Page 32 of Winning His Wager

Of course, she did. Ben looked at Dusty with that oatmeal cookie hungry look all the time. The difference was, Dusty just knew what to do about it.

Dylan didn’t have a clue.

19

Fletcher might have imagined it,but he almost swore the crowd got quiet. The world kind of stood still for just half a moment. Those were eight incredibly beautiful women standing right there. From Dorie all the way up to Darcy.

People still gossiped about the missing Talleys. He suspected they would for a while. Especially with them looking like that. And being available. They were also rarely all eight in the same place and the same time.

He had no doubt rumors would fly about Dylan as soon as that damned McBubbles showed up too. People talked. Especially in small towns. Especially about beautiful women—and the men they might be messing with. Dylan was right in the center of the Talley girls now.

Dylan was the smallest of her sisters, but she was just as hot as Darcey or Dusty, or any of the others. She drew eyes. First because of the unique color of her hair—Marin, did too, he had noticed—and second because of the vitality.

The woman just seemed soalive.It was hard for a man not to watch her. She could make a man dizzy, though. Unless the man was prepared.

“See you brought your housekeeper,” his cousin Derrick said behind him. “She tired of keeping you yet? I’m gladly here to replace you if needed.”

Fletcher told him exactly what he thought about that question. As she and her sisters just stood there, talking about something amongst the eight of them.

“Those are eight of the hottest women I have seen in a long, long while. Then again, those are eight of the ten hottest women in the county. The other two are Marin and Meyra. So…since I am ready to catch my own Tyler bride very, very soon and settle down to make more Tylers, which one will it be?”

Derrick was a damned idiot. “Go away.”

“I am going to go over there and ask that beautiful Talley woman in the red dress if she would like to dance with the better Tyler.”

“Hands off. Or I’ll break them.” The words just came out. And he played right into Derrick’s hands. Damn it. His cousin was such an asshole.

“Like that, is it?” His cousin smirked at him. “Then why are you over here with me and the boys when you can go wrap yourself around her?”

“That’s a damned good question. I have some things to say to her right now.” Like what, he didn’t have a clue. But that asshole Mateo Hauffman was crossing the room—with one woman in his sights now.

And that was just not going to happen.

Fletcher was closer. He was going to beat Hauffman there, no matter what. It took him a moment, there were people between them, but he was going to get there first.

* * *

Dylan looked up.Into diamond blue eyes. “What?”

“I said, dance with me first.”

“Why would I do that? Housekeeper, remember?”

“Then keep me safe from the money-hungry women among us. Your job will be in jeopardy if that one in the purple dress gets ahold of me.”

Dylan looked past him. Saw who he meant. If it had been anyone other thanher,she would have told him no. But letting Abby Vanderguard have him—absolutely not. “You owe me.”

“I’ll pay up eventually.” He wrapped his fingers around hers. And then Dylan was letting him lead her to the dance floor. Right in front of everyone. And it felt like everyone was watching them now.

His hands slipped around her waist as the music turned slow.

Dylan fought the urge to shiver and press closer. The man felt so…warm. She could smell him all around her. Which was seriously weird, considering there were a hundred people surrounding them right now. He took care of that, and just pulled her close. Almost as close as Ben was holding her sister right now. Or superhot Gil was wrapping himself around Sage. No sense denying it—Dylan wanted to cuddle so much closer.

“You scared? Afraid I’ll do something I shouldn’t?” he asked so quietly no one else would ever hear him.

“Dylan Brown is never afraid of anything. Talley, I mean.”

“Then come closer. You are so small a man has to hold you real close.” His hands felt so hot as he pulled her closer. So, so close. She could feel him and smell him and every nerve in her body started to tingle.