Him XIII
He woke just after dawn to find himself alone in bed. Rolling over and blinking at the ceiling overhead, out of habit, Wyatt began to mentally run through the day's itinerary. After breakfast, he and Lucy would be heading over to the Hotel del Coronado for the tour she was eagerly looking forward to before stopping at Bam and Julie's afterwards to check in and review final plans for this evening with Zach. Then it was back to the Four Seasons so they could get ready for the premiere.
Wyatt was less than thrilled Lucy's publicist had insisted that she should not only stay for the movie, but attend some fancy party afterwards. The movie itself wouldn't be so bad, but a Hollywood after party? Jesus. Having witnessed first hand this kind of gathering during a previous assignment, Wyatt definitely wasn't looking forward to watching a bunch of entitled, overpaid (in his opinion) celebrities get all high and/or liquored up and acting like privileged assholes. Hopefully, she'd get by with making a brief appearance at the party and then they could leave...someone classy like her didn't belong with people like that (although privately, he could grudgingly admit that Chris Pratt seemed like a decent guy). Besides, tonight was their last night together if she returned to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon–a thought that depressed the hell out of him.
First though, Wyatt needed to check in with the San Francisco P.D. Since Lucy was occupied in the bathroom, he supposed now was as good a time as any. Swinging long legs over the side of the bed, he gathered the covers loosely over his lap and picked up his phone. Scrolling through the recent calls list, he found the number for the police department, and luckily, the detective working Lucy's case picked up on the second ring. It turned out to be a disappointingly brief call.
Wyatt was frustrated but not surprised at the lack of progress so far, especially when his gut was telling him there was a very good chance that Lucy's ex-student, Marcus Williams, was likely the guy in the black hoodie. But he didn't have a shred of proof, and as the detective wearily advised, since Williams had a clean record, all they could do was wait until he made a move–something that did not sit well with Wyatt at all.
Abruptly ending the call, he dropped the phone on the table beside him and sighing heavily, scrubbed his hands over his face. One thing Wyatt knew for damn sure was that he wasn't letting Lucy out of his sight at the premiere for a second, even if he had to tie her to him or something. Good thing Zach would be with them keeping an eye out where Wyatt couldn't. He already had his associate doing some preliminary research for the premiere's venue, the Grauman Egyptian on Hollywood Boulevard, a theater Wyatt wasn't familiar with.
Looking around the room, he decided they should probably go ahead and pack up now, check out after breakfast, and hopefully once they finished the hotel tour, get on the road before noon. Just then, Wyatt heard faint strains of singing, and realized Lucy must have left the bathroom door ajar. Intrigued, he got up and headed that way, and after cautiously opening the door wider, paused in the doorway to admire her tempting silhouette displayed so nicely behind the nearly translucent shower curtain. Without hesitation, Wyatt silently shut the door behind him and joined her.
Seconds later (damn, Logan, you're good), her muffled shriek of surprise quickly turned into breathy sighs when he wasted no time finessing Lucy's slick body up against the shower wall, and in between leisurely kisses, politely offered to share her shower to save time. Reluctantly pulling her lips from his, she leaned away from him a little, keeping her arms looped around his neck, and looked up with a skeptical expression as the warm water sluiced down their bodies. Despite not getting much actual shut eye last night, no makeup and a heavy cloud of soaked raven hair falling past her shoulders, at this very second, Lucy Preston damn near took his breath away.
Wyatt's usually reliable poker face must have betrayed his thoughts (or it might have been his obvious arousal) because the knowing smile on Lucy's face grew wider the longer she stared at him. "See something you like, soldier?" she teased, nipping delicately at his mouth even as she pulled his hips closer to hers. Closing his eyes, the tiny part of Wyatt's brain that could still think rationally admired how quickly Lucy had learned exactly how he liked to be touched right before her lips began slowly moving down his body and proceeded to drive him crazy...
Within an hour, they were dressed, packed and enjoying the hotel's lavish complimentary breakfast buffet. Watching Lucy avidly peruse a brochure for the Hotel del Coronado while she ate fresh fruit and some kind of disgustingly healthy-looking muffin, Wyatt efficiently demolished his loaded plate of real food and thought back to their conversation just hours ago about the future. What a difference a week could make in a person's life, he marveled, momentarily distracted by the pretty picture Lucy made in the pink and white dress she'd worn the day they met, not to mention the adorable way those elegant brows of hers drew together slightly whenever she was concentrating.
