Safe With You

by DeMuzio, Kirsten

  “Well, I have 40 minutes before I have to leave for my next class, and I do owe you for saving me from Ryan yesterday. What do you want to know?” He smiled widely, turned his baseball cap around backwards, and rested his forearms on the table. “How about the basics – you know, major, career aspirations, hobbies.” I leaned forward too, encouraged by his enthusiasm, and proceeded to tell him that I was majoring in psychology with plans to get my PhD eventually, running and yoga were my main forms of exercise, I lived with my cousin Lindsay who was the same age as me, twenty one, and my guilty pleasures were romance novels and country music. He asked questions every now and then, but I was doing most of the talking.

  When I realized he knew more about me than most of my friends, and I only knew his name, I said, “Okay, now your turn. It’s almost time for me to go, so give me your life story in three minutes or less.” He laughed and gave me his basics – he is 28 (older than I thought and quite a bit older than me), he’s originally from upstate New York, he was in the military and now works in private security.

  At that I had to interrupt and ask if he had ever worked for a celebrity. He smiled but shook his head, “Nope, nothing that exciting. You’d better go or you’re going to be late.” We said our goodbyes and as I walked out I really hoped he would be there again tomorrow.

  He was there the next day and the next and every day for two weeks, always waiting for me with my iced vanilla latte. We talked about everything – favorite foods, movies, politics, anything and everything that wasn’t too personal. Out of habit I skirted around anything that could move in that direction. He seemed to do the same, and I got the impression that he was just as private as I was.

  Even though we never went too deep I felt a connection with him that I had never felt with anyone else. I don’t know why I instinctively trusted him, but I did. He was still the hottest guy I had ever seen in real life, and my heart raced every day when I walked into Starbucks and saw him waiting for me, but at the same time I felt incredibly comfortable with him. As if I had known him forever.

  And his voice. Oh, his voice. It was deep and low and a little raspy, and I could imagine that he never needed to raise his voice when he was angry to get his point across. Remembering his low deep warning to Ryan that first day sent shivers down my spine.

  “Taryn?” He waved his hand in front of my face, and I snapped out of my daze. “Sorry, what?” He chuckled. “I asked where you like to go running.”

  “Oh, yeah. Um, I usually go through the park. I try to get in 3 or 4 miles a few times a week.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and asked, “If you’re running this weekend, would you like some company?” Um, let me think…YES! It was Friday afternoon, and I had been a little disappointed that I wouldn’t see him again until Monday. Inside I was doing a happy dance, but I didn’t want to appear desperate.

  So, I shrugged casually and twirled a lock of hair around my finger, “Sure. That would be great.” He smiled and looked relieved. “I can meet you at your place whenever you want to go.” I mentally ran through what I needed to get done tomorrow, namely sleeping in and working on a paper that was due next week. “How about later in the afternoon? Maybe 4:00?”

  “Perfect,” he replied. I reached in my bag to find a pen and wrote my name and address on a napkin. He chuckled when I pushed it across the table to him. “You didn’t need to put your name, Taryn. I promise yours is the only address I am collecting today.” Well, that’s good to know.

  I started twirling my hair around my finger again, a nervous habit, and attempted to the change the subject. “So, how does your job work? Are you working right now?” I asked. His face remained expressionless, but something like panic flashed quickly across his eyes. So quickly that I thought I might have imagined it before his cool calm gaze shuttered back into place. He leaned back and rubbed the back of his neck, his nervous habit I had learned.

  “No, I’m in between assignments right now. We get chunks of time off to balance when we are on the job twenty four hours a day.” He pulled out his phone to check the time and stuffed the napkin with my address in his pocket. “It’s time for you to get going.” Hmmm, was he trying to get rid of me?

  I stood up and draped my bag over my shoulder while he threw away our coffee cups. He usually sat back down and kept reading the paper when I left for class, but today he came to stand next to me and placed his hand on my lower back. “Can I walk you to class? I’m heading out now anyway.”

