When Wishes Collide (25 page)

"You were right," he continued. "I don't have anything to offer a woman."

"I think you have a lot to offer," she said. "You have an amazing amount of love inside your heart for your daughter, and I know that extends to everyone in your life, your family, your friends. Any woman would be lucky to be a part of your circle, to be the person that you care about."

He ran his finger down the side of her face, blazing a trail of heat that ignited all of her nerve endings. "Prove it," he said, his eyes glittering with desire.

"I don't have to prove anything."

"Then you should go," he said, but his hand still held tight to hers.

She wanted to get up, to break the connection, but his gaze, the lightness of his finger as it ran across her jaw, made it impossible for her to move. The attraction between them had been simmering since their first meeting. And now it was starting to burn.

She didn't play with fire. She was cautious in relationships. She protected herself.

So why did she suddenly want to jump off a cliff with Wyatt?

"You're not moving," he said.

"I'm trying to," she said with a helpless smile.

His fingers cupped her chin. "You have the prettiest mouth."

"I always look better after a couple of shots of vodka."

"Stop making this about that. You know I like you. You know I want you."

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Hearing the words said so boldly, so bluntly, sent a jolt of desire through her. She'd never had a man state himself so clearly. And she found it both heart-stopping and terrifying.

"You want me, too," he added, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "You don't want to, but you do."

"You think you know what's in my head?" she challenged.

He nodded, his eyes very serious. "Yes."

"Kind of cocky, aren't you?"

"I just know you, Adrianna. I've felt like that since the first minute we met, since our coins clashed, and you yelled at me for ruining your wish."

"I didn't yell, but your coin did knock mine out of the fountain."

"Your wish still came true. You got over your fear. You're going back to work, so I didn't ruin anything."

His hand threaded through her hair. "I like these curls. They're like you, messy, a little unpredictable, but gorgeous."

"You're quite the smooth talker after some drinks."

"I'm not drunk, Adrianna."

"Says you."

"I'm actually sober enough to tell you that you
should
go home."

"You just asked me to stay."

"I've thought better of that. I don't want to hurt you. You deserve someone…"

His words annoyed her. "Stop it, Wyatt. Stop trying to call all the shots and control everything."

"You mean like you try to do?"
 

"Okay, you're right. I like to have control and so do you. We've both had to fight for our lives and we've both been hurt in the past. But that doesn't mean we stop living, stop trying, stop putting our heart on the line." She took a breath and decided to act on what she'd just said. "I don't want to play it safe anymore. I don't want to hide in my apartment, or look the other way, or pretend that everything will be all right if I follow all the rules. Life is risky and short. I care about you, Wyatt. I don't know how it happened so fast, but it did."

"I don't want you to care about me," he said, his tone harsh and unyielding.

She touched his tensed jaw with her fingers. "It's not your choice. It's mine."

"Don't care about me, Adrianna," he said. A long pause followed, and then he added. "Just want me. Want me for tonight – the way I want you."

Her heart beat faster at his words, her nerves tingling from the look in his eyes, the need, the desire. All that intensity that she associated with Wyatt was fixed on her, and it was more than a little exciting.

It would have been easier if he'd reached for her, if he'd taken control, but she'd just told him she was making her own decisions, and he was giving her every opportunity to determine what happened next.

"You're killing me here," he muttered.

She smiled. "Impatient?"

"Hell, yes!"

She put her hands on his chest and pressed him back against the pillows, and then she lowered her head. His mouth was as hot as she remembered, and the way he slid his tongue along her lips, made her a little crazy. She opened her mouth, taking his tongue inside, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

Her breasts grazed his chest, her nipples suddenly on fire for the same attention from his mouth. She broke the kiss and sat back, then pulled her shirt up and over her head, shaking out her hair. She felt a little self-conscious as Wyatt gazed at her breasts, barely covered in a sheer black bra. She reached for the clasp but Wyatt stopped her.

"Wait."

"What? You don't like what you see?" she asked, not certain how to read the look in his eyes.

"Oh, God, no. You're gorgeous."

"Then what's the problem?"

"You should have wine, candles and flowers, lots and lots of flowers. You should have romance and soft music."

She put her fingers against his lips. "Stop it, that's not me, none of it. I've never had that kind of perfection."

"That's why you deserve it. You should have the fairytale."

She shook her head. "I don't believe in fairytales. But I believe in us. And I want this. I want tonight. I want you."

"You'll feel differently in the morning. You'll want promises that I can't give you."

"Let's let the morning take care of itself."

"Adrianna—"

"You said you wanted me – prove it," she said with a smile.

"You're going to be sorry you challenged me," he said with a wicked grin.

"I don't think so." She unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hands along his chest.

He groaned. "I want those hands all over me."

"Then you're going to have to take off some clothes," she said.

He stripped off his shirt before she finished talking. "Your turn."

She opened her bra and pulled it off. One long hungry look, and then his hands immediately covered her breasts, his heat burning her skin.

"So pretty," he murmured. And then he pulled her closer so she was straddling his legs and her breasts were at the same level of his mouth. He kissed one and then the other, light, teasing kisses that only built the anticipation. Finally, his lips closed around one nipple, his tongue licking it into a fine point of need that shot through her body. She ran her hands through his hair, holding him close, feeling his body hardening beneath hers.

