Page 27 of Winning His Wager

His face tightened. No, she hadn’t missed that. “Are you angry at Quade for something? I thought you were friends?”

“We are. And no. I am not angry with him. I just don’t think you need to be going around with him. He’s sophisticated. Worldly.”

“And I’m not woman enough for a man like Quade, I get it.”

There went his blood pressure again. He almostgrowled¸this time.

“Stop that bullshit, Dylan. You are plenty woman enough for any man, and we both damned well know that. Probably too much, actually. Hell, as soon as we get in there, fifteen men will be panting all over you. I’m sorry I said that that night. I was just pissed over my truck. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He parked the truck in question. “Stay there. I’ll get you. There is probably ice in the lot and in those heels…”

Dylan dutifully did what he said. He was the boss, after all. And she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t want to fall on her rear end. Or get wet, slushy feet in her nice shoes.

He opened her door. And was just standing there. Looking at her in the fading light as the sun set behind him. Dylan tilted her head and looked at him as she worked her way through what he had said. “Fifteen guys, huh? That would be a bit overwhelming, honestly. I just would like to findone,please. One who…really understands me. But, well, maybe eventually. I mean, Darcey is thirty, and she’s still doing the single thing. Of course, I have my opinions on that, but…I don’t want to be alone forever. I want kids while I am still young enough to play with them. My parents never really played with us, you know? They were either too busy, or Mom was freaking over something, or dad was at work. Or too tired.”

“You never stop talking, do you?” His hands went around her hips, flexed. Dylan held back a shiver. Overhim? Seriously. No. Not going to happen.

“Probably not. I have been told I even talk in my sleep. I came up with a brownie recipe once. Devaney wrote it down. It wasn’t half bad. It had a wild amount of chocolate in it, though.”

She let him lift her out. He liked to lift her. Dylan wasn’t crazy. She thought it gave him a real power trip to be that much bigger than she was or something. To have her under his hands, his control. He had been touching her a lot more lately. It just sort of kept happening.

Well, she didn’t half mind. It always happened when she knew she was getting beneath his skin. He was incredibly strong and everything. Probably from all that ranch work. Weren’t cowboy ranchers all lean, strong, and hard from years of hard work?

He smelled good too.

Yes, she could see why Abby and Braelyn had said he was one of the hottest Tylers out there right now. Of course, she suspected Abby liked him because of the ranch he had rather than how hot he was.

Abby was a bit money hungry—it was obvious that Fletcher was going to really succeed one day. Fletcher’s brothers were both rolling in the dough. Abby liked men with money, after all.

He just stood there, with her pressed against him. He looked down. At the neckline of her dress. His eyes darkened. Literally darkened.

Dylan’s every sense went on red alert. Just that fast.

She’d seen him look at an oatmeal cream cookie just like that.

He lookedhungry.

Almost turned on a little.

Well.

That was not something she had expected. Dylan fought a shiver. Her every nerve was tingling here. ForFletcher.

Um. That was a complication she had never even considered. “Fletcher, probably better put me down. My sisters are arriving. They might get the wrong idea here. Think you are my date or something.”

“Who the hell cares? Would that be so damned bad?”

But he lowered her to the ground slowly.

Letting every inch of her press against him.

Totally confusing her completely.

16

Dixie Talley had always enjoyedthe community dances. She expected tonight to be just as enjoyable. Especially since the Talleys weren’t catering this one. They’d catered the last two, and if it hadn’t been for her youngest four sisters pulling their weight, they wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. She had to hand it to Dylan and the rest—they were exceptionally hard workers.

But Dixie was worried about them.

Especially Dylan.