Safe With You (13 page)

“Hey, you.
  When did you get back?”  I asked as I walked over and sat on his lap throwing my arms around his shoulders.  “I got back a couple hours ago. Rosa makes a mean pot roast.”

“Yes, she does…you looked so serious out here, are you thinking about tomorrow?” 
He nodded, “Yeah, but now I’m thinking about you.  Did you have fun today?”  He asked pulling me against him so he could kiss my neck.  I moaned lightly when he kissed my neck and wriggled on his lap, feeling him instantly respond. “Mmmm, what?”  He chuckled and leaned back so I could answer him without being distracted.

“Did you have fun at the salon doing whatever it is you do th
ere?”  I gave him a wicked smile, “Oh, yes.  I have been polished from head to toe and everywhere in between.”  His eyebrows drew together.  “Uh, what exactly does that mean?”  I moved so I was straddling his lap in one of my favorite moves.  I breathed on his ear before I whispered, “Everywhere.”

I really wished there were not
five other people inside the apartment right now.  I’d replayed the other night in the pool in my mind a hundred times, and sitting out here on his lap, knowing he wouldn’t let this go any further was pure torture.  I nipped at his ear and he set his hands firmly on my waist to stop my squirming.  “Sorry,” I said moving off his lap and curling up next to him instead, but I really wasn’t sorry at all.  But I was glad I had been able to distract him from worrying about his trip back home – at least for now.

I packed my bags for a few days away before falling into bed, and before I knew it my alarm clock was going off.  Wyatt wanted to get on the road by 9:00 so we
would be to his parents’ house by early afternoon.  There was no way I could wake up that early on my own, so for the first time since school ended I had set my alarm clock.  I showered and dried my hair, letting it hang in soft waves, before standing in front of my closet in my bra and panties, contemplating what to wear to meet the parents.

Even though I knew they would be too overjoyed at seeing Wyatt for the first time in a decade
to spend much attention on me, I still wanted to make a good impression.  I ended up choosing a white button down with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of light blue chino shorts.  Casual but not too casual.  After slipping on a pair of black flip flops I dragged my bags out to the foyer and joined everyone in the dining room for breakfast.

Wyatt was chatting comfortably with my parents and I gave everyone, including him, a kiss on the cheek before sitting down.  My dad greeted me and said, “Dominic will
be staying here while you and Wyatt are gone.  Make sure you follow their orders this summer, Taryn.  I need to know you will be safe while we are in DC.”  I nodded, “I know, Dad.  I will be on my best behavior.”  Satisfied that everything would be fine in their absence, my parents finished their breakfast and said their goodbyes before leaving for the airport.

It was shortly after 9:00 when we pulled into traffic in a black SUV with tinted windows, the same kind that had whisked us away from the club a week ago. 
I looked over at Wyatt when we got out of the city.  He was wearing a navy blue t-shirt and khaki colored cargo shorts and flip flops.  With his aviator sunglasses covering his eyes and his hair slightly mussed he looked like he just stepped out of an Abercrombie catalog.  I sighed and he glanced over at me.  “You okay?”

I smiled, “Yes, I was just admiring the view.”  He chuckled and
reached over to take my hand.

“So, do your parents know we’re coming?  Do they know I’m coming?”  He nodded, “Yeah, I called them yesterday.  My mom is very excited.  She cried when I told her I was coming home, and … she was very excited when I told her I
was bringing a girl with me.”

“Do you think they’ll like me?” I asked suddenly very unsure of myself.  The only parents I had ever met were Ryan’s, and they already knew me.  He squeezed my hand reassuringly, “They will love you.  How could they not?”  I th
ought about that for a minute.

“Are they Republicans?”  He threw his head back and laughed.  “No, they
’re Democrats.  They have always voted for your dad.  But that’s not why they will love you….They will love you because I do.”  I smiled and went back to taking in the scenery, both outside the car and inside.

Finally

We stopped after a couple of hours for lunch at a quirky little roadside diner, which was surprisingly delicious.  As we got closer and closer to Wyatt’s town I could feel him getting increasingly tense.  I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles, knowing he was worried to face his parents and dreading the memories of his brother that being back home would bring.

