Because it was also your brother and great-grandmother. Lita’s my scapegoat who I thought you couldn’t possibly know. She and Nicholas weren’t really a thing. I can’t imagine she met the family.
“Honestly, if I’d known you knew each other, I wouldn’t have told you. I’m kind of sorry I did. She was just being protective!”
He parks in the middle of our quiet road, glancing up the steps and picturing her face. “Of course she’d warn you!”
On a deep breath, I confess. “Well, now that you know…thing is, she cared about him.”
Wyatt locks eyes with me, sees I’m serious. “Really? They just hooked up.”
“Sometimes that means more to women than men.”
Wyatt stares at me, not quite believing. “But he was banging everyone back then. How could she think…” he trails off, shutting his mouth before he says something even dumber.
“Exactly. How could she think…” I let the implication that I have nothing to hope for here, either, hang in the air.
“Look, Diana—”
“It’s okay. I even told her that! I know who you are. I saw how they reacted to you tonight everywhere we went.”
He mumbles, looking anywhere but at me, “You don’t strike me as the insecure type.”
“Hey!” I snap, sitting straighter. “I’m not!” He’s still not meeting my eyes, so I smack his thick leg. “Wyatt, cut it out.”
“What?!”
“I don’t have to be insecure to not want…” Turning in my seat, I mutter, “Forget it,” and unlock the door.
“Hey.”
As soon as I open it, he’s out, leaping to the asphalt and running around to help me down. But my feet are planted before he makes it. “Too late.”
“Uh uh,” he growls, lifting me up in a different way this time, like he’s carrying me over a threshold, away from King Kong, or something equally heroic.
“I can walk!”
But Wyatt’s eyes are stone-cold-stubborn as he marches up our steps. I’m staring at his handsome face, so close I can see pores. His eyes have flecks of blue and brown and green even though they seem mostly brown from far away. Hazel, is that what color this is? Is there blue in hazel? They’re beautiful, and as he carefully stands me up I’m still staring at him.
Wyatt looks at me, brow furrowing. Mine is too. Our lips part to speak, but I grab his head and kiss him. He responds and backs me into the door, his mouth blending with mine, his hands clutching my waist, grip firm and controlling. I press my breasts into his chest, smash myself against unforgiving muscles as our tongues are at war.
We gasp, breaking free to stare for a second like we don’t know what’s happening, then back at it with kisses that consume my consciousness.
He drags his lips away and buries his face in my hair, licking my sensitive earlobe and groaning, “I want you.”
Fuck my reservations.
My body is screaming for his skin.
Heat between my legs thrashing.
I pant, “I want you, too,” claw at his shirt, “So bad. I can feel how hard you are,” and press my hips into him, excited by his hot bulge that promises big things.
Wyatt growls, licks my neck, and comes back to claim my lips as I grind against his hungry erection. We moan into each other, so delicious, my senses fogging up.
Suddenly Wyatt tears away.
“What are you doing?” I breathe, fingers sliding down my stomach to seek out the ache between my legs. “Come back.”
From the side, like a wild animal spotting a trap, he watches me. “No.”
Confused, I whisper, “Why not?”
He blinks to the porch floor like he can’t believe what he’s saying.
Someone honks from the street and we look over. “Hey, is this your Jeep?”
It’s a big truck and it can’t get around, parked cars on both sides, and Wyatt’s vehicle idling over the yellow line. “Be right there!” he shouts, rushing to pull me to him so fast I gasp. “Diana, I want to fuck you. Don’t think I don’t. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He kisses me hard, and I start to slip my fingers into his hair, but he grabs my hands, gives them back to me like they’re a gift he can’t accept, and walks away, jumping down the steps and waving to the waiting driver.
Before he disappears into his Jeep, Wyatt locks eyes with me. “Tomorrow!”
I cross my arms, hug myself to ebb the cold his absence left behind. As glowing red taillights fade away I blink down and realize he has my bag.
Again I’m without a key.
And my phone!
Lita answers the door, eyes bleary. “I hear you! God, stop knocking so loud. You’re going to wake up the whole city!”
Dejected, I mutter, “I tried quieter. You didn’t answer.”
She widens the space and watches me trudge in, her voice wary while the deadbolt clicks. “Um…how was the date?”
“Amazing,” I sigh, turning around and throwing up my hands. “He’s wonderful!”
“Diana…”
“I have to go to bed. Goodnight. I’m sorry for waking you.”
She stares after me. “That’s it?”
There’s a knock at our door, and we both stare at it. Raising her voice she asks, “Who is it?”
Wyatt’s voice comes through. “Diana? It’s me! You left your purse.”
My roommate is right next to the door, so she beats me to opening it, leans on it and cocks an eyebrow at him.
He sizes her up. “Lita Scott, how the hell are you?”
“Awesome.”
“Good. Why don’t you do me a favor? Don’t underestimate me again. Work for you?” He hands her my bag as her jaw drops open. Pointing to me he says, “Can’t call you if you don’t have your phone. Night, Beautiful. Tomorrow.”
We watch him go, and she slowly shuts the door. “What was that?”
A smile starts to spread. “I think it was a beginning.”
CHAPTER 29
A FRIDAY NIGHT
DIANA
Recliners of differing colors, some more faded than others, face a white wall bare of art because every Friday night it becomes a movie theater thanks to a badass projector I suggested we install.
Wyatt strolls in and sees
