Page 23 of The Wildest One

I couldn’t wrap my head around any of this.

“I would love that.”

Even though the thought of more vulnerability—standing naked with him under running water—was a lot to process.

His arm was across the front of me, but instead of lifting to get us up, he held on even stronger. “I’ll carry you there in a second. Right now, I like this enough to not want to move.”

I agreed.

It was all …

Perfect.

Still damp from our shower, Beck and I lay next to each other in bed. My arm was stretched across him, and he was holding my wrist above his face, massaging the inside of it. The glow from the TV lit up the space around us, but neither of us was watching it.

His thumb stalled on the small tattoo in the crook beneath my thumb—a spot that could be hidden by a watch, which was why I had chosen it.

“A best friend or an old boyfriend?” he asked.

He was questioning whoLwas.

“Luke. My ex.” I sighed. “We talked about him earlier.”

“We talked about him—oh shit. The dude whose mouth didn’t get you off—I’m assuming that’s who Luke is?”

“Yep.”

He stroked the thin line of the cursive letter. “It’s the only tattoo on your body. He must have meant a lot to you.”

“We dated our senior year of high school and through our freshman year of college. He goes to Northeastern, not even a ten-minute walk from me.”

“What happened?”

I adjusted the pillow, my head sinking back into the fluff. “He broke my heart.”

“Asshole.”

I laughed. I could now. But for a while, I couldn’t even bear the thought of his name, let alone attempting an expression like the one I had on. “When the others were mean, he wasn’t. But college changed him. Or maybe I changed—I don’t know.” I turned my wrist, catching a glimpse of the ink. “We got these a week after we graduated. He has aJin the same spot. What’s ironic is, around the same time, my parents were griping about how one of their friends’ sons got a whole bunch of tattoos for a girlfriend, and how they ended up breaking up, and how stupid it was of him. And then I went and did this.”

“Do either of your parents’ names start withL?”

“Sadly, no.”

He released my wrist, his arm tucking behind me, his fingers rubbing my bare back. “Tattoos are removable, if you ever want to go that route.”

I leaned up on my elbow, gently touching his chiseled, tattoo-covered chest. “One day, I’ll definitely get it removed. For now, I guess it’s a good reminder of why I need to stay focused on school and work. Those two things, for the most part, monopolize my life. So, I really don’t have time for assholes.” I smiled.

“Men are a distraction.” He laughed. “Hey, look, I pulled you away from whatever you and your friend had planned for after the bar, along with everything that you had scheduled for the next couple of days.” He gently bit my chin. “You’re my hostage.”

I let out a soft moan. “But you’re worth it. Men like Luke, not so much.”

His hand stilled at the top of my butt. “How do you know I’m worth it, Jolie?” He paused. “Are you saying that because I’m Beck Weston? Or are you saying it for a different reason?”

“I’ve known you, for what, less than an hour? And within that short time, you put your mouth between my legs and actually cared enough to give me something no other guy had. Even the one who had said he loved me.” I traced up to his neck. “And you’ve made me try things that no one has ever taken the time to encourage me to do—again, not even the one who said he wanted to spend forever with me.” I flattened my hand, not realizing the placement was over his heart. “I might not know you on a personal level, but based on those things alone, I would say you’re worth it.”

He rolled toward me, my hand falling to his back. “Tell me something, Jolie. How did Luke break your heart?”

I rubbed my lips together. “My dad has always said, ‘It’s not what they tell you, it’s what they show you.’ That’s when the true nature of a person’s soul is revealed.” I went quiet for a moment. “Luke showed me who he wasn’t, and the disappointment broke my heart.”