Safe With You

by DeMuzio, Kirsten

  I settled myself on a high bar stool while Wyatt ordered a beer for himself and a Cosmo for me. I had abandoned my earlier drink at the bar in my haste to escape Ryan. I looked up at him while we waited for our drinks, “I’m glad you came.” He smiled at me, “I wouldn’t have missed a chance to see you, Taryn.” His eyes were dark as he reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear and run his fingers down the side of my face. I leaned my head into his touch and held his eyes a moment longer until the bartender set our drinks down.

  “And thanks for saving me from Ryan…again.” He frowned at the mention of Ryan’s name. “He’s not getting the message, is he?” I shook my head, “No. I mean he can’t really think I would go back to him. I’ve made it pretty clear I am done. But he’s not the best at taking no for an answer. Like when he started calling me Ice Princess when I wouldn’t sleep with him.” I rolled my eyes at Ryan’s stupidity and then froze at the anger I saw on Wyatt’s face.

  “He said you were cold because you wouldn’t sleep with him?” He asked in a low dangerously calm voice. I shrugged and looked down, but he lifted my chin with his hand so he could look into my eyes. “Taryn, you are the strongest person I know and you are anything but cold. Ryan is an idiot.” I stared at him, captivated by the emotion in his eyes.

  He slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine. Finally. I sighed as I parted my lips and felt his tongue sweep over mine. His hand came around to cradle the back of my head and he deepened the kiss, as his other hand caressed my knee and slid up my thigh and just under the hem of my short skirt. My hands gripped the front of his shirt as I pulled him closer still, parting my knees so he could step between them, and I could feel his heart beating as fast as my own. After what seemed like forever but was still too soon, he pulled back, breathing hard. My eyes fluttered open and then closed again when he leaned down to kiss my neck right under my ear and whispered, “That didn’t feel cold to me.” I giggled and shivered from the feel of his warm breath on my neck.

  “Wow, Taryn, nice performance,” I heard a familiar voice say, and I snapped my head around to see Ryan watching us and slowly clapping his hands. “Congratulations man. You got farther with her in five minutes than I did in three months,” Ryan sneered at Wyatt. Before I could lift my hand to slap that slimy smile off his face, Wyatt grabbed him by the front of his perfectly pressed shirt and spun him around, pressing him to the wall with his forearm on Ryan’s throat. “Stay the fuck away from her or you will be sorry,” he growled. A tall muscular guy I didn’t know but who looked familiar appeared at Wyatt’s side and grabbed the arm that wasn’t cutting off Ryan’s air supply. “Easy, Hunt.” Wyatt shoved his arm against Ryan’s throat one more time before releasing him to collapse coughing on the floor.

  He took my hand and led me through the crowd and out the door. His jaw was tight and I could feel the tension rolling of his body in waves, so I just squeezed his hand. We were both silent for a while before I said, “Thank you for that. I was going to slap him but I’ve never slapped anyone before, so it probably wouldn’t have been as effective as your kung fu maneuver.”

  He chuckled and ran his free hand through his hair. “I’m glad I didn’t scare you. I was already pissed off that he won’t leave you alone, and I just couldn’t let him get away with insinuating that … “ He trailed off.

  “You didn’t scare me. Actually that was pretty hot. I’ve never had someone defend my honor before,” I laughed. He turned to face me, bringing my hand up to his lips.

  “You deserve that, Taryn, and so much more.” His expression was so serious and almost sad that my chest ached and I instantly wanted to comfort him, even though I was confused by his emotions. I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him softly. The kiss quickly became more urgent as my hands fisted in his hair holding his mouth to mine. He groaned and wrapped his arms around me, pressing our bodies tightly together.

  He twirled me around to the building we were standing next to, pressing my back against the wall and running his hands up and down my sides. I breathed his name as he broke away to nip at my earlobe and kiss his way down my neck. One hand moved over my flat stomach and up to caress my breast through my thin tank top, while the other ran down over my hip and gripped the back of my thigh hitching my leg up. I moaned and rocked my hips into his, feeling how much he wanted me.

