Chapter 38
Skye
“Wow,” I said, taking two steps into the apartment. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding onto this place so hard.”
Wyatt scoffed, but I caught his grin as he closed and locked the door behind me.
Really, though.
This place was lame.
The front door opened right into a dining room, with what looked like an open concept kitchen through a doorway, and then a living room. There were three doorways beyond that, presumably a bathroom, bedroom, and closet.
“Seriously,” I said. “This place sucks.”
“Do you have some kink for insulting me?” Wyatt snarked. “Jesus.”
My jaw dropped. “No!”
We stared at each other for a second, me scandalized and Wyatt with one brow raised.
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
Wyatt chuckled, then shocked the fuck out of me by leaning in and kissing my temple.
“I think you’re kind of into that, though,” I hedged. “Right?”
Wyatt shrugged. “I suppose.”
“What else are you into? Chasing?” I took two more steps into the apartment. “Do you want to chase me through the woods and fuck me in the dirt?”
Wyatt blinked several times then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are we still playing the question game?”
I laughed. “I don’t know. You’re not being very forthcoming.”
Wyatt sighed. “I don’t know everything I like and don’t like. I haven’t exactly had time to experiment.”
A sneer started to curl my lip, but I quickly smoothed my expression. I cleared my throat.
I was trying to connect with Wyatt.
Wait. No I wasn’t. I was trying to find a connection with him, not connect with him–
Actually…no. I wanted to connect with Wyatt. I wanted him. Maybe it was just biology, and maybe I was dooming myself to my mother’s fate and Wyatt would reject me again someday, but…
Seeing who he was. Experiencing his true personality, even in small flashes, told me this was what I wanted. He was worth the risk.
So I took a risk.
“Let’s try it,” I suggested, already backing away.
Wyatt shook his head slightly. “Try what?”
“You can chase me.”
Wyatt stared, then shook his head again, but he took a step toward me. “Neighbors are going to hear.”
“What are they going to hear?” I taunted, still backing away. He continued advancing on me. “We’re just playing…” I snapped my fingers. “Advanced hide and seek.”
“Advanced hide and seek,” Wyatt repeated flatly. His expression was bored but his pupils had blown wide, hiding most of the hazel in his gaze.
“You know you want to,” I said playfully, still backing away. I stopped in a doorframe, unsure of where to go since I’d never been here before.
I also actually had no idea if Wyatt wanted to play with me or not. His expression seemed guarded, but his eyes couldn’t lie. He was a little turned on.
“Please?” I whispered as Wyatt drew closer, coming right up against me so I had to tilt my head back to see his face.
He kissed my forehead, and I breathed out heavily, feeling like I could melt. Something about Wyatt was so unintentionally sexy. He could do even the most mundane thing and make it seem erotic.
“Run,” he whispered.
It took me a moment to realize what he’d said, and then my eyes widened.
Oh.
Shit.
I turned on my heel, then ran straight back through the kitchen and through an open door, which turned out to be the bedroom.
Wyatt’s style was something beyond minimalist, meaning there was nowhere to hide.
No armchairs or extra furniture. No accent rug under the bed.
There wasn’t even a comforter on the bed, just a simple sheet.
Ew.
The only thing worse in a man’s room would be the mattress alone on the floor, but thankfully Wyatt had a proper bed frame. Although, again…it was just a simple metal frame.
I heard Wyatt’s footsteps in the short ‘hall’, and I grinned, then teleported back to the front door.
I saw Wyatt’s back disappear into the bedroom, and I crept after him to watch as he knelt down to check under the bed.
God, that was dumb. There wasn’t a skirt around the bed. There was no way I could’ve hidden under the bed without being seen. The room was practically empty–
I shriek-gasped as Wyatt spun around suddenly, using his affinity to slam the bedroom door closed behind me. My heart leapt, and I teleported again before he could grab me.
Only…I hadn’t seen the entire apartment yet.
Luckily, I ended up in the kitchen, wedged between the small refrigerator and the wall. I huffed with annoyance, blowing an errant piece of hair out of my face. I shimmied out of the small space, dusted myself off, then jumped as I heard Wyatt behind me.
I teleported, but he was already on me.
Luckily, I only took us into the living room, so we slammed down on the couch instead of the hard tile floor. Wyatt must’ve thrown himself at me.
He hissed as I landed a kick to his thigh, and my heart dropped for a moment, thinking I’d actually hurt him. Wyatt’s hand closed around my calf, pulling me down the couch. I twisted, and then we flipped.
