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CHAPTER 12

WYATT

I wake up to find Naomi half-buried under my arm, her wild hair tangled against my chest. The room smells like her and I’ll never get enough of her vanilla fragrance mixed with the raw, sweet scent that means she fell asleep after we fucked last night.

I let myself breathe her in for a minute, hand drifting over her bare shoulder, watching the way her cheek rises and falls against my ribs with every slow, even breath. In sleep, she looks nothing like the tough, razor-witted woman who can hold her own in a roomful of perverts and high-rollers. She looks young, fragile, lips parted just enough to show the line of her teeth, her hand curled into a loose fist at my side. Her face is marked with the faintest lines, traces of worry she’ll never admit to anyone but me. I press my lips to the crown of her head and let my eyes close, pretending—for one minute—that nothing ugly can get to us here.

Of course, that’s a lie. I didn’t sleep more than twenty minutes last night, thinking about that little shit, Stellan, and what he might try next. My mind kept running the same tape over and over again. I can hear Casey’s panicked voice on the phone, Naomi’s face as she told me about the threats, the way her hands shook when she finally let herself fall apart. I told myself I’d wait until daylight to deal with it, that I’d give her this one night of peace, but my heart never got the message.

I can feel my pulse in my jaw, in my wrists. My muscles ache from holding her so goddamn tight. I know I should let her sleep, but the urge to touch her, to make sure she’s real and whole and still mine, is too much. I shift onto my side before sliding my hand up her arm to the back of her neck. The skin there is soft, warm, and impossibly alive. I trace the line of her spine with my fingers, then lower my mouth to her shoulder and kiss it, feather-light at first, just enough pressure to gently wake her.

She stirs. A little moan escapes her lips, quiet and questioning. I push the hair away from her ear and whisper, “It’s just me, fever.” My voice is gravel but gentle.

She mumbles something unintelligible, a half-laugh in her sleep, and scoots closer, her thigh hitching over my hips. Her skin is on fire, smooth and slick from the heat of our bodies under the heavy quilt. I plant another kiss, this time along the side of her throat, and let my hand wander lower, over the curve of her waist, down to the top of her ass. I squeeze, just enough to remind her who she belongs to.

“Mm,” she says, not quite awake, but her hips roll into mine. She drags a sleepy hand up my stomach, then opens her eyes just a sliver, but it’s enough. She’s awake now, pupils wide and dark in the half-light. “What time is it?” she asks, voice thick.

“Too early for this,” I say, but I’m already hard, cock pressed up against the line of her thigh.

She catches it with a smirk, the corners of her mouth turning up in a way that makes my heart squeeze. “But we’re doing it anyway,” she says, and I can hear the dare in her voice.

I don’t waste any more time. I roll her onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand. She goes willingly, arching into me, eyes bright and hungry. My mouth finds hers, rougher this time, tongue sweeping in and claiming every inch. I kiss her until she’s breathless, until her hips buck up and her thighs open, dragging me between them.

She’s wet already and the smell of her sweet pussy makes my head swim. I let go of her wrists and move my hand down, tracing the inside of her thigh, teasing her open with a slow, relentless pressure. She shudders when I touch her clit, biting my lip to keep from moaning. “Wyatt—” she starts, but I cut her off, sliding two fingers inside her in one smooth motion.

She gasps, clutching my biceps, nails digging into the muscle. I keep my rhythm steady, slow, watching her face for every reaction. When she starts to tremble, I lean down and bite her nipple, not hard enough to mark her, but enough to make her yelp. Her body bows up under mine, and I feel her getting close, her legs shaking, her breath coming in little frantic bursts.

I want her to come for me. I need it like I need air. I curl my fingers just right while circling her clit, and she goes off. Her eyes fly open as her mouth rounds into a perfect O and her silky walls clamps down around my fingers. She’s so fucking gorgeous like this, wild and open with nothing held back. I ride it out with her, kissing her face, her neck, her chest, until she collapses, boneless and spent.

Before she can come down, I line up my cock and push in, slow at first, savoring the stretch. She wraps her legs around me, dragging me deeper, her nails raking down my back. “Harder,” she whispers, so I give it to her, fucking her deep and fast, every thrust an oath I never learned how to say out loud.

It doesn’t take long. I’m too wound up, too fucking desperate for her. When I come, it’s a rush of heat, a full-body shock that leaves me shaking. I spill inside her and collapse onto the bed next to her curvy body, both of us panting like we’ve just run from a burning building. “I love the way you wake me up.” She sighs sleepily.

For a few minutes, neither of us moves. I rest my face in the hollow of her neck, listening to her heart slow back down. She traces lazy circles on my back, her breath evening out.

Before she falls back asleep, I tell her. “I’m taking care of Stellan today. He’s never coming near you or your family again.”

She tenses, just a little, and tilts her head up to look at me. “Don’t do anything to get in trouble,” she whispers.

“Don’t worry.” I kiss her forehead, her temple, the soft skin just above her eyebrow. “I’ll take care of everything. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Ever.”

“I know.” Her unwavering trust warms my heart. There’s an engagement ring hidden in my dresser drawer. I’ve been waiting for the right time to give it to her. Hopefully, I’ll find it once I get Stellan Mintz straightened out.

I don’t want to move. I want to stay here, inside this bubble, with her body crushed against mine. But the sky outside is already turning gray, and I know what I have to do. I peel myself away, planting one last kiss on her mouth before sliding out of bed.

She watches me dress, eyes hooded and satisfied. I pull on a pair of jeans, no underwear, then a dark, fitted t-shirt that stretches across my chest. My hands are still shaking, adrenaline firing through my veins, but I try to play it cool. “I’m meeting Cowboy at the ranch. He’s going with me to have a little chat with Stellan then I have a meeting with Roman to finalize the new security measures at the club.”

She props herself up on one elbow, the sheet slipping down to reveal her perfect tits. “Be careful,” she says, and I can tell she means it. “He’s not worth getting hurt over.”

I walk back over, kneel down so we’re face to face. “You are,” I say, dead serious. “You’re worth everything and I’m going to make sure nothing ever hurts you.”

She reaches up and tugs me in for a kiss, slow and sweet this time. “Come back to me,” she murmurs.

“Always.” I stand, make for the door, then turn back. “Get a little more sleep before you go have breakfast with your mom and Casey.”

She grins, a little more herself. “You got it, boss.”

I blow her a kiss, then step out into the cold, new morning, every nerve on high alert. I have a job to do. And this time, I’m not fucking around.