Page 4 of Wild Lies

The guy looks around, eyeing up the regulars—people I know will have my back no matter what—before holding up his hands and shaking his head as he steps back. He looks over Wy’s shoulder, eyeing me up before shifting his attention back and replying, “Nope.”

Wyatt stays in place until the guy has gone back to his friends on the other side of the bar, and the normal chatter returns, but I still don’t move. I’m too busy fighting with that thrill-seeking demon that rears its head at every opportunity. Grayson and Wyatt have always stepped in to fight my battles, like they think I need protecting, but I’m more than capable of standing up for myself.

Clenching and releasing my hands, I grind out, “I had it handled, Wy.”

“Right, and that would have ended our night. Besides, you didn’t really think you’d get out of buying the drinks if you got into a fight, right? I’m not that easily distracted, Kade.” Wyatt chuckles, shaking his head.

I stare at him for a beat before forcing myself to relax and smacking him on the back as he passes me. Distractedly, I reply, “Not a chance.”

Titan has the beers waiting on the bar as Wyatt approaches, and he swipes them up, aiming one back at me before he walks away. I know that he’s only looking out for me, but I’m grown enough to do that myself.

It’s only when I lose him in the crowd that I suck in a breath and turn to the woman who’s got me so twisted up.

3

CHLOE

Oh God, he’s coming over. My body feels like it’s ablaze, and I’m far too aware of my pebbled nipples as they painfully press into the padding of my bra. The bass from the jukebox throbs through the floorboards, finding its way under my skin and colliding with the rush of my pulse.

When I looked up and met his gaze for the second time today, before Greg decided to be an ass, I knew exactly who the watchful cowboy was. And I’ve been in a state of aroused confusion ever since. I don’t know if it was my mind playing tricks on me or not, but for a second, it felt like maybe he felt something too when we locked eyes.

Earlier on the ranch, the heat of his stare wasn’t as intense as it is now, but I still feel that electric buzz rushing through me. Like he’s the lighter fluid to my internal fire, and my body warms from being the center of his attention.

As if the connection I feel toward him wasn’t enough, he had to go and stand up for me just now, which is probably the hottest thing a man has ever done. I shift in my seat to ease the ache between my legs as he comes to a stop in front of me.

His mouth moves, but I don’t hear a word he says, and when he bends his knees, bringing his eyes in line with mine, I follow his movement. He lifts a hand like he’s considering touching me before it falls to his side. A groove forms between his brows, and I barely resist the urge to reach out and smooth my thumb over it. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man as strikingly handsome as him. His blue eyes are watchful as I take in his high cheekbones, square jaw covered in scruff, and his straight nose. My fingers itch to play with the hair that brushes his collar. When my focus dips to the full lips framed by his neatly kept mustache, I swallow thickly. What would it feel like to have his lips on mine?

“Are you okay, buttercup?” His voice penetrates the fog, and I blink as the full volume of the loud and rowdy bar comes back into focus.

Jesus, what is wrong with me?

Flicking my hair over my shoulder with one hand, I turn in my seat and reach for the empty glass in front of me. “I’m fine, thank you.”

I dart what I hope is a covert look over at him as he stands taller. It takes every ounce of self-control to keep my eyes from popping out of my head as I take in the dark blue T-shirt that’s fitted to his body like a second skin, and the tight blue jeans. I tilt my head when I catch sight of the shiny buckle with a rearing horse and mountains behind it and a small W and H on either side. He doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the weight of his stare on me as I look straight ahead at the back of the bar.

Where have my manners gone?

Clearly I left them behind in Seattle. I came here to survive a wedding, not lose myself in a stranger, but that doesn’t excuse bad manners, so I turn my attention back to him, the corner of my mouth curving into a soft smile. “You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”

My knight in shining armor shrugs—like coming to someone’s rescue is a regular thing for him. “It’s no big deal. You didn’t want his attention, and I don’t think a guy like that is up for listening to what you want.”

He’s not wrong, but I could have handled Greg myself.

Curiosity swirls inside my chest and I ask, “Are you?” before my eyes widen and I press my lips together as if I could capture the question and make it not exist.

He leans against the bar, being careful not to crowd me. But I still feel his warmth enveloping me in a way that tells me he’s here and I’m safe, but if I want him gone, he’ll go. His scent—something masculine mixed with the clean fragrance of laundry detergent—soothes the chaos of the last few weeks inside me.

Running a hand through his hair, he looks up at me from under his lashes and replies, “In certain circumstances, yes.”

The heat in his eyes sends a flood of warmth through me and straight to my core. I want to ask him what circumstances would warrant him not listening to me, but I think we both know that it would involve a night filled with orgasms. Besides, I don’t want to ask him and give him expectations that I will not be fulfilling. At least not tonight.

As if he can sense my regret at having led the conversation in this direction, he slides onto the bar stool beside me, holding out his large hand. God, they’re so big. “My name’s Kade Wilde. It’s nice to meet you, officially.”

“Chloe. It’s nice to meet you too, Kade.” His calloused hand swallows mine as I slide it into his. Something shifts in the air the second our skin touches, and a jolt rushes through my body.

Kade gives my hand a brief shake before dropping it, and I wonder if he felt it too. That strange energy that’s still lingering even though he’s not touching me. I rub the palm he shook with the other, hoping to ease the tingling.

I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight, but after the meal I was served at the diner I found, I think I can have something stronger to settle this odd feeling I just can’t seem to shake. It’s a mix between lust and a heightened awareness of a man I don’t know.