Okay, so this time I’m wrapped in his arms, when other times, he’s gotten a blanket and wrapped it around me, sitting close, but not this close. His fingers are grazing my arm leisurely, as if we’ve done this before, but we haven’t. I’m reading way too much into this.
I force myself to stare at the screen. Always Be My Maybe begins to play. It’s one of my favorite movies. It’s a romantic comedy, but mainly, it’s about being afraid to move on and taking a leap of faith to make a change.
Wire leans forward, grabs the bowl, puts it on his lap, takes a chip, and pops it into his mouth. His very sexy mouth. He catches me staring. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
“I love sweet chili chips,” he says with a smile.
“I know,” I whisper.
“You bought them for me?”
“I like them too.”
“But you buy them for me.”
“Yeah,” I admit, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
“Thank you, beautiful,” he says, then I feel his lips graze my forehead before he turns his attention back to the movie.
What’s going on? This thing going on between us right now is different. I like it. What if I’m wrong and this is just Wire being the sweet guy he always is? Maybe I’m making more of this than it really is.
“Relax, Remmi.” His voice is a soft rumble. I give in, letting my body relax against his, and rest my head on his chest.
Wire
Remmi melts against me as she watches the movie. It’s not long before she’s out cold. The rush of adrenaline from her scare earlier has worn off, and she relaxes and closes her eyes. Soon, she’s snoring softly.
I like her where she is and don’t make a move. Remmi and I have watched this movie several times. It’s her feel-good movie, and after the night she had, I knew this would be comforting. If you were to have asked me six months ago if I’d be watching a romantic comedy, I would have called you crazy. But for Remmi, I’ll watch them. And to be honest, this one is pretty good.
I end up watching the whole movie before trying to wake up Remmi. She murmurs something that I can’t make out. I lift her into my arms and carry her through to her bedroom, laying her gently down on the bed. I remove her ankle boots, then take off her jacket. I draw the covers up over her and am about to walk away when she opens her eyes.
“Please don’t go,” she whispers.
“I’m not leaving. I’ll be right outside on your couch,” I tell her, stroking her face gently.
“Stay with me,” she says, then adds, “Here. With me.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I do.” She stumbles for a moment, then says, “Just sleep. If—if you’re okay with that.”
I don’t reply but shrug off my jacket, dropping it on the chair near the bed. I take off my shoes and belt, but leave the rest of my clothes on. Remmi needs to feel safe with me, and as much as I would love to feel her skin against mine, it’s far too soon to make my move. I’ve allowed myself to go further tonight than I ever have. Holding her close and now sharing her bed, even clothed, is huge for both of us.
I lie on top of the covers, and Remmi shimmies closer to me. She closes her eyes, but reaches out and slips her hand in mine. Remmi falls back to sleep in no time, but I spend hours watching her. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Remmi is a natural beauty; she wears minimal makeup, jeans, and T-shirts, and her hair looks like she works on it for hours, but I know for a fact that she steps out of the shower and leaves it loose to dry. Her long, straight, chestnut hair is like fine silk to the touch.
The guys I call brothers, my team, know how I feel about her. I fought it at first, but I knew I was hooked when I spent more time checking in on Remmi than I was working. Falcon gave me time, but he finally had to pull me aside and have a heart-to-heart. He reminded me that Phoenix, Bull, and Rebel depend on me being on my A game. When we’re on a mission, one mistake could cost any one of us our lives.
“I can’t let her go,” I told Falcon.
“I’m not asking you to make that choice. I’m telling you to tell her how you feel. I don’t know Remmi well, but I’m thinking that she isn’t pushing you away, and that has to mean something,” Falcon replied.
I grab the phone off the bedside table and send two texts. One to remind Rebel to pick up the keys to Remmi’s car. The other to Falcon, letting him know I’m taking the day off. I was going to go in to get caught up on paperwork. I hate doing it, and it piles up, but the plan was to go in and get it done. But now I’d rather spend the day with my girl.
Chapter 3
Impromptu Gathering
Wire
