Page 27 of Secrets and Lies
“I wasn’t?” His entire face brightens, and his voice is laced with hope. “Oh, good.”
One thing I’ve always found interesting about West is how emotive he is. His smiles are always big and bright, and he wears his confusion and hurt without giving a shit that everyone can see exactly what he’s thinking and feeling.
The other thing about West that caught my attention, even back before the Hunt, is how everything about him is a contradiction when you first see and meet him.
His fluffy blond hair and wide blue eyes, along with his baby face, give him an innocent and cherubic look, but he’s big and strong and built like an MMA fighter who looks like he could fuck you up without breaking a sweat when he’s actually soft-spoken and a bit weird and silly when he lets his guard down and allows his true personality to shine through.
It makes him interesting, and it shows that there’s more to him than the carefully crafted pretty boy jock persona he’s had since I’ve known him.
“Nope,” I tell him and playfully bump my arm against his again. “And you’ve got nothing to worry about, partner.”
West’s foot slips off the stair rung he just stepped on, and I instinctively grab him around the waist to help steady him as he catches his balance.
A faint crackle of electricity ignites on my skin, and hints of something spicy mixed with musk and cedar surround me as West’s warm body presses against mine.
“You good?” I ask again, holding him a bit closer just because I can.
“Yeah. Just slipped.” Two spots of color appear on his cheeks as I slowly let him go, purposely dragging my hand across his lower back as I pull my arm away. “But before slipping and almost falling down the stairs like this is my first day on Earth, I thought I heard you say thatyou’remy partner for the project?”
“I did say that,” I confirm as we start walking again, and I gently brush my hand against his in a way that could have been an accident.
He lets out a little sound, like a grunt mixed with a gasp, and we pause as we come up on the landing to the third floor.
“Well, that’s…great?” West shakes his head, his cheeks coloring even more. “I mean, good to know.”
“Like I said, you have nothing to worry about. You’re in good hands.” I add a touch of a flirty tone to my voice.
He blinks at me, his blue eyes so wide he looks like a surprised lemur.
“That’s really…great,” he says softly, his eyes falling to my mouth before shooting back up to my eyes.
“It is,” I murmur and flick my own gaze to his full lips. “Catch ya later, partner.” I give him a smirky smile and continue up the stairs, leaving him staring after me on the landing as I head up to the fourth floor.
I’m just coming around the corner when Damon steps out of his room and into the hall.
“Hey, Ant?” he asks, pausing as he closes the door behind him.
“What’s up?”
“Have you seen Graycen around?”
I study him for a few seconds.
He looks stressed as fuck, and the fact that he’s asking after one of our leaders is completely out of character for him. Something is going on, and I want to know what that is.
“You’re looking for Graycen?” I ask, choosing my words carefully.
“Yeah, I need to talk to him about something important,” he says, but his casual tone doesn’t match the nervous way he chews on his lip ring.
“Something important?” I give him what I hope is an innocent look so he’ll tell me more.
He nods distractedly. “Yeah.”
“Like what?”
“Just something personal.” He flicks his lip ring with his tongue a few times.
I might not know Damon well, but I’ve spent the past three years living in the same house as him, and I’ve learned his tells. He only plays with his lip ring when he’s flirting, thoughtful, or freaking out.
