“You’ve been challenged to a dare.” Lennon waltzed up and pointed an unsteady finger at me.

“Nope.” I sat back into the couch crossing my arms over my chest.

“You should know by now that Capri won’t answer any dares.” August laughed.

“Oh, maybe not by me, but I know one person she will always rise to the occasion for.” Crap.

“C’mon, C,” Wes waved me over but smiled at the air. “You and me, body shot.”

My eyes flew open. “Excuse me?” I asked shuddering at the sudden increase in my heart rate. There was no way I could let Wes that close to me in front of all these people.

“Fine.” He threw his arms up in the air. “I guess she doesn’t like a challenge.” Wes spoke to Lennon and I saw red, or what I imagined red would look like. Right now, it looked a lot like me kicking Wes square in the nuts.

“Outta my way,” I said shoving myself up from the safety of the couch and marching myself past him. I ignored his sharp intake of breath when I intentionally rubbed my arm against the crotch of his pants. Take that, heartbreaker.

I was all fired up on sass until the moment I laid on the bar top with my stomach exposed and Wes standing over me. The closeness of him after days of nothing was painful at best. I silently willed myself to melt into the wood below me.

The bartender handed me a shot glass that I held between my lips, but the quiver of my breathing sloshed some if the tequila down my chin and neck.

“Here we go, Capri.” Wes leaned down and whispered to me, but I refused to look at him, closing my eyes at the touch of his breath.

Even with his warning, the tickle of the salt caused my eyes to snap open and connect with his. His eyes smoldered down at me as he dragged the shaker from my waistline to my breastbone. He lifted the shaker from my body and dragged his tongue over his bottom lip. I mindlessly felt my own tongue swipe warmly across my lips. His eyes darted to my mouth, and he sucked his lip between his teeth roughly. I remembered the feeling of skin between those teeth and felt the familiar tingle between my thighs.

“It’s hot in here,” I heard Lennon joke to the side, but my attention was focused solely on latching onto this moment. After days of not having any sort of contact with Wes, I felt starved for anything from him, and the promise of his physical touch had me salivating.

He lowered his head and my body recognized the exact moment his tongue met my skin. My skin prickled, reaching out to grab more of the heat it brought. My insides tightened in tiny pulses that followed the path of his tongue up my stomach. My soul was coming back to life.

“Now, that’s a body shot!” the bartender cheered, egging on the bystanders. The shouts and cheers snapped me back into the club where I was lying on top of a bar. As Wes’ tongue neared my chest, I planted my hands on the wood, palms down, getting ready to bolt.

With the disconnection between his mouth and my skin, I lifted up, only for his mouth connecting with my neck to shove me back down. He licked, sucked, and the bit the tequila that had spilled. My knees pulled together, hiding the emptiness inside. Then he was gone.

“Whew.” Lennon sighed, and that was enough to prompt me into motion. As a wave of humiliation washed over me, I pushed myself up quickly and raced toward the exit before realizing my feet were moving. I couldn’t believe I had caved to his touch. Stupid. I was so stupid to let him affect me to the point of absorbing every ounce of him.

I fled to the rooftop where we had secured a poolside cabana. I was thankful we hadn’t utilized it yet, and I could have some space alone. I pulled the curtains closed and sat down on the edge of the lounger letting the brisk air dull the heat smothering me.

“Capri.” His voice came slipping through the curtains.

“Go away.” I watched his shoes stop at the cabana as he slipped one calloused hand in, followed by his much too attractive body.

“I can’t.” He leaned over me propping his hands on the cushion at my sides.

“Go. Away,” I whispered only half-heartedly. He dove smashing his mouth to mine in a hungry kiss, and I let him. I greedily took everything he was giving me.

He pushed me back onto the lounger and his body followed yet remained detached from mine. I reached up to pull him down, but he only bounced back to his position above me. Desperate for more of him, I laced my fingers into his jeans and began unbuttoning.

“Capri?” He groaned his question into my neck.

“I need you,” I answered. I needed all of him, but for now, I prayed his body would soothe the ache in me.

He didn’t say anymore when he pulled my shorts down from my waist.

Just as quickly as they came off, he was on me, and he pushed himself into me. A gasp of air escaped my lungs. Having him against my body again was almost too much, but I desperately needed more.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered slowly rolling his hips into me. I gasped again. “I miss you.” He kissed down my neck. “So fuckin’ much, baby.” I turned into his lips and caught his mouth with mine. Our tongues swirled together, frantically pushing and pulling trying to grab onto something that didn’t seem within either of our grasps.

I reached my hands up to his shoulder and pulled at his shirt, trying to get more from him, when he fell into me again more urgently. I opened my mouth to cry at the fullness of him reaching deep into me, but he captured my scream with his mouth. He pounded into me in steady thrusts building the ache in me higher and higher, but no closer to filling the void

I pulled my mouth from his. “Look at me.” He ignored my request and continuing sliding into me. “Please,” I moaned at the pleasure. “Look at me,” I begged through my inner pain.

“Let’s just fuck, Capri,” he growled into my neck followed by a nip. Then in one solid deep thrust, my search to be full snapped and my body grabbed at him greedily. In the same thrust, he moaned into my skin and continued to pump into me as if still searching for what neither of us had found.

He placed a soft kiss on just my cheek and pulled away from me slowly. My body clenched, trying to hang on, but he was gone. He handed me a napkin from the table, but I couldn’t look at him.

I cleaned myself quickly and pulled on my shorts while rising to my feet. “Capri.” His voice was pained, and almost pleading, but I wouldn’t look at him.

“Just a fuck is impossible for me when it comes to you, Wes.” I turned and pulled back the curtains, but I didn’t leave. I waited, hopeful that he would say something to patch me back up.

“It’s all I can do.” His voice came out pained.

“It’s not.” I turned and held my hands out to him. “You are capable of more. I’ve seen it, and I’ve lived it. Let me back in, Wes. Give me a chance.”

“This isn’t about you, Capri.” He looked up toward the roof of the tent and sighed.

“You’re right. It’s about us, and you’re messing it up.” My voice cracked as I tried to hold it together.

“This is why I can’t have relationships,” he said so quietly; I didn’t think it was for me to hear, but I did.

“Why? Because then you have to deal with someone who truly cares about you?” I felt a weight press down on my heart. People spent their whole lives hoping to find someone who cared about them unconditionally, and Wes feared it. I tasted the salt of a single tear upon my lips and wiped it away quickly before he saw.

“Exactly.” His eyes lifted to mine. “And then a day will come when they’re gone.”

“Wes.” I put my hand on my chest to stop the ache it had for him. Blue’s illness had him completely terrified. I was at a loss as to what I could say or what I could do. “Tell me how I can help,” I pleaded with him.

“The best thing you can do is just let me be, Capri. I need relationships I can stay unattached in, and where I only have to worry about taking care of myself.”