Less than seven days ago, Wyatt didn't know this woman existed–and now, just the mere thought of walking away from her at LAX a little over 24 hours from now made his chest ache. For a fleeting moment, he entertained the crazy idea of asking Lucy to skip her flight to San Francisco and come back with him to San Diego after the movie premiere this evening. "Maybe it wasn't that crazy," he mused wistfully. After all, they'd already taken an important first step by talking some things through and agreeing to explore the possibilities of being together.
His thoughts were interrupted when Lucy asked quizzically, "Wyatt? Everything okay?" Setting down the brochure, she continued, "Are you worried about tonight? Has something happened that I should be concerned about? Because I know that you and Zach will do everything possible to keep me safe." Despite her faintly anxious expression, the absolute trust shining in her whiskey eyes humbled Wyatt. He vowed to himself that whatever it took, no harm would come to her.
Reaching over and casually linking his fingers with hers, Wyatt smiled and responded lightly, "I'm sorry, Professor, my mind wandered for a minute. Everything is fine. Now, we better finish up if we're going to make that 10:00 o'clock tour, alright?" That did the trick–beaming happily at him, Lucy dug in and hastily finished the last bit of her breakfast while he went to get coffee to take with them.
Back in their room, she ducked into the bathroom, leaving him to retrieve his gun and shoulder harness from the room safe. Shrugging the harness into place, he reflected pensively it had been really nice to be just Lucy and Wyatt for the last 24 hours, and not a famous author and her security detail. He supposed there were worse beginnings for a couple, though not many. Unfortunately, even as he'd calmed Lucy's fears at breakfast, Wyatt couldn't shake the uneasy feeling something bad was going to happen at the premiere she was so adamant about attending-but at the moment, saw no reason to share that with her. No sense in ruining the last few hours of what had been a truly enjoyable trip so far...
Fifteen minutes into the one-hour tour, Wyatt's eyes were starting to glaze over and he might have yawned more than once, (although to be fair, last night's activities hadn't really included much sleeping). It had started promisingly enough on the beach in front of the admittedly impressive resort where he and Lucy joined a small group of fellow tourists. They'd walked around the outside perimeter first while their guide, some young, college-age kid who barely looked old enough to shave, nevertheless knowledgeably rattled off numerous facts about the Hotel del Coronado.
Normally, Wyatt would do everything in his power to avoid this kind of brainy information overload, but from the enthralled expression on Lucy's face, this little excursion was squarely in her wheelhouse. She was practically vibrating with excitement, like a child on Christmas morning, and it was entertaining as hell to watch her pepper the guide (was his name Tyler? Taylor?) with non-stop questions. Poor kid–he blushed every time Lucy made eye contact, which was maybe every thirty seconds.
Just as their group was moving indoors, Wyatt's phone chimed faintly with a new text message. Touching Lucy's elbow, he held up his phone and gestured, and when she nodded absently, couldn't resist tugging her to him and stealing a quick kiss, grinning in satisfaction when she pretended to frown at him, her cheeks pinked becomingly. Stepping away from the tour group, he found a quiet spot on the porch just outside the entrance and saw the text was from Bam.
Hey, brother, you still coming by today? Julie's making some lunch if you and Lucy wanna stay. Zach said he's gonna be here around 12:30
Checking his watch, Wyatt estimated there was around 45 minutes yet until this thing was over plus at least another 45 minutes after that to drive to his place.
Yeah, we'll be there, probably by noon or so. Tell Julie thanks for the invite. Gotta stop at my place first though and grab my tux for tonite.
I will convey your acceptance to my lovely wife, sir. Wait, what? Your new lady making you wear a monkey suit? I didn't even know you owned a tux...hey, the hot professor IS your new lady now, right? Lol, not even a week and you're so whipped, son :p
I'm not quite sure what we are right now, but that's not the point–and sorry, none of your business either, buddy. NO, I just wanna look nice and not embarrass Lucy, you ass...and speaking of whipped, pretty sure anyone who knows you and Julie B. knows who's the boss in your house, Bam...
Damn, Wy, that was kinda mean–sure, obviously true, cause hello, have you MET my wife? but mean just the same—and hey, is that any way to talk to your best friend? Wait, don't answer that, lol...
Exactly...listen, before I forget, Lucy and I ran into Jake Turner last night while we were out at supper and he's looking for a job after his next deployment and I probably should have checked with you first, but I pretty much hired him on the spot...
