by Jody Holford
But she didn’t want easy.
“I can’t. I’m sorry.” She hated that her parents and her brothers always kept things from her, and it was hypocritical to do the same. “I’m planning events, Mom. I’ve organized an author’s book release at the library this Saturday, and I have a baby shower I’m organizing at a posh hotel for Sunday. I have meetings with two new clients next week for other events.”
Papers rustled as her mom let out a sigh. “I don’t understand. Why are you planning all of those things? You’re a secretary at the university. You’re not letting people take advantage of you, are you, honey? You just have one of those faces. People think they can get you to do anything.”
“I do not have one of those faces. I have a perfectly normal, you-can’t-take-advantage-of-me face,” she said. “I don’t have the office job, Mom. I really love what I’m doing. I didn’t want to tell you because you guys would have gone crazy over my coming to Boston without secure employment. But I think I’m going to succeed at this. It turns out, people are willing to pay good money for someone else to arrange the details they don’t want to deal with.”
“That’s hardly a surprise. The willingness to pay for help, that is. Not everyone has party planning in their genes. You can thank me for that,” Mom said, her laughter floating through the phone.
Shay’s heart pinched. She missed them. But she couldn’t figure out who she was really meant to be with her family hovering—picking up her pieces as she went. It was time to put herself back together. On her own. At least if she did something gullible or naive, she wouldn’t have an audience this time.
Her parents never made her feel bad for jumping from one thing to another, but they never expected her to stick to anything, either.
“You have a background in marketing and a great eye for making a space come together, honey. You know, I have a friend at the Boston Museum. I could call her, ask her to contact you.”
Her heart pounded with the desire to jump on the offer. “How about I take her name, and I contact her myself?” Compromise. Life was about compromising. And not falling flat on your face too many times in front of the same people. Even if they loved you.
“Oh. Are you sure? I’d be happy to do it.”
“I can do it myself.” The more she said it, the more Shay believed she actually could. Shay saw Wyatt coming out of the slate gray concrete building, a file in his hand and a dour look on his handsome face.
“Mom, I’ve got to go. Love you.” She disconnected with her mom as he slid into the car.
He put the file in the backseat then looked her over. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. A bit tired, but that’s it.”
“Maybe we should call it a day? I actually have something that I need to look into a little deeper.”
There was nothing wrong with him having to do his job. But still, her stomach tightened. “What is it?”
“Work. But I don’t discuss my work.”
There it was again, that lukewarm shoulder. It was like he had a protective outer shell and she’d poked a few holes in it, but he was still tucked inside where she couldn’t fully reach him. All the more reason for keeping things platonic between them. She needed to be with someone open, trusting…giving. Like Brady? She didn’t want to think about her other neighbor right now.
She straightened in the passenger seat. “Right. None of my business.”
He sighed and that just irritated her more. “Shay. I’m sorry. I can’t discuss the details of cases with anyone. Even a women I’d rather spend the day with than chasing down leads.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window. A boy on a skateboard whipped around an older couple walking hand in hand. Wyatt’s admission was his way of giving. She might not know him well yet, but she knew he didn’t share his feelings without struggling not to.
She couldn’t look at him as she poked her toe across their line in the friendship sand. “Are there a lot of these women?”
Wyatt’s chuckle was low, and she felt him lean closer. “There’s only one. Trust me on that. I promise you can trust me on that.”
She turned to face him and swallowed the lump in her throat. What does that mean? Does he feel something more between us? “I can do the rest of the errands myself. I’ll catch the bus home.”
His eyes widened. “I’ll drive you. It’s only Wednesday. You can finish getting what you need tomorrow. You should rest.”
“I feel fine, and I don’t want to leave everything to the last minute. I didn’t ask you to come with me. You insisted. Just because your plans have changed doesn’t mean mine have to.”
He closed his eyes like he was counting to ten. Opening them, he reached out and took her hand. “I’m sorry I have to do this. I don’t want you to be out on your own right now. I don’t know who hurt you, and I have a lead I want to check out.”
It was really hard to keep him firmly in the friend box when he touched her. She thought about what he said. “You don’t think it was someone from the building?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Which means that whoever did it got in somehow. I don’t know if they were looking for you or if it was random. And I really do want to spend the day with you, but this happens sometimes. I’ll get called in on a case or need to be somewhere in the middle of something. It’s my job. I need you to understand that.”
She nodded and gripped her purse strap. “I do. And I appreciate you looking out for me. Go do what you have to do, and I’ll see you later.”
His eyes widened. “What do you mean you’ll see me later? I’ll drive you home.”
Shay leaned in and spoke with a tone far breezier than she felt. “If I need to be understanding about your job, you need to do the same for me.”
The worry in his eyes made her stomach somersault. A look like that suggested he really cared. She wanted that to be true, so she gave in. Compromise. “How about I promise you that if I don’t feel well, I’ll save the rest for tomorrow. I don’t have much, but the baker I need to talk to isn’t far from here and I wanted to see her in person. Deal?” Not that it’s his choice.
