Oh, ugh. She cleaned the wet spots off her glasses, but otherwise there wasn’t much hope for her wet hair, and she didn’t think Wyatt would appreciate her taking the time to shower and put on some makeup. He likely wanted some coffee and homemade soup, not a glamour girl.
She fluffed her wet curls as best as she could, stuck her feet into slippers and went into the kitchen.
She inhaled when she walked in. “I smell coffee.”
“I raided your cabinets and made myself at home.”
Her stomach flipped in a decidedly warm way. “I’m glad. Sorry it took me so long.”
“It didn’t. I don’t think you need to wait on me when I’m perfectly capable of making a pot of coffee.”
He poured her a cup. She reached into the fridge. “Cream?”
“Yeah.”
“How about sugar?”
“No, thanks.”
She grabbed the sugar bowl on the kitchen table and scooped a spoonful into her cup, stirred and watched him.
There were never men in her kitchen. She dated on occasion, but never invited them home and sure as hell didn’t have them in her kitchen making coffee for her.
Seeing Wyatt, his tall, lean body relaxing against her counters, was a little disconcerting. He was so big and her kitchen was small.
And speaking of the kitchen…
She took a swallow of coffee, then set it aside. “Let me get started on that soup I promised.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
She bent down to grab her soup pot and grinned up at him. “Sure I do. I’m starving.” She put the pot on her stove, then went to the freezer to dig out the chicken stock she was so glad she had on hand.
She put the container in the microwave to defrost, then opened the refrigerator, also happy she’d gone to the grocery store yesterday.
“What can I do to help?”
“How are you with a knife?”
He went to the sink and rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands. “Expert.”
“Good.” She laid celery and carrots on the cutting board. “Start slicing.”
While he got busy with that, she tossed the chicken in the stock, added a little garlic and ginger and a few more spices. Soon the soup was bubbly and thick and she put a loaf of bread in the oven to heat up, then added the carrots and celery Wyatt had sliced.
She had a few minutes to rest while the soup simmered and the bread cooked, so she refilled her coffee. Wyatt was sitting at her table, one she’d found at a garage sale.
“You rent this house?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, I’m a homeowner.”
He arched a brow. “Really. This and the day care center.”
“Well, this place is tiny. Only a one-bedroom. But it’s a house and it’s what I wanted when I moved here.”
“Why not an apartment? I mean, you’re young and single. I would think a condo or apartment would suit you better.”
“That’s just pissing money away every month.”
He laughed. “A lot of young people do that.”
She took a sip of coffee. “You make it sound like I’m sixteen and you’re my dad. I’m twenty-six and I wanted the investment. I bought this little cracker box of a house because it was all I could afford. When my grandmother died and left half her money to me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it—invest it in the day care center.
“But I also wanted a house. I didn’t want to throw money away every month on an apartment. I found this place. It was so small, but what else did I need? I’m single, have no kids, no husband, no boyfriend. So as an initial investment it was perfect.”
He was staring at her with that unfathomable expression on his face that told her nothing of what he was thinking.
“What?”
“You surprise me.”
She turned to stir the soup. “Yeah? In what way?”
“I always think of you as being a kid. But you’re not. You’re all grown-up.”
“I’ve been a grown-up for a long time now, Wyatt. Maybe it’s past time you realized that.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
She felt his gaze on her, but didn’t turn around. He could just simmer on what she’d said.
The soup and bread were ready, so she served it up and they ate, drank, and what was most surprising of all—they actually talked.
Wyatt told her about the progress on the room addition at the center, as well as other ongoing projects their construction company had going. She could tell he really loved his family business, even though his brothers seemed to irritate him.
“I understand familial relationships,” she said as they moved from the kitchen to her living room after they finished eating. She had poured them a snifter of her favorite winter naughty indulgence—brandy. Maybe she could get him drunk and take advantage of him. “Families can test you under the best circumstances, but underneath I know you love your brothers.”
