Unexpectedly Hers(35)

“Oh, no. It’s no joke. He chuckled about it all through dinner. Apparently he issued a stern warning that anyone who messed with your heart would answer to him and Grey, then he baited Wyatt with a bet.” Kelsey’s feminine giggle rippled through the phone.

“What?” Emma slapped her hand to her forehead. “Listen, Kelsey, I know a bet brought you and Trip together, but unlike you, I didn’t agree to participate in any wager. I do not want to be the subject of one, either. You tell Trip to rescind it tomorrow. I mean it. Good grief, like I don’t have enough to deal with.”

“You’re such a party pooper. Come on, live a little. Especially this month, with your mom away. Back in July you admitted it’d been eons since you’d had sex, and I don’t imagine that’s changed. Why not take advantage of this golden opportunity? What’ve you got to lose?”

Kelsey had always jumped into everything without a moment’s hesitation. It made her eminently fun and easy to be around, but it also had caused her no shortage of heartache. Her reputation had taken a few hits over the years, too. And when her and Trip’s secret sex life went public, tongues had wagged all over town.

All things considered, impulsiveness didn’t seem like a good plan to Emma.

“My reputation. My pride. My dignity.” My heart.

“Fine. I won’t bring it up again.” Kelsey fell silent for two seconds. “Before I hang up, you still have time to bake the cupcakes for the engagement party next weekend, right?”

“Red velvet, your favorite.”

“Thanks, Em.” Kelsey snickered. “So, I guess you won’t be bringing Wyatt as your date, then?”

Emma scowled. “You said you’d drop it.”

“When have you ever known ‘Boomerang’ to drop anything?” Kelsey laughed, which proved how far she’d come. She’d turned that horrible nickname that Grey had coined for her former stalker tendencies into some kind of badge of honor. In a way, Emma did envy Kelsey’s devil-may-care attitude, even though she didn’t believe she could live with the consequences as blithely as her friend. Then again, Kelsey’s bold maneuvers had led her to happiness, while Emma’s caution had not.

Naturally, Wyatt reappeared before Emma had hung up. “Kels, I’ve got to go. I’m baking for the Care Center now.”

“Emma Duffy, it’s high time you consider cookin’ something other than food in your kitchen,” Kelsey sang before she hung up.

Emma set the phone down and stared at it, afraid to face Wyatt. She could actually feel the blush creeping up her body. Had he really told Trip he had a crush on her? It didn’t seem possible. Trip must’ve misunderstood.

But a bet could explain Wyatt’s sudden interest in coming to the Care Center. What a lame schoolboy diversion to keep him from thinking about the avalanche and the huge task ahead. Shouldn’t surprise her, though, given his age.

How foolish of her, to forget all of her mom’s lessons and fall for his “everyone likes to be needed” line. She could turn on him now and confront him, or she could use this knowledge to her advantage. Torture him a bit to make him pay for being an ass, and then turn him down.

’Cause if he’d made a bet, he was going to lose. She’d make sure of that.





Chapter Six

Before facing Wyatt, she unbuttoned her outer sweater and removed it to reveal the snug, V-necked T-shirt beneath. With a friendly smile fixed in place, she turned and hoped her eyes twinkled with the mischief she planned to cause.

“Sorry, I got sidetracked.” She watched his gaze home in on her cleavage. To his credit, he didn’t let it linger overlong before it flicked back up to her face. “I need a few minutes to mix up the icing.”

“That’s cool. Mind if I hang out?”

“Why would I mind?” She strolled to the refrigerator to get the separated egg whites and butter, making sure to add a tiny oomph to each sway of her hips. “There’s a stool by the back door if you’d like to sit and rest your knee.”

“Later.” He rested his butt against the counter while she whipped the egg whites and added confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.

Emma swallowed hard because, aside from the fact that he was fully clothed, he looked exactly as she’d envisioned Dallas in the kitchen scene of her book. The one where he bent her, er—Ella over the counter and made use of a rubber spatula then secured her hands on the counter and took her from behind. Do not call him Dallas. Do not call him Dallas.

“Did you know that confectioners’ sugar actually has a little cornstarch in it?” he asked.