Wyatt's Stand (Colebrook Siblings Trilogy Book 2) (13 page)

“And you don’t have any idea who it is?”

He shook his head. “None. I don’t want you to worry, I just thought you had a right to know.”

She wished he’d done it right away, rather than wait, but decided to let it go. “Okay.”

At her motel he walked her up to her door. Touched by the show of manners, she smiled up at him. “Thanks for dinner. I enjoyed it.”

“Me too.”

She hid a smile, angled her body to face him and took a step closer, enjoying that they were eye to eye. “So, did this qualify as a date?”

“I…”

“Because if it did, then you need to kiss me goodnight.”

For a moment, Wyatt was too stunned to answer her.

A heady shot of arousal punched through him, momentarily scrambling his brain. There were so many reasons why he shouldn’t touch her, but at the moment none of them seemed important enough to keep his hands off her.

Without giving himself time to overthink it he stepped forward, erasing the distance between them, and slid one hand into those springy curls he’d been wanting to touch. She leaned toward him, eyelids falling closed and he took the invitation, settling his mouth over hers.

The moment their lips touched a rush of desire swept through him. Her hands came up to settle on his chest and she leaned closer.

Wyatt kissed the corner of her mouth, her bottom lip, then grazed his tongue along it. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat and curled her fingers into his shoulders as she opened for him.

He delved inside her, stroked her tongue with his. She moaned into his mouth and the kiss changed instantly.

Bringing his other hand up to cup the back of her neck, he pushed her backward and pressed her up against the door. Austen shivered lightly and slid her hands up to grip his head, arching to bring their bodies in contact from chest to groin.

He was already hard and aching and wanted her to feel what she did to him. He pressed his erection into the softness of her lower belly, amazed at how well they fit together. It was like she was built for him.

Rubbing against her, reveling in the tiny catch in her breathing and the light shiver that rippled through her, he flicked his tongue against hers and teased the roof of her mouth. She wrapped one long leg around his thigh and rocked into him, damn near making his eyes roll into the back of his head.

He hadn’t been with anyone since being injured. If things progressed between them—and this mind-blowing kiss suggested that they would—then she would wind up seeing
all
of him.

The thought sent a trickle of unease through him. She seemed strong and calm and accepting but a beautiful woman like her could do so much better than a mentally and physically scarred guy like him.

He knew what he looked like, and it wasn’t pretty. Part of him couldn’t believe she’d actually wanted him to kiss her, let alone how into it she seemed.

Wanting to stop things before they got out of hand, he drew her lower lip into his mouth and sucked lightly, flicking the tip of his tongue against it before raising his head. She made a sound of protest and tried to lean in for more but he eased back, his grip firm on her nape.

Dazed silver eyes slowly focused on his face as she blinked up at him. He couldn’t help but smile. “Wow.”

A lazy, seductive smile curved her shiny lips. “Wow is right.” Her hands gentled on his head, her fingers stroking over his scalp in a way that sent little shivers over his skin. “I haven’t kissed anyone like that since John, and I can definitely say that was worth the wait.”

Yeah? Then they had more in common than he’d realized.

Despite their poor beginning, things were good between them now. He was comfortable around her, enjoyed her company. He wished he was still kissing her, or better yet, backing her into the motel room and slowly stripping her clothes off to reveal every inch of her smooth brown skin so he could stroke and taste it.

“For me, too,” he said.

Her gaze dropped to his mouth again, then came back to his eyes. It had been a damn long time since he’d been with a woman but even he couldn’t mistake the hunger burning in her eyes. For a second he was sure she was going to invite him inside, but then she touched her lips to his in a light caress and released his head.

“Thanks for tonight, I enjoyed it. Have a good night.”

Torn between relief and disappointment, he eased his fingers from her curls and released the back of her neck. “You too.”

She shot one last seductive smile at him before slipping into the room and shutting the door.

The moment he turned around he saw the car parked at the rear of the lot. Unease filled him as soon as the driver saw him watching. Before he could move or make out who the driver was, the person turned their head to face front and hit the gas, tearing out of the lot, too fast for Wyatt to see the plate but he got the make and model.