His lips pursed in an adorable almost-pout. “You won’t push it if you don’t feel well, and you’ll call me if you don’t think you’re okay to take the bus home. How about that?”
“Fine.”
He smiled, slow and warm, like a good hug. “Fine. How about you text me when you get home.”
“So you’ll know I managed to get there on my own?” Her frustration must have come through in her tone because Wyatt merely smiled and ran a hand over her hair.
“But also because friends text each other, and it will make me smile.”
Shay laughed. “Low blow.”
He winked at her and the air went still between them. It was a kiss good-bye type of moment and Shay wanted to more than she should. Which was why she all but sprang from the car. On the sidewalk, she took a deep breath of un-Wyatt-scented air. It didn’t smell nearly as good, but it fogged her brain less and made her remember, she’d come to Boston to make it on her own.
…
Shay arrived home safely, made a few phone calls, and remembered to text Wyatt. She also returned Brady’s text saying that, yes, she was okay. Tiny fragments of guilt settled in her stomach. She wasn’t leading Brady on—at least not intentionally. Nothing had happened between them. They hadn’t even shared a kiss. Shay couldn’t help wondering, if they did, if the memory of it would stay on her lips the way Wyatt’s did.
By later that day, she’d accomplished quite a bit, but she was exhausted. Intending only to lie on the couch for a few minutes, she woke several hours later feeling disoriented and out of sorts. She checked her phone, which showed three new emails. One from the woman she’d spoken to at Boston Southside College. Cynthia Chambers had sent a message telling her she’d spoken to her boss, and they’d like to set up a meeting with Shay to discuss coordinating recruitment galas.
She celebr
ated by pouring an extra large helping of cereal and ate at the kitchen counter. She was doing this. She was actually making this work. She should check in on her social media sites, but her eyes were gritty. Despite having slept through the evening, she was tired.
Loading her dish into the washer, she shut off the lights and was headed for her bedroom when a knock made her switch directions. She looked down at her hot-pink pajama bottoms that she’d paired with a tank top when she’d gotten home. I Love Naps was written across her breasts in a light pink font. Hardly sophisticated, but currently very true. She tried to pretend that when she opened the door, her heart didn’t do a tap dance in her chest. He’d been home, obviously, as his hair was damp and he’d changed into a Boston PD sweater and a pair of loose track pants. The five o’clock shadow he’d been sporting was gone, leaving his strong jaw smooth. Her fingers itched to reach out and feel his skin. The scent of his aftershave drifted into her home, curling around her and spiking her heart rate.
Maybe she couldn’t be friends with him. Self-preservation made her brusque. “It’s kind of late,” she said.
Wyatt braced his hands against the doorjamb, one on each side. The sweater stretched across his chest. Not surprisingly, he looked every bit as appealing as he did every other time she saw him.
“I wondered if you were going to answer.”
She ignored the heat that spread through her body as Wyatt’s gaze traveled all the way down to her toes and back up to her eyes. “Were you in bed?”
Shay shook her head. Their gazes stayed on each other but neither moved. His eyes looked tired, and she wanted to ask him how chasing his lead had gone. Instead, he straightened to his full height and stepped into her space, stealing her air. Reaching out a hand, he ran it along her hair, and her eyes instinctively closed. She managed to bite back the sigh, though, so she figured she deserved bonus points for that.
“I’m sorry I had to bail today. I’d like to stay with you tonight.” His voice was just above a whisper.
Her heart broke into a full-on jig. Yeah. Unless he was going for friends with benefits, this was turning into a not very good idea. His heated gaze said he could guess her train of thought.
“That’s not a great idea,” she said.
“Probably not.”
What were they doing here? It was some weird version of chicken, and at the moment, neither of them were blinking.
“I don’t need you to take care of me.” Best to remind them both of that.
“I know,” he said, his tone both serious and solemn.
His hand stretched out, and his fingers caressed her cheek. Shay let her eyes drift closed while she breathed slowly through her nose.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and stepped back. She didn’t mean it as an invitation, but that’s how he took it. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it.
“I told you I was going to be shit at this friend thing.”
Shay clasped her hands together to keep them from reaching out and stroking his body. They very much wanted to do that because they didn’t understand, the way her brain did, that it would be a worse idea than him being here.
“You’re actually very good at it. You’re funny and kind. A bit overprotective, but I think that’s got as much to do with your job as your nature,” she said.
Wyatt’s lips pursed together like he was holding back a sarcastic retort. “Thanks. I guess I meant I’m not very good at it with you.”
Her heart skittered to a stop. “Oh.”
Had he come to tell her he didn’t even want friendship? He clearly didn’t want more, since he’d all but turned away from her when she kissed him.
“I can actually see your brain turning over a bunch of wrong ideas.”
Crossing her arms in front of her, as if that gesture could protect her heart, she continued to stare at him.
He stepped closer. “I don’t want to be friends.”
Like a knife through a tire, his words slashed her heart. “Fine.”
Another step. Shay took one backward as he warned, “I’m no good for you.”
Her hands dropped to her sides. “So you’ve said.”
“Friends don’t generally think about each other non-stop.”
