tonight. I made a mental note to thank Elle for her originality.
She narrowed her eyes, studying me. "There's something off about this one, Wes. I'd be careful."
"Shut up, Emmy. Don't be such a bitch."
She rolled her eyes at him, but swung her gaze back to me. "I've got a couple of friends at your old school, you know." I tensed, and she smirked noticing my reaction. "Guess I'll have to do some digging. I'll let you know what I find, Wes."
"Don't bother."
She cackled and flipped her hair over her shoulder, turning on her heel and prancing back into the club.
"Hey." I forced myself to focus on Wes. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't like to be told no so she's taking' it out on you."
I nodded and forced a smile hoping that it appeared natural.
"C'mon, let's head back inside."
I grabbed Wes's outstretched hand and followed after him towards the entrance. Groups of people had started to leave but it was only midnight. We pushed through a couple of crying girls and guys who looked ready to brawl and lifted our wrists to show the bouncer that we'd already been admitted. He held up his hands, stopping us.
"Sorry, guys. No one's allowed back in once you're out. Couple of fights broke out and the fire marshals' shut us down. You're gonna have to find somewhere else to go."
I opened my mouth to argue but he motioned us aside, fighting of a burly guy who was trying to sneak back in.
"Great! Now what?" I wailed throwing up my hands and letting them fall onto my thighs with a slap.
"Do you have all of your stuff with you?" Wes asked.
"Yeah, I only brought my phone, my ID and some money." I replied. The best part of being a girl was being able to stash money and other necessities like IDs in my bra when going to a club.
"Alright, text Elle and let her know the deal. I've got an idea of what we can do with the rest of our night." He's eyes sparkled with mischief and I raised an eyebrow. "Get your head out of the gutter Baby Spice, we're going to Ihop."
"Ihop? Really?" I questioned, and sent Elle a message letting her know about the fight and that I was supposedly going with Wes to Ihop.
"Of course. There's nothing better than some pancakes and hash browns at midnight to soak up some of that alcohol." I shrugged, following closely behind him as he walked towards the street. Cabs were lined up to escort all of the college students back home. Wes leaned into the open passenger seat window of one and said something to the driver. After exchanging a few words Wes turned to me with a smile and opened the back door of the cab, motioning me in before him.
We settled into the cab and all thoughts of Emmy vanished from my mind. I promised myself that I'd get a hold of Savanna tomorrow and warn her about Cam. Right now I wanted to enjoy my time with Wes. Ever since he had admitted that he wanted to kiss me I felt less uneasy around him. Now that I knew that he felt the same way, I was able to open up a little more, although I still wasn't ready to release my demons. I was torn-on one hand I wanted to kiss him so badly that I was ready to spill my deepest darkest secret, but on the other hand, I was afraid that I'd send him running.
The cab driver was a cute little Indian man who drove fast enough that I found myself gripping onto the door handle. Luckily Ihop was only a few streets over from The Alamo so my life was only in danger for a few minutes.
We hopped out of the cab and Wes handed the driver some money before lacing his fingers through mine and pulling me through the doors of the diner. The restaurant was much busier than I had expected it to be and as I took in all of the costumes I realized Wes wasn't the only one with the idea of a midnight breakfast after leaving the club.
The hostess did a double take when she noticed Wes and flashed him a flirty smile, batting her eyelashes at him seductively. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her blatant behavior. I felt Wes squeeze my hand and I stopped glaring at the hostess long enough to see Wes smiling down at me with an amused grin.
"Will it just be you and your sister tonight?" the hostess asked, and I gritted my teeth to stop myself from lashing out at her.
Wes chuckled lightly. "Yes, my sister and I would love a table for two."
I averted my glare from the hostess, who now wore a pleased grin, to Wes. His eyes sparkling with amusement and he gave me an innocent look. I could see that he was trying hard not to laugh by the way he pressed his lips together. I rolled my eyes as we followed behind the hostess over to a tiny booth, keeping my hand firmly locked onto his. I took my seat and snatched the menu from the hostess a bit roughly causing her to frown as Wes slid into the booth opposite me.
"Your server will be with you shortly. If you need anything at all just let me know." She spoke directly to Wes and he acknowledged her flirtation with a wide grin.
"She was nice." He said after she had walked away.
"She was rude." He chuckled.
"I like your jealous side, Brooke. You're feisty." He said.
"I'm not jealous, I'm thoroughly disgusted by her behavior." I told him.
"Whatever you say, beautiful." He said, and I grimaced. "What?"
"Don't call me that," I replied, "Gabe always called me that. It was like he couldn't remember my name."
Wes laughed, "Alright, ugly. Whatever you'd like."
"Ugly? You sure now how to make a girl feel special, Wes." I deadpanned.
"Hey! I'm going for originality! Give me some credit, woman." I shook my head and smiled, looking down at my menu.
I was relieved to see that our server was male. He took our drink orders, lingering his gaze on my cleavage for a beat too long.
"Hey, buddy! Eyes up here!" Wes snapped, and the waiter paled, spitting out a quick apology and running to the back to get our drinks.
"Jealousy looks good on you, Wes. So feisty." I teased back at him.
He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. The guy was staring at your tits like he was planning his last meal."
I let out a laugh but Wes just narrowed his gaze and unbuttoned his shirt revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. He slipped his button down shirt off of his shoulders and held it out to me.