We both hit the ground hard, which was funny since it was only a twelve inch drop. I laughed as Wyatt groaned.
It was only seconds before Wyatt was on top of me again, trapping my legs. I pushed at him, but he caught my wrists, slamming my arms down above my head. My chest heaved and he leaned forward, so close we could’ve kissed.
I expected him to be mad, but…he wasn’t. His pupils were still blown wide, making his hazel eyes appear much darker. He breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He wasn’t worn out from chasing me, though.
“You used your affinity,” he said. I shivered as his hand met my waist, his thumb twirling circles along my stomach.
“So did you,” I countered.
Wyatt scoffed. “You used yours first.”
I rolled my eyes. “We didn’t really hash out the rules, here.”
Wyatt breathed a laugh, then moved off of me, settling on his side beside me, still on the tile.
“This is fun,” I said, feeling a little jittery. “You haven’t…tried this with other girlfriends?”
Wyatt gave me a bored look like that was the dumbest question ever, and my shoulders hunched slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. It was a dumb question, and I had a habit of doing this. I’d almost ruined plenty of tender or sexy moments by imagining my men having fun with other people.
Wyatt sat up, moving so close to me, I held my breath. But he only tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
“No,” he replied. “I haven’t done this with anyone.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How? Didn’t you date that chick for a long time?”
Wyatt grimaced. “Let’s just say things weren’t about me in that relationship.
Cari–” He coughed as I glared at the nickname, and he stumbled over his words, quickly correcting himself, “Carissa likes to say she’d do anything for me, but it’s always been a lie.
I told her once about the things I liked, but…
” He shook his head, looking away sharply.
I grabbed his chin, forcing him to face me again. “What happened? Also…what do you like? I feel like we’re dancing around it instead of just talking about it, but…I’d like to know if you want to tell me.”
Wyatt shook his head again. “I definitely like the chasing. I like rough-housing or…fighting. I don’t know. The struggle excites me. I don’t necessarily have to be the one winning the fight, either…but I do like winning.”
I chewed my lip, nodding.
“She didn’t want to slap you?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Or…she didn’t want to be slapped…”
“No, I’m the one that likes getting slapped,” Wyatt said, stretching his arms and making his t-shirt ride up to reveal some of his hairy torso.
I wanted to pet him.
I snapped out of my bizarre thoughts as Wyatt continued. “I don’t want to slap a woman unless she’s into that, too, but I definitely like it in the heat of a moment. She didn’t want any of that. Things were really…vanilla.”
“Oh. So no crystal punishments?” I asked airily, though I was ready to go rip Carissa’s limbs off if he said yes.
I needed to chill.
I couldn’t.
That crystal situation had completely changed the fabric of my being.
I’d dreamed of that crystal. I’d thought about taking it and keeping it in my room where I could look at it every day and remember the ‘punishment’, but…
Wyatt probably kept it on the shelf in his sights so he could look at it and remember.
“No, Skye,” Wyatt murmured, cupping my cheek. “No crystal punishments. That’s just for you.”
I breathed out slowly as Wyatt leaned his face closer to mine, our gazes locked as the deeper meaning of his words poured through me.
“Wyatt,” I whispered. I held his hand to my cheek as I tried to put my feelings into words.
“I know,” he whispered back, then kissed me. “I feel it, too.”
Every kiss from Wyatt was like the first time.
The man who stupidly kissed me while I was panicking. My first Link. Probably my first real heartbreak. But he was here now, and he wanted me. He wasn’t questioning his feelings anymore, and neither was I.
I moaned into the kiss, parting my lips for him. I was suddenly on my back, with Wyatt’s body covering mine again, his strong back flexing beneath my fingers as I sunk my nails into his skin, scared he’d try to leave.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he breathed against my lips. “Never.”
I blinked.
“You’re pushing thoughts at me again,” he whispered. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m not leaving. I want this.”
I nodded frantically as his lips slammed back down on mine, and I jumped a moment later at a loud, metal scraping sound. Wyatt braced himself over me with one arm, then used the other to push the coffee table out of the way, giving us more space.
“Here?” I asked, looking at the couch beside us, and a few dust bunnies that floated underneath. Rafe would’ve had an aneurysm.
Wyatt’s brow furrowed. “Maybe not. Maybe the bed–”
I teleported us back to the bedroom, and Wyatt yelped, then barked a laugh as we landed on the bed. He braced himself over me, keeping his weight off of me even though I sort of wanted him to smother me.
“I meant, you don’t want to be somewhere else? The dorm?”