  “Fuck, Taryn, what are you doing to me?” He groaned dropping his forehead to mine, still breathing hard. I shivered with the thought that I could make him lose control as I tried to catch my breath. That seemed to bring him back to reality and he rubbed my arms, “Are you cold?” I shook my head, “No, I’m definitely not cold.” He smirked at me, “No, you’re not. Come on let’s go back inside before I forget we’re in the middle of the sidewalk. There is something I need to tell you.”

  Chapter Six

  Surprise

  Before we even took a step, flashbulbs started going off all around us and some lady shoved a microphone in my face. “Taryn, how do you feel about your father running for President? Do you think he would approve of your raunchy PDA on the streets of New York?” I was blinded by the lights and heard Wyatt curse as he put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me quickly back inside the club.

  I was in a daze as I stared at Wyatt with wide eyes. He motioned to the guy who had pulled him off Ryan earlier and he came over to us instantly. Wyatt spoke lowly to him, glancing back at me, before the guy walked over to where Lindsay was dancing. I felt like everything was in slow motion as the other guy and Lindsay came back over to us. Over Wyatt’s shoulder I saw Ryan sitting at the bar, smirking at me. Wyatt turned to follow my gaze and his eyes narrowed. “It was Harper. He tipped off the press to Taryn’s location.” The other guy shot an angry glance in Ryan’s direction.

  Wyatt addressed the mystery guy, “The cars are on their way. I will take Taryn to her parents’ place – it has the most security. You take Lindsay back to their apartment so she can pack what they’ll need. We’ll meet you shortly.” My mouth was still hanging open as I looked from the mystery guy to Wyatt to Lindsay. Lindsay looked just as confused as me.

  Wyatt moved directly in front of me and bent down slightly. He gently held my shoulders and looked into my eyes. His eyes were full of worry as he said, “Taryn, I will explain everything soon. But right now we need to get you to your parents’ apartment. Do you trust me?” I didn’t understand anything he was saying, but I did trust him. I nodded and he pulled me in for a quick hug, kissing the top of my head.

  “Okay, that’s great that you trust him. But you’re not shipping me off with this guy who could be a serial killer for all I know,” Lindsay snapped with her hands on her hips giving the guy a look up and down. The guys exchanged a glance and Wyatt said, “Lindsay, this is Dominic Abruzzi.” He paused for a moment like he didn’t want to say any more. He exhaled and continued, “We work for Roland.” He was watching me carefully for my reaction.

  My mind was spinning as it processed what he had just said. Roland Westwood was my father’s oldest friend and owned a private security firm. Wyatt had told me he worked in private security, and I suddenly knew that Dominic looked familiar because I had seen him around over the last few weeks. All of Wyatt’s strange behavior over the last month suddenly made sense - his backing out of dinner after my dad called, him not being free to be in a relationship with me, all the times he said he had something to tell me. As the realization of what was going on hit me, I dropped my hand from Wyatt’s and took a step away from him.

  “Holy shit, Taryn! Wyatt’s your bodyguard,” Lindsay said. I heard her and had already come to the same conclusion, but I couldn’t look away from Wyatt. His expression was pained as he looked down at his empty hand I had just released. Tears filled my eyes, but I looked up to the ceiling and blinked them back. Dominic’s phone beeped and he checked it before saying, “The cars are here. Let’s go.” Dominic led Lindsay outside first where she smiled and posed for the photographers. He rolled his eyes and dragged he
r into a black SUV. Wyatt put his arm around my shoulder and tucked me into his body, shielding my face from the flashes of the cameras. He opened the back door of a second black SUV and helped me in before climbing in behind me and shutting the door.

  I turned to look out the tinted window as we pulled away from the club and tried to sort through my emotions. I was pissed that my dad didn’t tell me he had security following me, and I was pissed that Wyatt hadn’t told me either, especially after we had started this – whatever it was. But more than anything I felt heartbroken that maybe this thing between Wyatt and me wasn’t real. Was he just using me? In my heart I knew he wouldn’t do that to me, but my head wondered if I was just being naïve.

