“Prude,” Wyatt said with a smirk.
“Because of the kids,” I said. “The twins especially are at a very impressionable age. I try to set a good example.”
“I promise they won’t even see me,” Wyatt said. He parked his car a few houses down the street. “I’ll sneak out before sunrise.”
I hesitated. “That makes me feel kind of cheap. You’ll at least leave the money on the nightstand, right?”
“Ha ha.” Wyatt reached over and squeezed my leg. “Are you getting cold feet, Monroe?”
“No way. I intend to cash in on that promise you made me,” I said, kissing his cheek before opening my door.
We walked quietly down the street and I had Wyatt follow me through a neighbor’s yard, approaching the carriage house from as far away from the main house as possible.
“This sneaking around thing is such a turn on,” Wyatt whispered in my ear as I was unlocking my door. “Nothing is quite as hot as a forbidden affair.”
“There’s something wrong with you,” I said with a laugh. “Now, shut up and get inside.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him through the doorway with me. We both stumbled over the boxes that I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning up.
“What the hell, Monroe?” he grumbled.
“This is your fault,” I said, poking him in the side. “You had a dozen boxes delivered to my tiny home.”
“Tiny?” Wyatt groaned. “Please tell me you have an actual bed. I can’t wait any longer.”
“It’s not that tiny,” I assured him. “Is a queen-sized bed sufficient for what you have in mind, Mr. Hudson?”
He scooped me into his arms, lifting me like he had in the water. “I can work with that,” he said confidently. “Where?”
“Right through the door behind me,” I said, leaning down to kiss his neck.
Wyatt was determined to follow through on his promise. He took his time with me, moving his lips over every inch of my body. After his torturous journey, he kissed his way back to my lips and I caught his cheek in my hand.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I said.
“Oh no. Are you married?” He smirked. “Because that wouldn’t stop me.”
“I lied to you earlier.” I looked into those platinum eyes of his and knew exactly what I needed to say. “I didn’t need to see you in the moonlight to fall in love with you again. I never stopped being in love with you. Everything I said to you that night in New York was a lie. I loved you when I was sixteen, I loved you when I was twenty, and I love you now.”
Wyatt kept staring at me without any reaction. A smile slowly spread over his face and I’d never seen him look that beautiful. “You are my daylight, Brooklyn,” he said, resting his forehead gently against mine. “Now and always.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Eight Years Ago
I had just finished my second year at NYU and I was exhausted from the endless hours I’d spent studying for finals. I was intending to go straight to bed, but one of the girls in my dorm, Amber, convinced me that we should go out and celebrate. I reluctantly agreed to go and we ended up at a bar not far from campus. It was crowded and loud and Amber abandoned me within ten minutes to chat up a guy at the bar. I was just about to sneak out the door when someone tapped me on my shoulder.
“Brooklyn Monroe, in a bar?” Wyatt Hudson smiled his dazzling smile. “This is the best surprise ever.” He wrapped me in a quick hug, taking me by surprise.
“Wy? What are you doing here?” I pulled away and stared at him in confusion. I hadn’t seen Wyatt in two years.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Wyatt held up his drink. “Same thing as you, Monroe. Drinking my feelings away.”
I studied him closer and could tell that he’d already had a few drinks. “I mean, what are you doing in New York?”
“I’m performing a gig just down the street. My band goes on in about an hour.” His eyes widened. “You should come!”
“To your show?” I shrugged. “Okay.”
“Awesome.” He grinned happily. “Come on. Let’s go do a shot.”
Wyatt and I ended up doing three shots before I followed him out to the street. We entered the venue through the backdoor and Wyatt asked a staff member to find me a seat near the stage. I joined at least 500 people waiting for Wyatt’s band to perform. The size of the audience was staggering. I had loosely followed Wyatt’s success online and I knew that his band was doing well, but I hadn’t expected anything like this. When the entire room sang every word to every song he performed, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Wyatt would be wildly famous.
He came and got me after the show and we walked around the city for a while. We were still close to campus, so I took him to my dorm. It wasn’t until I was shutting the door to my room that I realized what I was doing.
Wyatt and I had both had a few too many drinks and we had been flirting recklessly all night. Even though we’d never been more than friends in high school, it was clear we both wanted that to change. When Wyatt made the first move, I didn’t stop him. It felt so good to finally be with him after pining for him throughout high school.
At one point, he suggested that we stop. He was worried I was too drunk and would regret everything once I sobered up. I responded by shoving my hand down his pants and telling him that I’d wanted him in my bed before I’d even taken our first shot that night. It was the truth.
Everything was perfect until it was time for Wyatt to leave. He had a flight to catch, but he was taking his time saying goodbye.
“I’ll be on the road for the next few weeks,” he said. “Can I call you?”
“You don’t have to,” I replied. “I’m not looking for a relationship with you, Wy. This was just a one-time thing.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” he said quietly. He was sitting on the edge of my bed and he’d already pulled on his boxers. He was holding his t-shirt in his hands. “There’s nothing stopping us from being together, Brooklyn.”
“Because Ryder is dead?” I snapped.
