room as the sun is
almost done setting, and then I remember coming back to the house to nap after
not being able to find Wes.
I
clear my throat. “Hey.”
“Will
you come with me? I have something I have to show you,” Wes asks, staring into
my eyes.
“Sure.
What time is it?”
“Almost
nine.”
My
eyes shoot open as I jolt up on the bed. “What? It’s almost nine. Why didn’t
anyone wake me up?” I screech.
That
gains me a chuckle from Wes. “Well, when I found you about an hour ago, you
were sleeping so peacefully that I couldn’t wake you.”
“I’m
sorry that I fell asleep. I really only planned on taking a power nap, but
obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“Why
are you sorry?” A bewildered expression comes over his face.
“Because
I should’ve been up to help your mom cook dinner.”
“Kenleigh,
you know you don’t have to help her cook dinner right?”
“I
know, but I still feel like I should help. Your mom is letting me stay here and
not asking anything from me. The least I could do is help her cook everybody’s
meals.”
Wes
tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “My mom wants you here in the house.
She doesn’t expect anything in return; trust me. Besides me not wanting to wake
you up, when I told her how I found you, she insisted that I let you sleep.
Don’t worry about it, okay?” Reaching for my hands and pulling me to my feet,
he says, “Come on.”
As
I follow him out the door, the house is dark and quiet. “Where is everybody?”
“Mom
and Dad went to town for a few things.” Wes tugs on my hand and pulls me closer
to his body.
The
wooden floor creaks beneath our feet as we make our way down the stairs and out
onto the porch. An ATV is waiting for us in the grass. Adrenaline starts
pumping its way through my veins as I hop on the back behind Wes. Just as he
starts it up, he looks back over his shoulder and says above the roar of the
motor, “Hold on. Tight.” He shoots me a wink as he turns back around, revving
the engine. I wrap my arms around his waist so that my hands rest against the
lean contours of his sculpted stomach. He guns it forward and we take off. My
hair sweeps back as it mixes with the wind. I shout over the whipping wind and
the scream of the four-wheeler. “Where are we going?”
“Do
you trust me?” He asks, yelling back.
Do
I trust him? I want to say no, but something in my gut pulls at me, telling me
that I do. My eyes squeeze shut while my grip around his waist tightens. I let
go of anything and everything that may make me want to hold back with him.
“Yeah! I trust you!” Before I know what’s happening, my head tucks against the
rippling muscles in his back as we go airborne. My stomach feels like it’s in
my throat as I hold in the scream that is so desperately trying to work its way
out of me. The muscles in my thighs clutch the seat, forcing my ass to stay
rooted to where it belongs. We both bounce as we land with a thud, but within
seconds, we’re airborne again. For the next few minutes, we ride around and
jump hills and speed our way to this destination that he still hasn’t told me
about. But it’s okay, because I trust him.
As
the ATV slows down and comes to a stop, I release my death grip from around his
midsection. I take a deep breath and shake my arms out to try to put some blood
flow back into them. With adrenaline raging through my veins like a hurricane,
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. I jump off the four-wheeler with shaky
legs, still laughing.
“Why
are you laughing?” he asks through a grin.
“That
was insane.” With my trembling legs no longer able to hold me up, I fall to the
ground, laughing so hard that tears are now rolling down my face. I like to
live a carefree life, and rarely hold back from anything, but doing jumps on an
ATV is definitely a first for me.
“Insane
good or insane bad?” Wes laughs as he helps me off the ground.
“Definitely
good. I’ve never done anything like
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