  We hadn’t touched since that first day when he touched my arm to steady me, and now I was hyper aware of his hand on my back. It was like his touch was searing through my thin cotton shirt and I could only nod in agreement. His hand stayed where it was until we were outside, and he let it drop back to his side. Where my skin was on fire only a moment ago, it was now ice cold without his touch. In that instant I knew what I was looking for did actually exist, and I had just felt it.

  My class was in a building not far away, so it only took a few minutes for us to walk in silence. When we reached the steps of the building, I stepped up on the first step and turned to face Wyatt. We were now eye to eye, and he reached out to brush a lock of stray hair off my forehead. He gazed at me a moment and I could see the indecision in his eyes. Kiss me. Kiss me. I tried to send him mental messages, willing him to make a move that would take our relationship beyond coffee and friendship.

  He took a deep breath and leaned in to murmur in my ear, “See you tomorrow, Taryn.” His breath rustled my hair and tickled my ear, and my eyes fluttered shut. When I opened them he was already walking away. I muttered to myself as I walked up the rest of the steps. Get a grip, Taryn.

  At the doorway I looked back over my shoulder. I couldn’t help another glance at Wyatt walking away – he was usually sitting down when we were together, so this was a treat to be able to admire the way his faded jeans hung low on his hips and his black shirt stretched over the muscles in his back.

  Just as I was about to turn around and go inside, I saw another guy walk up to Wyatt and say something to him. Whatever it was, it made Wyatt immediately tense up. I could see it from here, the way his fists clenched and he squared his shoulders. The other guy was almost as tall as Wyatt with a blond crew cut, and he nodded over in my direction as he continued talking to Wyatt. I went inside, not wanting them to notice me watching, but not before I saw Wyatt shove the guy back and walk away, rubbing the back of his neck.

  I was supposed to be listening to Professor Hamilton’s lecture in my Social Psychology class and taking notes like the good student I was, but instead I was chewing on the end of my pen and staring out the window. The scene I had witnessed before class kept replaying through my mind, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was clear Wyatt had known the guy who was talking to him, and it was also clear whatever he was saying was about me. I couldn’t imagine what he could have possibly said about me, but I did know whatever it was, Wyatt didn’t like it.

  Chapter Three

  Running Away

  Since I had a running date with Wyatt the next day, I had hoped to get as much work done on my paper tonight as possible. That plan took a flying leap out the window when I arrived home to Lindsay weeping on the couch with an open bottle of wine and a box of tissues. I immediately dropped my bag and kicked off my shoes on my way to pull her into a hug. “Linz, what’s wrong?” She shook her head on my shoulder and blubbered something about joining a convent and becoming a nun. Now probably wasn’t the time to remind her she wasn’t Catholic.

  I soothingly rubbed my hand up and down her back and waited for the tears to stop so I could find out what happened. Several minutes and many tissues later, Lindsay was calmer and took a few sips of wine before bringing her red teary eyes up to mine. “I slept with him, Taryn. I’m such a whore,” she whined and nearly broke down again.

  I grabbed her shoulders and even shook her a little. “You. Are. Not. A. Whore. Don’t ever think that. I’m going to assume you are talking about Profe
ssor Edmunds.” I said his name like it was a swear word. She nodded and covered her face with her hands, peeking out from between her fingers. “Do you hate me?”

  “No, Lindsay. Of course I don’t hate you. I hate him for taking advantage of you. You can do so much better than that. I mean you are so beautiful and smart…” I trailed off not wanting to upset her any further.

  “I know I always tease you about your romance novels and your happily ever afters, but I want it too, Taryn.” Now my eyes were filled with tears, and I grabbed a tissue and Lindsay’s wine glass. “Linz. You’re not going to find it with Asshole Edmunds.” She laughed at that, and I was relieved to see her smiling. “I hope you’re not going to see him again.” She flopped back against the couch and sighed dramatically. “I don’t know. But I do know we need to go get mani/pedis and come back for lots of wine.” I thought about my paper that needed to be written, but I couldn’t refuse Lindsay when she needed me. Ever since the first day my parents brought me home, Lindsay had taken me under her wing. If she needed me, that was more important than getting a head start on my homework.

