“Um, give me a minute!”
It’s too late. He towers over me from the doorway. My heart leaps into my throat. “I…I’m cleaning it up. Just need—”
“Stop, darlin’.” He crouches down next to me to cup my cheek. I expect anger. Disgust. Anything but the mix of awe and concern in his eyes. “You cut your hair.”
Unable to answer—or breathe—I swallow hard.
His fingers slide through the short strands, and his lips curve gently. “I’d tell you I love it—because I do—but it doesn’t matter what I think. You’re the only person you have to answer to now.”
Wyatt pushes to his feet, holds out his hand, and helps me up.
“I made such a mess…” I hate how small my voice is. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll clean it up.”
One eyebrow lifts slightly. “Hope, did you think I’d be angry? At the haircut or the mess?”
I can only nod.
“There’s only one thing you could ever do that would make me angry.” Careful not to step in the pile of hair on the floor, he leans closer. Twining our fingers, he squeezes gently. “Hide who you are. Or who you want to be. As long as you’re true to yourself—whatever that means—I’ll be happy.”
“I don’t know who I am anymore.” The truth breaks down the wall I built around my heart three years ago. Shaking, I stagger back against the counter and cover my face with my hands. There aren’t any tears. I’m not sad. Not scared. I’m numb.
“Hope. Look at me. Please.” Wyatt keeps his tone gentle, and he doesn’t move—not that I can see him in my current position. “What do you need from me? Space? Breakfast? Hell, I’ll dance naked on the balcony if that’d help.”
The idea of Wyatt dancing—let alone naked and in full view of the street—is so ridiculous, I drop my hands and offer him a weak smile. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” He strips off his Henley, turns, and heads for the French doors.
Racing after him, I catch him with one foot out on the balcony and his belt buckle undone. “If you’re going to dance naked, you’re doing it in the bedroom. For my eyes only.”
Abject relief washes over him as goosebumps cover his torso. “Thank fuck. It’s colder than I thought it would be out here.”
I trail my fingers over his chest, tracing the line of shrapnel scars down his side. Until my stomach growls loudly. “Put your shirt back on. For now. We can have a dance party after we eat.”
Any hope of getting naked disappears not long after we devour a stack of pancakes and try to figure out what we need to order from the grocery store.
Wyatt’s phone rings, and he frowns as he taps the screen. “Ry? You’re on speaker.”
“Need you to come upstairs. West, Rip, and Inara are here too. Got some updates.”
“We’ll be up in ten minutes—”
“Just you for now.”
I hold up my hand to stop Wyatt from saying something less than polite. “Excuse me? I’m the one Simon wants. And I’m the only one who knows how he operates. You are not leaving me out of this.”
“Cara is on her way to you,” Ryker says. “Rip’s wife. She’s going to take your new ID photos. We have a decent picture of Wyatt to use. We need one of you. Afterwards—”
“That’s going to take all of five minutes. Try again.” I’m shaking, three years of anger and frustration I wasn’t allowed to express begging to be released. “I’m a mess. I admit it. But I’m not fragile.”
“Never said you were,” Ryker barks.
“Oh, fudgsicles. Give me the phone,” Wren says. After a beat, the sound changes, and I think I hear a door close. “Hope, I’m sorry. Sometimes Ry forgets that not everyone works for him. Or thinks like he does. I’m on my way down too. The guys and Inara will review the intel they’ve gathered on Simon and his operation so far while you and I go through everything on that memory card. Divide and conquer. Okay?”
She sounds so logical. And honest. I want to believe her. But being too trusting is what got me into this mess. “Wouldn’t it be better if I were up there?”
“Most of the briefing will be the intel you gave us yesterday. And as soon as we get all the financial horsepucky sorted out, we’ll go back upstairs and join the rest of the team.”
I meet Wyatt’s gaze. He takes the phone and taps the mute button. “I won’t let anyone sideline you, darlin’. Wren knows her shit. And if you need me, you know where I’ll be.”