How did he know she did that? Or did he mean him? “I don’t think about you that often. You’ve got a big ego.”
Another step forward for him and another back for her. His lips tipped up in amusement. “I mean me. I’m not thinking of you like a friend.”
Shay paused mid-step. “Oh? Just like an annoying neighbor?”
He smiled now. “No. Not that either.”
They were standing in the hallway center. If she moved to the right, they’d end up in her living room. The left would lead them to her bedroom.
She stood still. “Then what?”
“I’m not sure yet, but you should probably tell me to get lost.”
Shay’s lips twitched. “I don’t want to,” she admitted.
This time, when he stepped forward, she didn’t move. “I don’t want you to.”
The air between them was a heavy blanket of lust she wanted to crawl underneath.
“What are we doing, Wyatt?”
His eyes held her in place. “Are you dating Brady?”
Surprise hit her fast. “What? No. We’re…friends.”
Wyatt’s nostrils flared slightly, and he gave a gruff sound of disbelief. Gesturing between them, he asked, “Friends like this?”
She was tired, and he was making her dizzy with his mood swings. She wanted him, but knew she shouldn’t. There was nothing safe about him. And at the moment, he was slowly dialing up her frustration. “Friends like what, Wyatt? The kind of friends who aren’t really friends at all because one of them flips back and forth like an overcooked pancake?”
Wyatt’s laughter didn’t dampen her irritation. “An overcooked pancake? Jesus. You’re like a Disney cartoon.”
Shay gave a growl of frustration, threw up her hands, and walked away. “Then you’re the Disney villain.”
Still laughing, he grabbed her arm and pulled her around. She refused to be swayed by his sexy smile. “That seems suitable. Stop fidgeting.”
“Then let me go.” Even as she said it, her body was relaxing into his. Being tucked snug against his body brought out too many sensations, and they were all slamming into her at once.
“I don’t want to. I want to kiss you. Really kiss you. Not like the G-rated kiss you gave me yesterday.”
Warmth pooled in her stomach, and Shay stopped fidgeting. Her eyes fastened on his and her breathing quickened. “Are you complaining about my kiss? It’s not like you put in much effort.”
Wyatt’s eyes darkened so she could barely see the green in them. “I was too busy putting my effort into not doing exactly what I wanted to.”
Shay let her hands rest on his chest. “What did you want to do?”
“This.”
Even as his grasp on her arms tightened, his head was lowering and then his mouth was gently seducing her own, guiding her straight out of G-rated territory. Her hands slid up and around his neck, and his wrapped around her body, pulling her tight against him. She could feel their heartbeats bouncing off of one another. A low growl of pleasure hummed from the back of her throat, and Shay tried to get closer. Wyatt walked her backward to the left. Shay’s heart scrambled as his tongue traced her lips. She moved her hands up and gave in to the desire to run her fingers through the dark brown strands. They were silk and he was fire and Shay couldn’t get enough.
When they reached her room, he lifted his head and stared into her eyes. There was no denying the heat in them. It likely mirrored her own, which would also be impossible to deny.
“We need to slow down,” he whispered, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Why?” She didn’t want to think with her brain. She wanted to feel. Wyatt made her feel…everything.
She pulled her hands from his hair and ran them down his chest,
over his stomach and up, under his shirt. The feel of his skin, smooth and hard, made her sigh. Wyatt shivered and she used the moment to go up on her tiptoes to kiss the underside of his jaw. She rubbed her nose along the column of his neck and wondered if she could just absorb herself into his skin. He smelled so good and tasted even better. When her tongue touched the spot where his neck and his shoulder met, his body twitched. He pulled her hands from under his shirt and arched away.
Shay frowned at him. “If you tell me you just want to be friends or neighbors right now, I might hurt you.”
The smile he gave her was different than the others. It was endearing. Sweet. Who knew her tough-talking neighbor had been hiding a sweet smile? He smoothed back her hair with both hands. “I don’t want you to hurt me. More than that, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Panic that he’d leave, that he’d deny there was something between them made her voice hoarse. “What does that mean?”
“It means there’s no rush. Can I stay with you tonight?”
He was leaving it up to her. They wouldn’t be crossing a line because all of the lines between them were blurred. Shay couldn’t adequately describe what they were to each other, but with her whole heart, she believed whatever happened, wherever this led, it was worth the chance. She nodded.
She crawled into the bed and watched as he tugged his sweater over his head. The sight of his chest was almost better than the feel of it. When his hands went to the waistband of his pants, they stilled and Shay’s heart stopped with them.
“Shay,” he said. His voice was amusement tinged with barely there restraint.
She didn’t look up. She didn’t want to miss anything. “Hmm.”
He whipped the pants off and crawled in beside her, settling them so his arm was under her and her head rested on his chest.
Her free hand wandered without permission until he used his to trap it against the heavy thudding of his heart. “We’re going to sleep,” he said.
Shay tilted her neck so she could look up at him. “I’m not tired.”
His lips sought hers in a gentle kiss that had her sighing into his mouth and pressing into his body. When he pulled back, she started to complain.
