Escape With Me (Love With Me 1)

She collapsed onto him, her breaths coming fast and hard. His heart beat out of control. His body twitched with the release she'd given him. Her skin stuck to his, but he loved it. He never wanted her to leave.

Wyatt reached up and touched her cheek. She was an angel. He couldn't believe how good it felt to have her back with him. The world was right when she was near.

“Stay with me. Here. Until this, all blows over. It'll be like we're back on the island, only without the ocean nearby.”

Cassie sighed with contentment. “Okay.”

He couldn't believe it was that easy, but if something was meant to be, maybe it could be.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Wyatt

Wyatt hated being back in the public eye.

He hated knowing that if he looked out the window, someone might photograph him. He hated that he couldn't just go to the grocery store without bodyguards. Heck, he couldn't even go get the mail without Thor or Odin watching his back.

He missed his simple life on the island. He missed the freedom of anonymity. He missed talking to strangers without them knowing his entire life because they'd read his Wikipedia entry.

But he loved having Cassie.

Cassie made it all worth it. To wake up and find her sleeping in his bed or sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, was like living in a dream. Time didn't matter when they were together. He would suddenly find that the sun had set and the only thing they'd done all day was snuggle and talk about their favorite jobs growing up.

He found that they really could just talk for hours, or that they could simply sit in comfortable silence. Just being near her felt right, like a missing part of him had been found. She completed him just by being near.

However, he knew he couldn't stay here indefinitely. City life wore at him. He chafed at the constant leash of security. The sounds of the city outside grated on him and he found himself missing the serenity of the beach more and more.

If he could have gone outside like an average person, he might have felt differently. But, his face was on every phone screen. The appeal of a long-lost billionaire bachelor with a possible love interest that was an ordinary woman from their town had Phoenix in a frenzy. Everyone wanted a piece of them.

After two horrible failures to go eat out, they stayed in their apartment and just sent Maria out for food. Despite the circumstances, Wyatt found that the three days they were stuck in his apartment, trapped by the paparazzi, were three of the best days of his life.

He loved her. He was sure of it now. You couldn't spend three days alone with someone and not know how you felt about them. Even though it was fast, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

He didn't mean to propose anytime soon. They could take the actual steps slowly and comfortably, but he knew the outcome. He could feel it in his bones that this was the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. She was someone who could be his friend, his partner, his confidant, and lover.

Tonight was the charity ball. He'd already arranged for her to have an amazing day of pampering, hair and makeup, and a dress that would make Cinderella jealous. He planned to ask her to move back with him to the islands after the ball.

She knew who he was now. She knew he could provide for her. That they could live a life of luxury and spend every day like they'd spent the last three. He knew she'd be leaving behind her life here, but he hoped she would take the chance to be with him, just as he'd taken the chance to be with her.

He sat at the breakfast table, sipping his coffee and going over his plans. The ball would be elegant. It would be romantic. They could then slip away on a private jet and disappear back into obscurity in the safety of a small island.

“Good morning,” Cassie greeted him, coming out of the bedroom.

Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and the thin white men's t-shirt did nothing to hide her curves. She stretched, and the shirt rode up, exposing the bottom hints of pale pink lacy underwear. Wyatt's upper brain stopped functioning as blood rushed south.

Cassie didn't seem to notice the effect she had on him. She walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee, joining him at the small table.

“The ball's tonight. I'm really looking forward to it,” she said, taking a sip of coffee. With her bottom half hidden beneath the table, Wyatt could almost control himself. Mostly.

He smiled and nodded, not quite able to form coherent sentences yet.

Cassie frowned as her phone rang from the living room. She'd turned it to do not disturb mode, so at least now the only calls that came through were from select friends or her work. She stood up from the table and walked to the living room, and once again, all of Wyatt's blood rushed south at the sight of her barely covered ass.

“Oh, it's Janessa.” Cassie grinned and hit the answer button. “Hey, Janessa. What's up?”

She frowned, looking down at the phone.

“Huh. Must be a bad connection. She hung up.” Cassie shrugged, and came back to the table, setting the phone down so she could sip her coffee. “If it's important, she'll call back.”