He nodded and swirled the brandy around the glass. “They try my patience—I’m sure on purpose at least half the time. Brody likes to tease and Ethan eggs him on. The two of them gang up on me.”
“Most likely to irritate you on purpose because you’re so naturally cranky.”
He tilted the glass in her direction. “People who throw those kinds of words at me generally live to regret them.”
She leaned back against the sofa and grinned at him. “Good thing I know your bark is way worse than your bite.”
“Are you sure about that? I haven’t bitten you—yet.”
Whoa. Where had that come from? It had been a bonafide sexual come-on, and Calliope nearly self-combusted right there. Heat flared through every part of her. The whole room seemed to go up in flames, or maybe that was just her, and likely because of the way Wyatt’s gaze burned into her. Her nipples tightened and everything that was female in her shouted for joy.
Usually never at a loss for words, she had no idea what to say.
Wyatt downed the brandy, then stood. “Well, I should go.”
She shot off the sofa. “What? Are you insane? There’s two feet of snow out there. You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
He arched a brow. “You thinking of holding me prisoner here?”
“I might if you come up with another dumbass idea, like trying to drive in that.”
“It’ll still be there tomorrow morning, Calliope.”
“By tomorrow the road crews will have been out all night, spreading salt and plowing. The streets will be in more decent shape than they are right now. What if you get stuck getting back home? It’s not like you’ll have an easy time getting a tow tonight. I’m sure there are a lot of cars getting stuck.”
He gave her a dubious look. “We don’t live in a major city. I can call Roger. He owns one of the two wreckers in town to give me a pull.”
She crossed her arms. “Or you can use some common sense and not be one of those idiots on the road tonight.”
“I think you’re trying to keep me here for your own nefarious purposes.”
She laughed. “Yeah, all one hundred thirty pounds of me, plotting devious things against all—” she looked him over, “—two-ten of you?”
“Two-twenty-five.”
“So you’re nearly twice my weight. I’m sure I could pounce on you and take you down.”
She saw his jaw clench.
“You could try.”
“I could, couldn’t I?”
It sure was warm in here, and the sexual innuendos were flying around the room like crazed bats. She supposed she could cut to the chase, but it sure would be nice if Wyatt came after her for a change. She was tired of being the one doing the chasing.
He finally settled back down on the sofa. “I’d rather you stop calling me an idiot.”
“Since you’re sitting and obviously staying, I’ll refrain from further insults as to your state of mind.” She grabbed his empty glass. “How about a refill?”
“Got any beer? That shit’s too sweet.”
“Sure.” She refilled her glass while she was in there, handed him the beer and slid back onto the sofa, pulling her legs up behind her.
“Would you like to watch television?”
“Not much of a TV watcher.”
“Neither am I.”
He studied her. She pushed her glasses up.
“What do you do at night?” he asked.
“I read. I’m usually so exhausted by the time I get home, I eat dinner, take a hot bath and soak for a while, then curl up with a good book and generally pass out early.”
“Kids are exhausting, huh?”
She laughed. “They can be.”
“What made you decide to open a day care center?”
“That’s easy. I love children. Always have, ever since I got my first babysitting job as a teenager. I knew then that I wanted to do something with kids.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Why not become a teacher?”
“I do have a degree in early childhood education, thought about becoming a teacher, but the little ones wrap me around their fingers and don’t let go. I worked at a lot of day care centers while I was in college, and my career naturally progressed in this direction. I apprenticed under a director near my college, and worked as a director at one in Nebraska for a couple years. When the opportunity came up to buy out Miss Bettie, I leaped on it because I could own my own business, and it gave me a chance to come home.”
“It’s a lot of work.”
She nodded. “It is, but it’s so rewarding. The staff is amazing, and I feel like I’m doing something important. I can’t imagine how worried these parents are, having to leave their little ones while they go off to work. I like to think I can ease their minds a little, knowing their babies are being well taken care of.”
He took a long swallow of beer. She liked watching the way his throat worked, liked the beard stubble on his jaw, wondered what that would feel like on her face—and other parts of her body.
