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“Wait a minute. Slow down. Audition tape?”
Sweat started to prickle in my hair. “I got a callback, and they are accepting a taped audition. Surprise!” My weak attempt at a joke landed flat.
A hard line formed between his eyebrows. “When are you leaving?”
My heart pounded. He wasn’t askingifI was leaving, but when. “I haven’t sent out the tape yet.”
He pinned me in place with his stare, the one that said, “Cut the shit.” I used to love that stare and get a kick out of pestering him a little bit, but I couldn’t bring myself to joke. I stalled by shifting in my seat and picking at a piece of invisible lint on my shoulder.
“Why not?” he finally ground out when I still hadn’t answered.
Because I’m in love with you and your daughter and I don’t know that I have the guts to leave.
“I don’t know.” It was all I could manage.
I wanted him to fight for me. To tell me that he was choosing me and that he wanted me to stay with him in Outtatowner. Somehow the quirky lakeside town had become a part of me. I was settled and grounded for the first time in my life, but it was nothing without Wyatt.
He pulled me from my thoughts. “And Royal?”
“I talked with him after the boys were arrested. He said he could talk with Lucian and get him to drop the charges. He did.”
Wyatt scoffed. “Just like that?” He shook his head. “Nothing comes from a King without strings.”
“I’m telling you, he just... agreed. I told him how damaging this could be and how silly it would be to ruin their futures over a little fight. It wasn’t a big deal. He kind of laughed and said that he’d been in plenty of stupid fights and that he’d talk with Lucian.”
“You should have talked to me first.” Visible tension rose in his shoulders and neck.
“I didn’t have time. It all happened really fast. Royal was right there at the station, and he talked with Lucian. I made the best call I could in the moment.”
“And now you’re indebted to Royal fucking King.”
I rolled my eyes. “You make him sound like some larger-than-life Mafia kingpin or something. It wasn’t that big of a deal. In fact, he was kind of... nice.”
Wyatt dismissed my statement with a disgusted sound and shake of his head. Heavy moments passed, tense and silent. My palms felt damp. I rubbed them together, looking around his farmhouse.
This night, thisentireconversation, was too intense. Too close to a real relationship with its ups and downs. Every part of me craved that connection, but it was clear that the lines between personal assistant and girlfriend were blurred, and Wyatt wasn’t sure what to make of it either.
I stood and took a few steps toward the front door.
“Stop.” The hard, grumpy tone of his voice halted my feet. “Don’t go.”
I froze, my heart beating wildly.
“I owe you an apology.”
I glanced over my shoulder but didn’t turn back. “I get it. Tonight was... a lot. It’s fine. Everyone just needs a little time to cool off.”
Wyatt stood and took a step toward me. “It’s not fine. I was a dick. You didn’t deserve that.”
A tiny smile played on my lips. Wyatt’s arms wound around me as he pressed my back against him. His warm breath moved over my ear. “Can you forgive me for losing my cool and being a jerk?”
I lifted my shoulder and shot him a playful look. This I could control. When we were lost in each other, I knew exactly where I stood. “I dunno. I guess that depends on how you’d like to apologize.”
He grunted, low and deadly, as his hands moved down my sides and over my skirt. “What would you say if my apology included bending you over this table right now and showing you just how sorry I was.”
“Wyatt Sullivan,” I hissed, a blush staining my cheeks. “There’s a house full of people.”
His fingers teased my exposed thighs, dragging higher and higher, dipping beneath my skirt. “Then you’ll have to work extra hard at keeping quiet.”
