If anyone else said something like that, I might laugh, but when it comes to Reese… well, he’s not exactly the most normalguy around. It doesn’t surprise me to hear him say he could deal with Logan for me, and it actually does make me feel better about the whole situation.
When I don’t say anything, Reese gives me a gentle smile. “I hope you feel better about whatever you decide to do. I think, deep down, you already know what you have to do.”
I return the soft smile. “Thank you. This isn’t how I thought this talk would go, but… but I’m kind of glad it went this way. When it comes to Logan, sometimes I don’t think clearly.” In a much quieter voice, I whisper, “He, um, he was actually my first.”
Crap. Probably shouldn’t have said that.
Reese doesn’t say anything, so I feel the need to explain, “We hooked up before the semester started last fall. I didn’t know I’d be seeing a lot more of him when it happened. I was—” This is kind of embarrassing to admit. “—spiraling from breaking up with my ex after finding out he’d been cheating on me for nearly two years. I was hurting, and I thought it’d make me feel better. It did, but not for long.” I let out a harsh sigh and force out a chuckle. “I’m sorry. That’s probably too much information, huh?”
“Not at all.”
Though that’s all he says, I believe him. Reese just has this way about him that makes me feel so… so good. Like everything will be okay. Like he’ll take care of me, no matter what. Maybe it’s leftover from him helping me out so much last semester after the accident, or maybe it’s because I’m falling for him.
I’m falling for him while also struggling with resurfacing feelings for Logan. Is it really possible to love two people at once? In the past, I would’ve said no, but now… now I really do wonder. Love isn’t finite.
Reese says, “There is something I want to show you. Can I pick you up tonight?”
The abrupt change of subject is welcome, and yet I’m caught off-guard, because it’s a weekday, and so far he’s proven that he prefers to see each other on the weekends, something I can agree with, since weeknights are usually full of either studying or actually doing the textbook readings.
Yeah, I’m still one of those students.
“Sure,” I say.
“Great. How about eight? I won’t keep you up too late, I promise.” He flashes me his pearly whites, and I respond by chuckling.
Well, came to talk to Reese to see if he could persuade me one way or another, and somehow I’m walking out of here with another date. Can’t lie, it’s not something I can complain about.
And as for the advice about Logan and his mic night…
I feel a little better about it, but at the same time, I’m still torn. I don’t know if it’s a good idea, if I should go.
What if I go and my heart breaks all over again?
Chapter Twenty – Reese
I debated long and hard about this. It is a part of me that most would shy away from, but I have faith in Wren. I don’t think she’ll turn her back on me once she knows the full extent of the darkness inside of me. Granted, I don’t plan on telling her exactly what my mazes entail, but seeing as how she was comfortable enough to come to me about Logan, I figure I owe her this much.
The choice, ultimately, should be hers.
Later that night, I pick her up at eight. She comes out of her house, bundled up in a winter coat, much like she was the night I met her at the cemetery. Once she’s in my car, she leans over the center console and I meet her halfway, pressing my lips against hers.
It was torture, seeing her earlier and not being able to pick her up, pin her down on my desk, and take off every layer of clothing she had on. Damn near impossible to resist the urge I had to run my lips over every square inch on that body. I managed, just barely.
Only after the kiss does she say, sweetly, “Hi.”
I grin. “Hi. Maybe we should do that again, to make up for earlier, when we couldn’t.”
Wren doesn’t argue. She leans over to me again, and I bring my mouth to hers a second time. This time, the kiss is longer, the fire burning bright inside us both. We kiss like we haven’t tasted each other in ages. I could feel those lips of hers on mine all night and never tire of them.
Alas, there is something I want to show her… and it isn’t the tingling cock between my legs.
I labor to pull my mouth off hers, and then I get us onto the street. She’s quiet for a few seconds, and then she asks, “Whereare we going? You said you had something you wanted to show me, but you didn’t give me any hints about what it is.”
Tossing her a glance, I reach over to her and take her hand in mine while keeping one hand on the wheel. “That’s because it’ll be easier to show you and then explain. If we do the other way around… things might get complicated.”
It’s evident she has no idea what I mean, and for good reason. I don’t think anyone would automatically assume I have cameras in places I shouldn’t and a life-or-death maze built in mybasement.
I don’t always have them in my basement. There are half a dozen properties scattered around that my family owns that I’ve commandeered every now and then for my mazes. It’s always good to have variety. Can’t reuse the same old maze every single time.