Wyatt lifted his head and kissed her on the lips, then pushed her to the side as he shimmied out of his jeans.

She stared at him in delight. His body was honed from swim workouts and physical activity, and she couldn't wait to do what he asked, put her hands all over him.

He smiled and then reached for the button on her jeans. She fell on her back as he helped her off with her pants and tossed them on the floor. Then his body covered hers. Every point of contact was hot, from their mouths, to their breasts, to their hips and their groins. She loved the weight of him, the male scent, the power in his body.

He suddenly moved off of her and she was stunned to feel a sense of loss. But then his mouth found her breast again, then moved lower to her stomach and between her legs, tasting, touching, letting no part of her go unseen or unloved. She'd never had someone take such time, and the tension built to an incredible degree, finally bursting free. Still trembling when he made his way back up her body, she found new delight in touching him, running her hands up and down his back and buttocks. She urged him closer, wanting to feel him inside of her, the ultimate connection. It was the bond she'd been seeking since they first met, and when he finally slid into her, she felt as if their connection was finally complete. And everything in her world was exactly right.

Holding Adrianna in his arms, listening to the soft sounds of her breath as she slept against his chest, sliding his hand down the curve of her back, feeling her move against him as she slept – it was so damn good. She'd responded to him with so much passion and heat it had taken his breath away. She was a mix of sexy and sweet, hard and soft, sharp and tender and he liked every little thing about her. It was a little shocking to realize just how much he cared. He'd had sex in the last two years, but this had been different, this had been mind-blowing. They'd made love slow, then fast, and then slow again, and he'd felt like they were completely in sync, as if they'd been made to be together, and that shook him up, too.

How had this woman gotten so far into his life, into his head, into his heart? He'd thought he'd closed himself off, locked up his emotions, but Adrianna had found her way in. She'd pushed past his defenses, and he had no idea what the hell they were going to do next.

Adrianna had told him she wasn't looking for promises, but that had been last night, and today was a new day. And she deserved promises. She deserved a man who was whole, whose heart was intact, and that wasn't him. He couldn't devote his life to her. Every last bit of focus had to go into finding Stephanie. He'd already disappointed friends and family with his lack of concern for their lives. Adrianna would be next. It was only a matter of time. He didn't want to hurt her. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

She stirred alongside him. "I can feel you tensing up, Wyatt," she murmured as she lifted her head from his chest.

She looked so goddamned beautiful, her lips soft, her eyes sleepy, her hair a soft cloud. She was like his personal angel and a very sexy angel at that.

"Are you feeling guilty?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

"For taking advantage of you – a little."

"You didn't take advantage. I gave you what I wanted to give. I thought we cleared that up last night."

"You gave me more than I deserved."

"I think we gave each other a lot. I don't want you to have regrets, Wyatt, because I don't. You said you couldn't make me any promises, and I'm not asking for any. It's not the right time. I know that."

"It might never be the right time," he said, the words coming out a little more harshly than he'd intended.

She caught her lip between her teeth. "Okay."

"Okay?" he echoed. "That’s it?"

"Yes." She let out a breath. "I've spent so much time planning for the future that I haven't been enjoying the moment, and I want to enjoy this one. I like waking up in your arms."

"Yeah, it's not bad," he said, feeling a rush of warm tenderness toward her. "You're making things too easy for me."

"Well, if anyone took advantage last night, it was me. You were the one who'd been drinking. I was completely sober."

"I was sober enough. And I'm sorry about the vodka. That's the first time in two years I've touched alcohol. I always wanted to have my wits about me, be ready to act at any moment, but yesterday was a setback. Knowing that Jen had left town – it hit me hard."

"I know." She sat up, pulling the sheet up to her chest as she faced him.

"I've already seen everything," he told her.

"Yes, but that was different. Now we're talking," she replied with an endearing blush.

"I liked it better when we weren't talking."

She gave him a playful slap on the arm. "We have to get back to work. What's the plan? And don't tell me you don't have one."

"I don't have one." He felt guilty to admit that. "We'll have to start over, figure out where she might have gone, who she was with, how she paid for airline tickets." He felt overwhelmed by the thought of starting over again. They'd been so close, just a few steps behind. But wasn't that the story of his life the last two years?

Adrianna frowned, tucking her hair behind her ear as she thought for a moment. Then her expression suddenly changed. Her eyes filled with excitement.

"Oh, my God, Wyatt."

"What?" he asked warily.

"You're wrong. She's not gone. She hasn't left town."

"She went to the airport with a man. She got on a plane with my kid."

"She came back," Adrianna said confidently.

"You don't know that."

"I do know that. That flight was two weeks ago. I saw Stephanie three days ago by the fountain."

Her words took him by surprise. He'd forgotten that she'd seen Stephanie so recently. He'd been fixated on the times she'd seen Stephanie behind the restaurant that he'd forgotten about the fountain.

"They came back," Adrianna repeated. "Jennifer and Stephanie are in the city."

"Maybe you're right," he said, hope running through his body, giving him energy again. "I didn't put the timeline together. I was so caught up in the fact Jen had gone to the airport, I couldn't think straight. I couldn't remember the dates." He jumped out of bed. "I'm taking a shower."

"So now we have a plan?" she asked.