Page 55 of Wild Rivals

I push him away and he straightens, holding his hands up as he moves back, finally giving me a respite from his nearness. Is this some kind of game? Another level of his revenge?

“What did you just say?” I ask, certain that I’ve misheard him.

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his dress trousers. A hint of pink fills his cheeks, and as I search his face, I see nothing but sincerity in his gaze. “Go on a date with me.”

Confusion clouds my mind, because there’s no way he’s asking me that for real. There’s got to be another reason. “Why?” I ask.

He presses a hand to his chest, chuckling, but I can sense the hurt behind the sound. “Damn, you really know how to cut a man down.”

Running my fingers over my forehead, I rush, “I just mean, you don’t like me. Why would we go on a date?”

Wyatt reaches out, his hand coming to rest on my hip as he pulls me into him. “Why do you think I don’t like you, Mad?”

This time it’s my turn to laugh. “You can’t be serious, right? Up until a matter of days ago, you’ve barely said a nice word to me.”

He shrugs as if the years of rivalry are trivial in the grand scheme of things. “Yeah, well, I was a fool. I do like you. A lot.”

I twist my mouth to the side. “Do you, though? Or do you just like having sex with me?”

He tips his head back and huffs out a breath. “Damn. The sex is an added bonus, but I promise you, I do like you. Although I’m starting to think you might not actually like me.”

Ha. That’s funny. “Don’t try to twist this back on me, mister.” I poke him in the chest and give him my best stern look.

We fall quiet, the familiar tension settling in my gut the longer I look at him. Somewhere in the distance, I can hear the muted sounds of the party in the gallery, but all I can focus on is this moment. On him and what he’s asking me.

I dart my tongue out to wet my lips before saying, “What about Deacon?”

“I’m not asking Deacon.”

I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

He squeezes me close, resting his chin on my head as I settle against him. His heartbeat is a sure and steady rhythm in his chest. “Can we cross that bridge when we come to it?”

I lean back, wondering if I should push for a better answer but knowing that if I was in his shoes, I’d be asking the same. Instead, I nod and say, “Yes. I’ll go on a date with you, but I want to keep it under wraps until we figure out what this is.”

He hits me again with that devastatingly handsome smile before bending to kiss me like he’s been waiting his entire life for the chance.

When he steps back, I feel the loss of him and almost follow in his wake with a plea for more on the tip of my tongue.

His voice is gruff when he says, “We’ll keep it under wraps if that’s what you want, darlin’. Be ready for six tomorrow night, please.”

I nod, not trusting my voice. He gives me one more chaste kiss before slipping through the door. I collapse against the wall, my eyes wide as my heart gallops in my chest.

Holy shit. I’m going on a date with Wyatt Wilde.

33

WYATT

I move Bolt to block a cow that’s trying to break free of the herd we’re moving into one of the grazing pastures. We do this once a year and after a while you start to get a read on the cattle and what their next move is going to be before they even make it. It’s that experience that allows me to be here in body but not in mind.

Maddie has been a distraction since the second she agreed to go on a date with me. It took every ounce of my self-control last night to walk back into the party and not seal our deal with my mouth on her pussy. She looked beautiful in her black minidress with her long legs on display.

I adjust my hardening cock in my jeans as the image of her parted lips and heated gaze flashes through my mind.

No. Even though I’m terrified, I’m going to do this right. I already know we click when it comes to sex, but this feels different, like it could be more.

Kade trots toward me, one hand by his side as he handles his horse, Duke, like the pro he is. When he comes to a stop, he maneuvers Duke to stand beside me and looks out to where Grayson and a couple of the ranch hands are herding the last of the cattle.