Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Wyatt opened the door with his keys in his hand and a grin on his handsome face. “Good, you brought a bag.” He leaned in and kissed me, then reached for my bag. He dropped it inside the door then stepped into the hallway with me.
“Are we going somewhere?”
He nodded as he locked the door. “Yeah. I forgot to grab dessert. I don’t bake.”
“We don’t need dessert,” I protested.
“Yes, we do. It’s part of the holiday tradition for me. Since I’m quickly running out of time to convince you this is a great time of year, I need to go all out. I wasn’t sure what time you were going to be here so I didn’t grab it before I came home. Come on. It’ll be quick.”
I groaned and let him pull me back outside. He told me about his day as we drove into town. It was surprisingly bright out for so late in December. I glanced at the clock and realized it was early.
“Wow.”
“What?”
“Laura said I’ve been leaving work early lately and I thought she was crazy. I don’t think I’ve been out of work this early ever.”
Wyatt chuckled. “I know. I’m the same. There are days I’m getting out of there before Olivia lately.”
“I’m not sure which of us is a worse influence on the other.”
He laughed. “I definitely never gave up my time for a woman before.”
Olivia mentioning his ex-fiancée popped into my head and I clammed up.
Wyatt parked and got out. We were walking down the street hand-in-hand before he brought it up.
“What did I say?”
I sighed, annoyed and pleased that he could read me so well. “It was nothing.”
“Now I know it was something,” he teased. “What happened?”
I stopped. “Olivia mentioned you were engaged before.” He dropped my hand and paced away a few steps.
“Don’t get mad. When you kissed me yesterday, they all wanted to know what was going on.
I told them about our dates and Olivia was surprised you’d taken me shopping.
She said besides your mom and sister, you’d only ever been with your ex. ”
Wyatt didn’t say anything for a long moment. He ran a hand over his stubbled jaw then faced me. I could see the pain in his eyes and it killed me to know he still loved this woman enough to feel the hurt she left behind after however long it had been.
“I told you I was engaged before.”
“I know. And that doesn’t bother me. I guess it just shocked me to realize the only time you went shopping for an ornament with someone other than your family was when you went with your fiancée. And then with me.”
He shrugged, a grin tilting his lips up. “I never wanted to go with anyone else.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Can I ask what happened?”
“I met Eleanor years ago, right after I graduated college. I was working in the city counsel office basically as a secretary. We worked in the same building and started talking. After a while, we started dating and fell in love.”
I won’t lie. It hurt to hear him say he loved someone else. Dammit.
“We talked, a lot. I told her I didn’t want kids.
She agreed. After we got engaged, she changed her mind.
She decided she wanted kids. Her friends were having kids and she didn’t want to miss out.
I was considering a vasectomy, but she didn’t want me to.
We argued, a lot. She came to me one night and said she was sorry.
That she was emotional and hormonal and she didn’t really want kids.
I still loved her and wanted to marry her so I didn’t think anything of it.
A month later, she told me she was pregnant. ”
I gasped. Even though I saw it coming, I was shocked.
“I was mad and hurt. I felt like she was trapping me. We were still trying to get back to where we’d been before, but I felt like I no longer had a choice when it came to marrying her. I had to, because that’s what I was raised to do.”
I could see the pain in his eyes and wished I could take it away. I couldn’t imagine someone doing that to another person.
“I found out later that she lied. She wasn’t really pregnant. She thought if she told me she was that she could get pregnant before I noticed. I knew I’d never trust her again. I have trouble trusting anyone because of her.”
“I think you have a good reason.”
He nodded. “She’s in my past now. I’m done with relationships. I’m content with how things are with us, and the rest of my life. It’s better this way.”
“I’m sorry I made you tell me about her.”
He shook his head and smiled. “You didn’t.
It was just a hard time for me. A time I don’t like to think about.
My parents have been bugging me for years to find someone else, so it never really goes away.
Very few women don’t want kids, you know?
I know I wouldn’t have the time to be a good dad, and that wouldn’t be fair to a kid.
I think that’s why I feel like I can be myself with you. I know we both want the same things.”
“True,” I agreed. “It works out well for both of us.”
Wyatt smiled, the last of the darkness vanishing.
He kissed the side of my head and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
We walked to the bakery where he had a crustless cheesecake with strawberry sauce waiting.
I took the bag while he paid. It wasn’t long before we were headed back to his SUV in the freezing December cold.
“I’ve never liked the winter,” I whined, knowing I sounded like a petulant child. “It’s miserable. I should have done my residency in San Diego.”
Wyatt laughed. “You’re crazy. I can’t imagine not having four seasons. It’s nice to see things change, the freshness of the spring, the beauty of the summer. I love the crisp fall weather and the bite of cold in the winter. Come on, isn’t this beautiful?”
I laughed at him. “Not even close. The streets are full of mush. My boots get ruined. My pants end up with white streaks from the salt. The only good part is that these bulky clothes hide my ample supply of curves.”
He stopped and turned me to face him. His eyes blazed with a look I’d never seen from him before. A look that warmed me from the inside out. My breath froze as quickly as the winter snow fell around us. He stepped closer, cupping my cheek and tilting my chin up.
“You know you’re beautiful, right?”
I shook my head, dislodging his palm. Cold rushed to my skin, chilling me.
Wyatt moved closer again, his palms on my cheeks, both of them, holding my head still. “You’re alluring, Peyton. You draw me in and make it hard for me to breathe. I know we said we’d be friends, but I’ve never thought of you as a friend.”
“Why not?”
He grinned. “Because friends don’t do this.”
