Page 20 of Love That Sass

Wake up, Gwenny.

“We going in?” Weylin asked, waiting for her to speak.

“Well, I am. I mean, I’m sure you have another person to pick up or—”

“Nope. I logged out. Figured you could use a ride back anyway, and besides, who else is gonna feed me trail mix on the way back?” he asked playfully.

Gwendolyn bit her lip and nodded. He was kind, sweet, and really freaking hot. But why was he so interested in her? She frowned.

“Look Weylin, I appreciate the ride and the fact you turned off the tipping option, but if you are here with any ulterior motives, you should know a few things about me from the start. I am not in the market for a one-night stand. I do not put out. I am not interested in playing games or being a notch on your bedpost. My Pop raised me to have a strong moral compass. I promised myself when I was sixteen that I was going to save my virginity for marriage, and I meant it.”

She waited, but Weylin stood stock still, no expression on his movie star handsome face. Gwendolyn sucked in a breath before she continued.

“I am not playing hard to get or throwing down a gauntlet. Understand? I truly believe intimacy is meant to be intimate and I am not judging anyone else for their lifestyle, but this is my body, and it is my choice to be celibate until I findmy him.”

“Yourhim?”

“Yes.My him. My person. Someone I love, who loves me, who respects me and doesn’t want to change me or ridicule me. So, if you are hanging out here cause you wanna bang the new girl, you are better off leaving. Got it?”

Weylin’s green gaze seemed to glow in the crisp autumn morning, and Gwen sucked in a sharp breath. He took a step toward her, then another, and another, until Gwendolyn was backed up against the SUV.

“I can’t say I’ve lived a celibate life, because frankly, I’ve been living the opposite. But I don’t play with people or hearts, and I never ever stepped over the line unless someone asked me to. You don’t know me yet, and you don’t trust me, and that is fine. You’ll learn I mean what I say. And I do respect you, Gwendolyn Hoffer. I’m just asking you to be open-minded about me. Can you do that?”

“Can I do what?” she asked, trying hard to catch her breath, but it was a little difficult with him being so close to her.

“Just don’t rush to any conclusions about me you aren’t sure of yet. Neither of us can tell the future, Gwen. But I can tell you this, and it is the truth, I wanna get to know you. We can go slow or fast as you like.”

“Weylin—”

“Gwendolyn, I just wanna spend some time with you. Just some time, okay?”

“Why? I just told you it’s not going to end in the bedroom like your other conquests. There’s no point in pursuing me,” she stated bluntly.

It took a sledgehammer to knock down walls. But Gwendolyn imagined she’d need a battering ram to fell this particular rampart. Of course, Weylin smiled just then, and her heart thudded even louder.

He was just too handsome. Red hair in a thousand different shades from the deepest auburn to the lightest golden flames danced in the morning breeze. Copper-colored eyelashes, so long they were positively sinful, brushed his skin with every blink of his hypnotic green eyes. Then there were his muscles—so many muscles—all fighting against the ridiculously tight cotton t-shirt he wore.

Whoa. Down girl!

Butterflies turned into fighter jets inside her stomach. She just could not catch her breath. The man was hot. Smokin’ hot. Much too much for a chubby little homebody, goody-goody like Gwenny.

“Oh, baby, you are so worth it.”

“Weylin, I mean it. I won’t sleep with you,” she said, but she didn’t sound so certain.

“I won’t push you into anything you don’t want, Gwendolyn. I promise and I am a man of my word,” he said, looking more serious than she had ever seen him.

“Ha! You’ll get bored in a week,” she snarked.

It was only the truth. Guys had come on to her before, thinking she was playing hard to get with them. But with Weylin, Gwen felt conflicted. Sad even.

What the heck?

Why should the truth make her feel so miserable? Yes, she’d made her vow very young, after a terrible teen romance that had ended the only way it could have—utter heartbreak. But Gwendolyn had never questioned or regretted her decision to abstain from smexy times.

Until now, her inner voice whispered. Gwen gasped, gaze flicking to Weylin’s own questioning stare, and she shook her head. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, pretending not to notice the charged atmosphere between them. The wind whistled through the trees, the fall sun was still shining, but Gwen couldn’t tell which way was up or down or sideways.

“Think what you like, baby. I’m not going anywhere either.”

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