Hell, yeah, you should have, since we ARE business partners, but no worries, cause it sounds like good move. The way things are shaping up, we should be ready to hire a couple of guys in the next six months or so anyway...
That's what I was thinking. Ok, I better go, see you in a bit.
Glancing at the time, Wyatt grimaced at his phone before slipping it into his pocket. Sadly, texting with Bam had only burned off a measly five minutes. Well, guess he was on the hook for 40 more minutes of boring (to him, at least) history. It was worth it, though, just to see how happy stuff like this made Lucy–and keeping her happy had become increasingly important to Wyatt.
Entering the lobby, a helpful front desk clerk pointed him in the right direction, and he easily caught up to the tour, at the moment stopped in a wide, thickly-carpeted hallway looking at some paintings or something. He rapidly scanned the group of around a dozen people, looking for Lucy's dark curls. Yeah, there she was. Not surprisingly, the Professor was right up front, smack in the middle of things, chattering up a storm with the guide and some of her fellow tourists. Smothering a grin, Wyatt decided to hang back until the group started moving again when he suddenly heard a quiet voice beside him.
"Your lovely wife asks such interesting questions. Would she happen to be a teacher?" He turned to see a well-dressed older couple smiling kindly at him. Wyatt was taken aback by the woman's casual assumption that he and Lucy were married, but before he could respond, she chuckled and looking expectantly at him, confessed, "Sorry if I took you by surprise. We're the Bradfords-I'm Constance and this is David. My husband and I are both retired professors, and in a setting like this, it's never difficult to spot a fellow educator–we tend to be a very inquisitive bunch of people."
Politely smiling in return, Wyatt decided to keep it simple. "Yes, Lucy is actually an American History professor at Stanford, on leave right now." The woman's blue eyes gleamed with curiosity, and when she glanced unerringly at his left hand, Wyatt had a pretty good idea where this was going.
Before he could correct her misconception, though, his lovely wife spotted him and made her way to his side. "Hey, there you are! Is everything alright?" she asked breathlessly, so focused on him that she failed to notice the other couple standing there.
Taking her hand in his and pulling her closely to his side, Wyatt calmly assured her everything was fine. "Lucy, sweetheart, this is Constance and David Bradford, and guess what? They're retired college professors." As he expected, her dark eyes lit up, and shaking their hands politely, she quickly introduced herself.
Wyatt could tell she was slightly embarrassed but nonetheless pleased when the older woman exclaimed, "Lucy Preston? Did I see you on Jimmy Kimmel this week? You wrote that bestseller about time travel, a copy of which I happen to have on my night stand at home. How exciting to meet the author in person!" Fortunately for a rosy-cheeked Lucy, the tour began moving again, and Wyatt was amused to see after graciously thanking Mrs. Bradford, she quickly changed the subject.
Taking Lucy's hand in his, they walked with the retirees near the back of the group, the women already getting along like old friends. Wyatt had felt the other man's speculative glance when his jacket gaped open enough to reveal he was armed, but then once Lucy inadvertently let it slip about his past in Delta Force, David Bradford nodded in understanding and noted with a big grin that he was retired Army. The two ex-soldiers instantly fell into a lively conversation about the service.
Her small hand jerked reflexively in his the first time Mrs. Bradford referred to Wyatt as her husband during their conversation, and at the soft blush spreading across Lucy's face, he leaned in and whispered, "Just go with it for now–not like you'll ever see these folks again." Swiftly turning toward him, this time she was the one to swipe a kiss without missing a beat–not that he minded.
To Wyatt's surprise, the rest of the tour went fairly quickly, and soon they were standing outside bidding the Bradfords goodbye. Lucy and Mrs. Bradford hugged and exchanged email addresses while Wyatt shook hands with Mr. Bradford and returned the older man's crisp salute. Before pulling out of the hotel parking lot, he shot Julie a quick text to let her know they were finally on their way.
Wyatt couldn't help smiling at the barely audible sigh that escaped his companion as they drove across the bay towards San Diego. Gently patting the top of her hand where it rested on his leg, he skillfully maneuvered his Jeep through the late Saturday morning traffic. "Yeah, I know and feel the same. I've had a really great time here with you, Lucy, and hate to leave. Did you enjoy the tour?" he asked, hoping to divert her attention, and was gratified when she seemed to perk up a little and began enthusiastically discussing the famous hotel. Listening to Lucy Preston talk about something she loved was fast becoming one of his favorite things in life, he realized, beguiled by her bright smile and the way her small hands were gesturing all over the place. Yeah, Wyatt thought forlornly, life was going to be pretty dull once they parted company tomorrow.
