Page 33 of Wyatt’s Fever

CHAPTER 15

NAOMI

It’s been a week since the hostage situation, and things are starting to get back to normal. The first few nights, I would wake up every hour expecting to hear glass break, or an angry voice, or the metallic click of a gun chambered behind my ear. Wyatt would wake up too, his hand already reaching for me, his body tense and ready for war. But he always just pulled me closer, shushed me, told me I was safe now and the only thing I needed to be afraid of was him making me come so hard I forgot my own name.

One morning we’re both in the kitchen at the same time, and I decide it’s time to shake things up a little bit. Wyatt is standing by the island, cutting an apple into perfect slices wearing nothing but gym shorts. His hair is still wet from the shower and sticking up at all the wrong angles. He looks good enough to eat and I’m ready to take a bite of him.

I clear my throat, heart slamming against my ribs. “Hey.”

He looks up. “Hey, fever.” The pet name is so casual it could break me.

I lean against the opposite counter, palms slick with sweat. “So, I got the mail this morning,” I say, trying to sound normal.

“Yeah?” He picks up another apple wedge and bites, crunching it to death.

I open my purse, fishing around for the envelope. “I have something for you. For us, actually.”

Wyatt narrows his eyes, suspicious. “What, don’t tell me you got a jury duty summons? You can’t be trusted with that much power.”

I slide the envelope across the island with two fingers. “Just open it.”

He wipes his hands on a dish towel, then tears the envelope open with a single swipe of his thumb. Inside are two cards, heavy as credit cards, embossed in black and silver. He stares at them, unblinking, until the apple in his hand starts to leak juice down his arm.

“You’re shitting me.” He picks one up. The Sterling Rope logo catches the light, shining like sin. “Is this⁠—?”

“Our new membership,” I say, and my voice only trembles a little.

His jaw drops. “You signed us up for the club?” The words come out totally shocked.

“Technically, you’re supposed to go through an interview, but Roman said he trusts both of us. Plus he said he’d already offered you a membership but you turned him down.” I try to make it sound breezy, but I’m watching his face for any sign he isn’t on board.

Wyatt is quiet for a long time. I can see the gears turning, the way he analyzes everything. “You really want to do this?” he asks, voice soft.

I cross my arms, trying to hide how much I’m shaking. “I’ve been thinking about it since we started dating. I’m curious and I want to explore with you.”

He’s silent for another few beats, then does something I don’t expect when he grins like the cat that ate the canary. It’s a slow, wolfish grin that makes me squeeze my thighs together.

“You really want to play, fever?” His voice is a low growl that goes right to my ovaries and causes them to explode.

I match his stare, not backing down. “More than anything.”

He comes around the island in two strides, crowding me against the cabinets, the heat rolling off his body warms me from the inside out. He slides one massive hand up my spine and into my hair, gripping just tight enough to send a warning shot through my system

Wyatt studies me for a long moment, his green eyes dark and wild. Then he leans in, pressing his mouth to my ear. “I can’t wait to explore with you.” He licks his lips, slow and deliberate. “Later tonight, I’ll show you just how much.”

I let myself grin, feeling lighter than I have in days. “Are we supposed to bring our own handcuffs, or does the club provide them?”

He barks a laugh, the sound filling the whole house. “They’ll supply everything we need..”

The tension that’s been wrapped around my heart for a week starts to loosen. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, maybe the promise of something new, but for the first time since Stellan crashed into our lives, I feel normal.

“Do we need safe words?” He asks pulling me into his arms.

“Heck no.” I shake my head and run my hand up his warm, muscular chest. “I know I’m safe with you no matter what.”

By the time Wyatt heads into the shower, my hands are shaking so bad I nearly drop my makeup brush. I spend forever on my hair, deciding between up and down, straight or curly, before finally letting it fall in wild waves around my shoulders. I pick a dress that’s tight enough to get his attention but not so tight I can’t breathe. The green one, the one that makes my eyes look like I’m telling the truth even when I’m lying through my teeth.

I pace the bedroom, trying to remember to breathe. God. I want tonight to be perfect.