Beautiful (21 page)

When Wyatt got in his truck, he blew out a breath. “Jesus, that was stressful.”

“What was?” I asked with a giggle.

He looked at me like I had grown two heads. “Your dad told me that if I looked at you one more time like I wanted to devour you, he would cut off my dick.”

I gasped and covered my mouth. “He didn’t?”

“He did!”

Pressing my lips together, I decided to add to Wyatt’s stress. “Gesh, if he only knew the dirty thoughts I was thinking when I saw you in that tux.”

Wyatt’s mouth fell open. “I’m never going to make it tonight. Never.”

Wyatt

I fought to keep my eyes off of Skylar as I drove to the prom. I knew Mitch was in the same boat as me. With the way his mouth had dropped to the floor when Michelle walked in, it had taken everything out of me not to start laughing at him. Then, Skylar had walked into the living room, and I’d reacted the same damn way.

Pulling up to the valet, I jumped out and ran around to help Skylar out. After getting my ticket, I extended my arm out to Skylar, and we headed into the venue.

I could tell she was nervous.

“What if people stare?” she asked.

I chuckled. “They will stare because you’re the most beautiful woman here.”

Rolling her eyes, Skylar whispered, “Stop it.”

As we walked in, Avril Lavigne’s “Here’s to Never Growing Up” was playing.

I was right. People were staring.

Skylar stopped walking. “I can’t do this. This was a mistake.” She turned to me. “They’re talking about me. Can we leave, please?”

I pulled her to me and then motioned to the DJ. He nodded his head.

“You need to dance to at least one song at your prom, angel. Maybe two.”

Placing my hand on the small of her back, I guided her to the dance floor. I could see she was in her run-for-my-life mode.

Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” started playing as I held her tight up against me.

She looked up and smiled. “How did you know?”

Running the back of my hand down her stunning face, I replied, “You told me this was your favorite song the first time we ran into each other at the lake. You had fallen asleep while listening to it.”

Tears filled her eyes as she slowly shook her head and smiled up at me. “You’ll never know how happy you’ve made me, Wyatt. You make me feel…cherished. With you holding me in your arms, I feel like I can do anything. I feel…beautiful.”

“You are beautiful, angel. Every single day for the rest of our lives, I’ll always make sure to remind you of how beautiful, special, and loved you are.”

Skylar closed her eyes and placed her head on my chest, letting the tears stream down her face. Once the song ended, she pulled back and grinned. “I danced. May we please leave now?”

Michelle and Mitch walked up to us.

“This is it—our last high school prom. I think we should spike the punch or some shit like that,” Mitch said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Skylar shook her head. “Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?”

Michelle laughed. “He’s just impatient, and he wants to leave.”

Skylar wiggled her eyebrows. “And where do you want to go?”

“To the little bed-and-breakfast I booked.”

Pinching my eyebrows together, I asked, “How did you manage that?”

Mitch grinned from ear to ear. “I have an older brother, dude. He comes in handy every now and then.”

Laughing, I shook my head.

I was about to ask Skylar to dance again when Jenny came walking up. I was hoping she was coming up to talk to Skylar and Michelle, but deep down, I knew that she wasn’t.

“Hey, Mitch, Wyatt. Don’t you two look handsome?”

We both gave her a slight nod.

“Thanks,” Mitch mumbled.

Jenny turned her attention on me. “So, how about you do me the honor of dancing with me, Wyatt?”

My mouth nearly dropped open. This girl had a shit-ton of nerve.

Before I even had the chance to respond, Skylar placed her hand on Jenny’s shoulder and pulled her back. “I think I’ve been beyond patient with you. For some reason, you dislike me. And you know what? That’s fine. But I’m tired of you trying to stick your claws into my boyfriend. So, I’m going to politely tell you to back the fuck off once and for all, Jenny.”

A few people had stopped to see what was happening. I could see the looks on their faces. They were happy that Skylar was defending herself.

“Seriously, whore, you think you can talk to me that way?”

“That’s enough.”

Everyone turned and looked at Mike.

“I’m so sick of hearing you call Skylar a whore and every other insult you can think of. You know as well as the rest of us that you’ve probably slept with half of the guys in our senior class.”

Jenny’s eyes widened in shock.

“So, enough is enough. Skylar is far from a whore and probably one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met. I know I speak for all of us when I say…shut the hell up, Jenny.”

Everyone erupted in cheers as Skylar stood there, stunned.

“It’s about damn time!” Mitch yelled out as Ariana Grande’s “Focus” started playing.

With a wide grin, I took Skylar’s hand and pulled her out to the dance floor. Seeing her with that smile on her face, having so much fun, was one of the best things I’d seen in a long time.

We stayed for another hour before Skylar finally gave me that look that had my stomach dipping like I was on a damn roller coaster.

“You want to leave, angel?”

She reached up as I leaned down toward her. Putting her lips next to my ear, she said, “I really,
really
want to leave, Wyatt. I’m dying here. I need to be with you…now. I’m aching for you.”

My dick was instantly hard. I pulled her to me, and she let out a small moan as she pushed her body in more.