“This is it,” he said in a tight voice when we drove down a long driveway lined by trees and pulled up to a large white farmhouse.  There was a detached three car garage and I could see a large pond farther back from the house.  The whole area was surrounded by woods, and it was incredibly peaceful out here away from the
noise and lights of the city.

Wyatt released my hand and gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.  He took a deep breath before opening his door.  I came around and took his hand as we walked toward the house.  Halfway there his mom rushed out of the back door and ran straight to Wyatt throwing her arms around him.  I let go of his hand and stepped
away so he could hug her back.

“Wyatt, it’s so good to have you home.”  She was crying but I could tell they were happy tears.  Wyatt’s father walked out after her and held his hand out to me.  “M
iss Ross, I’m Wyatt’s father.”

“Please call me
Taryn.  It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hunter.” I said shaking his hand.  He smiled warmly at me, “Please call me Robert.”  He turned to Wyatt and I thought I saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes.  Wyatt’s mom released him and smoothed her chin length dark hair cut into a stylish bob.  Wyatt held out his hand to his father, but Robert pulled him into a hug as well.

“I’m glad you’re home, son
,” he said gruffly.  I smiled at Wyatt’s mom, and she hugged me too.  “It’s wonderful to meet you, Taryn.  Wyatt has told me so much about you.  Please call me Anne.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, wondering what Wyatt had said about me.  Before letting me go, she whispered, “Thank you for bringing him back.”  I wasn’t sure if she meant bringing him back home or bringing him back from the darkness that consumed him after Derek’s death.
I think maybe she meant both.

Robert helped Wyatt carry our bags through a door on the side of the garage building while Anne led me into the kitchen.  I immediately loved their home.  While Lindsay’s and my apartment had the shabby chic cottage look, Anne and Robert’s home was authentically cottage.  The blue and yellow kitchen was cheery and bright, and I felt right at home sitting at the kitchen table while Anne poured me some lemo
nade.

She motioned to the garage, “We have a full guest suite over the garage.  I thought you and Wyatt would be most comfortable there.”  Apparently his parents didn’t have any problem with us shacking up.  “Thank you.  I’m sure it will be perfect
,” I said politely taking a sip of my lemonade.

Wyatt and Robert joined us at the table and we all chatted for a while, mostly about me – school, my father, his run for President, how Wyatt and I met.  I knew they wouldn’t get into anything too deep with me sitting there, and I knew that Wyatt needed to talk to them about Derek.  So, after my second glass of lemonade I yawned and excused myself to go take a nap.  Anne hugged me again, and Wyatt walked me to the door of our room.  I turned and kissed him gently.

“Go talk to your parents, Wyatt.  They love you, and you all need to do this to heal.”  He rubbed the back of his neck and nodded.  I turned him around and gave him a gentle push toward the house.

I went into our guest room and swore I would never leave.  Everything was white – the bedding, the filmy curtains, even the wood floor had been painted white.  It was like I had died and gone to heaven.  Curling up on the bed I pulled the soft white duvet over me and fell asleep.  I must have been really tired, because it was after 6:00 when I woke up.  Pushing myself off the bed, I went to the bathroom and then brushed my teeth and ran my fingers through my hair.  I wasn’t sure where everyone was, but I decided to risk it and set out for the house.  Anne was in the kitchen when I entered through the back door.  She smiled at me
, “Did you have a nice rest, dear?”

“Yes, thank you.  Um…is everything okay in here?”  She patted my arm reassuringly.  “Yes, Wyatt told us of his guilt over Derek’s death.  I had no idea he felt that way.  His father and I have never blamed him.  We are just so thankful that he is okay now.  A lot of that is thanks to you,
Taryn.  I can see that you love each other very much.”

“Yes, we do
,” I replied.  She led me over to the window that looked out over the backyard.  In the distance I could see Wyatt sitting in the grass under a large tree on the far side of the pond.  “Wyatt and Derek used to spend hours climbing that tree.  During the summer they would be out there from sun up to sun down.  Sometimes I had to take their lunch out to them, just to get them to eat.”  She laughed softly at the memory.

