21. Wyatt
TWENTY-ONE
WYATT
The sky was just starting to lighten when Harper began to murmur in her sleep. The warm vanilla smell of her hair had stirred me from my slumber, and now I watched as her eyelids flickered, and her murmuring turned into light moans.
I cocked an eyebrow. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that those were her pre-orgasm sounds. My morning wood went from a ten to an eleven as my cock pulsed, wondering what was going on in the dreams of my mate.
We didn’t dream, and the concept baffled me a little bit. I couldn’t imagine how something could seem so real to humans, when in reality it was just a story that their brains made up while regenerating from the day before.
Her moans got deeper, and she started to writhe in my arms. I pulled her back to me, hoping that my embrace would be comforting. How the hell did I know what was going on in her subconscious? Maybe those weren’t moans of ecstasy and she needed to feel safe. But once her ass was nested into my body, she arched her back like a bow, and her very damp panties pressed against my shaft. “Wyatt,” she murmured, pressing into me.
There was no denying it. Harper was having a full-on sex dream with me, and a part of me was a little jealous that I was the only one not participating. I slid my palm down her stomach and under the elastic waistband of her panties, continuing lower until my fingertips met the warmth between her legs.
She gasped, and the subtle writhing turned not so subtle. I kissed Harper’s neck as I stroked her pussy, my cock throbbing a little harder every time she grinded her ass against it.
She suddenly stiffened and the erotic movement stopped completely. She was awake. “Wyatt?” she whispered.
“Yes, baby.” I nipped her earlobe. “You can go back to your dream if you’d like.”
“Mmm. I was dreaming about you. We were…” The heat from her cheeks extended down her neck. I was so attuned to everything about Harper, I could tell that she was embarrassed.
“What were we doing?” I returned my hand to her warmth, letting the tips of my fingers turn lazy circles over her clit.
She cleared her throat. “You were…” She grabbed my forearm. “I’m…uh, I’m feeling a little shy.”
“You?” I slipped a finger inside of her and had to hold in a groan as she arched her back in response. “Shy? Since when?”
She looked over her shoulder. “You were fucking me in um… the back door.”
Holy fuck.
For the first time in my life, my cheeks felt like they were burning. I raised my eyebrows and cleared my throat. That wasn’t something we’d discussed.
“Really?” I tried to hide the surprise in my voice. I didn’t want her to feel shame about something that turned me on. “Did you like it?” I took my finger from inside her and pulled down the back of her panties, positioning myself exactly as I would’ve in her dream.
“I did like it.” Her voice was quiet, and it was subtle, but the adventurous tone was there. Harper was a girl who would traipse off into the woods by herself on a full moon. A girl who would disregard her own personal safety just for a newspaper story. And now this girl was telling me in the cutest way possible that she wanted me to do whatever it was that I was doing in her dream.
I kept my body pressed against hers, but rolled my shoulders so I could reach into my nightstand for the lube. “Well, then. Tell me exactly what I was doing in your dream, and I’ll do it. Only better.”
She giggled as I squirted lube onto my cock and used it to distribute the slippery cool gel where it needed to be.
“You two look well rested.” Gloria smiled as Harper and I padded into the kitchen, fresh from the shower. She was manning four percolators on the gas stove. “Coffee?”
“Please.” Harper gently lowered herself onto one of the stools and had to adjust her position. I gave her a wink, and she giggled.
“Mr. Westwood?” Gloria held up a second cup. “Your usual?”
“Please. But you’d better put a little bit of red in there this morning, Gloria.”
“Big day?” She raised her eyebrows.
Next to me, Harper stifled a giggle, and I kicked her leg gently. “Sure is.”
Gloria kept to herself and never once spoke about our business outside of the walls of the mansion. But she always knew exactly what was going on and I trusted her more than any other human in the city. Well, until Harper had come along. Now, my mate was my most trusted confidante, and I took a moment to watch Harper savor her coffee.
Brown Dog ambled into the kitchen. “Ah, smelled the breakfast, did you, big guy?” Gloria smiled, but shooed the dog out of the kitchen.
If it wasn’t for that dog, Harper and I never would have met. The labrador retriever held a special place in my heart. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be with my soulmate. I grabbed a piece of bacon from under the paper towel where it rested on top of the stove, and sneaked out to give it to the dog.
“He’s going to get chunky if you keep doing that.” Gloria smacked my hand with the spatula when I returned to take a seat at the marble island. “When are you expecting your guests?” Her voice lowered. Gloria didn’t like the South Americans, but she kept her disdain fairly well hidden. Valentina was demanding, and the rest of her crew were a bit diva-like with their coffee and food requests.
“Any minute now.” Fiona came into the kitchen. “Valentina called Tank and told him to bring the Rolls Royce to the airport.”
I chuckled. Valentina liked luxury and the last time I’d been with her, I’d driven her around in my vintage Bronco. She’d been mortified, and I’d loved every minute of it.
I’d warned Tank to be careful with the woman. She was freakishly gorgeous, and if you asked me, she knew it and used it to her advantage. Tank had already succumbed to her charms, and I’d caught them fucking in the pantry one night. Tank was loyal to me, but Valentina’s pussy was powerful. I hoped that Tank would be able to resist its pull this time.
