Winning Wyatt (The Billionaire Brotherhood Book 1) (23 page)

The
cold fear gripping her heart coiled through her stomach as well. “The
circumstances are exactly the same.”

“They’re
nothing alike.” He cradled her face in his hands, his eyes compelling her to
listen. “The only similarity is that you have a son and you’re concerned for
his welfare. But your fear is based as much on being hurt by your feelings for
me as it is about anything that might happen to Sean.”

“Well,
there’s ego run amuck.” She tried to laugh in his face, but the sound emerged
as a sad squeak. “If I care anything for you beyond friendship and gratitude,
it’s for the harm you can cause my son.”

“You’re
forgetting something.” He lowered his hands from her face to her neck. His
thumbs rested in the dip of her collarbone, where her pulse accelerated beneath
his touch. “Is this racing pulse the way you respond to fear? There’s a lot
more going on beneath the surface, isn’t there?”

Just
having his hands on her, his fingers lightly grazing her skin, Kara’s mouth
turned dry, her heart pounded against her ribs, and her toes curled. The warmth
of his gaze licked her features like a hot tongue. As his head bent toward
hers, her breath caught in her throat. She willed his mouth to touch hers, but
he paused, only a sigh away, waiting.

“Isn’t
there, Kara?”

She
swallowed then nodded.

His
lips, gentle, smooth, and warmly possessive, settled on hers and set off a bell
sound of recognition within her at the sweetness, the rightness, and the
inevitability of his kiss. Their tongues met and moved voraciously, recognition
of desire, perhaps of more, until Wyatt tore himself away.

“Good
answer, but not good enough.” He removed his hands from her. “I want you to say
it.”

She
wondered if the admission would cost her more than she wanted to pay. The words
just wouldn’t come. “My fears spring from many different sources. Not the least
of which are my feelings for you.”

His
disappointment separated them as clearly as a glass partition. “Hardly a
heartfelt pledge, now was it?”

“I
haven’t heard one from you, either.”

Tugging
on an earlobe, he paused. “I don’t suppose either one of us has the courage to
admit where we’re headed. Maybe because we started in the wrong place.”

“California?”

His
mouth twitched. “Bed.”

“Too
late to change that now.”

“Now
that I know what’s behind your distrust, I can be more patient. With each day
that passes, you’ll see that you and Sean are safe with me. And you’ll begin to
trust me and your instincts.”

“Meanwhile,
where does that leave us?”

He
smiled. “We’ll take a daring step.”

“What?”

“We’ll
start dating.”
        

Her
eyes bugged out in surprise. “That seems unnecessary.”

“We’ve
never done anything in the right order before. Why start now?” Taking her hand
in his, he stroked his fingers over her palm. Goose bumps marched straight to
her heart. “We’ll get to know each other in the ways we skipped the first time
around. We’ll talk about our real concerns and everyday topics that weren’t on
our agenda before. We’ll leave the back doors of our lives open for the other
to come and go as they please, forging a path between desire and familiarity.”

“You’ll
be bored to death in a week.” She tried to ignore the frisson of heat settling
in her belly.

“With
you?” He nibbled her thumb. “Never.”

“You’re
already doing it.” Her breath catching in her throat. Her eyelids fluttered
shut.

“What?”

“Trying
to relieve the boredom with sex.”

“This
is a long way from sex.” He nuzzled her neck. “But we’re very close to making
love.”

Her
eyes opened in a flash of panic. “Love! Wyatt, you don’t—”

“Shhh.”
His fingertip pressed against her lips. “One step at a time, Kara mia. One step
at a time.”

After
a productive Adam Enderley Foundation board meeting a week later, Wyatt and
Kara sat together in a Chinese restaurant waiting for their entrees. Kara had done
her homework before the meeting and stayed on top of the investments and
disbursements for the first quarter. Although Wyatt garnered a very real and
personal satisfaction from the foundation’s success, his pleasure in the day’s
events came from being with Kara, watching her efficiency and her personal
interest in the patients and their families.

“I’m
very proud of how well you’re doing with the foundation.”

“Not
me.” Her eyes lit up from the compliment, even as she deflected it. “The credit
goes to you. It was your idea. You instigated and funded the whole project.”

“I
wish there hadn’t been the need.”

She
fiddled with a button on her trim turquoise blouse. The same color she’d worn
the day they met. Had she chosen it for that reason? Probably not. She wasn’t
the sort to make sentimental gestures. “I wish I’d thought of something half as
effective during the years when I sat there cursing and bemoaning the
circumstances.”