Traffic was heavier the closer to Pendleton they got, and to pass the time, Wyatt was trying to coax Lucy into revealing what her dress for the premiere looked like, but the little witch was being mischievously secretive. "Aw, c'mon, Professor, can't you even give me a hint?" absurdly pleased when she giggled and shook her head.
"Sorry, Mr. Logan, you'll just have to use your imagination," she quipped, lightly squeezing his thigh.
Well now he was really curious, but since she was digging her little heels in, Wyatt was determined to have the last word. Resolutely keeping his eyes on the traffic ahead of him, he teased, "Hmm, you do remember that I've seen you in all kinds of clothes this week, including nothing at all?" delighted at Lucy's surprised gasp, even when she pinched his leg in retribution. "Now is that any way to act, Dr. Preston? I'm shocked..." he broke off in mid-sentence when she leaned over and nipped at his ear, causing Wyatt to shiver and wish the jeans he was wearing fit just a bit looser...
During the drive, Wyatt decided to pick up his tux once they finished lunch, so after they parked in front of his garage, he and Lucy walked over to the Baumgardner's to find Julie standing in the open doorway, a welcoming smile on her face. "Hey, guys, come on in. Hope you're both hungry, Dave wanted tacos for lunch," she informed them with a wry expression, hugging first Lucy, then Wyatt before leading them back to the kitchen where Bam had parked his lanky frame in front of the open fridge.
"Hey, Wy, Lucy, can I get you something to drink?" he asked quite pleasantly. Fully expecting a rowdy comment, Wyatt was taken aback by Bam's rather subdued manner, considering his friend wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to bust his chops (for any reason), but when he saw Lucy smile shyly in response and her narrow shoulders relax, he was grateful to the other man for dialing back his normally boisterous personality a notch.
His gratitude was short-lived, however, the moment the girls began carrying food into the dining room and the two men were alone. Landing a hard punch to Wyatt's bicep, his buddy handed him a cold beer and joked, "Damn, Ken, is there any woman alive who can resist those dimples and blue eyes of yours? I have to say, this was pretty fast, though, even for you."
After the emotional roller coaster of the past few days, coupled with little sleep and his apprehension about Lucy's safety in the coming hours, the other man's teasing remark unexpectedly hit a raw nerve, and Wyatt could feel his temper start to rise. Frowning at the other man, he growled softly, "Knock that shit off, Bam. You don't know what you're talking about-it's not like that with Lucy."
Eyes widening, his friend stared at him in astonishment for a long moment before his face cleared. "Whoa, easy there, son. Wow, Julie tried to tell me, but I didn't believe her–you really are falling for your hot professor. Gotta say, Wy, this is a hell of a surprise–but I'm happy for you, man-Julie and I both are," he hastily clarified with an enormous grin. Abruptly pulling him into a bro hug, Bam said in a low voice, "If you repeat this to the guys, I'll deny it to my dying day, but I really am happy for you, brother...it's about damn time. And uh, listen, you know I meant no insult to Lucy, right?"
At the earnest expression on Bam's face, Wyatt felt like a first-class prick for jumping down his friend's throat, and his temper faded as swiftly as it came on. Sitting down heavily at the table, he sighed and rubbed at a spot between his eyebrows where a headache was starting to grow. While he had never (ever) been a 'talk about his feelings' kind of guy, all of a sudden, Wyatt felt the urge to get some advice from his best friend. "I do know that, and I'm sorry I overreacted, but God, the past week has been pretty stressful. Even though I've only known Lucy a few days, these feelings I have for her have really taken me by surprise. The good news is we did have a serious talk last night and both agreed to try and make a relationship work, but honestly, the thought of her going back to San Francisco tomorrow is killing me, and all of that's on top of worrying about keeping her safe tonight," Wyatt admitted tiredly, taking a long draw from his beer.
Grabbing a beer for himself, Bam sat down across from him, and clearing his throat, said gruffly, "No apology necessary, Wyatt. We've been friends–hell, practically brothers-for more than fifteen years now, and damn if we haven't been through some close calls, and while I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, even I can see how important this woman is to you. And one guy to another, I think that's alright. Jess has been gone five years now, and you've been with plenty of women and never felt this way before, so this is a good thing, right? I mean, aside from figuring out the logistics since you two live about five hundred miles apart." Hearing his friend's sincere words, Wyatt felt his doubts start to settle down, and knew it had been the right decision to confide in him.
