Even a man like Wyatt. Son of the biggest playboy central Texas had ever seen. A man who'd had more women than Casanova if rumors were to be believed.
She believed them. She'd seen Boots running through town in his fast car with glamorous women in the front seat.
But that didn't stop her.
No. Tonight she was standing in the doorway waiting for a man who had heartbreaker written all over him from the tip of his hand-tooled Kelly boots to the top of his close cropped brown hair.
Wyatt.
If it were any other man she'd walk away, but not from him.
"You waited."
"You intrigue me," she admitted.
Wow, she was reduced to that. All the charm she'd had earlier was gone. She was excited and a little bit nervous. She wasn't wildly experienced. She'd had sex. It had been okay. Nothing to make her feel like she'd had a transcendental experience. To be fair she was almost afraid to think that anything with Wyatt would be great.
She stood there wondering if she should just walk away. Let this be. Except it wasn't in her nature to back down. Never had been.
"How about a walk along the Pedernales with me?" she asked. "I'm too wound up to go home and head to bed."
He didn't answer just pulled her into his arms. "You're in my head."
His voice was low, sexy. If she'd just let go she could find out everything she wanted to know about Wyatt. Learn more about the man behind the legend.
"Is that a good thing?" she asked.
"I think so."
She wanted to laugh at him but couldn't. What he was saying was exactly what she was feeling. What if tonight was the only night she had with him? Would that be enough?
He tipped his head to the side studying her. "Want to see my place in town," he said. "I have an apartment that is more me anyway than a suite at my dad's place."
"I'm sorry about your dad," she said.
"Me too. I miss the old coot. I think he'd have gotten a kick out of seeing all four of us together. You ready to go?"
"All four sons," she said, putting her hand on his arm. "Do you feel like brothers now? That must have been hard," she said.
He laced his fingers through hers and led her away from the house. "Weirder than you can imagine. But the Blues-Nicholas and Xander-they are a lot like us."
"Seemed like it tonight," she said. "I always wanted to have a big family."
"Really? Why?" he asked.
"It was always just me and mom and then in the summer when I came here I had Ariana. We are close like I imagine sisters would be."
"One thing living with the Blues has taught me is that blood may bind us together but we are choosing to be a family. Just like you and Ariana."
He led her to the valet and she handed her ticket to the attendant.
There were other people in line. She shrank back from the stares. But knew that if she was hanging out with a Kelly in Whiskey River people were bound to talk.
Wyatt squeezed her hand as the valet returned with her car. He kissed her slowly, lingerly and all the doubts disappeared. He helped her into her car and then walked toward his pick-up truck. She pulled away from the valet area.
She followed him through town in her Audi TT. His pick-up truck moving at a sedate pace. She texted Ariana to say she was staying in town with a friend and then turned her phone off. She was going to pretend that she and Wyatt were the only two people in the world tonight.
She was passing through a bit of magic tonight and she wanted to own it. To claim it as her own.
Wyatt pulled into his garage and she parked her car next to his in the guest spot. She met him at the garage door, and he took her hand in his. Looked down at the bangle on her arm. The one that Kelly Boots had made for the gala. He ran his finger over the intricate leather and gem encrusted bracelet. As he entered his private elevator and used the key code to activate it.
"If you change your mind," he said.
"I won't."
She went up on tiptoe and kissed him. The moment their lips touched she was gone. It was everything that brief kiss in the ballroom had promised it would be. His lips were soft but firm, moving over hers like he owned her.
And he did. Tonight. In this moment she knew she was gone. She'd left the real Juliette behind and become a different woman for this night. One of moonlight and magic.
Wrapping both of his arms around her hips, he lifted her off the ground. She put her hands on the side of his face and kissed him, thrust her tongue deep into his mouth and tasted passion, margaritas and something she'd never experienced before.
She was hungry and couldn't get enough of him. He lifted his head, rubbing his lips over hers and then dropping little kisses along her jaw. He set her on her feet and stepped back.
She stood there in her ball gown and fancy boots but felt naked as he watched her. It was the first time she'd felt this kind of lust.
He held his hand out to her and she took it following him out of the elevator and into the foyer of his penthouse apartment.
Wyatt's place revealed nothing about the man to Juliette. It was decorated in what she thought of as the stark and modern style. The floors were tiled with thick Mexican style rugs on them. Her heels were loud, echoing down the hallway as they walked.
She was nervous.
Ha.
She'd slept with men before, some of them just for one night so why was she so … excited, nervous, lusty?
Maybe it was the fact that she was home and not a foreigner. Maybe it was the fact that it was Wyatt. No two ways about it, he was different than other men. "Second thoughts?" he asked. "I wouldn't blame you."
"I'd never forgive myself if I left here without knowing if you ever take your boots off," she said, trying for casual flirty but her voice sounded thready to her own ears.
What did it say that her body was betraying her? Belonging to anyone had always been … well something just out of her grasp. Wyatt was the wrong man to be having any sort of deep emotion for. She needed to remember that. Just enjoy the ride.
He put his hand on her shoulder, comforting her with a squeeze before he walked past her. "Come on, then. I drink with my boots on."
She followed him into a living room with a large leather couch dominating it. There were two big armchairs that looked like they'd be so comfy to curl up in and read a book she noted when he flipped on the lights. A large screen t.v. held a place of prominence in the room over the stone walled fireplace.
She trailed over to the bookcases that lined the wall next to the fireplace as she heard Wyatt moving behind her. She heard the clink of ice as she ran her fingers over the spines of the books that were all leather bound and very serious looking until she glanced down.
She stooped to find row of well-read Louis L'Armor books on the bottom shelf.
"Dang, you found my secret."
"Cowboy fiction?"
"Yeah. Mom was huge on reading but I just couldn't get into it when I was little until one time my Abuelita left this on my nightstand. I was hooked."
She stood up as he approached and handed her a glass with ice and what looked like Whiskey in it. "I was that way but with Judy Blume."
"Blubber, right? We had to read it in sixth grade. Didn't really like it," he said.
"Yes. And Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. Ariana would kill for saying this but we marched around that entire summer we were twelve chanting about increasing our busts," she said.
Wyatt laughed. "You're secret is safe with me."
She believed him. There was something in his eyes that made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world. Not just for tonight …
He lifted his glass to hers. "To trust."
She tapped her glass to his and then took a sip. The whiskey was smooth going down and she realized that she was here because she wanted to be. She was afraid of what would happen tomorrow but the truth of the matter was that none of her plans had worked out. So maybe going off track was a good idea.
"What do you read now?" he asked.
She smiled grateful for the distraction from her own thoughts. Could she trust him? Was this just a mistake? She was afraid it might be but too attracted to him to leave. "Thrillers, fiction mostly, though I'm always working. Trying to figure out how to take Lavender Dreams from Whiskey River to the world."
"Is that important?" he asked.
"Asks the man whose boots are worn by Japanese billionaires and European royalty," she said. She didn't feel judged by Wyatt but people sometimes thought her blind ambition in business was too intense.
"Touché," he said. "Do you have a plan?"
"We do. And once we get the factory refitted and working I think we will be in a position to get our new lotion out to the world. I've been working on getting us some national attention."
"I noticed you handed out the lotion in the goodie bags tonight."