Page 35 of The Summer for Us (Golden Falls #1)

JULIETTE

The sun’s bright, golden rays streamed in through the window.

I stretched my arms over my head as I slowly opened my eyes, turning onto my side so my back was facing the window.

I couldn’t help the smile that came across my face, especially when I pulled the comforter up to my chin. It was cozy and smelled like Wes.

I had the best night’s sleep in years in Wes’s bed. If you’d asked me if I slept on fluffy clouds or Wesley’s pillows, I wouldn’t know the difference. See, it was possible for men to have their shit together and not just have a mattress slapped in the middle of a room. Green flag.

Not even the fact that I slept in my makeup could ruin the morning, although I was itching to get my mascara off.

I wished I hadn’t fallen asleep on the drive over, but between the dancing, conversations, and that mind-blowing orgasm, I had been exhausted. After Wes carried me inside and gave me a shirt to sleep in, I meant to ask him to get in bed with me. But I was out as soon as my head hit the pillows.

Heat flared in my lower belly at the recollection of what happened in Wes’s office. How good he was with his mouth and fingers. How hard and fast I had finished. I didn’t even finish that hard when I used my vibrator.

Speaking of Wes…

I untangled myself from the sheets, setting my bare feet on the floor and standing.

While Wes’s room was comfortable, it didn’t have many personal touches, which wasn’t surprising.

He did have two photos on his dresser, though.

The first was him and his father standing outside Lake Ridge and the second was a family photo in his parents’ backyard.

It looked like the whole group was in the photo: Lily, Jade, Cooper, and Eliza. Hal was in the picture, too.

Slowly, I opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, peeking my head around the corner.

Wes was fast asleep on the living room couch.

His hand was behind his head, and the blanket was draped across his lower body, leaving his muscular chest and torso exposed.

His usually clenched jaw was relaxed. In fact, his whole body looked relaxed as he took slow breaths.

I sat on the edge of the couch, near the middle where his hips were, and gently placed my hand on his arm.

“Hey, Wes. Good morning,” I greeted softly. My hand stayed on his arm, but my fingertips itched to trace the sharp, stubbled edge of his jaw.

“Morning, baby.” He let out a low groan, his lips quickly pulling into a smile as his eyes stayed closed. “I get to wake up to Juliette Campbell in my house, looking like a dream in my shirt. How does it get better than that?” His voice was low and warm, like a golden summer day.

I bit my bottom lip to hide my smile. “You haven’t even opened your eyes yet. What if I look like a mess?”

“Impossible,” he said, slowly opening his eyes. His smile widened into a lazy grin that took my breath away. “See, looking like a dream. I knew it.” He reached his hand up, cupping my cheek and using his thumb to pull my bottom lip, setting my smile free.

“You didn’t have to sleep on the couch.”

He shook his head, moving his thumb along my jaw. “You were out the whole drive back and when we got here. I didn’t want to wake you or make you uncomfortable in the morning.”

“I really appreciate that, thank you.”

“No need to thank me, Juliette. It’s literally the least I could do.”

Maybe that much was true, but I didn’t think a lot of men would have taken the steps Wes did to make sure I was safe and cared for. I wanted him to know that. “Doesn’t mean I can’t thank you.”

He seemed so relaxed, so…happy. I hadn’t seen this side of him yet, but I liked it. It felt natural. “I didn’t take you as a morning person,” I added.

“Usually, I’m not, but things are a little different today.” He dropped his hand and gave my thigh a gentle squeeze. “Are you hungry for breakfast? I can make us eggs, pancakes, bacon, and hash browns. Coffee, too.”

“A whole breakfast feast, huh?” I asked with a grin. “That sounds perfect.”

“Okay, that’s not coffee anymore.” Wes raised his brows as I poured a heaping amount of almond milk into my glass, followed by ice cubes.

“Yeah, you’re right. Now it’s iced coffee,” I replied, which earned me a smirk and shake of his head. “I can make you one, if you want.”

“I like mine just how it is.” Unsurprisingly, Wesley drank his coffee black.

He was also a wizard in the kitchen. He was nearly done preparing a classic diner breakfast for us in less than fifteen minutes. He moved effortlessly and had a few pans going, timing everything perfectly so it was ready and hot at the same time. I would’ve burned something by now.

He had pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants and a black tee. I was still in his shirt but had washed my face of last night’s makeup. Normally, I liked to shower first thing, but today I was enjoying the lazy morning.