  During our trip to the nail salon, I told Lindsay about my running date with Wyatt the next day. Insisting that I needed to wear something sexier than my usual yoga pants and t-shirt, Lindsay convinced me to go shopping after our nails and toes were perfectly polished. I was happy that Lindsay’s mind was temporarily off her problems, so I let her drag me into the Nike store and choose the perfect running outfit – very short black spandex running shorts and a hot pink racer back tank with a built in sports bra. We picked up Chinese food on the way home and stayed up late drinking wine and watching reality TV. There were no more tears, but I could tell that Lindsay was still stewing over Professor Edmunds.

  I got up early the next morning so I could work on my paper, and I actually got quite a bit accomplished. Normally I would wait to take a shower until after running, but today I had a super sexy running companion and I wanted to look my best. I smiled as I got ready for my run, thinking that it took someone really special to make me give up sleeping in on a weekend.

  There was a knock on the door at exactly 4:00, and I silently thanked Lindsay when I opened the door and saw Wyatt’s reaction to my running outfit. His lips parted slightly as his eyes ran down my body and lingered on my legs. He recovered quickly and snapped his eyes back up to mine, but not before I caught the flash of desire in them. “Hi. You look….great.”

  I smiled, “Thanks. You look…great…too.” And he did. He was wearing black shorts and a gray t-shirt that fit snugly over his broad shoulders and chest and hung loose at his waist. I stepped back and held the door open as an invitation to come in.

  When he walked in I noticed he was carrying a duffel bag. “Planning on staying a while?” I asked. He smiled at me sheepishly and set the bag on the floor. “No. I just thought I might be able to convince you to join me for dinner later, and I wanted to be prepared.”

  “Oh, sure. Makes sense. Marines are always prepared, right?” He smirked at me, “I think that’s the Boy Scouts, Taryn.” I laughed and smacked him on his rock hard chest as I walked by. “Whatever. You ready to run?” He held the door open and gestured for me to go ahead of him, “After you.”

  Wyatt insisted we follow my routine, so like I always do, we walked the few blocks to the park and stopped to stretch before starting our run. He pulled one foot up behind him to stretch his quads, and I sat down on the ground in a straddle and leaned over to touch my nose to my right knee. I could feel his eyes on me as I stretched, and instead of feeling self-conscious, I enjoyed the heat that was coiling low in my stomach.

  “You’re very…flexible,” he commented in a husky voice. I winked at him and stood up just to bend over and press my palms flat on the ground. “Yeah, it’s the yoga.” We stretched for a few minutes more, and I asked him something I had been wondering ever since I had found out he was in the military. “So, have you ever killed anyone?” His eyes flew to mine, searching my expression to see if I was serious. He snorted, “Yes, but they were all bad.”

  “Ha ha,” I said, getting his reference to Arnold Schwartzenegger’s character in the movie, True Lies. “Seriously. Have you ever killed anyone?” I asked again, really wanting to know the truth. He sighed and simply replied, “Yes.” I wanted to ask more questions, because I wanted to find out what it was that put that sad expression on his face sometimes. Maybe it was what he had seen during his service. But I sensed that now wasn’t the time.

  We didn’t talk as we ran along my normal route, which made a big loop around the park and ended right back where we started. After we stretched again, we walked the few blocks back to my apartment. “That was a good run. I’m impressed,” he said. I flipped my ponytail over shoulder and rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you’re used to a more strenuous workout. You barely broke a sweat. Sometime you will have to do yoga with me, and then we’ll see who’s sweating,” I teased. He raised an eyebrow and his eyes skimmed quickly down my body. “I’m game if it’s anything like the stretching you were doing earlier.” I laughed and smacked his arm with the back of my hand. He was definitely flirting with me. It seemed like we might be making progress and moving from friendship into something else. At least, I really hoped we were.

