Page 22 of Charm Me
“What’s this?” He stuck a finger in the dollop of whipped cream I added to the top and licked it clean.
“Hot buttered bourbon. It’s one of my favorite drinks, especially on cool nights like this. Warm, sweet, and spicy. Drink it. It’s good.” I licked just enough of the whipped cream off the top of mine so I could take a drink without sticking my nose in it and embarrassing myself. The warmth from the spiced rum and cinnamon were enough to heat my insides, but it was Wyatt’s closeness that really had me on fire. The minute I sat down next to him; his body heat consumed me.
He took a drink, paused, and then took another. “You’re right. It is good.”
He stared into the darkness; the solemn look on his face taking over again. We sat in silence, each taking sips of our drink every few minutes. The minutes seemed to go on forever and I wished like hell I could say it was a comfortable silence, but it wasn’t.
The heat between us dissipated and the longer the silence persisted the awkwardness increased. Even more so than on Monday morning when I anxiously waited to see his reaction when he realized I was the woman who fell onto his lap in the cab the night before.
I couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t result in me craving to stick my tongue in his mouth even more than I already did. Based on his mood, I figured that would be a bad idea. Was it me or the call he just ended?
My mind was so clouded by my attraction to him, I struggled to recall why we were there. Sitting alone on my parents’ back porch fantasizing about sex with a man I had only known for a few days was the last thing I needed to be doing.
What was I doing here?
Work. I was here for work. Get it together, Zoe.
“Any questions so far about the local collaborations and the rentals?” I kept my eyes in front of me and based on the chill crawled across my skin, he did too. Because when he looked at me, my body burned and right now I was cold.
We were both trying too hard to pretend the other wasn’t there. At least I hoped that was what the distance I sensed from him meant. I was pretty sure I hadn’t misread a single one of his signals. I knew he wanted me just as badly as I wanted him but based on his immediate behavior, I would’ve sworn he wanted nothing more to do with me.
“I don’t think so. I’ve already created a mental list of several businesses I think we could work with.” His lip twitched and his eyes roamed around the porch, hitting every surface except me. “I might have questions after tomorrow. I’m more interested in seein’ how you’ve created trails and activities on the property.”
I took a healthy gulp of my drink in the hopes that it would chase away the chill that now hovered between us, but it failed. “Momma said she’d pack a lunch for us so we can eat by the lake. There’s a nice picnic area with a corral for the horses. After lunch I can take you on a few of the hiking trails.”
“Sounds fun.” He drank the last of his drink and stood.
He towered over me and when he shifted his eyes toward me, I sucked in a breath. His eyes darkened and the heat I was missing just moments ago pushed away the chill and wrapped around me like a wool blanket. He brushed his fingers along the line of my jaw and my skin burned from his touch.
“Goodnight, Zoe.” I sensed regret in his tone. If that look and the graze of his fingers across my face meant anything, he wanted me. But that didn’t seem to matter. He still walked.
I don’t know how long I sat on the porch alone. But I stayed there until my hands and feet were so cold, they were numb. Summer may almost be upon us, but the nights were still cold. I went inside, washed up our glasses and went to bed more determined than ever to push Wyatt out of my mind.
I couldn’t let him have this much control over my thoughts. He was just a man. Albeit, a very handsome and sexy man, but a man, nonetheless. A man who lived halfway across the country. I had to squash these feelings and put him out of my mind. Tomorrow, I would maintain my distance from Wyatt Strong and focus on work.