A warning tingle in his gut told him it hadn’t been coincidence. That the driver had been watching him and Austen, had been sitting there watching them kiss. And they still hadn’t found out who had sent him those texts. Whoever it was might be following him around, maybe targeting Austen.

His mind went back to what Austen had said at dinner. It could have been Greg, but what if it was one of the guys on his crew?

His immediate reaction was to dismiss that any of the guys were behind this, because he knew them all personally and there was no reason for any of them to target him. Hell, he’d gone out of his way to provide them with enough work to support themselves.

Those texts though… They had to be from someone he knew. Or someone Austen knew.

God, he hated that she was alone at this motel. It might be nothing and he might just be acting paranoid, but what if the driver had been watching Austen and waiting for Wyatt to leave so he could make a move?

Not wanting to worry her further by telling her about the car in case he was being paranoid, he pulled out his phone to dial Easton.

“Hey,” his brother said. “You didn’t show up for dinner. Had a last minute hot date or something?”

“Something came up.”

“Wait, what? Was it a date?” A pause, and he imagined his brother’s wide-eyed expression. “Is it the girl you invited over for dinner?”

He wasn’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole because if he did, Easton would badger him forever. Literally. Forever. “I need a favor.”

“Oh. Sure, man. What’s up?”

“I need you to meet me at the motel off Main and switch vehicles with me.”

“You took your date back to a
motel
? Jesus, Wyatt, I know it’s been a while since you were in the saddle, but—”

“It’s not like that,” he snapped, impatient. “Look, can you come switch vehicles with me or not?”

“Yeah, sure. Be there in twenty.”

Wyatt ended the call and stood beside his truck, keeping an eye out for that gray car, but it didn’t come back. Easton pulled into the parking lot right on time and parked beside him. “Hey. Everything okay?”

He sighed. “Someone’s watching me. Or maybe Austen.”

“Austen? The girl from last night?”

He nodded. “She bought the Miller place and is fixing it up.”

“Dad told me.” He frowned. “You think someone is after her?”

“No.”
Maybe
. “I don’t know. She’s new in town so it’s unlikely she’s had time to make any enemies here, and I can’t see anyone not liking her anyhow.” Though he didn’t know much about her past, so he couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone was targeting her. But then why text him instead of her?

He told Easton about the texts, and of course Easton already knew about Greg. Then he explained about the car and driver, and shrugged. “Might be nothing, but I still don’t know who sent me those texts so I’d feel better if I camped outside for tonight, see if they come back.”

Easton blinked at him, then a shit-eating grin split his face. “You’re really into her. Austen.”

Wyatt didn’t answer for a moment. “I just want to make sure she’s safe.”

His brother wiped the grin off his face and nodded, but Wyatt could still see the amusement glinting in those brown eyes. “Sure, bro, you gotta do what you gotta do. Here.” He held up a set of keys and swapped with Wyatt. “I left your present on the passenger seat. Was going to give it to you last night, but you were otherwise…occupied, so…” He thumped Wyatt on the shoulder. “Happy belated birthday.”

“Thanks, man.”

“See you tomorrow? Maybe we can grab breakfast or something before you head to work.”

“Sounds good. Can you look after Grits for me?”

“I brought him in my truck. I fed and walked with him so he’s got a full belly and he’s all empty down below. Cute little guy.”

“Yeah.” He was growing on Wyatt more and more every day, making it hard to keep his emotional distance. Piper was no doubt gloating about what an awesome idea it had been to give the dog to him in the first place. “Thanks, man. Later.”

“Later.” Easton climbed into Wyatt’s truck.

Wyatt watched his brother drive away. It had been way too long since they’d all been together, with Easton being overseas for six months at a time and Brody recovering from a bullet wound that could have ended his career on the HRT. Charlie’s schedule as a DEA computer forensic examiner was erratic too. This past year they hadn’t even celebrated Christmas together. Their mother must have rolled over in her grave.