“Breakfast’s ready.” He pressed a kiss to my hairline, and my legs nearly gave out. He was so surprisingly tender with me, even last night when we were in the hallway. The way he cradled my face and tipped my chin up.

Wes prepared two plates for us and nodded toward the table for us to sit. I followed, and we started our first few bites of breakfast in a comfortable silence.

“When I was talking with Louise last night, she mentioned you had plans to grow Lake Ridge. What’re you focusing on?” I asked before taking another bite.

He nodded, grabbing his napkin and wiping his mouth before speaking.

“I have my eyes set on expanding the food menu, drawing in customers for both lunch and dinner. I want to bring a chef on board who understands my goals and wants to preserve Lake Ridge’s atmosphere but has their own vision of a menu.

I’d like to work with local farmers to source ingredients and also minimize food waste as we’re doing this.

My goal for this summer has been to get staff in place to give myself time to research these ideas and feel comfortable about the hiring process for a chef. ”

I raised my brows, in awe of his vision and what he wanted for the bar. “Wes, that’s amazing. I love the sound of that. It’ll make Lake Ridge a year-round, local draw. When do you want to hire someone?”

“The spring, maybe? Having Eliza bartend has been huge, and I hired a few college kids back in town, too, to help me with the administrative tasks. I might need to hire one more full-time person when they go back to college, but the rest of the year is less busy than the summer.”

“I’m so excited for you,” I said honestly with a smile, trying to ignore the pang in my chest at the thought of not seeing his dreams come to fruition. I’d be long gone in Chicago by then.

We continued talking as we finished breakfast. I told him more about my parents and Grant, my favorite parts about living in the city, and the work I’d been doing in Golden Falls.

He shared with me more about the various adventures Cooper and he got up to growing up, what his other sister Jade was like, and how he spent his days when he wasn’t working.

“Thank you for breakfast,” I said before taking my final bite of pancake. “That was so good.” I tipped my head back against the chair with a satisfied smile. “Are you going into Lake Ridge today?” I still wasn’t quite sure what his schedule was—he seemed to be at work all the time.

“Thank you for having breakfast with me.” His gaze met mine. “I am but not until later. Wanted to spend the morning and afternoon with you. Unless you had plans?”

“I’ll make time in my busy schedule to spend time with you,” I teased. With it being a Sunday morning, I didn’t have any meetings or work I had to get done. I’d maybe spend some time looking at inspiration on a couple of projects to get ahead for next week, but that could wait.

I stood from the table and grabbed both our plates and silverware.

“You don’t have to do that,” Wesley said behind me, and I rolled my eyes.

“Wes, you cooked us a breakfast feast. I think I can rinse some dishes and put them in the dishwasher.”

He grumbled something under his breath, and I couldn’t help but laugh. While reading him was still a challenge, I was picking up on things here and there. He liked control, he was incredibly stubborn, and he liked to take care of those in his orbit. And I guess that included me now?

Throughout our conversation over breakfast, neither one of us had brought up that detail of last night. I wanted to, but I…didn’t know how. As comfortable as I was around Wes, I suddenly felt shy. I focused instead on getting the dishes rinsed.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Don’t hide from me. What’re you thinking about?”

I glanced at him over my shoulder. He was leaning against the kitchen counter, eyes studying me. He was too observant for his own good. How was he able to read me so well after only a couple of months?

I focused my gaze back on the dishes. “You. Us. Last night.” I sighed. “What it means that I want it all to happen again. Wondering if you want it to happen again.”

He huffed out a laugh at my last sentence, like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. He walked up behind me. Then I felt him. His rough fingers moved my hair to the side. His hot breath against my neck. His hips against me.

“Listen to me, baby,” he said against my ear.

“Last night was the best night of my life, for so many reasons. But you know what all those reasons have in common? You. I’ve been thinking about you—dreaming about you—since the moment you stepped into my life.

” His hands found my hips over the shirt’s fabric.

His shirt. My legs nearly gave out at the way he dug his fingers in, tightening his hold.

“Of course, I want it to happen again, but only if you want it, too.”

I gulped then turned, now facing him with my back pressed against the edge of the counter.

“I want it, too. I want you, Wesley.” His eyes were locked on me, like nothing else in the world mattered.

Neither one of us looked away. My chest rose and fell as my breaths sped up, and I raised my brow slightly, challenging him.

“And I seem to remember you saying you wanted me all to yourself. Well, are you going to do something about it?”