Safe With You Page 11

  “Of course,” I replied. We had been back once since our initial visit, and I was looking forward to a small town celebration – parade, cookout and fireworks. Their house was the perfect escape from the city. In the month since we had first visited his parents’ house, I had seen a vast improvement in Wyatt’s ability to deal with his brother’s death.

  Our first week back, I convinced him to join me at my weekly session with Dr. Flannigan, and he has joined me every week since. I think it has helped him to put aside some of the guilt he felt, and he has been talking about Derek more and more.

  Dominic came in from the kitchen where he had been stealing bites of dinner behind Rosa’s back. “Soooo, Taryn,” he hedged stretching out on the other side of the sectional sofa from where I was curled up next to Wyatt. I knew Dominic pretty well by now, and we had developed a kind of brother/sister relationship.

  “Yes, Dominic? What’s on your mind?” He gestured behind him toward the foyer, “So what’s the deal with the dress girl?” Wyatt scoffed and I rolled my eyes.

  “The dress girl? Really Dominic? Her name is Selena, and she is my stylist.”

  “Yeah, okay. So what’s her deal?”

  I threw up my hands in exasperation, “I don’t even know what that means. But I assume you’re asking me if she’s single and if she’d be interested in you?” He nodded at me expectantly. “Yes, she’s single. And I have no idea if she’s interested. But you’d better learn her name before you make your move.” He rubbed his hands together. “Thanks, Taryn!” He left the room and I looked over at Wyatt. “I should probably warn Selena.”

  “Yeah, good idea.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Girls Night Out

  Just then the elevator opened and a tiny blonde hurricane swept into the apartment, bags over each shoulder and a large suitcase dragging behind her. Wyatt and I sat frozen on the couch as Lindsay was followed into the apartment by two doormen both dragging more suitcases. While Lindsay’s expression at the moment was one of anger, I could tell from her bloodshot eyes that she had been crying. She dropped the bags from her shoulders with a heavy thud on the wood floor and said, “I’m moving in, Taryn.”

  I glanced nervously at Wyatt who looked a little panicked, like he was praying I wouldn’t need his help with an angry, crying girl. I patted his knee and stood up, dragging Lindsay into my bedroom. I looked back to see Wyatt tipping the doormen and piling Lindsay’s luggage in the hallway.

  “What’s going on, Linz?” She threw herself face down on my bed and mumbled something that sounded like, “I’m never going back.” I sat down next to her and rubbed her back, “Going back where, Linz? Home? Your internship?” Lindsay was three weeks into an internship at her father’s law firm, and she absolutely hated it. I knew she was questioning her career goals, but I didn’t think it warranted this dramatic breakdown.

  Several minutes passed before she rolled on her back and threw an arm over her face. “I quit my internship today. My dad was furious, saying I was passing up a wonderful opportunity, blah blah blah. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t want to be a lawyer. When I got home my mom laid into me too. She was all about how I would have found a suitable husband at the firm, blah blah blah. I packed up all my shit and came here.” She looked up at me through tear filled eyes.

  “I can stay here, right? I know you have a full house with Wyatt and Dominic, but…” I pulled her into a hug. “Of course you can stay here, Lindsay. We’ll figure this out.”

  I had Wyatt move all his stuff into my room and bathroom, so Lindsay could take the guest room. He slept with me every night anyway. Rosa changed the sheets and helped Lindsay put away her clothes. I was making room in my closet for Wyatt’s stuff and clearing out a couple of drawers in my dresser while filling Wyatt in on Lindsay’s situation.

  “Her dad must be blind. Anyone can see Lindsay is not lawyer material.” I frowned and raised an eyebrow at that statement. “I don’t mean she’s not smart enough. She’s just too caring and full of life to be tied to a desk in some high rise on Wall Street.” My smile came back and I hugged him.

  “Do you think they’ll cut her off? You know, force her back when her credit cards are declined?” He asked and he looked genuinely worried for Lindsay. I laughed, “They very well may cut her off, but it doesn’t matter. Our grandfather left both of us hefty trust funds that we gained full control of when we turned twenty-one. Lindsay will be fine even if she never works a day in her life.”