He flinched. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Sure it is.” I wasn’t sure what had come over me. I was inexplicably angry at Wyatt for something that wasn’t even his fault. “You know, if you hadn’t been drunk the night of the accident, he wouldn’t even be dead right now.”
I saw the flash of pain in his eyes. “Do you really think that?”
I could have taken it back. It would’ve been so easy to tell him that I didn’t really believe those words, that I was just protecting my heart because I was afraid he was going to break it. It would have only taken a few words to erase the pain I had caused. But I didn’t do that. Instead, I said something unforgiveable. “You’re just like your father.”
Wyatt didn’t say anything else as he finished getting dressed. He stopped at the door and gave me a long, indecipherable look, and then he was gone. I wouldn’t see or talk to him again for eight years.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I fell asleep on top of Wyatt, but it still didn’t feel close enough. I couldn’t believe that I’d been given a second chance to make things right with him. It wasn’t the first night we’d spent together, but it was the first time we’d been able to enjoy the blissful aftermath. We’d spent an endless amount of time just staring into each other’s eyes.
Wyatt was the one to nudge me awake, his hand pressing gently into my back. “It’s almost daylight, love. I need to leave soon.”
“Daylight?” I murmured, slowly opening my eyes. Wyatt’s tattoo was right in front of my face and I pressed my lips to it. “Why do you need to go?” I asked.
“Because you don’t want your family to think you’re a slut,” Wyatt said bluntly.
I groaned. “Screw it. I don’t care what they think.”
“Even the kids?” he pressed.
“They have to learn about the birds and bees eventually,” I said, closing my eyes. “Might as well learn about it by witnessing their slutty aunt’s conquest sneaking
away.”
Wyatt laughed, his chest rumbling under my cheek. “It’s Sunday. Don’t you need to make pancakes soon?”
“We’ve got a couple hours.” I lifted my head. “Unless you need to leave?”
“There’s not a single other place in the world that I need or want to be right now.” He sighed as I nestled my face next to his on the pillow. “Not to be the girl in this entanglement, but should we talk about what this means?”
“We’re getting married, obviously. I’m thinking of a fall wedding… How do you look in a white tux?” I lifted my head and grinned as he tickled me in the side.
“Be serious,” he scolded.
I said, “It means whatever you want it to mean, Wy. You’re the one that has a whole crazy life to worry about.”
“Me? You’ve got five kids that count on you to make pancakes every Sunday. You’ve got your own business.” Wyatt trailed two fingers down my arm. “I’m not sure you understand what it would mean to let someone like me into your life.”
“Lots of orgasms?” I guessed.
“Well, obviously.” He smiled a little. “But also, lots of annoying paparazzi and crazy fans. I’m always traveling and missing important events. There’s other things, too. Things we probably need to discuss when we’re both fully clothed.
I pushed myself up on my elbows. “Did you mean it when you said that you love me?”
“Of course.”
“I meant it, too.” I put a hand on his chest. “We’ll figure everything else out, but we’ve already got the important stuff settled.”
Wyatt looked unconvinced, but he nodded and closed his eyes. “Being with you is going to be very bad for my sleep habits.”
“I’ll help you out. Get some sleep. I’m going to take a shower.” I kissed his cheek and rolled out of bed. I had only made it a few steps before Wyatt was right behind me, swooping his arms around me. “What are you doing?” I said around my laughter.
“You can’t say something like that and expect me to stay in bed.” He started kissing my neck as our feet shuffled toward the bathroom.
“I thought you were tired,” I said.
“Don’t ever question my stamina,” Wyatt said, lifting me into the shower. He turned on the water and we were blasted with water as cold as ice.
I screamed and jumped back. Wyatt cursed and fidgeted with the temperature until it heated to a reasonable level. “Smooth, Ryder Strong,” I teased.
“It would really help my performance if you could refrain from calling me by that name,” Wyatt said.
“Yeah, that was awkward. Sorry.” I looped my arms around his neck. “How about if I just call you Sex God?”
“No.” He groaned. “You are terrible at this.”
“Why do you think I’m still single?” I joked.
He shook his head. “Were single. You’re not anymore.”
“I’m not?” I tilted my head.
“Not if you don’t want to be. What do you say? Will you be mine, Brooklyn?” His smile was sweet and irresistible.
“Yes.” I pushed up on my toes to kiss him. “I’m all yours, Wyatt Hudson.”
Wyatt ended up being useful in more than one way in the shower. After he was done ravishing me, he shampooed and conditioned my hair with more concentration than I ever used myself. When he was done with my hair, he slowly washed every inch of my body.
“Those hands of yours,” I muttered as I was toweling off. “I seriously hope you’ve got them insured.”
Wyatt was still in the shower and he said something that I didn’t hear because of a knock at the door. I assumed it was Trisha coming to hear about my night. I grabbed my robe and tied it loosely around my waste and ran to the door. I wanted to send her away before she could see Wyatt was still there.
“You’re up early,” I said, pulling open the door.
“We need to ask you something.”
I gasped and pulled my robe tighter around my body. A gaggle of teenage girls stood outside my door. “Kels, Arya, what are you doing?”
