Elsie
“I’m not gonna be around much tomorrow... I’ve got someplace I’ve gotta be.”
“Oh, okay. Where do you have to be?”
“I can’t get into it. I just needed you to know.”
I could tell something was wrong. I could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice.
I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with the fires and the drones, but I didn’t bother asking him.
I knew he wouldn’t tell me, but I got the feeling that he was going to be in danger and the thought of something happening to him ripped at me.
Wyatt was my world, and I wanted nothing more than to plead with him not to go.
At the same time, I knew how much his club and brothers meant to him. Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t ask him to walk away from his obligation to them. My voice trembled as I asked, “Should I be worried?”
He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to his chest as he whispered, “No, there’s nothing to it.”
He was lying.
Wyatt never lied.
He avoided things. He didn’t tell me things.
But he never lied—not to me.
I knew then it was even worse than I thought and suddenly felt like someone had wrapped their hand around my throat. Tears started trickling down my cheek as I whispered, “Wyatt.”
“Hey, now. None of that,” he whispered as he wiped a tear from my cheek. “I won’t be gone long.”
“You promise?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he lifted his hand to the nape of my neck, pulling my mouth to his.
An eager moan echoed through the room when his tongue brushed against mine.
With just a simple kiss, he sent a surge of heat coursing through my body, burning me to my very core and the world around us drifted away.
It was just him and me. His rough palms slid effortlessly over my skin as he lifted my nightgown over my head and let it fall to the floor, leaving me standing before him in just my lace panties.
A rush of heat rolled against my skin as he stood there staring at me, appraising me.
I’d never wanted anyone like I wanted him.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, and the way his eyes filled with lust when he looked at me only made me want him even more.
I reached out, grasped the hem of his t-shirt, and carefully pulled it over his head.
Once I’d tossed it next to my nightgown, I placed the palm of my hand on his chest and was relieved to feel that the beat of his heart was fast and hard like mine. “I don’t know what’s going on tomorrow, and I know you can’t tell me. Just promise that you’ll come back to me.”
“Nothing could keep me away from you. I love you, Elsie.”
It was the first time he said those words to me, so I let them resonate in my mind. I knew him well enough to know that I wouldn’t hear them often. But right then, at that moment, it gave me something to hold onto. “I love you, too, Wyatt. With every single beat of my heart.”
The words had barely left my mouth when his lips were back on mine.
My breathing hitched when he gripped my sides and pulled me even closer.
He trailed his lips down the side of my neck, sending shivers of pleasure surging through me, and it was all I could do to keep my knees from buckling beneath me.
My desire for him was running rampant through me, and I was losing what little control I had.
Any inhibitions I might have had completely washed away when he took my bare breasts in his hands.
He held them firmly while brushing his calloused thumbs across the sensitive flesh, and my head fell back as I arched my back.
I loved the feel of his hands on my body—every touch had me longing for more.
I lowered my hands to his waist, quickly unbuckling his jeans. A hiss escaped his lips as I slipped my hand under the waistband of his boxers. Before going any further, I glanced up at him, and his eyes locked on mine as I delved deep into his boxers.
His breathing became short and strained as my fingers wrapped around his hardness.
I could feel his pulse throbbing against my hand as I slowly started stroking him.
I tightened my grip as I glided my fingers up and down.
A feeling of satisfaction washed over me when his head fell back with a deep-seated groan, letting me know that I was giving him pleasure—the kind of pleasure he’d given me.
My confidence was growing by the second, and it wasn’t long before I found myself grasping at his jeans.
I lowered them down his hips, exposing his long, hard shaft.
The next thing I knew, Wyatt had lifted me into his arms and was carrying me over to the bed.
“Had all the teasing I can take. I need to be inside you.”
The words had barely left his mouth when I was on the bed. He tugged his boots and socks off, then his jeans. With the weight of his body pressed against me, his mouth dropped to my ear, the warmth of his breath sending goosebumps down my spine as he whispered, “So damn perfect.”
Wyatt’s hands dropped to my hips as he slowly slipped my panties down my legs.
A needy moan vibrated through his chest as he gazed down upon my naked body, then a devilish grin spread across his face while he settled his hips between my legs, making my entire body tremble.
Lowering his face to my neck, the bristles of his day-old beard prickled against my skin as he nipped and sucked along the contours of my body.
A part of me wanted to go slow and savor the moment, but I was too far gone. I couldn’t restrain myself. I wanted him. I needed him. Spreading my legs further to accommodate him, I shifted my hips up towards him as he raked his thick erection against my clit. My entire body ached for him.
“You ready for me?” he asked.
Unable to even string together coherent words, I nodded, praying that he wouldn’t stop. I wound my hands around his neck, pulling him closer as I kissed him.
His hand slipped between us, and his fingers entered me. Each movement was meticulous and slow, causing me to writhe beneath him while his thumb brushed back and forth over my clit.
