Chapter Twenty-Three

I hope she doesn’t refuse my offer. Wyatt. I know Alyssa had fallen asleep on my sofa after indulging in too much chocolate cake and wine. We ate and drank way too much. She promised to think about my offer, but I won’t get my hopes up that she will say yes. I may need to work a little harder. I didn’t mean to tell her all of those things I did. I could have kept some of it out, but I meant them all; that isn’t the point. I feel a strong connection to her, and when that happens, it usually means the person would be the perfect submissive for me. Alyssa is different from anyone I have met before, so only time will tell. There has to be a reason why everything has changed between us recently. It can’t be a coincidence; I don’t believe in them.

I move to clean up the mess. There isn’t much, but I prefer to do it now rather than leave it until the morning before work. I need to get Alyssa up to bed. I won’t leave her to sleep on the sofa. I make sure everything is off before I scoop her into my arms. She groans but doesn’t wake. She hurls her face into my neck and snuggles tightly to my chest. I chuckle at her cuteness. I carefully take her upstairs. I stopped outside the spare room but changed my mind about putting her there. I head to my bedroom instead. She can sleep in with me tonight. I probably won’t be doing much sleeping, but if I do and wake with nightmares, at least I won’t need to explain myself to Alyssa since she already knows I have them.

I pull the covers back and gently place her on my bed, covering her. She doesn’t even stir. She must be out for the count. I head to the bathroom I have in my bedroom to wash up and brush my teeth. When I return, she hasn’t moved an inch. I wish I could sleep so peacefully. I strip down and put some shorts on, climbing in next to her. I command the lights to go off and stare at the ceiling.

Alyssa mumbles in her sleep, but I can’t make out what she is saying. She rolls over, half of her body sprawled over mine. I freeze for a moment but slip my arm around her. She buries her face in my neck once again. I sigh and close my eyes, hoping for sleep to take over me, but it doesn’t work. I usually toss and turn but don’t want to wake her. But after trying for so long, I get annoyed and climb out of bed, heading to my office to do some work. It is better than irritating myself. There is always work to do when you own such a massive business.

I pour a double scotch to drink while I work. It will be a long night. She may freak out if she realizes she is in my bed rather than the spare one. I am quick to get lost in my work; I am always the same when my business brain takes over. I will sneak back into bed before Alyssa wakes up. I sigh, take a drink of my scotch, and get straight to work. I am on. There is no stopping me.

I lose track of time until I hear a knock on my office door, and then it opens. I glance over and see Alyssa popping her head in.

“Can I come in?” she asks.

I nod, motioning her to do so. She smiles, enters my office, closes the door behind her, and strolls over to my desk.

“What are you doing up?” I question. “It is late.”

“I woke, and it took me a moment to realize where I was. I noticed you weren’t beside me in your bed, so I wanted to find you and ensure you were okay. I have been looking for you for like twenty minutes. The place is too big. I got lost.” She snickers.

I chuckle. “You will adjust and find your way around in no time.”

“Why couldn’t you sleep? Did you have a nightmare?” she asks softly.

I reach for her and pull her into my lap, where she straddles me. “No. I tried to sleep, but it didn’t work,” I sigh.

She looked at me sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. You should really try again. You need to get up for work in a few hours.”

“I know,”

Alyssa caresses my cheek. “How about we try again?”

It won’t work, but I find myself nodding. She kisses my cheek before she removes herself from my lap. I switched and she helped me get to my feet. She smiles and leads us back to my bedroom. She demands I climb in first, and then…

“This probably won’t work,” I whisper.

“We can try. If you can’t, we can chat until the sun rises.” She smiles.

“Alyssa,”

“You shouldn’t have to lose sleep because of me.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t mind.”

She cuddles into me and rests her head on my chest. She grabs my arm and wraps it around her. “This is called buzzing,”

I laugh loudly. “I would never have known that.”

She glances up at me with such a dorky smile on her lips. I haven’t seen that smile before. It is sweet, though. I make sure she is covered up and switch the lights off.

“I would offer to sing to you, but I don’t want to make your ears bleed.” She giggles.

“I am sure you aren’t that bad.”

“Yes, I am. I am shockingly terrible.” She exclaims.

“I appreciate your offer,” I reply.

Alyssa dances her fingers along my bare stomach. I close my eyes and sigh. There is something relaxing about it. She nuzzles my neck. “Please, try and get sleep.”

“I promise I will try.”

Her warm lips brush my neck. “Thank you.”

I groan softly at the contact. She snickers and apologizes. I don’t believe she is truly sorry, but I will let it drop, no matter how badly I would love to continue. I promised to give her time, and I meant it. I don’t go back on my promises. I will let her have her time to make up her mind and decide what she wants. Most women would jump at the opportunity, but I respect her for not doing that. I would happily take care of her and all her needs if she let me.