“I think he could use some company,” she said as she nudged me in the direction of the door.  I
left my flip flops at the door of the guest house and walked through the grass toward Wyatt.  My toes dug into the soft grass, and I loved the feeling.  There wasn’t much grass in the city.  The breeze rustled through my hair as I walked slowly around the pond.  Wyatt heard me approaching and held out his hand to me.  I took it and he pulled me down into his lap, where I straddled him so my legs were wrapped behind him.

We didn’t say
anything, we just sat there wrapped around each other.  His fingers played in my hair and I stroked the back of his neck, for a long time, just being with each other.  Finally he spoke in a low voice against my neck, “Thank you, Taryn.”  Before I could ask him what he meant he continued, “Thank you for forgiving me.  Thank you for bringing me home.  Thank you for loving me.”  Tears ran silently down my cheeks, and I pulled his face up so I could kiss him.  I poured everything into that kiss – how much I loved him, how safe I felt in his arms, how certain I was that I was right where I was supposed to be.

Knowing what I wanted from him now, I stood up and tugged on his hand to follow me back to our room. 
I led him up the stairs and into the bedroom, letting go of his hand to slowly shut the door behind us and turn the lock.  He stayed standing just inside the door, and I walked over next to the bed and turned to face him.

His eyes were still red, but the sadness from earlier was now replaced with desire and
heat as he watched my fingers slowly undo the buttons down the front of my shirt.  I pushed the shirt off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor.  Wyatt still hadn’t moved but his gaze was intense, and I slipped off my flip flops and unbuttoned my shorts.  His eyes swept over my white lace bra and panties and down my legs.  I stepped out of my shorts and walked over until I was right in front of him, our bodies just barely touching.

My hands made their way
under his shirt to his stomach and his ab muscles quivered at my touch.  He quickly pulled his shirt over his head and his hands came up to rest low on my hips, his thumbs tracing over the waistband of my panties.  I slid my hands up to his shoulders and leaned forward to kiss his chest right over his heart.  He inhaled sharply and shuddered, his hands leaving my hips to frame my face tilting my head up so he could kiss me.

“
Taryn…” he murmured against my mouth.  I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist so he could not distance himself.  “Don’t push me away, Wyatt.  There is nothing holding us back now.  I love you.”  With his hands still on my face, his voice rough with emotion he said, “I love you, Taryn.  More than you will ever know.”  He brought his lips to mine and our tongues danced together as our passion grew.  My bra and panties fell to the floor, he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked us to the bed and lowered me down.  When he tried to pull back I tightened my legs around his waist.

Wyatt chuckled and murmured, “I was just going to take off
the rest of my clothes, baby.  This will work better if we’re both naked.”  I giggled and released my death grip so he could push off his jeans and boxer briefs.  My eyes wandered over every inch of his body, and I chewed on my bottom lip as I sat up.  “Taryn,” he said gruffly, “if you keep looking at me like that this won’t last as long as I want it to.”  I just smiled wickedly at him and wiggled my eyebrows in invitation.  A slow sexy smile spread across his gorgeous face and he just shook his head and climbed onto the bed, hovering over me on his hands and knees.  I tried to pull him down to me, but now he smiled wickedly.

“Not yet…”  Wyatt took his time exploring every inch of me, and by the time he did settle himself over me with his weight on his forearms, I was nearly begging him to hurry up.  His breath was
warm and tickled my ear when he nibbled on my earlobe and I heard the crinkle of a condom package.  I stopped his hand before he could open it.

“I’m on the pill.  I want to feel you.  All of you.”  Wyatt dropped his forehead to mine and took a shaky breath.  “God,
Taryn,” he breathed as he slowly pushed into me.  I was so ready that there was no pain, only a wonderful sensation as he filled me completely.  When he started to move inside me I raked my nails over his lower back urging him faster.  His hand ran roughly down my leg to pull my knee up over his hip.  This new angle sent me flying over the edge and I cried out his name clutching at his arms.  He buried his face in my neck as he found his own release.