Again, that abrupt flash of heat scored her from the inside out.
She really should stop thinking of sex, especially sex with Wyatt. Especially when Wyatt sat less than a foot away from her. His fear that she might pounce on him? Not too far from the truth.
He laid his empty beer can on the table. She got up.
“I’ll get you another.”
He grabbed her hand. “I know where your fridge is. I can get myself another beer if I want one. You don’t have to wait on me.”
“I don’t mind.”
He released her hand and she hurried into the kitchen. What she really needed was a minute or two to catch her breath. She opened the refrigerator, letting the cool air bathe her face. She took a deep breath to calm down her riotous libido.
Geez, Calliope. You aren’t sixteen anymore. Get a grip.
She stood, closed the door and turned around, then gasped when she found Wyatt standing right there.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Wondering what the hell you’re doing. Hell of a time to take inventory of the fridge, don’t you think?”
“Oh. Uh. That wasn’t what I was doing.”
He placed his palm on the refrigerator door, right next to her shoulder. “Yeah? What were you doing?”
“Looking for this, of course.” She handed him the beer.
He took it from her. “You’re a little odd, Calliope.”
“I prefer quirky.” She skirted around him and headed back into the living room, conscious of him right on her heels.
Wasn’t this what she wanted? Him going after her?
So why was she suddenly so skittish?
Likely because she was out of practice. It wasn’t like she had a parade of men chasing after her. Going after Wyatt was one thing, because she was pretty sure he wasn’t going to take the bait.
Now that he seemed interested? Yeah, that was another story.
He was a lot of man. Could she handle him?
She blew out a breath and stared at the brandy.
“Calliope.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Yes?”
“Would you like me to take off?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t want you to leave.”
“This is uncomfortable for you. For me, too.”
Damn. She’d screwed it up. She’d hesitated. But she wasn’t a quitter. She leaned forward. “I’m not used to having men over.”
“Ever?”
“Uh…no.” She’d never brought a guy to her house. It was too…intimate. Of course she’d had sex at college, and there had been Steve’s apartment. Then there was that one time at the motel with Bobby. But no, she’d never brought a man here. She’d never had a long-term relationship because no guy had been…keepable.
“So you’re a virgin.”
Her head shot up. “I am not.”
His lips quirked. “Yeah, I can tell you’re full of experience.” He got up and went into the kitchen.
Irritated now, she followed. “You can’t tell anything about my…experience.”
He tossed his empty beer can in the trash, then turned to face her. “Honey, you’re like a lamb facing down a wolf.”
She quirked a brow. “And you’re the big bad wolf, I suppose?”
He grinned. “You got it.”
“You think I can’t handle you?”
“I know you can’t handle me.”
“Try me.”
He laughed and moved past her. “I don’t think so.”
Now she was pissed. He was treating her like a child. “You prefer more experienced women.”
“I don’t want any woman.”
“You lie. Ever since we met up again you’ve been dancing around your attraction to me. But because I’m Cassie’s sister, you’ve held back because you’ve got some screwed-up notion that we’re one and the same.”
He looked her up and down, his gaze raking over her body. “Calliope, you are nothing like Cassandra. Not in appearance, not in actions, not in any way.”
She knew how he felt about Cassie. It wasn’t an insult.
“So you’ve given up trying to compare me to my sister.”
He held up his hands. “Throwing the white flag on that one. You win.”
Her lips curved. “I don’t know about that, Wyatt. Seems to me we both win. So why not take what you want—what we both want—and quit fighting it?”
Her heart pounded as she stood in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips. Only a few feet of distance separated them, but she wasn’t going to cross that distance. If he wanted her—and she knew damn well he did—he was going to have to bridge the gap.
He stared her down. He was mad, whether at her or himself she didn’t know. Frankly, she didn’t care. It was now or never because she wouldn’t ask him again.
He came to her in two fast strides and jerked her into his arms.