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I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I thought you would have shown your true colors by now.”
Confusion washed over him. “What?”
I swallowed hard. Maybe that hadn’t been the wisest thing to say. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. Honestly, I can’t say one way or the other at this point if I’m right about this, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t judged you from the start. I feel like I know a bit about men like you, and I hope you can understand why I’m hesitant.”
Oddly enough, Wyatt didn’t seem the least bit offended by what I’d just shared, which was enough to shock me. But then he spoke and surprised me again. “I think it’s normal to want to protect yourself and your family from anyone who could be a threat. I don’t blame you for that.”
“I appreciate your understanding,” I returned.
“There is one thing you should know, though,” he warned me.
“What’s that?”
Wyatt’s stare grew intense, and he leaned toward me as his voice dipped low. “I’m not someone you need to be afraid of.”
My lips parted. I didn’t know how to respond to that.
Fortunately, Wyatt didn’t have any trouble finding something else to say. “Last night, instead of answering your question about why I’d continue to show up to run every morning with you if I wasn’t going to ask you to dinner, I decided to challenge you.”
I wondered if Wyatt realized he was doing a lot to help change my opinion of him. He clearly realized I’d been struggling to respond, and he quickly took the pressure off by redirecting the conversation.
God, the man was smart.
Or, maybe he really was a decent guy.
“What did you challenge me to?” I questioned him.
“Well, you were dancing close, wrapped up in my arms, and you insisted it would be impossible for me to change your mind,” he started. “From what I can tell, you’re a tenacious woman who doesn’t like to lose. You’re a lot like me in that regard. So, I said we should just do it. I told you to agree to go to dinner with me and see if I could make it happen.”
“And I agreed?”
He shook his head. “Nope. You told me you wanted to dance, that you wanted me to dance with you, and if I gave you that, maybe you’d agree to dinner with me.”
Holy crap. I couldn’t believe I’d let down my guard so much with him. If the way I woke up feeling this morning hadn’t already convinced me I’d need to do it, hearing how I’d been with Wyatt was enough to solidify my decision. I was never drinking again. How could I have been so careless and allowed myself to get so close to him?
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I murmured, “Oh.”
Wyatt let out a laugh. “I’ve got to admit, Drunk Rhea was a whole lot of fun.”
I bit my lip, feeling unsure of myself. It was such an unwelcome and uncommon feeling. “Yeah, I guess so, considering you’re here now.”
His voice dipped low again, his eyes boring into mine. “I am.”
“So, will you tell me now?” I asked.
“Tell you what?”
I licked my lips and swallowed hard. “Why do you keep showing up to run with me?”
Wyatt’s entire expression changed. He was so happy; it was like he’d walked out of a dark alley and into the sunlight. “Because as much as I had one goal in mind when I showed up at your ice cream shop a couple weeks ago, I didn’t expect you. And after running for those first two days with you and getting a bit of that sass, well, let’s just say that my goals have shifted a bit.”
My eyes widened in surprise as I whispered, “What?”
He leaned forward, moving toward me. If he came any closer while looking at me the way he was, I didn’t think I’d be able to hold myself back from closing that remaining distance between us.
Fortunately, Wyatt stopped moving, but his words didn’t help the situation. “You’ve got to be the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met, Rhea. And for some reason I can’t begin to understand, I like that a whole lot.”
Oh my God.
