Page 43 of Approved

What was he hiding? Everything he presented to me couldn’t be real. I knew people couldn’t be trusted; they would tell you one thing, but something else would happen behind your back.

As his hands moved over my skin, I closed my eyes and soaked in the feeling of his hands on me. The warm water relaxed me. He pulled my back tight against his stomach, his arms around my waist, then kissed my shoulder. Are you ready to get out and maybe get some sleep?

He wasn’t going to push me for anything more. Was it possible he enjoyed being with me without the sex? If he wanted more, I would certainly be game, but the idea of snuggling until we slept after a long day sounded really good, and that was what he offered me.

“Yeah. You’re okay with that?”

“Of course. I like being with you.” He turned off the water, and we stepped out of the shower. He narrowed his eyes, got quiet, and looked at the ground, not at me. He dried me off efficiently, and I watched while he did the same to himself. Unable to help myself, I stood there and watched the show, which I would happily observe repeatedly. He caught me looking, and my response was to shrug, then smile at him.

Besides that brief moment, he continued looking annoyed, which worried me. “West, is there something wrong?”

“Well. No.” He sat down. “Actually. Can you sit?”

My stomach rolled. He would tell me that this thing we barely started was done and that it was fun, but I wasn’t what he wanted after all. He turned so he faced me on the bed, then took both my hands.

“Tyler…”

“Say it fast so I can….” He narrowed his eyes.

“Please.” He said it quietly.

I looked at him, gave him the respect he deserved, and listened.

“Tyler. I really like you a lot. It’s important that you understand that it isn’t just about sex. I like you so much as a person. I want to keep taking this further.”

I’m sure I looked shocked. “What?”

He reached up, pushed some hair off my forehead, and gently kissed me. “Tyler, to me, this is more than sex.”

“Oh.” I squeaked.

“I assume that is what you want, too.”

I blinked at him, unsure how to process what he said—my brain was short-circuiting. He wanted me and accepted me as I was. Was that even possible? Again, I pushed the feelings of doubt aside.Was this even real?

“Yeah. It’s good.” I didn’t know what else to say, so we got into bed together. My brain was going a million miles an hour, and Iwas exhausted, plus my body was tired. Once we were under the blankets, he held me against him, and it was one of the nicest things ever.

Over the next few weeks, West brought us dinner or had something delivered when we worked late. Sometimes, he stayed and helped with the orders, and the amount he could do expanded each time. While we worked together, we laughed and teased, then would fall into one of our beds at the end of the night. Our relationship grew stronger, and my heart told me to be open to the love he showed me.

That nagging feeling that this was some sort of trick always persisted, so I expected it to blow up like when I was a teen. I had trusted them because they were my parents and siblings, but they had lied for months. All of them had tricked me.

West took the night off, and we spent it with East and Allison. While he grilled steaks, Charlie screamed his fuzzy head off because he wanted his share of dinner. He was strictly a house cat, never interested in going outside, even when doors were left open. I suspected he had had enough of that in his life.

“Uncle Tyler, make sure you feed Charlie,” Allison said, reaching for me to pick her up. West’s brother and niece welcomed me and embraced me as part of their little family, and knowing I was part of this unit filled my heart more. It felt good, and the only thing that kept me from being all in was fear.

As we said good night to East, West wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder. “Let’s head to bed, you have a long day tomorrow,” he said against my ear. I melted into him.

He held my hand and led me to the bedroom. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower?”

“Do you want company?” He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Why don’t you get naked for me and wait in bed?” I didn’t want to get distracted by him.

He gave me a big smile and pulled me against him. “I can do that.”

When I got out of the shower, the door was open slightly, and I could hear West talking.

“I know East. It’s not something you just blurt out. I have to make sure he’s ready.” I hadn’t meant to overhear his conversation, but I had, and now I knew he was about to destroy me.

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