  Wyatt’s mouth was hanging open but he quickly recovered. “Oh, uh okay. Great.” I pressed up against him and slid my arms around his neck, nibbling on his ear. “Do I need to worry about you being after me for my money now?” I whispered. He squeezed my ass and replied, “No. But you do need to worry about me being after you for your body.” I giggled and kissed him.

  Lindsay cleared her throat behind us and I reluctantly released Wyatt. “Sorry guys, I don’t want to be the third wheel.” Wyatt laughed and gave Lindsay a quick hug, “Don’t worry about that. Dominic’s already the third wheel.” He gave me a quick kiss and said, “I’ll leave you girls to talk or do whatever it is you girls do.” I rolled my eyes and joked, “Okay, Linz. It’s time to have a pillow fight in our underwear.” That halted him mid stride before he recovered and walked out shaking his head.

  We hung out in my room until it was time for dinner and then joined the guys in the dining room. Dominic kept us all entertained with stories of his past conquests. I think he sensed Lindsay needed to laugh, and he certainly delivered. After dinner the guys disappeared and Lindsay and I put on our pajamas and settled in the living room with a bottle of wine. I wanted to dig deeper with her, but I didn’t want to set her off again. Quitting her internship and fighting with her parents was difficult, but there was something else going on with her lately.

  “I’m so happy for you, Taryn. Wyatt is so great, and you guys are perfect together.”

  “Thanks, Linz. Um, is there something else going on? You know, besides quitting the internship and your parents being pissed at you?” Uh oh. Her eyes teared up and her chin started to tremble. “I just don’t know what to do with myself anymore. You were my project, and now you don’t need me anymore.” What? I scrunched my eyebrows and tried to figure out what the hell she was talking about. “I used to be the one who you confided in but now that’s Wyatt. I used to be the one to pick out your clothes but now that’s Selena. I used to be the one to make you laugh but now that’s Dominic.”

  I scooted over and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, “Hey, hey. You are my best friend, Lindsay. Nobody can replace you. I’m the person I am today because of you.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes, “God, I’m pathetic…I need a girls night out. Just girls – not trying to pick up guys.” I nodded in agreement. I never loved going out, but if that’s what Lindsay needed then I would be there.

  “How about tomorrow night? Do you want to invite some of your friends?” I asked. I didn’t have many friends, mostly just acquaintances. “No way. I can’t stand those fake bitches.” I laughed, “Okay, how about Selena?”

  “Sure. She’s cool.” I grabbed my phone and texted Selena about our plans, and she replied a few moments later. “Selena’s in. She’s going to bring our outfits.” Lindsay clapped her hands, looking suddenly much brighter.

  “BOYS!” She yelled toward the direction of Dominic’s room and the gym. Wyatt and Dominic came in, seeming amused at being summoned. “We are having a girls night out tomorrow night. Taryn, Selena and me.” Dominic’s eyes lit up at the mention of Selena’s name – at least he now knew her name. Lindsay pointed at Wyatt, “You are allowed to go, but only in a bodyguard capacity. Tomorrow night you are not Taryn’s boyfriend. Got it, big guy?” Wyatt’s lip curled up in a smirk, “Yes, maam.” Lindsay gave them some more instructions involving what they should wear and keeping guys away from us. I was pretty sure that last one wasn’t necessary – Wyatt wouldn’t let anyone near me, and Dominic wouldn’t h
ave been happy to watch Selena getting hit on.

  Twenty four hours later Lindsay, Selena and I were in my room putting the finishing touches on ourselves. For not going out to pick up guys we sure looked hot. Lindsay wore her long blonde hair straight down her back, her makeup was neutral except for her bright red lips, and she had shimmied herself into a tight black dress and high black heels. Selena looked equally gorgeous with her long black hair swept up off her neck and a dark gray backless halter dress. I was wearing more makeup than I ever had and my hair was artfully arranged into big bouncy curls. The dress Selena brought for me was silver and very short, and I felt like a disco ball when I moved. My strappy silver heels were high and added at least 4” to my height. We took one last look at ourselves in the mirror and walked out to meet the guys.

