“Dinner sounds great.”
“Any special dietary restrictions I should be aware of?” She knew from the summer spent with Drew that the team nutritionists were pretty strict with their requirements.
“More than I can even begin to explain. Let me bring dinner to you.”
“Well now I feel silly.”
His deep, rich laugh had her entire body tingling with awareness. “Don’t. I’ll see you at seven.”
“Seven,” she agreed, and hung up the line.
The next few hours went by at a glacial pace. Tamera traded emails back and forth with another agent for almost an hour, then tried to practice her lines for an upcoming audition. A few new home listings came through, and she sent her recommendations to a few of her clients, along with a few of Landon’s. Julie was still pretty sick, and while the baby was fine, it looked like she might be stuck in the hospital for a while.
At four o’clock, Tamera shut down her laptop and started getting ready for Wyatt. She took a long, hot shower and spent her time straightening her hair until it was sleek and soft. Then she expertly applied her makeup, trying to ignore the way her hands shook as she held the various brushes and wands.
Tonight wasn’t a date. It wasn’t even kind of a date. She was celebrating an offer acceptance with a client and giving him a few pointers on acting so that he didn’t feel so uncomfortable in front of the camera. The fact she’d never done anything like this for any other client was beside the point.
She slipped into her softest pair of jeans and her favorite blouse, then worked on straightening up her condo. She’d loved the white couch and gray tiled fireplace when she bought the place, but they suddenly looked woefully inadequate compared to the home Wyatt was buying. Sure, it wasn’t anywhere close to the opulent mansion he could probably afford. But his new home, with the open spaces and to-die-for movie room, were mountains above her small two-bedroom condo.
He’s not Caleb, she reminded herself. Her ex-boyfriend—brother-in-law—whatever he was—had certainly thought investing in a condo was a waste of money. He didn’t understand why she wanted to buy something so small instead of waiting until she could afford something bigger.
“Don’t be stupid,” she said aloud. Wyatt wasn’t like that.
But Drew’s warning played at the back of her mind.
A knock echoed through the condo and sent Tamera’s heart racing. She took a deep breath and smoothed down the front of her blouse, then cast one last look around her condo. In the kitchen, the sink was free of dishes and the quartz counters were wiped clean. She’d arranged the orange and teal throw pillows—the only pop of color in the room—on the couch. She’d dusted the fireplace mantle.
It was as good as it was going to get.
She walked to the front door on trembling legs and opened it. Her pulse nearly flat-lined at the sight of Wyatt. A ball cap shadowed his face and one hand was shoved in the pocket of his dark denim jeans. A blue T-shirt strained against his muscles, and she caught the faintest whiff of his aftershave.
“Hey,” she said, leaning against the door for support.
He tugged at the brim of his ball cap, a soft smile quirking up the edge of his mouth. He held up a grocery bag and for the first time her brain registered the delicious aroma coming from it. “I brought dinner.”
“Great. Come in.” She stepped aside, trying not to stare at his backside as he sauntered in.
Drew was insane. There was clearly nothing wrong with Wyatt James. Not a darn thing.
“You can set it on the table,” she said, motioning to the square black table big enough to seat four.
“Cool.” He lifted plastic containers from the bag. “I hope you aren’t a vegetarian. My nutritionist made grilled chicken.”
“Definitely not a vegetarian. It smells delicious.”
He pulled off his ball cap and set it on the couch, and her heart flipped. “You lucked out. My nutritionist in San Antonio didn’t worry much about taste. I’m definitely eating much better in California than I ever was in Texas.”
“Good, because I’m not a football player and I refuse to eat anything that tastes like dirt.”
He laughed and the sound seemed to fill her entire condo. She hadn’t realized how cold the place had felt before. His warmth seemed to encompass every inch of the place.
She opened a cupboard and pulled out two glasses, feeling suddenly shy. She motioned to the bottle of wine open on the counter. “I thought tonight was cause for celebrating.”
His eyes glinted as he watched her pour two glasses. “No complaints from me.”
She brought the glasses over to the table and sat one in front of him. The next few minutes were filled with idle chatter as they filled their plates and dug in.
Tamera pointed to her chicken. “This is really good.”
“Don’t act so surprised.”
“Well, you spoke so highly of your last nutritionist.”
Wyatt laughed. “Maybe the team in Texas just really hated me, so they gave me the worst chef.”
Tamera cocked her head to the side, watching Wyatt contemplatively. The words were flippant, but there was an undercurrent of something that she wasn’t quite sure how to decipher.
“Were things hard for you in Texas?”
He took a bite of his chicken and chewed slowly, as though giving himself time to think. “Unexpected complications arose,” he said finally.
“What kinds of complications?”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and that knot was back in her stomach—the knot that Drew had put there with his suggestion that Wyatt wasn’t all that he seemed. “Nothing worth mentioning. I wasn’t sure about the trade to the Coyotes at first, but I’m really enjoying California.” He held her eyes. “Really enjoying it.”
She sucked in a breath and focused on her food. “You’ll be enjoying it a lot more in about two weeks, when you’re living in your own home again. What are you going to do to the movie room?”