I was unable to control my whimpers of pleasure as he delved deeper inside me.
I didn’t recognize my own voice as it echoed through the room.
I was completely lost in his touch, loving the feel of his calloused hands against my body.
The bed creaked as I arched my back, feeling the muscles in my abdomen tighten with my impending release.
My breath caught in my throat as waves of pleasure rushed through me, and just when I thought I couldn’t take it a minute longer, his hand was gone.
He reached for a condom, and once he’d slipped it on, Wyatt was back on top of me.
His forehead rested against mine as he grazed his cock against me. His erection, hot and hard, burned against my clit before he thrust deep inside, giving me all he had in one smooth stroke. I inhaled a quick breath, and Wyatt immediately froze. “You okay?”
“I’m more than okay.” I lifted my hand to his face. “You don’t have to hold back. I can take whatever you have to give.”
I rocked my hips forward, begging him to continue.
His hands reached up to the nape of my neck, fisting my hair as he drove into me again.
Slow and demanding, he was in complete control.
His teeth raked over my nipples, and I cried out wanting more.
I dug my nails into his back as my whole body ignited with intense heat, unlike anything I’d experienced before.
Wyatt thrust deeper inside me, and as I tightened around him, he let out a growl and then quickened his pace.
His control shattered, and unable to restrain himself any longer, he drove into me with hard, steady strokes.
I fought to catch my breath as I felt my climax approaching.
My entire body jolted and shook as my orgasm crashed through me.
I was still in the throes of my release when he found his own.
Moments later, his body collapsed on top of mine, exhausted and sweaty.
I loved the feeling of his body pressed against my bare skin, buried deep inside me.
He took a moment to catch his breath, then tossed his condom and settled next to me on the bed. Neither of us spoke.
We just lay there, listening to the sounds of our breathing slow, and it wasn’t long before the silence started getting to me.
I remembered our earlier conversation and the concern in his eyes, and I could feel myself getting worked up again.
I didn’t want that to happen, so I asked, “What happens when I graduate?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you okay with me getting a job?”
“You can do whatever you wanna do.” He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “You can get a job or stay at home. Whatever you want.”
“Do you have room at your place for me to have an office?”
“I’ll make room, and if it doesn’t suit your needs, we’ll find another place.”
“Don’t be silly. I love your place.”
“Well, it’s our place now.” He reached over and pulled me over to him. “We just gotta get your stuff moved over.”
“That shouldn’t take long,” I scoffed. “I don’t have much stuff. Just my clothes and a few pictures.”
“Then, we’ll get you more stuff. Whatever you need to make it feel like home.”
“You’re all I need. As long as you’re there, it’ll feel like home.
” I glanced up at him, and my heart swelled when I saw the emotion in his eyes.
He loved me. There was no question about that.
But I couldn’t help but wonder if he saw the same future that I did which led me to ask, “What about kids?’
“What about ‘em?”
“Do you want to have any?”
The words had barely left my mouth when the mood shifted. Wyatt looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath, becoming lost in his own world of thoughts. And from the look on his face, it wasn’t positive thoughts that were twirling around in his head.
“I’d always seen myself having kids, but if you don’t want them, I’m fine with that. I don’t need anyone but you.”
“I don’t want you giving up anything you want for me.” He turned to face me as he confessed, “But I can’t promise that he or she won’t be like me.”
“Oh, Wyatt.” I eased up on the bed so I could look him in the eye. “You are a wonderful, beautiful man with a big heart and a great sense of humor. You’re incredibly smart, loving, and compassionate. I would be over the moon thrilled to have a child just like you.”
“You didn’t know me when I was a kid. I was a real handful.”
“All kids are. Some just need a little more love and support.”
“I needed a swift kick in my ass,” Wyatt scoffed.
“Whatever works.” I leaned down and kissed him softly. “I’d be willing to do whatever I needed to for our kids.”
“How many kids are we talking about?”
“Two?” I shrugged. “Maybe three.”
“Oh, man. We’re definitely gonna need a bigger house.”
“And a backyard and maybe a barn.”
“A barn?”
“Well, yeah. We’ll have to have a place for the pony.”
“Pony?” His brows furrowed. “We’re gettin’ a pony?”
“Um-hmm. And maybe a baby goat.”
“Okay. Whatever you want.” He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me to his chest. “But just know it’s gonna cost you.”
“Oh really? What’s it gonna cost me?”
“I don’t know. The next thirty or forty years.”
“Sounds like a good deal to me.”
“That’s good ‘cause you’re stuck with me.”
I wound my arms around his neck and smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I lowered my mouth to his, kissing him tenderly, then lowered my head to his chest. We spent the next hour talking about our plans for the future, pretending that neither of us were thinking about the potential danger that loomed in the back of our thoughts.
Pretending was the only thing that got us through.
And those few hours would be something I would hold onto when I woke up alone the next morning.