"Thank you," he said simply, "Are we good now?" shaking his head when Bam just smirked and winked in response. Then bro 'sharing' time was over when the girls came back in the kitchen, followed by Zach, who greeted Wyatt cheerfully.
"Hey, boss, glad you're here. I researched that theater like you asked me to, whenever you're ready to look it over," offering Wyatt the iPad in his hand even as Bam shook his head in warning.
Beside him, he felt Lucy tense up, and after frowning slightly and shaking his head 'no' at Zach, took Lucy's hand and led her over by the sliding glass doors, away from the others for a bit of privacy. Running his finger down her soft cheek, Wyatt murmured, "Nothing to get upset about, sweetheart, just some preliminary site work for tonight so that Zach and I aren't going in blind, alright? I like to be as prepared as possible." Gazing intently into his eyes, Lucy's anxious expression gradually cleared, and she nodded solemnly before throwing her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry...I know it's silly, but Wyatt, I don't think I could forgive myself if anything happened to you because of me," she sighed, rubbing her cheek against his, her slender body trembling in his arms.
Well, hell, it appeared Lucy had been more worried than she'd let on and of course, for him, not herself. Rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her back, Wyatt sought to allay her fears once and for all. "Shhh, none of that now, everything is going to be fine–you and I are both going to be fine. We'll walk that red carpet like we own it, you'll answer a bunch of lame questions for the press, we'll watch the movie, even though I'd really like to sit in a dark theater and make out with you, make a quick appearance at the snooty after party, and then, Lucy Preston, we will head back to the hotel to enjoy your last night in L.A. How does that sound?"
Furiously blinking away the sudden tears that filled her eyes, Lucy smiled at him tremulously, and not for the first time today, Wyatt wished fervently that they could skip the damn premiere and just hole up at the Four Seasons until tomorrow. But it wasn't his decision to make, and all he could do at this point was finish the assignment and keep protecting Lucy to the best of his ability.
Despite the openly interested audience across the room making no effort to pretend they weren't eavesdropping, Wyatt kissed Lucy lingeringly and asked in a low voice, "Now, how about we help ourselves to some of Julie's famous tacos?" gratified when she breathlessly agreed. The next hour flew by, with the guys ribbing each other mercilessly in an effort to keep the mood light. Once they finished eating, Julie shooed the men into the living room for their meeting while she and Lucy cleaned up.
Grateful for the suggestion, Wyatt sent Lucy a reassuring smile and mouthed the words 'thank you' at Julie before following the other two out of the room. Taking a seat on the sofa beside Zach, one by one, he carefully examined the photos of the theater the younger man had found. Leaning over their shoulders, Bam whistled silently in dismay, which, unfortunately, was pretty much Wyatt's initial reaction, too. Grauman's Egyptian Theater was a beautiful, historic old place, but from a security standpoint, looked like a logistical nightmare.
"Shit, Wy, what were these movie people thinking, picking someplace like this?" he exclaimed, echoing Wyatt's thoughts exactly. As far as he could see, there was only one entrance, the one fronting Hollywood Boulevard, and with buildings on either side of the otherwise spacious courtyard, the whole effect was rather claustrophobic. Boxed-in palm trees lined the walkway, which he imagined only made the cramped feeling worse once the courtyard was filled with people.
'Shit' was an understatement. It was going to be unbelievably noisy, dangerously crowded-and every instinct Wyatt had was screaming at him to keep Lucy away from there. He could try once more on the drive back to L.A. to dissuade her, but in his heart, knew it was unlikely his sweet but oh-so-stubborn professor would change her mind. Better to just accept that right now and come up with a rock-solid plan to get all three of them safely through the damn thing. Dropping the iPad on the table in front of him, Wyatt took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, then, this is what we're gonna do..."
A/N: Oh, no! Not a cliffhanger! Sorry, readers, I fully intended to take this chapter a bit farther, but as usual, got all carried away...Is is any wonder this chapter pushes the word count past 100,000? Yikes :p I really appreciate your patience with how slowly this story is moving along, as well as the incredible amount of support from everyone–you make writing such a pleasure. Thank you so much for all the favorites, follows and encouraging reviews because they mean more to me than you can imagine. Special shout out also to all my Timeless friends on Twitter (you know who you are)...