  I couldn’t hold in the laughter when I saw the guys dressed in black suits and white shirts, no ties. They were also wearing sunglasses, even though it was already dark outside. Don’t get me wrong, they looked pretty hot, especially Wyatt, but Lindsay went all out to make it obvious they were our security.

  “How do we look, boys?” Lindsay asked twirling around. Ethan was going too, and he and Dominic gave us all the appropriate compliments, although I noticed that Dominic’s eyes lingered on Selena longer than Lindsay and me. Wyatt, however, didn’t take his eyes off me and he had pushed his sunglasses up so I was well aware where his eyes were. He did a little twirling motion with his finger, so I slowly spun around letting my hair swirl around my shoulders. His eyes darkened with desire as they swept over my body and down my bare legs. Lindsay slapped him on the chest as she walked by, “Too bad you’re not her boyfriend tonight, huh big guy?” I giggled and tickled his chin as I walked by, looking over my shoulder to wink at him. He chuckled and put his sunglasses back on.

  We had ordered a limo for the night so we could all ride together and not have to squish into one of the SUVs. It was a short ride to the club that Lindsay had chosen, Omega. Apparently it was very cool and swanky, though I had never been there, but Lindsay and Selena both loved it. The limo stopped at the front entrance and we all got out. The line stretched down the block, but Lindsay walked right up to the front and said something to the bouncer. He looked over her shoulder at me and lifted the rope so we could pass. Lindsay linked her arm through mine and laughed at my surprised expression as we passed the bouncer, who was saying something into his earpiece, “You’re famous now, Taryn. We might as well use it to our advantage.”

  We only made it a few steps inside the door before the manager greeted us and showed us to a VIP table. It was a large booth set up a few steps from the dance floor with filmy silver curtains surrounding it. He kissed my hand, “Welcome, Miss Ross. I hope you and your friends enjoy your time here. This is Missy, and she will be taking care of anything you need this evening.” He motioned to a very beautiful and very well-endowed blonde woman in the skimpy Omega cocktail waitress outfit.

  Lindsay rattled off our drink orders – Cosmos and a round of lemon drop shots for the girls, and beers for the guys. Wyatt interrupted and changed that to waters for them. “We’re on the job tonight, Lindsay. Remember?” She laughed and started to pull Selena and me toward the dance floor when someone caught her eye near the bar and she stopped, causing me to run into the back of her. Wyatt followed her gaze and grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him.

  “What’s up?” I asked. Wyatt’s jaw was clenched and I could feel the tension in his arm where I was holding onto him. “Harper’s here,” he replied in a low voice. I swung around to look, and sure enough, there was Ryan at the bar with his friend Peyton, and a couple of skanky girls.

  “Maybe we should go somewhere else?” Selena suggested quietly. “No way,” I said stepping out from behind Wyatt. I took Wyatt’s hand and pulled him with me towards Ryan.

  He yanked me back, “What are you doing, Taryn?” I smirked at him, “I’m kicking him out.” He frowned at me but nodded once and glanced back at Dominic and Ethan. Those guys must have some sort of nonverbal communication, because they immediately came up to walk behind us.

  Ryan didn’t notice me until I was right behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around on his bar stool, and the smile faded when he saw it was me. Panic flashed briefly through his eyes when he saw the guys standing behind me. I took a moment to enjoy the look of his crooked nose that had obviously been broken by Wyatt when Ryan had attacked me.

  I smiled sweetly at Ryan and tilted my head. “Hi, Ryan.” He now looked thoroughly confused and just stared at me. “I believe you’re not allowed within 500 feet of me. So you need to leave now.” He looked at Peyton and the girls they were with, who were staring at me with their mouths open, and back to me with an angry expression on his face. I stepped back and made a sweeping motion with my hand toward the door. “Now, Ryan.” He got up glaring at me and opened his mouth to say something to me. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Wyatt said in his low dangerous voice. Ryan wisely shut his mouth and stalked out of the club with his entourage following close behind.

  “That was fun,” I giggled. Wyatt rolled his eyes and pulled me into his arms, kissing the top of my head. “What am I going to do with you?” I could think of a few things, but before I could suggest anything Lindsay pulled me away. “Get back to work, Wyatt. You’re on the clock tonight,” she scolded him. We danced for a few songs, and then took a break to slam our shots and drinks. We were able to dance without being mauled by random guys, because Wyatt, Dominic and Ethan stood around us with their arms crossed over their chests. It was really kind of comical to see them in full bodyguard mode.