“You’re
more than making up for it with your involvement now.”

Their
food arrived. They lifted chopsticks and began eating. The scents of soy sauce
and ginger floated around them.

“Tell
me about your day,” Wyatt said after a few moments.

“There
was nothing fascinating, believe me. Do you want to hear the good parts or the
bad?”

“Both.”
He took a sip of tea. “The good parts first.”

“Mmmm.”
She fingered the thick leaf of a jade plant that grew in a pagoda-shaped pot on
the table. “Sean is always the best part of my day. This morning we played race
cars, made pictures on the computer, and worked on learning to lace his shoes.”

Wyatt
scooped up another bite of Kung Pao chicken. “Was he the only good part of your
day?”

“There
was the foundation meeting. I was pleased with the way that went, and now,
there’s dinner with you.”

Without
being immodest, Wyatt knew there were at least a thousand women he could call
in New York City who would jump at the chance of having dinner with him. A few
of them would even be at least as interested in him as in the Maitland name and
fortune. But he felt a ridiculous surge of satisfaction at being included in
the good part of this one particularly prickly woman’s day. He couldn’t contain
the smile that accompanied the feeling. “Now, tell me about the bad.”

“Nothing
terrible happened. Just minor annoyances.” A small frown knit her brows. “A
reclusive neo-impressionist I had planned to interview tomorrow canceled, Sean
spilled grape juice on my white wool suit just as I was leaving the house, and
my car overheated on the way into town.”

“What
did you do?”

“Cursed
the neo-impressionist, but not until after I broke the connection, changed
clothes as quickly as I could, dropped the suit off at the cleaners, and called
my local mechanic to see if I could take my car in.”

He
held his lips firmly together while he swallowed his irritation. “I guess you
didn’t think to call me?”

“Several
times,” she said, “but I was pretty busy. I did text you once, remember?” Her
cheeks flushed.

“Yes,
your text was one of the best parts of my day.” He’d sent her a suggestive
message in response to her flirtatious text. “I mean, did you think to call me
about your car?”

Her
eyes widened. “Why would I? Do you know anything about cars?”

“Of
course.”

“Well,
of course.” She squinted his way, mining his expression for the truth. “You’re
a guy, so naturally you’re genetically programmed to understand the fine points
of the internal combustion engine.” She looked totally unconvinced. “But other
than that, what part of your education would tempt me to trust your opinion as
an auto mechanic?”

“Didn’t
I ever tell you about the summer I worked on Jeff Gordon’s pit crew?” He
thought she might buy it, but when she looked him in the eye, he couldn’t keep
a straight face.

“Liar,”
she said as they both laughed.

“Well,
it could have happened. I do know Jeff Gordon.”

“And
if I had called you about my car that friendship would have come in very handy
if he or any of his crew had been with you.”

Even
as he rued her exasperating independence, he enjoyed seeing the sparkle in her eye
while she teased him. “What did they say at the garage about your car?”

“They’re
going to keep it overnight.”

“How
did you get into town?”

“The
train.”

He
wanted her to ask, but suspected he’d grow old waiting. “Do you need a ride
home?”

On
the way home, Kara turned the tables on Wyatt by asking about his day. “Don’t
you normally come see Sean on Thursday mornings?”

Was
she truly interested or merely making conversation? He threw her an assessing
glance before returning his attention to the road. “I had a student request a
meeting with me about a problem before class.”

She
turned down the radio. “What was the problem?”

“Student
requests for meetings always fall into three categories. Curriculum-related,
love life, or substance abuse.”

She
mulled that over. “I thought you normally keep student contact to a minimum.
When did you change that policy?”

“Since
Xander’s drinking problem was exposed a couple of years ago.” Their enclosure
in a small dimly lit space while compelled to look straight ahead encouraged
him to reveal thoughts and secrets he normally left unspoken. “I realized that
many kids are at the same kind of risk and have a genuine need for assistance.”

From
the corner of his eye, he saw her shift in her seat and tuck a foot under her.
“Didn’t you know that before?”

“I
guess I did, but I didn’t think there was anything I could do about it.”

“That
may be true.”

“Sometimes
it is, but if they’re desperate enough to come to me, that means they want someone
to try to help.”

“And
was that the case this morning?”

He
shook his head, as uncertain in retrospect about the depth of the student’s
need as he had been then. “I think so.”

“What
did you do?”