  I could feel Wyatt’s eyes on me and the silence between us was heavy, but I didn’t want to talk to him with another one of Roland’s men in the seat in front of us driving. Wyatt sighed heavily and I saw him rub a hand over his face from the corner of my eye. “Taryn,” he said quietly, “I need to call your dad and fill him in on the situation.” I nodded, still not looking at him. He pressed one button and held his phone up to his ear. Apparently he had my dad on speed dial.

  “Mr. Ross, it’s Hunter here…Yes, she’s fine. She was at a club tonight and the press showed up. It seems they had been tipped off about Taryn’s location as well as your rumored run for President…We don’t know for sure, but we suspect Ryan Harper gave away her location…Yes, sir. I feel the same way about him…We are on the way to your place. She’s here with me now…” He held the phone out to me, and I snatched it from him and held it to my ear. “Dad.”

  “Taryn, are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Although I don’t like finding out from a reporter that you’re running for President. And I don’t like that you didn’t tell me you had me under surveillance,” I snapped. “Taryn, darling. I’m so sorry. I knew you wouldn’t like the idea of security and I didn’t want to upset you during your final weeks of the school year. I have not decided about running yet. Your mother and I were planning to discuss this with you soon. Someone leaked it to the press.”

  “It’s okay, Dad. I just wish you would trust me to handle stuff like this. I’m not fragile. I’m not going to break down at the first sign of stress.” From the day they brought me home, my parents had always protected me from anything potentially upsetting or stressful. Lindsay had done the same. Nobody noticed that I was an adult now. Wyatt was the only person who had seen that I am strong now. My heart clenched thinking that the one person who really saw me wasn’t who I thought he was.

  “I know, Taryn, your mother and I just want to protect you. We will be coming home this weekend. I know you and Lindsay were looking forward to your trip to the Hamptons, but I have to insist you stay put. Now that the press has caught wind of this, they will be all over you. So I don’t want you going back to your apartment yet.”

  “Fine. I’ll stay at home for now. But we need to really talk about this when you get here.” I said goodbye to my dad and handed Wyatt’s phone back to him, still refusing to look at him.

  When we pulled up to my parents’ apartment building there were reporters out front already. Wyatt helped me out of the car and hurried me inside, nodding at the doorman when we passed. Apparently everyone but me knew who Wyatt was. We got in the elevators and Wyatt punched in the code to take us up to the top floor. When we entered the foyer, Wyatt motioned for me to stay put while he walked through the apartment. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest – I seriously doubted any reporters were hiding in a closet, but I guess this was his job. His job, I thought with a heavy heart. Was everything between us just a perk of his job?

  A few minutes later Wyatt came back into the foyer and approached me cautiously, like I was a rabid animal about to attack. “Taryn,” he began. I held up a hand to stop him. “I need some time to process this, Wyatt. I can’t talk to you right now.” I quickly walked past him and down the hallway on the left towards my room before he could see the tears that were threatening to spill down my cheeks. I didn’t want him to see how much he affected me. Not now when I wasn’t sure what was real.

  Once I was alone in my room I shut the door and walked over to the window not bothering to turn on the light. As I looked out the window over the lights of the city, I remembered the first night I had spent in this room. It was two weeks after my parents had met me at the Children’s Home. They had used my dad’s connections to expedite the adoption process, and my mom had everything ready for me when they brought me home. My bedroom was the most beautiful room I had ever seen decorated in shades of white and cream with accents of pale pink and gray. It was peaceful and calm with just the right amount of feminine touches.

  My parents had offered to have it redone as I got older, so I could choose the décor, but I loved it too much to change a thing. It became my sanctuary as I grew up, my safe place, and tonight was no different. I don’t know how long I stood there looking out the window before I heard a knock and Wyatt’s low voice. “Taryn? Dominic is back with Lindsay. Can you come out to the living room?” I opened the door and tried to avoid looking at him, but it was impossible not to look into his dark eyes and see the pain there.

  Lindsay had changed out of her dress and was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I saw she had brought my laptop and packed a bag for me. She raised her eyebrows at me as a silent way of asking if I was okay. I sat down next to her on the couch and shrugged my shoulders in response. I honestly didn’t know if I was okay yet. Dominic was there with the blond guy I had seen arguing with Wyatt that day he had walked me to class, probably another one of my security team that I didn’t know.