“Jesus, Skylar, you’re killing me.”

“Please, Wyatt. I want you.”

The passion in her eyes, I was sure, matched mine.

God, how I’ve wanted her for so long…since the first time she smiled at me in the school office. It’s all I’ve dreamed about for months.

It was finally time to make her mine.

Taking her hand in mine, I started heading toward the door. I handed the valet my ticket and stood there with my heart pounding in my ears. I was sure Skylar was even more nervous. I glanced down at her, and she was chewing on her lip.

“Angel, are you scared?”

She smiled the most breathtaking smile I’d ever seen. “I’m scared to death and excited at the same time!”

The valet drove my truck up, and I handed him a tip and opened the door for Skylar. When she took my hand, I felt it shaking.

Leaning in, I buckled her seat belt. “Sky, you know we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You know that, right?”

With the sweetest smile ever, she looked into my eyes. “If I have to keep waiting, I’m going to explode. Wyatt…please take me to the cottage. I want to be with you.”

With a smile, I softly kissed her lips. “I love you, angel.”

“I love you, too.”

My hands were practically slipping off the steering wheel. I was so nervous.
Jesus H. Christ, what is wrong with me? It’s not like I haven’t had sex before.

I peered over toward Skylar. She was looking out the window, humming to a country song on the radio.

She was the reason I was so nervous.

Shit, I just want this to be special for her.

What if she thinks I suck?

I shook my head and cleared everything out—all the worry, the doubts, the threats from Skylar’s dad, Mitch, and Skip. Skip’s was the best. He had sent a Marine buddy to personally deliver his threat, and it was very effective, to say the least.

“Are you nervous?” Skylar asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I quickly glimpsed over at her and smiled before looking back at the road. “I just don’t want to disappoint you or push you into this too fast.”

She let out a giggle and reached for my hand. “Wyatt, you could never disappoint me. I want this. I want this more than anything.”

“Skip’s gonna kill me, Sky, if he finds out I brought you to a cottage and had my wicked way with you.” I glanced and winked at her.

She squeezed my hand and let out a laugh. My heart started beating harder as I pulled down the country road that led to the small cottage where we would be staying the night. She started humming again as she rubbed her thumb along my hand. I was instantly calm.

As I turned down the drive, I noticed her sitting up straighter.

She pulled her hand from mine and put it up to her mouth. “Oh my God, Wyatt.”

Skylar

My nerves were instantly calmed when I saw all the white lights in the trees. It was amazing.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I said as Wyatt parked his truck.

Running the back of his hand down my cheek, he whispered, “I have.”

When I turned to look at him, our eyes caught. My heart felt as if it’d stopped.

I will never, ever love anyone like I love him.

I quickly jumped out of the truck and ran up onto the porch. When I turned back around, Wyatt’s smile about dropped me to the ground. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He reached into the back and grabbed our bags. He leaned over and began searching for something. He stood up and seemed to be frozen in place.

“Wyatt? Are you coming or what?”

“Yep, coming!”

He walked up the steps and set the bags down while he reached into his pocket for the key. The moment he pushed the door open, I raced inside.

“Let me get the lights,” Wyatt said with a chuckle.

Spinning around the room, I let out a gasp. “Wyatt, it’s perfect. It feels like an old English cottage. Look at the furniture and the decorations. It’s amazing!”

Wyatt walked up to me and placed his hands on my hips. “Yep, it’s all very beautiful. Just like you, angel.”

The look in his eyes was nothing but pure love. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I whispered, “It’s perfect. You’re perfect! Everything about this evening is perfect.”

Wyatt stroked my hair, and I could tell he was just as nervous as I was, maybe even a bit more.

“Skylar, I have one more thing I need to do before we…before we make love.”

Oh, please don’t be having second thoughts.
I didn’t know what I would do if he said he wanted to wait.

“I only want you, Wyatt. I don’t care about anything else. Please, I want to feel you. I’ve wanted you since the first day I put my eyes on you.”

There were a few times when we had come so close to making love, but we’d always stopped. Wyatt would say he didn’t want our first time to be in his truck or my bedroom. We’d almost lost control on the sofa in my living room. I had known Wyatt was on the verge of giving in, as was I, until Mitch had pulled into the driveway, getting home early from his date with Michelle. He’d saved us from making a mistake I knew we would have regretted.

“Oh Christ, Sky, you have no idea how much I want to be with you. But I also want to be with you forever, not just tonight.”

My entire body felt like it was on fire. The pounding of my heart in my ears was almost deafening.

When Wyatt touched me, my body flinched.

“Every morning, I want to wake up to your beautiful face. I want to roll over in the middle of the night, reach for you, and pull you to me just so I can smell your hair and touch your beautiful soft skin. I want to spend every waking moment with you. Hell, I’ll even change my degree to be in every one of your classes, if you asked me to.”

My heart had never felt so full, so happy.

With a giggle, I asked, “Wyatt, are you asking me to move in with you?”

He looked surprised for a moment and then smiled so big that I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“You think I’m asking you to move in with me?”

With a nod of my head, I asked, “Aren’t you?”