His lips came down on mine, stealing the cold from my lips. A soft kiss, sweet, but not. He teased me, pressing kisses against my lips and his body against mine. We were on the street, in broad daylight, so I knew it wouldn’t go far, but I couldn’t deny that I wished it could.
Then his lips parted and his tongue brushed against mine. I had no choice but to moan into his mouth, needing more of him. My arms wound around his neck, drawing him closer.
He pulled back, breathing heavily, his warm breath on my face. “Let’s get outta here.”
I nodded, willing to follow him anywhere.
I swore he sped home, running yellow lights and pausing instead of stopping at stop signs. I didn’t care. I was as anxious as he was to get back to his place.
We kissed on our way upstairs but kept moving. There was an energy between us, a need that went beyond just sex. A need that stemmed from what he shared with me. From knowing how he felt about me, and that I felt the same closeness.
I knew I owed him the truth about my family, about why I became a doctor. He shared his painful past with me, and I wanted to share mine with him. But my confession could come later. I wanted to heal him first.
“Bed, Peyton. I can’t wait for a fire right now.”
I set the cheesecake on the counter and stripped out of my clothes as I walked to his bedroom. By the time I got there, I was down to my bra and panties, a surprise I bought just for him.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
I smiled and shook my head. “I thought you’d like your Christmas present a little early.”
His eyes blazed from my red lace bra with the fluffy white trim to the matching panties. “Peyton,” he choked. “You’re… I’ve never seen a woman more beautiful than you. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
I shrugged, trying not to read too much into his words or the way he looked at me. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You did. Shit, you did. Is it bad that I really want to rip those to shreds because it’ll get them off you faster?”
I laughed and reached behind myself. He stepped up to me and pushed my hands away.
“Let me do it.”
He kissed me gently. His hands ran up and down my sides, teasing me since they never touched where I wanted him. I wanted him to claim me, to thrust hard into me, to leave no room for thinking about what was going on between us.
But Wyatt moved slow. Painfully slow. Slow enough that I could evaluate every single move he made. From the glide of his fingertips over my skin to the throb of his cock against my belly to the delicate brush of his tongue against mine.
He guided me back to the bed and unclasped my bra, tickling me with the soft fluff.
Before he let it fall, he nuzzled me, his face rubbing against the fuzzy trim and my sensitive skin.
The bra disappeared and I was left with just Wyatt to rub against. His hands slid to my hips and eased my panties down my legs until they fell.
I stepped out of them and scooted up the bed, ready for him.
Wyatt rolled a condom down his length and positioned himself between my thighs. He guided himself into me with a slow, smooth stroke that had my back lifting off the bed.
We didn’t talk. We didn’t make any noises.
Our bodies joined, our hearts intertwining, I knew I’d fallen for him.
I watched him and he watched me. My breasts rose with each breath I took and my channel clenched around him.
I’d never come with such ease, but I couldn’t stop the rush of orgasm that crashed over me with Wyatt’s eyes pinned to mine.
I whispered his name, unable to say it any louder. He leaned over me, kissing me and hitting deeper inside me. I rose my knee, spreading myself wider. He stroked into me, his jaw clenched and his eyes boring into me.
I came again, seconds before he did. He held my eyes the entire time. Watching me. Loving me.
I never wanted to leave.
* * *
Wyatt acted like nothing changed after that, but everything did for me. I’d never fallen in love before. It was a new feeling. One that both scared me and excited me.
I wished I could ask him if he felt the same.
He sliced mushrooms and chatted like normal. Music played softly in the background and a fire was starting to really warm up the space. I stood to the side sipping wine, wearing one of Wyatt’s t-shirts. He insisted, saying if I wouldn’t walk around naked, I had to wear something of his.
I couldn’t say I minded. Especially since he was only in boxer briefs.
“I guess I should have asked, but you like shrimp, right?”
I nodded. “I pretty much like everything.”
“Me, too. Except lima beans. My mom couldn’t ever get me to eat those.”
“You said you’re seeing your family for Christmas?”
He nodded. “Always. My mom tries to get me to stay over Christmas Eve, but I never do. My sister and her family did when the kids were younger, but Sharon likes to be home on Christmas morning. She said it’s easier to hide presents now that the kids pay attention to what they carry into my parents’ house. ”
I laughed. “Yeah, I imagine it would be tough to hide everything going under the tree.”
“Yeah, and my niece and nephew count presents when they come in the door, so they’d know in a hurry if there were the same number coming in the door as under the tree on Christmas morning.”
“Sneaky little things.”
He nodded, laughing. “They definitely are.”
“I bet you’re a good uncle.”
“I try to be. I feel guilty that I don’t want to give them cousins, but I’m hoping my brother takes care of that soon.”
“I’m guessing he and his wife are trying to get pregnant?”
“Yep. They just got married a couple years ago so they wanted to wait a little while. He told me they’ve started trying, so hopefully it’s only a matter of time.”
“I hope so,” I agreed. I did not want Wyatt’s brother and sister-in-law as my patients.
“Are you off Christmas Eve and Christmas?”
I nodded. “Yeah. People need time to be with their family. I’ll probably go in on Christmas Eve and get some work done, but Vicki and my friend Laura give me shit if I work too much.”
“They should give you shit for it. Why aren’t you going home if you have a four day weekend?”
I took a deep breath and knew I needed to explain. Most people didn’t get why I wasn’t close to my family. They didn’t know the truth.
“My parents never wanted me.”
“What?” Wyatt asked, his lips turning up at the edges. He thought I was joking.
I wasn’t.