Page 30 of Guarded By the SEAL
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
He was closer to her than she thought he was, and it annoyed her. “Of course not. Why?”
“Don’t play games with me, Teslyn. You’re upset. I just want to understand.”
She turned around with a huff and put her hand on her hip. “What made you decide to stay?”
“You asked me to. Maybe not in so many words, but you were unhappy I was planning to leave.”
“And that’s it? You had no other reason for changing your mind?”
He closed the remaining distance between them. “What are you implying?” He looked back at Ivy, then lowered his voice. “That I decided to stay because of what happened between us just now?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
He raised his brows. “And what if I did? Why would that be a bad thing?”
She jerked a shoulder, annoyed he was making her spell it out. “You’re not going to get anywhere with me. I’m not that kind of girl.”
His bark of laughter was not what she’d been expecting. Her cheeks heated with an embarrassed flush. “I’m not,” she insisted.
He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I’m sure you aren’t. I just figured I’d let the other guys deal with Steele, and I’d make sure you two got everything settled here. I owe you that much.” He crossed his heart with his index finger. “Honest.”
The way he was smiling at her brought awareness down low in her belly. Was he really just doing this because he was a good guy? In her experience, men always had an ulterior motive, and most often, that motive was sex. “Fine. That would be nice, I guess.” She shrugged. “If you stay, I mean.”
“What an underwhelming welcome.” He smiled, and she had the distinct impression he was laughing at her.
Turning back to the stove, she stirred the soup, her pulse jumping as her mind replayed their kisses. Was he really not interested in sleeping with her? And if he wasn’t, then why did that make him even more attractive?
CHAPTER15
Wyatt ate his soup while working on a coloring page with Ivy. Tess had taken her bowl to the sofa, and he’d given her the space she so clearly desired.
If he was being truthful, he needed some distance between them, as well. He hadn’t just phoned Jax. He’d returned a voicemail from Logan, and what he’d learned wasn’t easy to integrate with what he knew so far about Teslyn.
Doc had found a juvenile record that should have been expunged, but lucky for him, still existed. She’d been arrested for prostitution and drug possession at sixteen, while she still lived with her mother.
Wyatt had no doubt Marilyn had something to do with that. From what he knew of the woman so far, pimping out her daughter would be completely in line with her character, and it made his heart ache for everything Tess had been through.
But one thing didn’t compute. If Teslyn had been turning tricks as a teenager, why was she as jittery as a virgin in his arms? When she’d insinuated he was only staying here to get in her pants, she’d said it with the air of a prudish schoolmarm.
She was an enigma, and one that was occupying more and more of his thoughts. And while he’d sworn to her he wasn’t staying for the purpose of sexual conquest, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping she’d find the idea of spending some quality time in his bed at least somewhat appealing.
He spooned noodles into his mouth and sighed.
Ivy looked at his page. “You color real good.”
“Thanks. So do you. I like the colors you picked for the castle.”
“Purple’s my favorite, but I like pink, too. My bedroom is purple. Was purple.”
“I’ll bet it was pretty.”
“Are we gonna live with you now?”
Wyatt nearly spit out his soup. “No, why would you think that?”
“You and Tessie were kissing.”
