She felt something heavy against her chest. Her eyes opened. Wyatt’s arm was slung over her stomach. She watched as he took one deep breath after another. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep in his room, but after hearing his outcry and seeing the look of terror on his handsome face, she couldn’t leave. She didn’t want to let him sleep alone.

She wanted to understand the darkness in his eyes. Why he didn’t want to talk about the Army.

Before trying to force the revelations about his past, she had been desperately trying to sort through what had happened in her bed.

The way he touched her was unlike anything she had felt. The way he kissed her made her body feel alive. But he was right. She couldn’t give herself to him while Mitchell still thought she was going to marry him.

It wasn’t that simple, though. She stared at Wyatt’s face. His eyelashes twitched and she wondered if he would wake soon.

Could she just call Mitchell and tell him it was over? Could she break off the engagement and hand back the ring? She didn’t know Wyatt, but after last night she felt as if she knew him better than the man she had spent the past two years with. She had seen his soul. She had seen the man he was. His demons His anger. His passion. His tenderness.

She lifted his hand off of her, sliding out from under him until she had one foot on the floor. As she moved her opposite leg, his eyes flew open.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She smiled. She felt silly for trying to sneak out. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a bear.” He grinned and she felt her insides melt. Why did he have to be so fucking sexy all the time? He wasn’t making anything easier. “How about you?”

His eyes traced her throat and locked on the dip between her breasts. The strap on the nightgown had slipped and he had a view of her soft pink flesh.

She reached for the strap to adjust it on her shoulder. “I slept well too.”

It was happening again. Her body was waking up in places that had been asleep for so long. His hand floated over her hip.

“I haven’t awakened to something this beautiful in a long time.” She heard that sound from his chest that sent shivers all over her body.

“Wyatt, I…” It wasn’t as if she had something to tell him. She hadn’t had enough time to figure any of this out.

He brushed her hair away from her face.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

She loved how his hand felt against her face.

He lowered his eyes. “I didn’t mean for you to see me like that. I just want to forget about it. I shouldn’t have—”

“No. No.” Don’t undo it,” she pleaded, sitting up quickly.

“Undo?”

She pressed her finger to his lips. She’d never felt so intimately connected to anyone. “I’m honored you shared your pain with me. I wouldn’t change last night for anything. Not any of it. What happened in my room or yours.”

His eyes looked bluer in the morning. “Then I won’t undo it.” He grinned, jumping off the side of the bed. Aly felt the bed shift from his weight.

“I’m going to take a shower. Unless you’re planning on joining me, I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” She stood to tuck the comforter under the pillows. “Shit. I haven’t set up the breakfast.”

Not only did she have to walk through the inn in a thin, silk gown, the housekeepers would know she hadn’t gotten things ready for the only guest.

“I can get breakfast at the Skillet. Don’t worry about me.”

“I have to go.” She raced out of the room, frantically tapping the elevator button. Sara and Jenny would be starting on the first floor. She could probably sneak past them and make it to her room without them seeing her.

The doors closed behind her. She nervously watched the numbers light up, counting the floors. “Shit. Shit,” she murmured.

As soon as they retracted she bolted for the reception desk. On the other side was the office, and the housekeepers never entered without checking with her first. She scanned the lobby. Thank goodness there were no other guests. And thank God her father was out of town. She’d never be able to explain this to him.

She tipped her ear forward. There were no sounds of the maid carts. She made a dash for the desk. Her bare feet skipped over the hardwood floor and she closed the office door behind her.

She exhaled, triumphant she had made it through without seeing anyone.

She looked up when she heard her bedroom door open.

“Aly, what in the hell are you doing?”

Her mouth fell open. “Mitchell?”

“You want to tell me where you’ve been?” Her fiancé leaned into the doorframe, his arms crossed, and his forehead creased with a deep scowl. The tips of his dark red hair were sticking up. She had seen this look in his eyes before. Eyes that now seemed beady and mean.

He scrunched his nose turning his face into a sneer. His delicate features looked odd after having spent so much with Wyatt who was solid and sturdy. He moved closer to her.

“Are you going to answer me, Aly?” He was almost nose to nose with her now. His breath smelled strange. Like alcohol and cigarettes. But as far as she knew, he had never smoked a day in his life. She noticed his blue dress shirt was crumpled and his khaki pants were wrinkled.

She slowly backed away. “I think we need to talk.”