  “So, I talked to my mom on the way over here. She told me our trip to the Hamptons is off. Boo.” Lindsay said with a pouty face. “Yeah, I know. I guess I’m stuck here until my parents come home this weekend and fill me in on what is going on.” Lindsay glanced behind me to where I knew Wyatt was standing and whispered, “Maybe it won’t be so bad. You know, four long days and nights with your hot bodyguard.” I rolled my eyes at her.

  Wyatt cleared his throat before motioning to the third guy saying, “This is Ethan Roberts, another one of our team. He will accompany you back to your parents tonight, Lindsay.” Lindsay raised her hand. “Lindsay, you don’t need to raise your hand,” Wyatt sighed. Lindsay giggled and put her hand down, “Oh, right. So, can Taryn leave the apartment at all? Like even for a trip to the salon? Can I come back and hang out?” Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest and looked very authoritative like that. It was clear he was in charge of my security team.

  “Mr. Ross prefers that Taryn stays in the apartment until he and Mrs. Ross arrive home on Saturday to avoid any unnecessary run-ins with the press and to ensure her safety. You are welcome to come and go as you please, Lindsay.” He paused in case either of us had any other questions. “So, like I said Ethan will take Lindsay home whenever she is ready. Dominic and I will be staying here with Taryn, and the housekeeper will be here in the morning to restock the kitchen.” My parents had been in DC for the last month, so there probably wasn’t much in the way of food here.

  Wyatt walked over to talk with Ethan and Dominic and I picked up my bags and headed back to my room. Lindsay followed me and plopped down on my bed while I unpacked my bag and took my toiletries into my bathroom. “Soooo….wow. I didn’t see this one coming,” Lindsay said. I stuck my head around the corner to glare at her, “Yeah, no shit.” She laughed, “I love how you start swearing when you’re mad, Tar. I know your dad was thinking about running but I didn’t know it was a sure thing.”

  I came out of the bathroom and walked into my closet to get some pajamas. “I talked to him in the car. He said he hadn’t decided yet, that someone just leaked it to the press…besides a presidential campaign I can handle…but finding out the guy I like has been my secret bodyguard and didn’t tell me.” Lindsay waved her hand dismissively, “So what? He probably knew you wouldn’t get close to him if you knew.” I stomped my foot an
d put my hands on my hips, “Exactly! He tricked me into liking him.” Lindsay laughed at me, which I didn’t appreciate. “He didn’t trick you, Taryn. He genuinely cares about you. You should see how he watches you.”

  “It’s his job to watch me,” I retorted. Lindsay pulled me over to sit next to her on the bed. “No, it’s his job to keep you safe. It’s not his job to watch you like he needs you to breathe. Just give him a chance to explain, Taryn. Trust someone. Trust him.” Lindsay gave me a hug and stood up. “Do you want me to stay here tonight?” I shook my head, “No, it’s okay. I’m just going to go to bed now anyway. Come by tomorrow if you want.”

  After Lindsay left I washed the makeup off my face, brushed my teeth and put on pajama pants and a tank top. My mother had instilled in me good manners, so against my better judgment I went to make sure that Wyatt and Dominic were settled in and had everything they needed. They were in the living room watching ESPN. Well, Dominic was watching. Wyatt was standing by the floor to ceiling windows staring out into the dark night, but his eyes snapped to mine when he heard me enter the room. “Um, did you guys find the guest rooms okay? Do you need anything?”

  Dominic turned to give me a warm smile, “Yup, I took the room near your dad’s office, and Wyatt’s in the one across from you. I think we’re good. You okay?” I nodded, “Yeah, I’m just going to go to bed. See you in the morning.” I turned and quickly went into the kitchen without looking at Wyatt again.

  I got a glass of water and had just taken a drink when I felt Wyatt come into the kitchen. He didn’t make a noise but I knew he was there and I knew it was him. He didn’t say anything and I didn’t turn around while I finished drinking my water and dumped the rest down the drain.