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Kelsey smiled demurely at Andrew’s laying-it-on-thick tone and was that . . . eyelash fluttering? Fuck. She was doing as she promised. Working him. But Wyatt didn’t want that. Hadn’t she heard a word he said about the change of plans?
“Would you care to dance, Kelsey?” Carmichael asked.
“We were just—” Wyatt began.
But Kelsey sent him a fierce look that said I got this before replacing it with her Southern belle act. “That would be lovely, Mr. Carmichael.”
“Please. Call me Andrew.”
Andrew turned and winked at Wyatt, then led Kelsey away. Fucker. The guy had simultaneously hijacked Kelsey and put Wyatt in a position where he couldn’t do something without looking like a possessive asshole. The music switched to a slower beat, and Andrew pulled Kelsey way too close. That almost sent Wyatt charging like a maniacal bull, but Kelsey met his gaze over Andrew’s shoulder, warning him off.
Wyatt forced himself to take a few steps back off the makeshift dance area, but kept his focus glued on Andrew and Kelsey. One errant hand going somewhere it shouldn’t and Wyatt was going to break off Andrew’s fingers and feed them to the sharks.
“She can take care of herself, you know,” Kade said, sidling up next to him again and offering him a glass of what looked to be scotch.
Wyatt accepted the drink and downed it. Fuck keeping his edge tonight. “The guy’s a creep.”
He nodded toward the couple on the dance floor. “And Kelsey’s tough and loyal. Whatever she’s doing out there is for your benefit.”
Wyatt released a weary breath, a deep tiredness settling over him. “How do you really know her, Vandergriff?”
Kade was quiet for a long moment, the ice cubes in his drink clinking against the glass as he rolled it in his hands. “I can’t really—”
“Are you one of her clients?”
Kade snorted.
“Well, are you?”
“Uh, no. Kelsey’s a doll. But we play for the same team.”
Fuck. So Kade was a dom. Perfect. Now that shitty romantic comedy Wyatt had been weaving in his head about Kelsey falling for Kade had an NC-17 element added to it.
“Don’t we all.” Wyatt glanced over at him, his tone wry.
Kade lifted his eyebrows as he sipped his drink. “So what are you doing with her then?”r: Roni Loren
Wyatt cleared his throat, not exactly pleased that the big blond seemed so happy to see Kelsey. “You two know each other?”
Kade’s grin remained in place, but a flicker of unease went through his eyes. “Uh, yeah, we have mutual friends.”
Kelsey glanced at Kade and nodded, but didn’t offer any further clarification. Wyatt’s bullshit meter shot up like a thermometer in summer. How exactly would a waitress and a restaurant mogul have mutual friends? And that embrace hadn’t been a Hey, friend who I vaguely know through other friends. It’d been comfortable, warm. An ugly crackle of jealousy went through Wyatt. Was Kade Vandergriff one of Kelsey’s clients or maybe one of her customers from the strip club?
“Well, I thought I’d introduce you two since you have an industry in common, but I guess introductions weren’t necessary,” Wyatt said, feeling his stoic mask slip into place.
Kade tucked his hands in his pockets, the picture of casual ease. “Actually, I had no idea Kelsey was wanting to open a bakery. That’s fantastic to hear.”
That niggling feeling in Wyatt’s gut grew even stronger at that statement. So he didn’t know Kelsey through their shared interest in food.
Kelsey pushed her hair behind her ears, looking a little shy under Kade’s gaze. “I’m still a long ways off. I want to go to culinary school first, become a pastry chef.”
“That’s terrific, Kels. Really great,” Kade said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “You should’ve told me that’s the direction you were wanting to go. We do apprenticeships in a lot of my locations. If you ever need a job, you let me know. I know how hard of a worker you are.”
Kelsey beamed. “Really?”
It was the kind of business connection for Kelsey that Wyatt had been hoping for by making the introduction, but now he just wanted to step in front of her and stomp his foot like a petulant child. Mine!
Ridiculous. What the fuck right did he have to do anything of the sort? Sure, she was his right now, on loan for a few days. But after their time was up, she could date any guy she wanted to. Hell, he wasn’t close with Kade Vandergriff, but he knew enough to know that he was probably a settle down and have a family kind of a guy. And he sure as shit had enough money to take care of a woman and make sure she never wanted for anything. Kade could give Kelsey everything she needed and what she deserved.
