Gah, she couldn’t be thinking that word without coffee. “Are you bringing me coffee in bed?” That now-familiar warmth bloomed inside her chest at the sweet gesture.
“Breakfast, not just coffee.” He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a wooden tray across her lap. There was a silver dome covering the food underneath, but whatever it was smelled delicious. Or maybe that was just the coffee that had her mouth watering.
Wyatt’s eyes glinted with lust as his gaze strayed to her chest. She was wearing a shirt, but no bra and it was like the man had a radar for that. He just zeroed in on her hardening nipples as a smug smile teased his lips. She wondered if he was even aware of the way he was watching her, as if he was undressing her in his mind. Probably not.
She picked up the full mug of coffee. While she loved his intent focus on her, now wasn’t the time. “Don’t even think about it,” she murmured.
“About what?” His gaze snapped up to meet hers and he looked genuinely confused. Yeah, he wasn’t aware of it.
She motioned to her breasts with her free hand. “Whatever you’re thinking, just lock it up. I’m tired, need a shower and can’t even think about…stuff.”
His eyebrows quirked up and she could tell he was fighting a smile. “Stuff?”
“Sex.”
“That’s presumptuous. I’ve got meetings all morning but I wanted to bring you breakfast before I got sucked in and won’t be able to break away.” Yeah, he was definitely fighting a smile.
“Oh.” What was wrong with her? She was barely sitting up and had just said she didn’t want sex. But she wanted him to want it because even if they weren’t having it, she still wanted him. With a vengeance. God, she needed her head examined.
His eyes glinted wickedly. “Unless of course you’re ready to go right now. We could do it fast and dirty. I could bend you over the bed and—”
“Enough!” Her face heated up as she took a sip of the heavenly coffee. What was up with him this morning? She couldn’t get a handle on his mood. He seemed almost playful. Clearing her throat she said, “So, just meetings here, right? You’re not leaving?” The schedule she’d received for him days ago had him staying put today, but she wanted to make sure. She might not be head of his team now, but she couldn’t help but worry about him.
“I’m not leaving you.” Okay, that wasn’t what she’d been asking, but the answer warmed her. Before she could respond, he continued. “I’ve come to a decision.”
Iris set her mug down at the seriousness of his tone. God, had he decided he didn’t want to try things out with her after all? “Okay.”
“While I’m courting you, sex is off the table. You’ll still be sleeping in our bed, but no sex.”
“Courting?” The word was so old fashioned it sounded weird coming from him.
He actually looked sheepish for a moment, the normally hard lines of his face turning soft, almost boyish. “I don’t know what else to call it and that’s what I’m doing. So no sex.”
She blinked, feeling a very real disappointment punch through her at his last three words. Ever since she’d left Vegas a month ago she’d been dreaming non-stop about his talented hands and mouth all over her body. Sex was the one thing that definitely worked between them. “So…what exactly do you mean, courting me?”
He shrugged and slid a few inches closer so that his knee was touching her outstretched thigh. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek before sliding his hand back into her hair. He gently held the back of her head. None of the dominating forcefulness she was used to from him was in that grip. Just sweetness. Of course the look in his eyes wasn’t exactly sweet, it was full of hunger. “I should have taken things slower with us. I…shouldn’t have demanded that you marry me.”
She snorted softly. “You didn’t demand anything. And I said yes.”
“Yes, you did.” His expression darkened a fraction, but she couldn’t get a read on him.
Silence hung in the air, so loud her ears buzzed with all the things they weren’t saying to each other. She wanted to lean forward and kiss him. Well, kiss him, strip him naked and let him sink deep inside her. She wanted to hear him gasping out her name. Of course she wanted it now even more that he’d taken sex off the table. Yeah, she was pretty sure she needed her head examined. “So no sex?”
He withdrew his hand but didn’t move from the bed, a smug grin forming on his face. “You sound disappointed.”
She shrugged, not denying it, even though it was probably the one thing guaranteed to keep her sane. If they weren’t sleeping together, maybe they could figure out if they were compatible in other ways. Which was clearly his intention. “Thanks for bringing me breakfast in bed. Did you or Ellie pick out the flower?” There was a single purple iris in a tiny white vase in the corner.
