“Hey,” someone whispers right in my ear.
I open my mouth to scream, but gentle fingers muffle the sound over my mouth. Another hand curls around my hip.
“Shhh…” The hand over my mouth slowly slides down until it’s lightly resting against my throat. “Sorry I scared you.”
Wyatt.
I wasn’t about to scream because I was scared. I feel safe here. It’s probably the safest place I’ve ever been in my whole life.
There are three men here who I know would never let anything happen to me. We might just be friends, but I know none of them would let any harm come my way.
I relax against Wyatt’s hard body that’s now pressed against my back. “Not scared… just startled.”
He hums, gliding his nose against the shell of my ear. I shiver, but it’s not from the chill in the air.
His very presence is enough to set all the nerves in my body on fire.
I spin around in his arms. His hands are now cradling the back of my neck and my opposite hip. “Hi,” I say, peering up at him.
I wrap my arms around his waist. His muscled back is firm beneath my open palms. Even through his T-shirt, I can still feel them bunching with even the slightest movements he makes.
He quirks a smile. “Hey, beautiful.”
I want to kiss him so badly, but that’s a line we haven’t crossed while I’ve been here. We haven’t broached the subject of what happened between us or tried for a repeat performance.
Standing with him right here and now, though, I want nothing more than to do it all again. Or maybe even more.
He drags his fingernails over my scalp, and I have to fight to keep my eyes from falling closed in pure bliss.
I have no idea how he knows that it’s my kryptonite… or one of them. Whenever I get a massage, my favorite part is the scalp massage that’s always over too quickly.
The tension in the kitchen builds until I feel like I’m going to combust. Neither of us has said anything in far too long, but I guess the weighted stare connecting us is saying plenty on its own.
I need to get out of here, or I’m bound to do something monumentally stupid that could ruin everything. “I should go to bed.”
He hums but doesn’t step away or release me from his hold. He stays firmly in place with his eyes still drilling into my deepest thoughts.
He leans in, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. My hands clench, grabbing handfuls of his shirt.
He stays right there, his lips less than a breath away from mine.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I want to kiss him. No. I need to kiss him. But… once I start kissing him, I’m afraid I’m never going to want to stop.
We’re here under the same roof as his brother, best friend, and the boy who’s practically his nephew. It can’t happen. It shouldn’t happen at all, but it really can’t happen right now.
I lean up on my toes and press a quick kiss to his cheek. “Good night,” I whisper, then I duck under his arm and bolt for the stairs.
I’m not strong enough to sneak a glance at him as I make my retreat, but I hear the echoes of his laughter linger until I close my bedroom door.
My bedroom?This isn’t my room. Despite what it felt like this week, this room isn’t mine. This isn’t my home.
There’s a growing part of me that’s screaming that it sure as shit feels like it, though.
I walk over and plop onto the bed. I grab one of the pillows, press it to my face, and use it to muffle my scream of frustration. I let it fall to the bed beside me, not feeling much better.
I’m so keyed up from that nearly silent interaction with Wyatt, and the entirety of the last four days if I’m honest. Being in such close proximity to all three of them has been the most drawn-out edging I’ve ever experienced in my life.
