Wyatt took a huge bite of the tamales and chewed slowly to give himself time to think. He had no idea how to answer that.
"I do know what you mean," Wyatt said. But he meant about getting the piss scared out of him. Until Nicholas had mentioned it, he hadn't realized that was what Juliette did to him. There had been a sea of beautiful women at the gala, why had he been drawn to her?
"Man, you have got it bad. You know she got to you," Nicholas said.
"It's not like that. We have been dancing around each other for a while. It was just … ," Just what? It wasn't curiosity or scratching an itch. It was more than that. But at the same time just for one night.
"Can I ask you not to say anything to the others about Juliette?" Wyatt asked at last. "We aren't going to be a couple and since Ariana seems to be in Trey's life for the foreseeable future I don't want things to be weird."
Nicholas levelled a look at him that Wyatt had seen from his father about a dozen times in his life. Those times when Wyatt had needed someone to have his back. "You got it. But a woman like that isn't a one night girl, you know what I mean?"
He did know exactly what Nicholas meant. But she hadn't wanted longer.
Hell.
That pissed him off. She'd wanted one night and taken it and left. He would feel used except that was exactly what he'd signed up for. He had nothing to bitch about.
"She's got other things going on," Wyatt said.
"Damn, man, you need to up your game if that's the case," Nicholas said.
"Shut your trap, my game is just fine."
"Whatever you say, man, but you're here alone, chewing the fat with me instead of holding your woman."
Wyatt was tired of the conversation and Nicholas. "Night."
He pushed to his feet and walked out of the kitchen. He entered Boots' suite and walked over to the bed but sleep was the last thing he wanted. Instead he walked out onto the porch with its large armchair and sat down.
He didn't want anyone thinking she'd gotten the better of him. No woman got the better of Wyatt Kelly.
Juliette calmed the dogs down and went up to her bedroom but even after she changed into her cotton nightgown she found that sleep eluded her. She tossed and turned on her bed, waiting until the alarm went off so she could get up and get out of bed.
What had seemed fun and daring in the middle of the gala had turned out to be too damned real. She'd wanted to go for something in her personal life, to find the same passion for living she had for making money, but the truth was money was cold. Businesses were run by balance sheets and ledgers and she freaking understood them.
This feeling in her stomach … she didn't get it.
She wondered where Wyatt was? Still in his penthouse in Whiksey River or back at the Kelly Ranch? What was he thinking?
Ugh!
She got out of bed, dressed and went downstairs she heard the sounds of Ariana and Chloe in the kitchen and hesitated deciding maybe she'd go for a ride.
"Hold it," Arian said. "No sneaking out until I hear about why you were sneaking in at five a.m."
"Dang dogs gave me away." She glanced over her shoulder at her cousin and then past her to see if Trey was here. "Uh, is it just us girls?"
"Yes. Trey went home to help clean up, and he has a buyer coming in today."
Juliette walked toward her cousin. She needed … a shoulder to cry on. She didn't regret what had happened last night, she just needed some sympathy. Being strong and standing on her own was hard some mornings. This one especially.
Chloe had a French press sitting in the middle of the table in the breakfast nook and a basket of fresh muffins. Chloe was already sitting there.
"You okay?" Chloe asked.
She had to shake this off. She'd told Wyatt what happened would stay between them. That it would be their secret. That she'd be fine in the morning. She'd lied.
She hadn't realized it until now.
"I need coffee. That party was something else," Juliette said. "I noticed that everyone was taking one of our gift bags.
"I noticed that too. As much as I wasn't sure about it, I think giving away the little bags was a brilliant idea," Ariana said. "Now we just have to get the factory refitted."
"I have a plan for that," Juliette said. Pouring herself a cup of coffee and grabbing a muffin. She was good at plans. Stick to the plan, she thought. Be cool. Don't go all emotional. But she wanted to. She wanted to talk to Chloe and Ariana and get their advice. Or at the very least their sympathy.
By pretending she was okay she was starting to feel a little bit normal. Last night was incredible, but it was one night. She couldn't feel lonely now because she liked being alone. She'd chosen this path for herself.
She took a bite of the blueberry muffin and closed her eyes. But when she did she saw that intense look in Wyatt's eyes, the one he'd had as he'd made love to her on his couch.
She opened her eyes and both Chloe and Ariana were staring at her.
"Okay spill. And don't think either of us is going to buy a guy wasn't involved," Ariana said.
"What? Why not?"
"Um, you have beard burn on your neck," Ariana pointed out.
"And I saw you with Wyatt," Chloe said. "I encouraged you to after him. Please tell me that I didn't force you to make a mistake."
Juliette drew the collar of her shirt closer around her neck and then put her hands down. No use denying it. She looked at Chloe.
"You didn't force me to do anything. I was … " Seduced. By the moonlight and by Wyatt. "I went home with Wyatt."
"Alright now we are getting somewhere," Ariana said. "Spill."
"Spill what?" Was she supposed to tell them the details of their lovemaking? She had never really had close girlfriends and a sexy-ass man in her life at the same time before.
"Nothing x-rated. When are you seeing him again?" Ariana said with a grin.
Juliette picked up her coffee and took a careful swallow of it and Chloe gave her a knowing look.
"You're not seeing him again, are you?"
"No," Juliette said. "We're both too busy for a relationship."
"He is a player like his dad. All the Kellys are and it looks like the Blues are too," Chloe said.
"But that's with other women not my cousin," Ariana said.
Juliette loved her cousin for her belief that Wyatt would see her differently. But the reality was … well what it was. She was here and he was wherever he was. They were going to be doing their own individual thing.
"Thanks. But I think it's better this way. I'm not really loveable and-"
"Pfft."
"Stop it. I'm bossy and have to have things my way. Besides with the new lotion and my plans for global domination, I don't have time for a relationship," Juliette said.
"What about a lover?" Chloe asked. "Everyone has time for a lover."
She gave Chloe a hard look and her friend just stared back at her. "Where's your lover?"
"I haven't found one yet," she said.
"I have one," Ariana said and then laughed.
They all started laughing and smiling. And the black hole feeling inside of her went away. She was okay. Last night had been incredible and she'd always cherish it but her life was about more than sex. Even awesome sex with Wyatt Kelly. Her life was about her family and lavender.
They finished their breakfast and Chloe went out to work in her vegetable garden and Ariana went to her workshop in the back. They'd be moving her lab to the factory once they got it sorted out.
Juliette went into town to look at the old factory. She walked around the place trying to envision it all new with the equipment they needed to manufacture not just their lotion but also the bath salts and other lavender products they made for their store.
She remembered the bath she'd shared with Wyatt and got in her car to drive back home. When she got there she saddled her horse, Victoria, and rode out along their property line. Riding made her feel free.
It was something she'd missed when she'd lived in Paris. She rode until she got the end of their property and then got off her horse to walk for a little while. She heard the sound of hooves and glanced up to see Wyatt riding toward her.
He stopped his horse a few feet from her and just watched her for a second.
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Are we strangers again?" he asked.
"I'm not sure what you want me to be," she answered honestly.
"Is that why you left without saying goodbye?"
"I thought that it would be easier," she said. Easier on him or her she couldn't say. And it hadn't been anyway. It had been hard for her. But she thought it had made her seem like the stronger of the two but she was afraid she might have revealed that she was weaker. That she'd left him before dawn because she felt that leaving in the bright light of day would have been much harder.