  I hadn’t taken my keys when we left, because I knew Lindsay would be home by the time we got back. And, really, where would I have put them in this tiny outfit? I knocked twice and Lindsay opened the door with a bright smile on her face. I knew she was looking forward to meeting Wyatt after I had been talking about him nonstop for the last two weeks. And the way she was grinning at him like an idiot, I could see it wasn’t just me who found him insanely attractive.

  “Hi, I’m Lindsay, Taryn’s cousin and roommate. You must be Hot Coffee Guy.”

  “Lindsay!” I gasped and gave her my best death stare. Wyatt chuckled at my nickname for him and shook her outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Lindsay. My real name is Wyatt Hunter.”

  I shoved past Lindsay with a huff and stalked to the kitchen to grab two bottles of water out of the fridge. Before I could turn around I felt Wyatt come right up behind me and rest his hands lightly on my waist. “Hot Coffee Guy, huh?” He murmured in my ear. My body stiffened in response to his unexpected closeness, and I turned around and took a step back right into the counter. Now I glared at him and slapped the bottle of water against his chest. “That’s what I called you before I knew your name, because…you were drinking hot coffee.” He opened the water and took a drink, keeping his eyes on mine. “Sure, whatever,” he chuckled again. I rolled my eyes, and thought two can play at this game.

  I took a quick sip of my water and put the cap back on, before tipping my head back and running the cold exterior of the bottle slowly down one side of my neck. I let my eyes flutter shut and my head fall back and continued moving the bottle over my collarbone and down to the deep V of my tank top that showed just a hint of cleavage. I heard Lindsay cough to cover a laugh and opened my eyes to find Wyatt staring at the trail the bottle had just traveled with his mouth hanging slightly open. I could tell he was breathing just a little harder now and he had a dangerously tight grip on his own bottle of water.

  My cell phone rang then and Lindsay picked it up from its place on the coffee table. “It’s your dad.” Wyatt snapped out of his daze as I brushed past him to take the phone from Lindsay. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?” I listened to my dad fill me in on how things were going in DC, and then he asked me what I was doing this weekend. “I just got back from a run with a friend.” My dad was always worrying about me going anywhere by myself, so I was expecting him to be overjoyed that I had company on my run today. Instead he said simply, “Okay, sweetie. Your mom wants to say ‘hi’ before we head out to dinner.” Hmmm, weird.

  Even weirder was the strange expression on Wyatt’s face while I was on the phone with my dad. He had been easy going and playful a few minutes ago, but now he had that very serious guarded expression that I hadn�
��t seen on him since before we had officially met. I chatted with my mom for a few more minutes before hanging up. “So, do you still want to grab some dinner?” I asked Wyatt, assuming he would say yes since he had brought a change of clothes. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground before answering me. “Actually, I just remembered there’s something I have to take care of this evening. Raincheck?” I shrugged, because I didn’t know what else to do, “Oh, um sure. No problem.” He grabbed his duffel bag and was opening the door before I had a chance to take a breath. “It was nice to meet you, Lindsay. See you later, Taryn.”

  His gaze lingered on me for just a moment before he closed the door behind him. I stood not moving, completely confused by what had just happened and the regret I had seen in his eyes right before he closed the door. Whirling around to Lindsay with my hands in the air I asked, “What just happened?” Lindsay looked as confused as I felt. “I have no idea. One minute he was practically drooling over your water bottle performance, which by the way was completely unexpected from you, Taryn. And then your dad called, and he bolted.” I plopped down on the couch and tried to blink away the tears that were filling my eyes.

  In the weeks since I had met Wyatt, I had felt more emotions than in the rest of my life combined. The signals he was sending today had definitely been flirty, but clearly he wasn’t that into me. I sighed and wiped my eyes, fearing this thing between us – whatever it was – would be over before it had even begun.

  Chapter Four

  Walk With Me

  The rest of my weekend had been spent moping around the apartment with Lindsay, both of us a tad bit weepy over our love lives, or lack thereof. I had replayed every moment with Wyatt over the last two weeks, and I could come up with nothing that explained his bizarre behavior on Saturday. Something about my dad’s phone call had flipped a switch in him, but I couldn’t for the life of me make sense of it.