3. Wyatt
THREE
WYATT
Harper tossed and turned all night, even though we were sleeping in a ridiculously expensive bed. Hell, the fucking mattress cost more than one of our Range Rovers. In the predawn light, I propped myself up on my elbow and watched her eyelids flutter as she murmured in her sleep.
I didn’t have the heart to wake her. After a night of twisting in the sheets, she was finally getting some rest.
The gas fireplace cast enough of a glow in the room for me to get dressed without turning on a light. I pulled the comforter over Harper’s bare shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. Her lips turned up into a smile, but the slow deep breathing continued. I made a mental note to ask her about her dreams when I got back.
She was going to be pissed that I left without waking her, but I did it for two reasons. One, I wanted her to get some rest. But two, she would’ve wanted to come with us. And as much as she was getting better in the wilderness, her presence was still a hinderance.
Tank and Atticus were already in the kitchen with the coffee pot percolating on the burner.
“Morning.” I took a mug from the cupboard and set it next to the stove.
“Someone had a good night.” Tank pumped his eyebrows.
“Jesus Christ.” Atticus shook his head. “Leave the man alone. We’re not teenagers anymore.”
“Tell that to the guy who fucked all the picture frames off the wall in the east wing.”
Harper and I had made love twice last night and fucked once. I still didn’t let myself fully go when I was thrusting into her. She was strong, but I didn’t want to break her. She’d pushed me though, urging me with that sweet voice, whispering for me to give it to her harder.
“He was taking it easy on me.”
That sweet voice spoke from the hallway. Shit.
I turned, and there she was, wrapped in the Egyptian cotton sheet. “Were you going to leave without telling me?” Her eyes were wide.
“Give me a second, guys.” I stepped into the hallway, hoping to block their view of my girlfriend wrapped in nothing but a sheet. I knew they would never, ever step on my turf – especially not with a human, but I also didn’t need them getting an eyeful of her nipples pressing against the white sheet.
As I walked away, Tank made a whipping sound. “File your report with your boss, Wyatt,” he grumbled.
I froze.
“Tank.” Atticus stepped in and scolded him on my behalf. “Grow the fuck up.”
I pulled Harper out of earshot and wrapped the sheet over top of her shoulders, my palms running over the goosebumps that prickled her arms, texturing the sheet. “I didn’t want to wake you. We’ll be back soon.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Where are you going?”
Harper would know if I was lying to her. “Atticus and I are going for a run in the woods.”
“With crossbows?” Her voice quivered. I didn’t think she’d spotted the arsenal of weapons that was spread across the marble island next to the freshly baked muffins.
I rubbed her arms more intensely. “There’s a lot going on in the woods. We need to be prepared.”
“For what? To kill my dad?”
I glanced over my shoulder to ensure that Tank and Atticus were out of earshot. “I promise you that we won’t hurt your father. You have my word. I’ll die before any harm comes to anyone in your family. You’re my family now, so that makes… him part of it too.” I meant my words, but I still shuddered, thinking about the creature that was not quite human, and not quite us.
“You really promise?”
My hands gripped her arms as I planted a kiss firmly on her lips and then rested my face on hers, the heat from her cheek warming mine. “I promise. You don’t ever have to ask me twice if I mean something. When it comes to you, my word is my bond. We’re just looking for your father, and if we find him, we’ll bring him home to you.”
“And you won’t hurt him?”
“Don’t make me say ‘I promise’ again.” I smiled as I growled into her ear. “We’ll bring him home and get to the bottom of whatever the hell is going on.”
She relaxed in my hands and let me hold her. “Now, go get more beauty sleep. You’re going to need to be well rested for when I get home.” My hand slipped to her ass cheek, which easily fit in my hand, and I gave it a squeeze.
“What’s happening when you get home?” There was a glint in her eye. She knew exactly what I was talking about. Distracting her mind with the promise of an afternoon romp in those damn sheets was working.
I wrapped my hand around her wrist and guided her hand to the front of my hiking pants, where my cock was standing rock hard, straining the teeth of the zipper. “You’re getting all of this, the way you begged me for it last night.”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t break our eye contact. “Just come home safely. Both of you.” At first, I thought she meant me and her father. But she cupped my package, and I groaned as she gave it a squeeze.
I was beginning to wonder if maybe Harper was the one taking it easy with me . There were so many layers to her, like an onion. I was only just starting to peel back the layers, and my cock pulsed with excitement.
“I’ll have a shower and get nice and clean for you.” She adjusted the sheet, but not before giving me a show. Her body was fucking perfect, soft and curvy in all the right places.
“Don’t you dare. I want you to smell just like you do right now. Like you’ve been fucked raw all night long.”
Her eyes widened and I thought that I’d taken it too far. But her lips turned up and a smile spread across her face. “You better get going. The sooner you get out to the bush, the faster you’ll be back in our bed.”
She sauntered down the hallway, my very own Grecian goddess, ethereal and perfect, walking down my hallway in her bare feet.
I adjusted myself the best I could, tucking my rock-hard cock into the waistband of my pants, hoping that the length of my T-shirt would hide it until my body stopped reacting to Harper. Whenever I was close to her, I was that much more sensitive. It was as though parts of me knew that parts of her were nearby. Or maybe that was just pheromones in action. Whatever it was, it was both exhilarating and near debilitating. Would I ever be able to touch, or smell her, and not get an instant hard-on?
“You ready to go, Boss?” Atticus had poured coffee into travel mugs. “Tank is pulling the car around to the front.”
“Yeah.” I grabbed the mug and took a sip. Adrenaline surged through my body. “Did you put some moss in this?”
“Just a little.” Atticus tossed me a puffy jacket. “But we’ve got more in the car if we need it.”
Fueled with the desire to protect Harper and solve the mystery of whatever the hell was going on in Stirling County, Atticus and I strode out of the mansion and hopped into the waiting car.
We had called in extra security and two of the guards stood at the main door. Harper would be safe in my house. Now all I had to do was figure out what or who I needed to protect her from.