“Sent
him to Student Services. If they can’t do anything, I’ll see about getting him
some private counseling.” Involving himself in other people’s lives was an
entirely new arena for him, and there wasn’t anyone he felt comfortable talking
to about it. Until now.

“How?”

“There
are ways through the school, but they’re limited. It bothers me to know how
many kids need help, and that there’s not nearly enough help available. I’ve
been toying with an idea for a while now...” On the verge of sharing his big
secret, he hesitated. He didn’t want to come off sounding like some kind of
egotist who thought he could cure the world by throwing some money around. He
looked over at her. She looked curious. What the hell? He’d tell her. “I’ve
been giving some thought to setting up a foundation for troubled teens. Similar
to the one we now have for the accident victims.”

With
an encouraging smile, she leaned forward and put her hand on his forearm.
“That’s fantastic. Can you do it?”

Covering
her hand with his seemed like the natural response. He tried it and she didn’t jerk
away from the contact. “I’m not sure how much the family will kick in. They may
think we’ve already done our philanthropic bit for the year.”

“Don’t
you know other rich guys like you who might get involved? You’re friendly with
Dylan Bradford and Ryan Eastham. They’re probably in your stratospheric tax
bracket.”

Everyone
knew he granted favors. He never requested them. “You mean ask them for money?”

“No.”
She squeezed his arm. “I mean, solicit donations for a worthy cause.”

“Semantics.”
But she was right. He could call on the two guys she’d named. Dylan and Ryan
were guys he could count on to help if he asked. As simple as that.

“Maybe
you’ll think of some other way to accomplish it.” She shrugged and turned up
the radio. Damn, his thoughtless comment had caused her to withdraw from him
again. Even though she hadn’t offered any viable solutions, he liked her
enthusiasm and was pleased he had discussed it with her. And the project just
might appeal to Dylan and Ryan.

All
in all, his dating plan seemed to be working out pretty well. She no longer
ducked when he asked her out or flinched away from casual contact. Tonight,
they’d talked all the way to her house, just like normal people.

When
they had first met, she said their brand of shared intimacy told him things
about her that no one else knew. While he hoped that statement was still true,
he now understood how important it was to know all the thousands of small
details about her as well. He wanted to be included in every part of her life.
He wanted to be the first person she thought of in the morning and the last
person she saw at night.

He
wanted to be the person she called when her car broke down.

He
wanted her. All the time.

And
he was through with standing on the sidelines of her life, waiting for her to
notice him, and let him get in on her game.

As
she dug around in her purse for her keys, he pulled up in front of her house.
He stopped her by placing his hand on hers. She looked up. “What?”

“I’ll
take you to get your car tomorrow.”

“Great.
Unless one of the Tagliattis has already shown up, or you’re in class, or I
can’t get a hold of you for some reason.”

He
shook his head at the maddening smile that accompanied the evasion and
seriously considered throttling her. But as he reached out for her, he decided
kissing her would be far more effective. And pleasant. “Come here.”

Her
lashes swept downward as he drew her near. His mouth grazed across hers before
he traced the outline of her lips with his tongue. He tasted her lightly,
sweetly, waiting for an invitation to delve deeper. And the invitation came,
leading to an exploration of desire. To a powerful prelude to physical union.

Opening
his coat, he pulled her against his chest while their hands searched for more
intimate contact. Finally, he pulled his mouth away, resting their foreheads
and noses together. Their breath mingled with groans of frustration. Wyatt
pushed her hair behind her ear. Her skin smelled faintly of raspberries. He
teased her earlobe with a nip of his teeth.

“Tell
me,” he urged, his voice a husky whisper, “are you ever visited by angels
during the night?”

She
leaned back to straighten her clothes and erase the evidence of their moments
of shared passion. In the flair of the porch light, a shadow of pain flickered
across her face. “Demons, ghosts, and past mistakes drop in far more frequently
than I’d like. But angels very seldom. Why?”

“I
need to be reminded occasionally that Sean wasn’t conceived by immaculate
conception.” He helped her with a button. “There was at least one time in your
life when you needed me.”

She
looked at him askance. “You always said the last thing you wanted was for
another woman to need you.”

He
kissed her again to keep from admitting that the thought of being needed held a
lot more appeal than it used to.

The
resounding thud of the brass knocker on Wyatt’s front door echoed in the pit of
Kara’s stomach. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being
watched.

She
didn’t know why she was here. Or maybe she did if the condom in her back pocket
was any indication.