“Not much. It’s practically perfect the way it is.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing.”
“You’ll have to come over for it’s inaugural showing.”
Had he just asked her out? She looked at the food spread before them and wondered if he considered this a date. Did she want him to?
“Sounds like fun.” She took a bite of her salad. She needed to focus. “So, how did things go with the team today?”
“Great. We’re doing a team event at Universal Studios a week from Saturday. Ryder Communications has partnered with a charity that’s bringing in at risk kids.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Universal Studios.” Tamera took another bite of her food.
“You’ve never been?”
She shook her head and laughed. “People come from all over the world to see it, but I live fifteen miles away and have never been.”
“You should come with me.” He focused on his food, not looking at her.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Really?”
“Mr. Ryder told us to bring family and friends.” He shrugged. “It’ll be fun to experience the park with someone who appreciates film as much as I do.”
“In that case, I accept.”
What was she doing? Working with Wyatt was one thing, but this was definitely entering the friendship—possibly dating—territory.
“Awesome.” He glanced up and shot her a quick grin. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“I think so, too.”
She cleared her throat and looked away. Focus, Tamera. Her heart couldn’t keep going aflutter every time they were together. He was here to learn about acting, not to flirt. She was like eighty percent sure of that. “So did you shoot any more commercials today?”
“Thankfully no. If I have another shoot as bad as the last two, I’m pretty sure Mr. Ryder is going to rethink his request that I be in them. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”
“Come on. You can’t be that bad.”
He rais
ed an eyebrow. “Want to bet?”
She laughed, taking a final bite of her salad and then pushing her mostly-empty plate away. Wyatt’s plate was empty and they’d both drained their wine glasses. “Show me what you’ve got.”
“Seriously?”
“I can’t help you until I know what I’m dealing with.” She motioned to the living room. “Pretend you’re on set and doing a take.”
“Okay.” He pushed back from the table and stood in the middle of her living room. He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “It’s really awful.”
Tamera folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Stop stalling. I’m here to help, not judge.”
“Okay. Okay.” He shook out his hands and she hid a grin by pretending to scratch her nose.
“You can do it,” Tamera encouraged.
“I’m usually holding a football.”
“Just pretend you’ve got one in your hand.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath, and then a grimace crossed his face. Wait. Was that supposed to be a smile?
He took a step forward, his hand held out in front of him in an awkward cupping motion. Was that how he held an actual football on set? She knew for a fact it wasn’t how he held one on the field.
“Hi,” he said, his voice a painfully loud monotone. “I’m Wyatt James an offensive lineman for the Los Angeles Coyotes you’ve probably seen me play on television or maybe even been to a game.”
He didn’t pause for breath—added absolutely no punctuation to his sentences. It all came out in a rush, said at the exact same speed.
He took a step forward, then paused. “This year the Coyotes are bigger and better than ever we have new players a new coach and a new owner we’re basically a brand new team and we want to invite you to be a part of it.”
Tamera couldn’t help it. A giggle burst forth and she made a slicing motion across her neck with one finger. “Cut.”
His hand dropped to his side and pink tinged his cheeks. “Told you I was bad.”
“I thought you were exaggerating.”
He ran a hand over his head. “I’m fine playing on the field. But this kind of thing is totally outside my ability.”
“It’s not.” She walked over to him and placed a hand on each of his arms. She stared up into his eyes, trying to ignore the frantic beating of his heart. “Don’t think of it as a camera. Think of it as talking to a fan. One single fan. Pretend you’re talking to me.”
His lips curved up in a smile. “You’re one of my fans?”
She dropped her hands and took a step away. “You know I love football.”
Mischief glinted in his eyes, but he nodded. “Of course.”
“First of all, you need to loosen up.” She rolled her shoulders back and stretched her neck. “Come on—do it.”
He rolled his shoulders, looking as stiff as a board. Tamera leaned over, resting her hands on her legs as laughter shook her body.
“That’s how you relax?” she gasped.
Wyatt threw up his hands. “It’s hopeless.”
“Stop.” She rested her hands on his biceps and his breathing stilled. Slowly, she ran her hands down his arms. The muscles were like stone beneath her light touch. She reached his hands and curled her fingers through his. He responded by closing his hands tightly around hers and taking a step closer.
“Now what?” he breathed.
Slowly, she raised their hands up in the air and then out to their sides. “Pretend your limbs are liquid. Imagine a waterfall is pouring over you.”
He let her guide his hands, up and out, down to their sides, back up. Then he took control, bringing her hands to rest against his chest.
“Feel relaxed?” she whispered.
He captured both her hands in one of his, trapping them against his chest. She could feel his heart beating frantically underneath her palms as he brushed a strand of hair behind her cheek.
“Completely,” he breathed.
She pressed herself tighter against him, an involuntary reaction to the caress of his fingers on her cheeks. His large hand made it’s way to the back of her neck and she rose on her tiptoes.
A knock echoed through the condo, shattering the moment. Tamera jumped away and Wyatt’s hands dropped to his side. She stared at the door, her chest heaving with what had almost just happened.
Wyatt cleared his throat and ran a hand over his chin. “Are you expecting visitors?”
