Read Wyatt for Free Online Page B

expression before and now I know what it means.
    Looking down at Scarlett’s face streaked with tears I know I haven’t seen anything more beautiful in my life. And then her mouth curves into that daring smile.
    “If you want naked you’re more than welcome to strip down. This is as naked as you’ll ever get me.”
    She’s trying but I can see she’s tired.
    “Come on, no stripin’ today,” I say. I walk her to the couch. “I’ll settle for second best and be happy with you just sleepin’ with me.”
    I watch her eyes go wide as I reach for the hem of my shirt. I drag it over my head and fold it neatly before placing it on her coffee table. Her eyes drop to my chest and then lower to the tattoo over my ribs.
    Aiden and I got our tattoos together, right after Laurie died. He went all tribal and got an eagle done over half his chest and arm. He wanted his tattoo to represent the fight Laurie always had, so it could remind him to never give up, to keep the fight alive for her. I just had the raven done for Laurie. She loved them and the tattoo makes me feel closer to her, like I got to keep a piece of her.
    “Don’t go all tense now,” I whisper to break the silence. I sit down on the couch and I take hold of her hand. I tug her closer until her legs touch mine. “I mean real sleep as in close your eyes and sleep, Scarlett.”
    “Oh,” the word explodes over her lips and she flushes.
    She sits down next to me and I smile reassuringly. “You’ve never done this before? Just sleep with someone?” I ask.
    “No,” she says, looking pretty nervous. I can only imagine what she’s going to look like when we have sex.
    I freeze for a second. Since when did we become a ‘we’?
    I reach for her and pull her down with me so she’s wedged between the couch and my body. I bring her hands up and place it between us, over my heart, just like I did when we were dancing. She lies frozen for about five seconds before she starts to relax against me.
    “Now sleep. You’ll wake up in one piece,” I assure her.
    “That’s not what I’m afraid of,” she says and then she laughs once before pressing her cheek against my chest.
    “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger,” I say even though I know I won’t stay one for long.
    “You still consider yourself a stranger, Wyatt?” she asks.
    “No,” I answer truthfully.
    “Just be here when I wake up,” she says and I hear the fragile tone in her voice.
    “I will,” I reassure her and I watch her drift off within minutes.
    I should catch up on the sleep I lost this morning but instead I go over the past two days. We’ve seen each other every other family vacation but we don’t really know each other. Her older sister, Morgan, sometimes played with Aiden and Laurie. But I never got to know them. I barely know this girl, but still … she’s rattled my cage.
    ~*~
    I wake up to her fresh sweet smell. The side of my face is pressed against her head and I’m breathing hair. I tried this once before. I got so damn irritated with the hair in my face that I promised to never do it again.
    I turn my face into her hair and I breathe her in.
    “You stayed,” she whispers and her hand moves from my chest to my side. She squeezes me tightly and I feel her hot skin against mine.
    “I did,” I say a little too breathlessly. I clear my throat and try again. “What shampoo do you use? I figure if I get the bottle I can leave you alone and just sniff at it once in a while.”
    She pulls back so she can look up at me. “It’s a herbal berry blend. Do you always hide behind jokes?” She asks me straight out.
    “Mostly … just like you,” I throw it back at her.
    She places both her hands on my chest and rests her chin on top of them. It makes the muscles in my abdomen tighten.
    “So … if we put all the jokes aside I think it’s safe to say you’re not an ass, Wyatt Holden. You’d like to come across as one to keep people at a distance and I’m fine with