He actually scowled, as if surprised by the question, but it was the first time he’d done anything like this so she didn’t know what to think. “I did, and you’re welcome…And before you ask, Thorton and Keibler were released a couple hours ago. The cops didn’t have enough to hold them on. Harrison’s got someone digging a lot deeper into their financials this time. They’re going to rip apart any and all information available on Thorton Enterprises and anyone close to those two.”
Iris has a feeling that no matter what, Wyatt planned to dismantle Thorton Enterprises or maybe something worse. She wasn’t going to ask right now. “What about the assassin?” Iris forced herself to breathe normally as she thought of the woman who’d tried to kill Wyatt.
Wyatt’s expression darkened a fraction. “In the hospital. She stabbed herself.”
Now that was surprising. “Suicide attempt?”
He shook his head. “They don’t think so. It’s likely she was attempting to injure herself so she could try to make an escape, but they’ve got guards posted outside her room and inside. She’s not going anywhere.”
“And she still won’t talk about who hired her?”
“Nope. And she has no reason to. She’ll talk for Interpol though.”
Iris hoped so. “Until we know who hired her, you’re going to need to keep your extra security and take every precaution possible. I know I’m not on your security team anymore but…” She trailed off, unsure where she’d been going with that train of thought. Wyatt was smart, but she just needed to know that he’d be careful even if she wasn’t around. She felt crazy over-protective of him in a way she’d never thought possible.
“I won’t live in fear but I plan to be smart. Especially if you’re going to be living here with me?” She wasn’t sure if he meant it, but the last part came out as a question.
She hadn’t told him everything she and Harrison had talked about last night so she nodded. “I will be staying here. I’m taking a few days off, but I’ll likely be taking a new job in a couple weeks if something opens up. I won’t take anything out of town though.”
“Good.” Wyatt let out a small sigh of relief and leaned forward, brushing his lips over hers. At first the kiss was light, almost teasing as he stroked his tongue along the seam of her lips.
Just as he slid his hand into the curtain of her hair again and started to tug her close, he abruptly stopped and pulled back, his breathing ragged. He looked down at the tray still propped in her lap and took the silver cover off her plate. “Eat…please.”
She managed to get her own breathing under control as she looked at the stack of chocolate chip pancakes topped with whipped cream. There was also a fruit cup, three slices of bacon and two eggs over easy. All her favorite things. She wouldn’t be able to finish it all, but she couldn’t believe he’d remembered the chocolate chip pancakes. She hadn’t had those since she was a teenager. Her heart squeezed in a way that told her to run. To run far and fast before she got sucked too deep into life with Wyatt that it would slay her if they ended. But she couldn’t and more importantly, wouldn’t. Not anymore. Even if she lost him, she was taking this chance. “This looks amazing, thank you.”
Grunting a non-response he just leaned back on one elbow, stretching out on the bed alongside her so that they were facing each other. His head was next to her feet and vice versa. He was dressed casually today, wearing pressed slacks and a button down shirt that probably cost more than she made in a week. But no tie and no jacket.
“Are you just going to watch me eat?”
That wicked glint was back as his gaze strayed to her mouth. “I like watching you eat.”
Her cheeks heated, but she tried to ignore the reaction building inside her. Just being close to him got her hot. As her fork cut through the stack of pancakes she said, “If you’re courting me, you have to tell me something about yourself that no one else knows.”
He was silent for a moment. “I’d rather jerk-off to thoughts of you than be with anyone else.”
She choked on her food, coughing until he moved up the bed and patted her on the back. Iris took a sip of coffee, trying to clear her throat. “That’s not what I meant,” she rasped out, still lightly coughing.
“Okay then…I’ve been masturbating to thoughts of you for longer than you probably want to know about.” He didn’t move back to his original position, but stayed where he was, sitting directly next to her, crowding right into her personal space.
He wasn’t touching her though. It was like there was an invisible line he was forcing himself not to cross. Because if he did, he’d throw his no-sex idea right out the window. Iris knew if she pushed him she could get him to do just that. They could be naked in seconds. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of getting to know each other more. Sex was easy for them. The rest of their relationship was complicated. They might already know a lot about each other, but marriage was a whole different ballgame. One she had no clue how to navigate. Maybe he was on to something with his idea.