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A strange feeling fluttered in my stomach as I took in the man standing in front of me. Slightly too long brown hair, a nose bent a little to the right, and eyes that seemed to take everything in. This was the same flannel-shirt-and-sneaker-wearing Wyatt that I’d known in college, and yet it was as if someone else stood in his place. Someone harder, more self-assured. Someone undeniably… male.
My date with Nelson had put me in a strange mood. What was I thinking? Of course Wyatt was male. I shook my head. “No need to ice bucket the guy. I made it very clear that I’ve no interest in stuck-up pricks with butt chins.”
“Butt. Chins?” Wyatt’s eyes widened and he coughed behind his hand, like he was trying to cover up a laugh.
“You know. That cleft some guys have in their chin? Nelson had one of those—a butt chin.”
“Is that a scientific term?”
“Oh. Very much so. You can look it up.”
“Thought so.” Wyatt’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Good to know you have standards.”
Yup, that was one good thing to come out of dating Lukas. An ability to spot jerks straight away. I eyed Wyatt’s laptop bag. “Was that your cover for being here?”
“Guilty as charged. But since your date’s over, I don’t have to pretend anymore. The bag is empty.” He unzipped it to show me. “Want to get out of here? I’m heading to Landry’s.”
A walk in the fresh air would help to improve my mood. I gathered my purse and followed him outside. “Sure, I’d love to. So, what are we doing at the comic st—”
My voice caught when a pair of strong arms encircled my waist, drawing me close.
Wow. It was like being hugged by a wall. Had Wyatt started working out since college? Because I didn’t recall his arms having all these lovely muscles before.
I inhaled through my nose. He also smelled divine.Kind of spicy and woodsy.
Wait just one apple cider moment. I stopped myself mid-sniff. Why was I fangirling over my friend?
“What are you doing?” I asked, my words muffled by a fragrant and solid chest.
He continued holding me as three teens whizzed by on skateboards.
“Sorry!” one of them called back.
“Don’t worry about it,” Wyatt shouted after them. “Just be more careful next time.”
Heart pounding inside my chest, I gazed up at Wyatt and giggled. “My knight in shining armor. You just rescued me from a gang of unruly teenagers.”
He chuckled. “More like your knight in flannel.”
“You are…” I lost my train of thought as I studied the lines of his face. I’d always known that Wyatt was attractive; he constantly had girls chasing after him, but up until this point, I hadn’t realized how truly handsome he was. His eyes were a vibrant green, like the hills after a rare rain shower, his jaw was perfectly sculpted, and his mouth—
“Everly?” Wyatt licked his bottom lip, and I zeroed in on the movement, keenly aware of how close our faces were and the way his body pressed against mine. A soft warmth curled inside my chest, like a cat sleeping in a patch of sunlight.
“You were about to say something?” he prompted, still not letting go.
I blinked up at him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have ordered such a large cup of tea at Lily’s because now I was lightheaded from all the caffeine. “I… I don’t remember.”
Wyatt released me, and neither one of us spoke as we continued walking, so far apart that a whole parade of skateboarders could have slid right between us. Every few steps, my eyes darted over to him, but Wyatt never once looked my way.
Was he deliberately avoiding me or merely focused on our destination?
When we finally reached the store, it surprised me to discover that Landry’s didn’t stock only comic books. There was row upon row of comic books, of course, but the store also sold board games, books, posters, stuffed animals, and a whole lot of figurines, some of which I recognized from Ben’s collection.
“Wyatt Alexander?” A man with long, stringy brown hair and wide-set eyes left his post behind the counter and gave Wyatt’s hand a hearty shake. “I can’t believe you’re here. In my shop! It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Wyatt gave him a warm smile. “It’s good to meet you too, Johann.”
“I’m a huge fan. You should have told me you were coming today. Thank the stars, I have these.” Johann sprinted back to the counter and returned, clutching three paperback novels. “Will you sign them, please? They’re for me.”