  We danced and drank for a couple of hours before we had to take a break and hang out at the table for a while. Wyatt scooted in next to me, and I totally disregarded Lindsay’s rules for the night and threw my arms around Wyatt’s neck and kissed him like we were alone in our bedroom. The three Cosmos and one shot I had in me probably helped to lower my inhibitions a bit. Dominic coughed out, “Get a room,” and Lindsay physically pulled me off of Wyatt. He released me but kept his arm around my shoulder and his other hand ran lightly up my thigh.

  A few minutes later Lindsay was deep in conversation with Selena about the newest trends in jewelry, and I saw my chance. I nudged Wyatt’s leg to let me out of the booth and then dragged him to the bathroom with me. When we reached the darkened hall and found the bathroom occupied I grabbed his hair and crashed his lips to mine. He chuckled and murmured against my mouth, “You’re drunk, Taryn.” I giggled, “Yes, I am. And you should take advantage of that.”

  A girl stumbled out of the bathroom and I slipped in pulling Wyatt with me and locking the door behind us. We must have been on the same page, because I barely had time to turn around before Wyatt pushed me up against the wall and started roughly kissing my neck. I moaned and fumbled with his belt buckle as his hands ran up my thighs and dragged my panties down. He had barely touched me and I was already on fire, panting with need.

  “Wyatt, I need you. Now.” I moaned when he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist. “I love it when you’re demanding, baby,” he groaned in my ear as he thrust inside me. Only minutes later Wyatt had to clamp his hand over my mouth to muffle my screams. Apparently the alcohol also helped me not care who knew I was having sex in a club’s bathroom.

  “You guys just had sex!” Lindsay accused me when I slid back into the booth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said smoothing down my dress and fluffing my hair. Lindsay was glaring at me, Wyatt was running his fingers through my hair and looking very amused, and everyone else was laughing. “Taryn,” Dominic said between laughs, “I’m going to remind you of this moment tomorrow when you’re sober.”

  And he did. When I finally emerged from my room at 11:00 the next morning, feeling like hell, the first thing I heard was Dominic’s irritatingly cheery voice yelling, “Taryn! Remember last night when you had sex in the club bathroom?” I grumbled and threw a donut at his hea
d.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Fireworks

  On the 4th of July Wyatt and I hit the road at 7:00 am so we could get to his parents early. They had decided it was finally time to clear out Derek’s room at the house, and Wyatt and I wanted to be there to help. This would be a short trip and we would be coming back to the city tomorrow afternoon. My dad’s campaign announcement was the day after, so we needed to be back to prep for that.

  Anne and Robert were waiting for us when we arrived at their house by late morning. Most of the day was spent in Derek’s room, going through his clothes and pictures and everything he had collected in his too short life. Tears were mixed with laughter when someone would come across a picture or memento that had a funny story attached to it. Wyatt kept a few t-shirts that were Derek’s favorites, and the rest of his clothes were boxed up to donate.

  During one especially emotional moment for Wyatt when he found a group of pictures of the two of them as kids out in the backyard, he broke down like he had when he first told me about Derek. His parents were downstairs loading boxes into his dad’s truck, so I let Wyatt hold me on his lap until he recovered a bit. He dried his eyes and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked him. He smiled sadly and said, “I was just thinking what Derek would say to me right now.” I ran my fingers through his hair and waited for him to continue. “He would say ‘Stop being such a pussy. You’ve got a hot girl on your lap and you’re wasting your time crying like a baby.” I laughed, “I think I would have liked Derek.” Wyatt nodded, “Everybody did.”

  By late afternoon, the room was clear of Derek’s personal things and it looked like a regular guest room. It was bittersweet for Wyatt and his parents – something they should’ve never had to do, but a sign that they were moving on. Anne had told me earlier that they hadn’t wanted to move anything out of Derek’s room until Wyatt had come home to take the things he would want, and she thanked me again for bringing him back to them. I graciously accepted her thanks, but I know Wyatt would have made his way back with or without me.