His gaze strayed to the upper floor of the motel, to Austen’s door. His mom would have loved her. What was Austen doing right now? Was she in the shower, standing under the flow of hot water as it slid over her lithe, naked body?

He caught his breath. Was she in bed, thinking of him? Better yet, was she touching herself, to ease the ache that kiss had ignited? Because he was sure as hell aching for her.

It blew him away that he wanted her this badly, more than he’d ever wanted another woman, and that she’d managed to get under his skin in such a short time, let alone after the bad start they’d had.

Pushing out a deep breath to banish the images those thoughts created, he got into Easton’s truck and greeted Grits with an ear-ruffle. A rolled-up T-shirt sat on the passenger seat. Wyatt picked it up and unrolled it.

When he read the message on the front, he couldn’t stop the crack of laughter that escaped. His little brother was awesome.

After putting it on, he drove around the block, looking for the gray car. When he didn’t see it, he parked at the far end of the parking lot and shut off the engine, leaned the seat back.

It was going to be a long and fairly uncomfortable night, but he didn’t sleep much these days anyway and he just wanted to make sure Austen was safe.

Dressed in her workout gear of yoga pants and a sports top, Austen crossed the parking lot, headed for the sidewalk that would take her to Main Street. She stuffed her hands in her pockets to ward off the chill of the early morning air.

It was just after five, and chilly. After suffering a long night filled with sexual frustration that even her favorite battery-operated toy couldn’t completely alleviate, she was sorely in need of a serious caffeine jolt and had woken up with the worst craving for one of the
Garden of Eatin’s
vanilla lattes.

Nearly to the sidewalk, she did a double-take at the man asleep behind the wheel of a white pickup. Wyatt?

She started toward him, taking in the way his head lolled back against the headrest. When she drew nearer she saw that his mouth was partially open, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm. What the hell was he doing here, asleep in a strange truck?

Standing directly beside his window, she lifted a hand and gently tapped on it. He jerked awake like she’d fired a gun, his frantic gaze calming only when he focused on her standing there.

“Hey,” he mumbled, reaching up to grimace and rub the back of his neck.

“What are you doing sleeping out here?” she asked.

He rolled down the window and Grits climbed over the top of him to stick his head through the window, trying to lick her. She patted him while she waited for Wyatt’s response.

“Long story,” he said, and frowned. “What time is it?”

“Ten after five. Wyatt.” His sleep-bleary eyes focused on her. “Why did you stay here in this truck last night?”

“I thought I saw someone watching me after you went inside. They were in a car at the back of the parking lot and took off when I saw them.” He shrugged, the motion tight, almost defensive. “After those texts, I didn’t want you to be here alone, just in case.”

She melted a little. “You could have just come up to my room.”

He snorted. “Not a good idea.”

She thought it would have been one hell of an idea.

His frown deepened. “What are you doing up and dressed already?”

“Couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d wander down to the café for the biggest latte they can make me.” Withdrawing her hand from Grits’s head, she folded her arms and gave Wyatt a stern look. “Whose truck is this?”

“My brother Easton’s. He came and traded vehicles with me.”

“And you stayed out here all night because of that car?” There had to be more to it.

He lifted a shoulder. “I learned in Afghanistan not to ignore my gut, so I couldn’t leave last night. Wanted to make sure you were safe.”

Her heart turned over. She couldn’t believe he’d spent the entire night like that, his huge frame squished into the front seat. He must be stiff and sore, sitting up like that for so long, and she doubted he’d slept even as well as she had when she’d managed to doze off. All because he’d wanted to guard her.

God, he was such a complex man. Hard in a lot of ways, and soft in so many others. She never knew what to expect from him.

She sighed. “You remember I was a firefighter, right? And I’m a pretty big girl, in case you haven’t noticed. I wouldn’t make for an easy target. I’m not helpless.”

“I know. I just…I felt like I needed to stand watch.”

Awww
. She eyed him for a long moment. “Feel like an early morning walk? I owe you a coffee at the very least.”