Chapter 27 #2
“Where are Sebastian and Austin?” Wyatt asks, opening up the fridge. He looks over at me. “Do you want a water?”
“Yes, thank you,” I say.
Wyatt retrieves two, handing one to me.
“They went to Milo’s,” Nolan says. “I’m sure they texted you.”
Wyatt shrugs. “Maybe. I haven’t really looked at my phone. You didn’t want to go?”
“Actually, I’m working on something. Maybe you and Grace could help me,” Nolan says. “I’m doing my dating profile for Slip. And don’t even think about saying anything smart, Jacobs. I’m telling you. Not Sebastian and Austin because they’ll give me shit. But you have a girlfriend, so you won’t.”
I remember that Wyatt said Nolan had his heart ripped out last year, and he was relationship-driven. But if he’s on Slip, an online-dating app for young adults, he must be serious about getting back in the game.
“No, I won’t,” Wyatt says. Then his eyes light up. “Unless you wrote something stupid on your profile. Then I’ll give you shit.”
“Asshole.”
Wyatt barks a laugh at that, and I grin.
“Grace, you’re a lit major, maybe you can help me,” Nolan says. “Read it over and help me make it sound better. I’m shit at this.”
I’m about to tell Nolan I’d be happy to help him, but Wyatt speaks first. “Grace can help you another time. We’re going to study.”
Nolan quirks a brow. “Studying with no laptops or books?”
I blush, and Wyatt flips him off, which makes me laugh.
Then, when I think he’s going to lead me to his bedroom, he pulls me to the back of the house.
He flips on the outdoor lights, and I see a beautiful pool with a waterfall, a hot tub, and a fireplace table with chairs pulled up around it.
The yard has a few palm trees, lemon trees, and lush landscaping.
“Look at your backyard!” I gasp. “It’s beautiful!”
“It should be in your wheelhouse,” Wyatt says. “Pool and all.” He winks at me.
That wink is going to do me in. It’s cute. Sexy. And all mine.
“Wanna go hang out outside?”
I nod. Wyatt leads me out to the patio. The only sounds I can hear are crickets chirping and the water gently lapping in the pool.
We walk over to the chairs around a gas fire table.
He takes the bottle of water from my hand and sets it down on a table.
Wyatt takes a seat in one of the oversized patio chairs, then tugs me down onto his lap.
He moves my legs so they’re draped across his, and I wind my hands around the back of his neck.
One of his hands moves around my back to hold me.
“Do you want me to turn the fire table on?” he asks.
“No. That would require you to move.”
“Oh?” Wyatt nuzzles the side of my neck with his nose and goose bumps erupt across my skin. “You don’t want me to move?”
“No. I want to stay like this.”
His lips brush against my skin, his teeth oh so lightly grazing me, and I run my fingers through his thick, silky locks.
“Good. I’d like to stay like this, too,” he murmurs before kissing my neck again. His hand skims up my thigh, stopping just at the edge of my shorts. “Are you okay with my hand here, Grace?”
A shiver runs through me. Wyatt is making sure I’m okay. He’s seeking consent.
He is showing me care.
And my heart is so full, I think it’s going to burst.
“Yes,” I say softly.
Wyatt lifts his head from my neck, his beautiful brown eyes locking on mine. He moves his hand very slowly up and down my leg, and his fingertips slide just underneath the hem of my shorts. I suck in a breath of air as his calloused fingertips move across my skin.
“Christ,” he whispers. “Your skin is so soft. I love touching you.”
My breath hitches as his fingers skim over my thigh, then he moves his mouth closer to mine. “Are you okay out here?”
“Perfect.”
“Me too.”
His mouth captures mine again, his lips easing mine open, his tongue slipping inside and tangling with mine.
Wyatt’s scruff scratches against my skin, and oh God, his hand is still on my thigh, his fingertips dancing across my skin in circles.
I move one hand down to the side of his face, stroking him, and he moans softly the second I caress him like that.
Wyatt’s hand slowly slides down my back. I feel him lift up the hem of my sweatshirt, and then I gasp when he slips his hand underneath it. “Can I put my hand here?” he whispers against my lips.
I smile against his mouth. “Mm-hmm.”
Wyatt’s hand slides upward, his fingers splayed out, a delicious combination of rough skin and pure heat. He kisses me again, slow and deep. A moan escapes my throat, and now I can feel him smiling against my lips.
“You like that,” he says.
I break the kiss and look at him, his eyes heavy as he stares at me. I slowly brush my fingertips over his swollen lips, and he playfully nips at my fingers, which makes me smile. He continues to stroke my back, and I feel so … happy.
“I have a girlfriend,” Wyatt says, amazement etched in his voice.
Joy. Pure joy bursts through me at the fact that I’m Wyatt’s girlfriend. “You do. I might just kiss you again to prove it,” I say.
“I definitely need you to prove it.”
I press my lips against his, and as Wyatt kisses me back, I decide to spend a lot of time proving his new status to him tonight. Right here, in his lap, with one thought running through my head the entire time.
This is real.
And Wyatt is really mine.