With word that Valentina was en route, Harper’s shoulders slumped forward ever so slightly. I hadn’t been completely truthful when I’d told Harper that I’d never made love to Valentina. Well, the not making love part had been true. There had been no love involved. It had just seemed easier to omit some details. I hadn’t exactly lied, but I hadn’t exactly told the truth either. Is it so bad if you leave out a tiny detail that will only cause problems and hurt the one that you love?
The last thing I wanted was for Harper to be jealous of Valentina. There was no reason for it. In my eyes, Harper was the most beautiful woman in the world, and I knew with one hundred percent certainty that I would never again look at another woman with lust. Ever. Harper was it for me.
“Is the coach house made up for the South Americans?” I asked.
Gloria nodded. “As you requested, Sir.”
“Perfect.” I took the mug of coffee from Gloria and inhaled its earthy smell. With one sip, my body felt stronger, my senses more attuned. It was the perfect amount of moss. Enough to be able to deal with shit, but not too much to put me over the edge.
I rested my hand on Harper’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to leave the house today, but if you have to, Fiona will go with you. Right, Fi?”
Fiona smiled. “Of course. Harper and I had a great time yesterday. That dress she picked out is going to be perfect for the gala.”
Harper’s cheeks turned pink. “Thanks, Fiona.”
“What’s this about a gala?” A voice dripping with a thick accent spoke from the hallway.
We all turned to face Valentina, who was flanked by two of her South American crew, with Tank and Atticus surrounding them.
“We’ll discuss it after breakfast,” I said. Harper stiffened under my hand.
Valentina strode into the kitchen, her long camel-colored coat billowing out behind her. She was wearing an emerald silk scarf and high heels. “Nice to see you, Mr. Westwood.” She held out a gloved hand and I shook it.
“Thank you for coming back to help us out.”
One of her crew stepped to her side. “It seems like there’s always drama up here,” he muttered.
“Fiona. Nice to see you.” Valentina pulled off her glove and shook Fiona’s hand. “I’ll have an espresso,” she barked at Gloria.
“Make it two,” the man beside her grumbled.
“Three.” A third man who I recognized, but hadn’t seen for years, chimed in.
Valentina sat on the stool directly next to Harper but didn’t acknowledge her.
“Valentina, you remember Harper.” My tone was icy. Valentina and I were equals in the organization, but the North American crew was about three times larger than hers, so technically I was her superior.
“How could I forget?” Valentina smirked and held out her hand limply, as though she were a queen and Harper a subject.
Harper narrowed her eyes at Valentina and didn’t bite – or rather, didn’t kiss her hand. “I’ve lost my appetite.” She stood, kissed me on the cheek, and dragged her hand over my ass as she left the kitchen.
“You’ve got a real possessive one there, Westwood.” Valentina’s lipstick left marks on the tiny espresso cup. In her long fingers, it looked more like a cup from a child’s tea set. “I don’t want to be shacked up in that bunkhouse of yours for too long, so let’s figure out how we’re going to deal with this company and whatever disgusting experiments they’re doing in Stirling County. I want to get back to the southern hemisphere and out of this miserable weather.”
Atticus crossed his arms and stood next to me. I wanted to make sure that Harper was alright, but as sensitive as she was, she was also strong. And I needed to make a plan so that we could get back to our so-called regular life.
Fiona refilled her mug, and Gloria set a tray of sandwiches on the island.
“Have you got any sourdough bread?” One of Valentina’s guys wrinkled his nose at the BLT sandwiches on whole wheat bread.
Atticus shoved the tray toward the man. “This isn’t a restaurant.”
After taking a sip of her coffee, Fiona laid out the plan for attending the Carder gala. “Wyatt will be on the guest list, so it won’t seem out of place for him to be there.”
“With a couple of new bodyguards, of course.” Valentina spread her arms to indicate she was referring to her men. “It’s a good thing I brought a gown.” Valentina held her gaze to mine.
“It’s not going to be easy to get an invite to this gala,” I lied. I could probably get anyone on the guest list with one phone call, but I didn’t want or need Valentina stirring up trouble. Subtlety was a word that the woman hadn’t learned.
“Oh, Wyatt.” She reached out to hold my chin. “I’ll be your date. It will be just like old times.” She said it a little louder than necessary and I hoped that Harper had long retreated to our wing.
“Actually, I’m taking Harper. It will be more believable if I bring the woman that I’m actually dating.”
“From what I’ve heard, you’ve been keeping your little pet locked up here. Don’t you think it would be better to show up to the event with someone a little more… suitable? After all, we all know this little relationship isn’t going anywhere. Especially since she will never be able to give you a child.”
“Enough,” Atticus shouted. “We’re going to have to learn to work together if we want to stop the Carders. If you two can’t put aside your egos, I’m calling the wolves here today.”
“The wolves?” Valentina raised her eyebrows. “Meu deus. Now I know you’ve lost it.”
Tank, who rarely said anything, spoke up. “Bannon helped us before. If we need them, they’ll be here.”
Valentina finished her coffee and stood, her eyes directly meeting mine. “Well then, let’s take care of this little problem. You know that it makes more sense to bring me to the gala.”
I hated to admit it, but she was right. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be the one to say it. Atticus did.
“Harper will be safer here, Wyatt. Valentina can handle herself in this kind of setting. We don’t know if Harper is up for a job like this. Yet,” he added.
“Fine,” I grumbled. Harper wasn’t going to be happy, but she’d have to understand. I wasn’t attending the gala for fun, it was strategic. And in the name of strategy, it made more sense to walk into the event with Valentina on my arm.
At least I hoped that she’d understand.