Page 21 of Charm Me
“Wyatt was telling me stories about the pranks his sisters pulled on his father. They reminded me of the crazy things you’d do when you were a teenager.”
I tossed my head back on the chair, my embarrassment level increasing by the second. “Please tell me you weren’t out here telling Wyatt stories about me.”
“Only the good ones, princess.” Dad leaned forward for a bite of cheese and winked at me. I felt Wyatt’s eyes on me, but I stared at the label on my beer instead. Seeing him and Daddy get on so well was doing wonders at breaking my willpower. Anymore interactions like this, and I’d be begging Wyatt to do a lot more than just kiss me.
***
I SAT THE LAST OF THEdinner plates to be washed on the counter while Momma packed up the remaining leftovers. Daddy had already retired for the evening since he had to get up early to care for the horses. I glanced toward the kitchen sink and couldn’t believe Wyatt was washing dishes in my parents’ house.
Mr. Rough-and-Rugged-Sexy-Cowboy, CEO of a billion-dollar company gently squeezed a soapy sponge over my Momma’s fine china like it was a delicate flower that could easily break under his strong grip. And of course my mind immediately imagined his strong grip on my hips while he gently brushed that wet, soapy sponge across my body and down to my ...
Fuck. This man was seriously turning me inside out and making my body ache in places I didn’t know could ache like that. Wyatt had never looked sexier in his tight ass wranglers as his hips slightly swayed while scrubbing dishes. Who knew watching a man wash dishes could be so sexy.
“Well, kids. I’m going to leave you to it and turn in.” Momma’s voice dragged my eyes away from Wyatt’s ass. She stood next to the center island with her arms crossed over her chest watching me with a warning in her eye. Busted.
“Goodnight, Momma. We’ll finish cleaning up before we turn in.” I ignored the expression on her face and wrapped my arms around her in a warm embrace. I could no longer see the look of concern on her face, but I could still feel it in the tension she held in her body.
My mom had always worried about me when it came to boys, and rightfully so. It wasn’t like I had a good track record or made rational decisions when it came to the men I’d dated. Even in high school, I fell hard and fast. I would give my heart away before I’d taken the time to really get to know the other person. That was certainly what I’d done with Michael. I allowed myself to get lost in his good looks and false charm before I really knew who he was. That was how I ended up with a broken heart by a man who was secretly dating another woman. I later found out they were engaged. I felt rightly stupid that I fell for a man like that.
Despite my past mistakes, my eyes were open wide enough to see that Wyatt was nothing like Michael or any other man I’d dated. He was sincere, kind, and his charm was real. Of that, I had no doubt. But that didn’t mean he still wasn’t capable of breaking my heart if I didn’t guard it well.
“Goodnight Sarah. Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.” Wyatt’s thick, gravelly voice isolated the ache in my body to one place and I pressed my thighs together again. My body was more than ready to let that man relieve the growing need I was trying so hard to deny.
But all that came to a screeching halt when Momma pulled him into a deep hug.
What the hell?
My mom had never once, ever, hugged one of my boyfriends. Not that Wyatt was my boyfriend, but that was beside the point. This was a shocking display of affection from my mom, especially considering the hardened glares I keep getting from her.
“You’re more than welcome. Help yourself to anything you need, and we’ll see you at breakfast.” Momma patted him on the cheek before blowing me a kiss goodnight and leaving us alone in the kitchen.
Wyatt’s grin melted every ounce of the tension I’d held in from my mom’s watchful eye. Yep, definitely not going to make it through the rest of this week with that smile taunting me. “I can finish these up if you want to grab a drink and sit on the porch. It’s nice out there on cool evenings like this.”
“I’m almost done here, but you can dry.” He tossed me the dishtowel he had thrown over his shoulder before he turned back around to the sink and started washing again.
What the hell was he up to? So far, he’d honored my request, or rather demand, that nothing more could happen between us. I appreciated that he respected me enough to listen but fuck me already. With every word he spoke, every smile he threw my way, and every time he didn’t touch me, all he’d managed to do was make me want him more. For the love of God, he won over my parents and no man ever accomplished that after months, or even years, of dating. Yet he managed to do it in one day.
“Wyatt, where is—” I was just about to ask him where this thing between us was going, because there was definitely something between us, when a light flashed in his back pocket. “Your ass is lit up.”
He regarded me with a contemplative eye before realization hit and he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. “Excuse me, but I need to take this.”
I swallowed my aching need and held my eyes on his. “Of course. I’ll finish up in here and bring out a couple drinks when I’m done.”
He threw me a weak smile and answered the call. “Abby. Is everything okay?”
He disappeared to the back porch and as soon as the door shut, the kitchen silenced. I didn’t miss the hint of worry in his tone or the pained look in his eyes, and my chest twinged knowing there was nothing I could do to make it better. He didn’t tell me much about his sister, but I sensed they were estranged, and the separation had strained his family. The urge to go to him and comfort him was strong, but it wasn’t my place because he wasn’t mine. He was a potential client, nothing more. That was, after all, exactly what I asked for.
I sighed and started on the dishes.
Two more days. That was all I had left with him and as long as I could stay strong and stop myself from falling into his piercing green gaze, I’d be just fine.
Now I just had to convince myself that was true.
***
WYATT WAS STARING INTOthe darkness when I stepped out onto the back porch. The pain and worry he wore when he stepped outside had turned to sadness. My insides twisted and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and kiss him until he forgot about whatever it was that put that tortured look on his face.
I sat down next to him on the porch swing and handed him a drink. He gave me a sideways glance with raised brows. A hint of amusement crossed his face, but he didn’t smile.