“They don’t believe that Wyatt came to our house last weekend for breakfast,” Kelsey explained. “We showed them the pictures, but they said it didn’t prove that he helped make pancakes.”
“Okay. Um, he did,” I said quickly. “There. You got your answer.”
“Could you call him and have him come to breakfast this morning?” Kelsey asked.
The girls made no indication that they were going to leave anytime soon unless I told them what they wanted to hear. “Yeah, I’ll call him. He might be busy, though.”
“Whose shoes are those?” Arya asked, spying Wyatt’s sneakers across the room.
“Oh… um…” I failed to come up with any explanation that would make sense. It didn’t matter anyway because Wyatt had stepped into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist and was using another towel to dry his hair. He didn’t notice that I was standing at an open door with six teenage girls gaping at him. “Shit,” I muttered.
“Holy crap!” Kelsey yelled.
Wyatt looked up in alarm. “What the hell?” he said before realizing what he’d just walked into. “Oh. Hey, girls.”
I turned my back on them and gestured wildly for Wyatt to go back into the bathroom. He just grinned at me and shook his head. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”
“Girls, go back inside.” I did my best not to look like I was dying inside as I faced them. All six girls were still staring at Wyatt, mouths hanging open. I clapped my hands loudly in front of them. “Go!”
They reluctantly backed away and I slammed the door shut and then leaned against it, closing my eyes. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Wyatt said, unconcerned. “It’s not like they walked in on us in the act. Now they’ve got a fun story to tell the other kids at school.”
“Wyatt.” I opened my eyes and glared at him. “They are thirteen. They know what we were doing in here even if they didn’t walk in on it. And you are practically naked right now.”
“Please,” he scoffed, then he dropped his towel and started to get dressed. “I’m probably more naked than this in the pictures they have taped to their walls.”
I continued to glare. “Really not helping. You do realize that my sister is going to murder me?”
“Brooklyn, it’s going to be fine.” He came over, still only half-dressed, and put his arms around my waist.
“You’re not a parent, Wy. You don’t get it.”
“You’re not a parent either, love.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Those girls saw me in a towel after a shower. There is nothing scandalous about that. You’re projecting.”
“We’ll see. I have to go face them now for breakfast.” I couldn’t stay annoyed when Wyatt was looking at me so adorably. “You need to finished getting dressed or I’m never making it out of here.”
Wyatt was ignoring me, kissing his way down my neck as he slowly untied my robe and slid his hands over my skin. “Are you sure you want to leave?”
“Wy.” I bit my lip and moaned. “I promise, we can continue this later. I really do have to go.”
“Okay.” He smiled and kissed my lips softly before backing away. “I’ll join you and the kids in a little bit. I need to call my agent about some stuff.”
“Make sure you wear clothes when you join us?” I teased.
He said, “Will do. You are so demanding.”
The girls were waiting for me in the kitchen of the main house. They were grinning and giggling loudly and I couldn’t understand anything they were saying.
“Ladies, you are all young adults. I need you to compose yourselves,” I said. Someone had already made a pot of coffee and I gratefully poured a cup before joining the girls at the table. “I’m sure you all want to talk about what you saw at my place.”
“Aunt Brook, are you totally dating Ryder Strong?” Kelsey asked, bouncing in her chair.
“I’m seeing Wyatt, yes.”
I carefully looked her in the eye. “Do you have questions about that?”
She nodded. “Is he a good kisser? I bet he’s a good kisser. Oh! What does his tattoo say? I’ve never seen it up close and you can’t really tell in pictures. How rich is he? Do you think you’ll marry him?”
“Okay, slow down.” I held up a hand and took a sip of coffee. “You are asking a lot of personal questions that I don’t feel comfortable answering on his behalf. Except for the first one– yes, he’s an excellent kisser.”
They all giggled and shrieked and my head was pounding.
“I have a question,” Arya said. “Did he spend the night? Is that why he used your shower?”
“Yes.” There was no sense lying. “We were out late and it was just easier for him to crash at my place since he’s planning to join us for breakfast this morning.”
“He’s what?” Kelsey jumped to her feet. “We need to change.”
“You don’t need to change,” I said, but the girls were already running for the stairs. I dropped my head to the table and groaned. I stayed that way even after I heard Wyatt come into the room. His hands were warm when they squeezed my shoulders.
“Cheer up,” he said, sounding far too happy. “I’ve got some good news for you.”
“You’ve figured out how I can travel back in time an hour?” I asked without looking up.
Wyatt sighed and sank onto the chair next to me. “Are you still hung up on that?”
“The girls have a few questions for you,” I said, turning my head to him. “Specifically, why were you in my shower so early in the morning? Did you sleep over?”
“Well, we didn’t exactly sleep,” he said, grinning. “They’re thirteen, Brooklyn. I’m pretty sure they know exactly why I was in your shower.”
“But I don’t want them to know. They are only thirteen. I don’t want them to know about sex yet. They are supposed to be playing with dolls and asking me to braid their hair. They are not supposed to be asking me about my sex life.”
Wyatt was trying his best not to laugh, but he couldn’t completely hide a smile. “You are so adorable right now. Are you planning to be this ridiculous with our kids?”
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