Breaking Her Rules(13)

As they started to exit the vehicle, Wyatt received a phone call so they all remained silent until he was finished. The conversation had been mainly one word responses so Iris couldn’t even guess what it had been about.

However, his voice was smug when he said, “The other buyers backed out. It’s just going to be us and Thorton Enterprises.”

Iris knew the basics of the deal, but didn’t like anyone backing out at the last minute. The other potential buyers hadn’t had any red flags show up, but that didn’t mean they weren’t out to get Wyatt. Tearing her gaze from surveying the quiet surroundings, she turned in her seat. “Why?”

“Because they know I’m going to win the bid.” He not only sounded smug, he looked it. Those piercing blue eyes watched her carefully.

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

“When I want something, I go for it and I don’t let anything stand in my way.” He was silent for a moment as they stared at each other. She knew he was talking about more than the deal and damn her traitorous body, her nipples tightened at the thought of being on the receiving end of his pursuing nature. She was still kicking herself for agreeing so easily to give their marriage a shot, but waking up in his arms this morning had been heaven. While Iris didn’t like to get accustomed to anything—or attached to anyone—because she knew things and people could be taken away in an instant…getting used to Wyatt’s strength was something she could easily do. Too easily.

Tearing her gaze away, she looked at Vincent who was watching her with a heavy dose of curiosity in his eyes. She knew he’d never say anything though. Not publicly. He’d wait until they were hanging out in a casual setting then pounce and grill her. The man was nosy. So far she’d managed to deflect his questions about how she’d ended up married, but she knew her time was coming. “I don’t care what this Forest guy says. With these last minute changes, all of us are going in. The other team can wait in the foyer, but you and Kell are coming with me and Jay.” She glanced at Wyatt, expecting an argument, but he just nodded, his demeanor surprisingly acquiescent.

Good. She hated arguing with clients and Wyatt was so much more than a client. Still, she wasn’t fooled into thinking he was simply okay with her decision. She was ready to walk if Forest refused to let her team guard Wyatt, but she wasn’t so sure Wyatt was. That was a problem she’d have to deal with if it arose.





Chapter 8



Wyatt was conscious of everyone and everything as they entered the grand foyer to Forest’s home. Iris held onto his arm, as if she were his date for the evening. Other than her security team and his most trusted people, no one actually knew they were married. Looking back he wondered if he should have courted her longer, given her a huge wedding that she deserved. Of course she’d no doubt hate something like that. Truth was, he would too. He didn’t need something overdone and garish to show the world how much he loved her. He’d just needed to lock her down.

Not that it mattered. She’d run from him. At least she was with him now, even if it was on a temporary basis. Wearing a formfitting black dress covered with small silver bursts that reminded him of fireworks, she moved with a liquid grace that had him wanting to shove her dress up and take her against the nearest flat surface.

But she wasn’t remotely thinking about sex. Though her expression was casual, he could feel the tension humming through her as she spotted Keibler and the rest of his crew standing at the foot of one of the curving staircases that descended into the foyer. Two men wearing dark suits watched them carefully from the high balcony above where the stairs joined. They were no doubt armed. Forest’s security. Wyatt had seen them on multiple occasions with the man when he’d actually ventured out in public.

Wyatt murmured that to Iris who only nodded. “They’re in my files.” Her lips barely moved as she spoke.

Yeah, Wyatt didn’t doubt that Red Stone Security had extensive files on anyone and everyone he might come in contact with over the next week. He’d given them all the information he could think of, but they had a lot of resources. Which was one of the reasons he’d hired them.

Keibler’s expression narrowed on Wyatt when he finally spotted him. He flicked a glance at Iris, then paused and practically undressed her with his eyes as he scanned her from head to heeled feet. Wyatt wanted to pummel the guy for even looking at her that way, even though he couldn’t blame him. She looked beautiful.

“Breathe,” Iris murmured and he realized his jaw was clenched tight, his body completely tense. When he met her gaze, she gave him a half-smile. “He’s just looking at me to piss you off. Don’t let him get under your skin.”

Nothing ever got to him. Until Iris. He’d never cared if anyone looked at his dates. Iris was different. And she was wrong about why Keibler was looking at her, but she was right that he needed to breathe. While Wyatt had more to offer Forest in this deal, Forest was also eccentric as hell. He could decide to sell the company to Thorton Enterprises because he liked the color of Thorton’s tie. Wyatt forced himself to relax.

Iris leaned close until her mouth was close to his ear, her warm breath making everything around them funnel out for a second. He could drown in her scent, in the pure essence that was all her. “I think the woman is part of his security. Females in this business are rare so I’m surprised I don’t know who she is, but she moves like a pro. Maybe she’s new. Either way, steer clear of her.”

“You know you’re the only woman for me.” His words were as low as hers.

She quickly averted her gaze and swallowed hard. “Stay close to us, we’re using the opposite staircase,” she said quietly to her team.

He belatedly remembered about her earpiece and that everyone had just heard what he said. While her team might know they were married, this was still her job. It rankled him that she had to keep that cool façade up at all times, but he understood it. He’d pulled himself up from nothing so on that level, he got why she was always professional. Didn’t mean he had to like that he couldn’t pull his wife into his arms the way he wanted.

As they headed for the west side staircase, Wyatt gave a brisk nod to the other group. He knew Keibler would take offense and imagine it was somehow a slight, but Wyatt was used to the other man’s paranoia.

At the top of the stairs they were immediately stopped by the two guards he’d spotted when they arrived. And two more men in suits appeared from the shadows, heading toward the east staircase to stop the other group.

After they were patted down and turned over their weapons—which could be retrieved when they left—Iris, Wyatt and the others were led down a long hallway with intricately carved crowned molding gilded with gold. There were also priceless paintings hanging every few feet. Wyatt recognized more than a handful of them, two as original Picasso’s—an artist he’d never learned to appreciate. In his opinion, art should be appealing, not a visual nightmare. Their group was silent, but farther down the hall behind them he could hear Keibler’s obnoxious voice and follow up laughter from the female. God, he hated these in-person meetings when this bullshit could all be taken care of over a conference call. Or a more neutral location.

He might have hired Iris but now that they were actually out in public and the threat was looming over him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that anything could happen to her. And he knew deep down he wouldn’t let her protect him from a bullet or anything else. He’d die trying to protect her.

There were two more men in suits waiting at the last door on the right. The dark-haired one on the left looked over the security team in an assessing manner, barely looked at Iris, then he focused on Wyatt. “You can bring in one person.”

“The deal was two.”

Iris tensed beside him, but he gently squeezed her arm.

The guard shrugged. “It’s one now.”

Wyatt gave him a shrug of his own. “Fine.” He turned to leave, Iris and the others following, but the guard stopped him.

“Wait.”

Wyatt turned back to find the guy murmuring to someone clearly not the other guard. He probably had a similar earpiece to the one Iris was currently using. He tilted his chin at the closed door. “You can bring two.”

Iris still didn’t like it. Her posture and expression were tense, her back bowstring tight.

“Maybe you should stay out here and I’ll bring in another of the team with me and Jay.” He couldn’t stand the thought of her coming in there with him. Considering how paranoid Forest was and from the security he’d seen tonight, Wyatt knew it was unlikely that anything would happen, but he still didn’t want to bring Iris into possible harm’s way. At his house he’d broached the subject of her not coming and they’d fought. Even though it wasn’t in him to ever back down, he had.

For her.

It was his own damn fault for insisting on hiring her. He wanted to kick his own ass for his shortsightedness. Yeah, she was with him 24/7, but she was also putting herself in harm’s way.