gather all of the materials and go stick them in his safe. He paused. “Wait. Don’t tell me you got on a plane carrying all of this?” His voice rose as he spoke. Was she kidding him? Thank God he’d insisted on picking her up from the airport. What if she had slipped inside a cab with an unscrupulous driver who drove her into the desert and mugged and killed her?
An unlikely scenario, he knew. But even a .001% probability of something bad happening to this female made his palms sweat.
She rolled her eyes. “Calm down. It’s just money.”
This from the woman who fretted for hours if her weekly budget didn’t balance perfectly. His concern grew. “Tatiana…”
She braced her hands under her and rose to her knees. He got sidetracked by another small jewel falling off her to the carpet, his heart seizing at the potential loss of revenue. “Whoa. Careful there. Why don’t we clean this up, and…”
She was wrapped around him before he could finish his sentence, her arms encircling his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. She pressed her nose against his. “Hi.”
Forget the goddamn jewelry. Her eyes were clearer and more flawless than the purest emerald. “Hi.”
Wyatt adjusted himself so she could straddle him better, and slid his hands up her back, his fingers flirting under her bra strap. He glanced down between them. Her breasts were plumped up against his chest, the cups almost revealing the areolas. It would take a flick of his fingers to unhook her bra and pull those nipples into his mouth.
“You didn’t ask me what I was thinking about.”
Attention caught by the words and the serious tone of her voice, he looked up from her breasts. “I think I might know.” I was an asshole. And I’m probably going to be an asshole again at some point. But forgive my latest display of assholic behavior.
She kissed him, her lips soft and sweet. He tasted strawberries and wine and her. Hours could be spent on this, hours where they wouldn’t have to fight, hours where he could get drunk off of her.
Tatiana pulled away, too soon, and he tensed until every muscle was locked, aware of what was coming. You deserve this. Let her get it out of her system.
“Why did we break up?”
Caught off guard, he could only stare at her. “What?”
“Why did we break up? Back when we were kids?”
What did this have to do with anything? “I— Lots of reasons.”
“Do better than that. What were they?”
He opened his mouth and closed it again. He didn’t know. No, he knew. But he couldn’t verbalize it.
Fuck that anyway. It was ancient history, and hardly relevant right now. “Does it matter?”
She fiddled with his tie, loosening it. Her sparkly pink nail polish was starting to chip. That would drive her crazy. “My mom asked me that today, and for the life of me, I couldn’t answer it either.”
He took a deep breath. “Tatiana. Why don’t you get dressed, and we can—”
“No!” She had the element of surprise on her side, so she was able to knock him backward so he lay flat, a hundred and fifteen pounds of furious woman on top of him.
Yes, it was the surprise. He winced at the twinge in his lower back. It wasn’t that he was getting old and slow.
“I don’t need to calm down. I don’t need to relax. I am not hysterical.”
“Okay.” He wrapped his hands around her upper arms, trying not to flinch at the loudness of her voice.
He didn’t want to be here. No, he wanted to be here, on the carpet, with Tatiana on top, but he didn’t want to be here , in this moment.
Her breasts trembled with the force of her emotions. “This is important. I know that you hate that I’m confrontational and loud, but this is important.”
He clenched his jaw. “I do hate when you’re loud.” The admission was dragged out of someplace deep inside of him.
She blanched. He closed his eyes in order to block out the sheen covering her own. The sight made him want to rip his chest open and offer her
An unlikely scenario, he knew. But even a .001% probability of something bad happening to this female made his palms sweat.
She rolled her eyes. “Calm down. It’s just money.”
This from the woman who fretted for hours if her weekly budget didn’t balance perfectly. His concern grew. “Tatiana…”
She braced her hands under her and rose to her knees. He got sidetracked by another small jewel falling off her to the carpet, his heart seizing at the potential loss of revenue. “Whoa. Careful there. Why don’t we clean this up, and…”
She was wrapped around him before he could finish his sentence, her arms encircling his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. She pressed her nose against his. “Hi.”
Forget the goddamn jewelry. Her eyes were clearer and more flawless than the purest emerald. “Hi.”
Wyatt adjusted himself so she could straddle him better, and slid his hands up her back, his fingers flirting under her bra strap. He glanced down between them. Her breasts were plumped up against his chest, the cups almost revealing the areolas. It would take a flick of his fingers to unhook her bra and pull those nipples into his mouth.
“You didn’t ask me what I was thinking about.”
Attention caught by the words and the serious tone of her voice, he looked up from her breasts. “I think I might know.” I was an asshole. And I’m probably going to be an asshole again at some point. But forgive my latest display of assholic behavior.
She kissed him, her lips soft and sweet. He tasted strawberries and wine and her. Hours could be spent on this, hours where they wouldn’t have to fight, hours where he could get drunk off of her.
Tatiana pulled away, too soon, and he tensed until every muscle was locked, aware of what was coming. You deserve this. Let her get it out of her system.
“Why did we break up?”
Caught off guard, he could only stare at her. “What?”
“Why did we break up? Back when we were kids?”
What did this have to do with anything? “I— Lots of reasons.”
“Do better than that. What were they?”
He opened his mouth and closed it again. He didn’t know. No, he knew. But he couldn’t verbalize it.
Fuck that anyway. It was ancient history, and hardly relevant right now. “Does it matter?”
She fiddled with his tie, loosening it. Her sparkly pink nail polish was starting to chip. That would drive her crazy. “My mom asked me that today, and for the life of me, I couldn’t answer it either.”
He took a deep breath. “Tatiana. Why don’t you get dressed, and we can—”
“No!” She had the element of surprise on her side, so she was able to knock him backward so he lay flat, a hundred and fifteen pounds of furious woman on top of him.
Yes, it was the surprise. He winced at the twinge in his lower back. It wasn’t that he was getting old and slow.
“I don’t need to calm down. I don’t need to relax. I am not hysterical.”
“Okay.” He wrapped his hands around her upper arms, trying not to flinch at the loudness of her voice.
He didn’t want to be here. No, he wanted to be here, on the carpet, with Tatiana on top, but he didn’t want to be here , in this moment.
Her breasts trembled with the force of her emotions. “This is important. I know that you hate that I’m confrontational and loud, but this is important.”
He clenched his jaw. “I do hate when you’re loud.” The admission was dragged out of someplace deep inside of him.
She blanched. He closed his eyes in order to block out the sheen covering her own. The sight made him want to rip his chest open and offer her
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