He’d
asked her to come over, true, but she couldn’t use that as an excuse. If she
came over every time he asked her and Sean to visit, they might as well move in
and change their address to his. But this time, he’d asked her. Just her.

And
here she was. In the middle of the day. While Sean napped in his bed at home.
With a condom in her back pocket. Lord, what had she been thinking?

If
Wyatt didn’t answer on the next knock, she’d leave.

With
her hand extended toward the door, it swung open. They both stood frozen in
place while she took in every detail of his appearance. His eyes swept her just
as boldly.

Hair
damp from the shower. Jaw freshly shaved. Eyeglasses instead of contacts. A
soft sweater the color of copper brought out the highlights in his eyes. An old
pair of jeans manufactured a slew of salacious thoughts. With no shoes, socks,
or belt, his only accessory was the cell phone he held to his ear.

Seeing
him like this, all sexy and casual, made the trip over here worthwhile. Her
mouth watered.

He
drew Kara inside with his free hand before she could retreat, if that had been
her intention. She didn’t think it had been.

“Yes,
ma’am, I’ll put it on my calendar.” He leaned in to kiss Kara’s cheek, then
helped her remove her coat. “I don’t know about that, but I’ll try.”

Standing
so near him, Kara could hear a sugary female voice on the other end of the line.
She would have known he was talking to someone from home even if his own
heightened drawl hadn’t told her so. To give him some privacy, Kara started
toward the closet to hang up her jacket.

“It’s
up to Kara, Mother.”

At
the mention of her name, Kara turned back and raised her eyebrows.

“I
know you’d like for Sean to be at your birthday celebration, but it might not
be possible.” He cocked his head and listened again while Kara pressed a hand
to her stomach, hoping to squelch the seed of panic. “Maybe if you send Sean
and Kara an invitation, we’ll have better luck getting her to agree.”

She
shook her head, but he ignored the gesture while he signed off and threw the
phone aside, reaching for her. “God, I can’t believe you’re here.”

She
opened her mouth to speak, but he covered it with his. As his lips moved over
hers, she detected a hint of mint toothpaste. The introduction of tongues
lengthened and deepened the kiss.

With
her hips pressed against his, she welcomed the evidence of his interest. Her
body responded to his like ice to a flame. Within moments, she clung to him.

“Upstairs?”
he asked as he moved his mouth from her lips to her neck.

“No,
here.” She took the bottom of his sweater in her hands and pulled it over his
head.

He
held her face in his hands, nodding toward the upper level. “Condoms.”

“Got
one.” She fished the packet out of her back pocket.

He
gave her a spanking kiss. “That’s my kind of girl.”

Buttons
and zippers opened as Kara and Wyatt dropped to their knees on the floor. Their
clothing was pushed aside rather than removed.

With
his fly undone, Wyatt’s erection sprang to life in Kara’s hands, expanding and
throbbing in response to her touch. Her lips carried a seductive smile until
the very second they closed around him. His groan of pleasure spurred her on.
When he pulled himself out of her mouth, she sensed he was near the limit of
his control.

“That’s
not how I want to come,” he said, his hands on her shoulders.

“Then
how about like this?” She pulled him down to the floor and slipped the condom
in place. His eyes had glazed over by the time she swung her leg over his hip
and seated herself on him.

“That’ll
do.” Using his hands on her hips, he matched her rhythm to his. “Slow down. I
want you with me when it happens.”

“I’ll
be right with you.” Kara met his pace and watched him, his face and hair
highlighted by the sun streaming in through a window over the door. His chest
glistened with a sheen of sweat. His eyes gleamed with passionate fire. Never
had he looked more perfect and more desirable. Or more attainable.

He
was with her, inside her, a part of her, more surely than ever before. As her
tension built, he tweaked her nipples.

“Now,
Kara mia,” he urged as he drew her into an embrace. Well on her way to climax,
she couldn’t have refused the command if her life depended on it, and she
didn’t have the heart to try. She was afraid she’d already lost that part to
him.

Collapsed
in a heap inside the patch of sunbeams, Wyatt rested his hands on Kara’s bottom
and his chin on her head. She snuggled into him and sighed with contentment.

She’d
never behaved this way in anyone else’s presence. That alone should have told
her she wouldn’t be able to dismiss him as easily as she’d planned to do,
before or since Atlanta.

“I
guess you don’t want to see what I’ve done with the house,” he said, his mouth
near her ear.

“I
like what I can see from here.” When she smiled, his chest hair tickled her
cheek. “This is a great rug.”