“No. It’s probably just a neighbor wanting to borrow an egg or something.” She walked to the door, trying not to stumble like a love drunk idiot.
She’d almost kissed Wyatt James. Her body felt flushed with heat and she pressed a hand to her cheek. Definitely warm from a blush. She was supposed to be helping Wyatt with his acting, not almost kissing him.
She peered through the peephole, then gasped.
Wyatt took a step forward, his posture going rigid as though he was prepared to protect if necessary. “Who is it?”
She shook her head and motioned with one hand for him to relax. “It’s only Drew.”
“What?” Wyatt’s single word was harsh and filled with something she couldn’t put her finger on.
“I had no idea he was in town,” Tamera said, feeling her stomach coil with nerves. Two parts of her life that didn’t like each other were about to collide, and she wasn’t eager for the explosion.
“Come on, Tamera,” Drew said on the other side of the door. “I can hear you in there. Let me in.”
“Sorry,” Tamera mouthed at Wyatt. His jaw was clenched, his eyes dark. Then she unlocked the door, pasting a smile on her lips. “Hey, Drew.”
He laughed, lifting her off the ground with a giant bear hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“What are you doing in town?”
“You sounded so upset when we talked last that I decided to hop on a plane.” Drew set her down, looking over the top of her head into the condo, and stiffened. She knew he’d seen Wyatt.
Tamera cleared her throat and stepped back, letting Drew inside. “I guess you two know each other.”
She looked back and forth between the two men. They faced off like two bulls in a pen, their tightly corded muscles straining their T-shirts with tension. Both men had their jaws clenched and their arms tightly folded across massive chests. For a moment, she had the urge to push Drew backward out of the condo and lock the door so she and Wyatt could go back to the easy chemistry that had sizzled between them moments before. She’d really been looking forward to that kiss.
“I’d better get going,” Wyatt said. He grabbed his ball cap off the couch and nodded to Tamera. “Thanks for your help tonight.”
“You don’t have to go,” Tamera said even as she walked him to the door.
“Yeah,I think I do.” Wyatt glanced at Drew, then leaned down and gave Tamera a tight hug. “Don’t believe a word he says,” he whispered in her ear.
Tamera stepped back, her mind swirling with confusion.
Wyatt gave a quick nod, then disappeared down the hallway. Tamera shut the door, turned to Drew, and folded her arms.
“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” she said. “Start talking.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Drew motioned to Tamera’s white couch, his expression serious. “Can we sit?”
She ran a hand through her hair, then blew out a breath. Why was he here? “Yeah. Sounds like this might take a while.”
Drew nodded and sank into the cushion. She could almost hear it groan under his weight. He looked comical, like a baby doll trying to sit on a couch made for Barbies. Wyatt and Drew were roughly the same size, but somehow Wyatt had looked like he belonged in her living room while Drew looked decidedly out of place.
Tamera sank into the chair across from him, wanting a little distance. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”
“I could tell how much the texts from Caleb were messing with you. I wanted to help if I could.”
His words touched her heart, easing t
he frustration she felt over the interrupted kiss. Tamera rested a hand on his arm. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
He covered her hand with his, but it felt like a trap instead of a comfort. When he looked at her, she saw something in his eyes she hadn’t noticed before. Desire.
She yanked her hand back, startled. Drew always flirted, but was it possible he actually meant it?
“What was Wyatt doing here?” Drew demanded.
Tamera looked away. “I can’t tell you.”
Hi eyes bulged and he clenched his hands into fists, resting them on his knees. “What do you mean you can’t tell me?”
“I signed a nondisclosure.”
“So you’re working for him.” It wasn’t a question.
“You know I can’t confirm or deny that.”
“Tonight looked like a lot more than a work meeting.” Drew leaned back, smashing her orange and teal throw pillows flat beneath his bulk. He gestured to the table, where their empty wine glasses and plates still sat. “Dinner. Wine. Sounds like a date.”
“It wasn’t,” Tamera said, unable to keep the defensive edge from her voice. She and Drew were just friends. Not even best friends. He didn’t get to comment on her love life.
“Did you want it to be?”
Tamera ran a shaky hand through her hair, thinking of the way her entire body had yearned for that almost-kiss. She’d leaned into Wyatt. Practically begged his lips to capture hers. “I don’t know.”
Drew swore. “I warned you about him, Tamera. Stay away.”
“What’s so bad about Wyatt?” Tamera threw out her arms. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the past two weeks, and I honestly don’t know what made you warn me to stay away.”
“He’s a snake.”
“He’s kind,” Tamera shot back. “He’s humble and chivalrous. He makes me laugh.”
“So does a cat video. That doesn’t mean you should date it.”
“We’re not dating.” She rose and began to pace, then stopped in front of Drew. “Why shouldn’t I date him?”
Drew’s jaw twitched. “I told you to trust me.”
“I do.” Well, she trusted him like ninety percent. Maybe eighty. She sank onto the couch next to Drew. “Trust isn’t enough. I really like Wyatt. If you honesty believe I shouldn’t date him, then I need to know what he did that was so awful.”
Match Me if You Can (No Match for Love Book 7) Page 10
