“Should I take it off right now?” I tease.
The grin on my face fades away when Wyatt’s head snaps forward, and I see the pure heat in his eyes. An inferno raging within, leashed and contained, but just barely, and I’m flirting with the door that would consume me if I opened it.
“Move one inch in any direction right now, and I will not be responsible for what I do next,” he says, and as his gaze drops once more, this time in slow pursual, he licks his lips.
I’m not sure if he means so he can feast on the sight of me, or because if I move, I’ll be prey and he the predator, ready to strike.
Either way, I don’t move, and with deliberateness, his eyes drift back up and he leans back, digging a hand into the pocket of his jeans. It takes me a moment to realize that he’s adjusting himself, and I blow out a breath, desperately trying to keep my eyes above his belt.
Friends. Friends, friends, friends.
“Tell me what happened yesterday,” I say, bringing the conversation back around to lunch with Gran.
And just as I intended, it’s like throwing a bucket of cold water on the man in front of me, and he pulls his hand out and leans forward, his shoulders curling inward. Nothing like bringing up a grandmother to help curb any dirty thoughts going through our minds.
“Right, Ruby and Mildred.” Wyatt blows out a breath, takes his baseball hat off, and runs his forearm across his forehead. “We went to a fancy place, and I’m not sure if they planned this or not, but there was a group of women having lunch there too. About their age. It was clear when we all walked in that they knew each other.”
Before my grandpa died, Gran would go out with the lunchladies often, but she only goes out occasionally with Nate’s grandma these days.
“It was also clear that I was a hot commodity,” he continues, dropping his hat back on his head before wiping his hands on his jeans. “Ruby and Mildred were eating it up. Here they were with a stud like me—”
“Nice,” I snort.
He grins at me. “Deny it and I’ll prove it.”
My eyes flare, and I shake my head. “I could never.”
“That’s what I thought,” he says with a smirk that has me envisioning him putting me over his lap and spanking my ass. Warmth spreads south at the thought. “Anyway, this other table came up one by one to introduce themselves. Ruby and Mildred had to beat them off with their spoons because they wouldn’t leave us alone.”
The image has me laughing. That is a very Gran and Mildred thing to do.
“I bet all those little old ladies were salivating over such a handsome stud like you,” I tell him. And despite my laughter, I’m serious. I know exactly how they feel.
“The puddles of drool at their table made me blush,” he confirms.
“Pfft,” I shake my head. “Please! You get all kinds of social media comments that are far worse than any of those women would have said.”
One of his eyebrows lifts. “How would you know?”
Shoot. I probably should have considered my words before they came out of my mouth, but like he owned that he was getting turned on, I’ll own this.
I shrug. “Because maybe I read them.”
“Does that mean you watch my videos?”
Again, I shrug noncommittedly. “Maybe.”
His grin relaxes into a smile, his gaze softening as he studies me. The playfulness hasn’t completely left the air around us, but it’s dimmed, the light of seriousness brightening.
“I’d like it if you do.”
“Noted,” I say, toying with the hem of my dress. “Can I tell you something I like?”
Wyatt nods.
“I really like that you took Gran out for lunch,” I confess, releasing a breath with the words. “And that you’re here a lot when I’m not. It makes it easier to leave.”
His eyes narrow a little. “Would you have gone out this afternoon if I hadn’t been here?”
