Ample & Alluring

by Mary E Thompson

  Especially when they locked on me and blazed a fire between us. He walked toward me, clearly determined. He took the glass from my hand and set it on the counter before wrapping his hand around my neck and demanding a kiss from me.

  His other hand fell to my hip and spun us so I was pressed against the edge of the counter. Wyatt didn’t wait for me to part my lips for him, he just forced his way inside.

  No. No, he didn’t. I wasn’t fighting him. I wanted him from the second he opened his door.

  His clean scent hit me, demanding I run my hands through his wet hair to try to keep some of that scent with me long after he was gone. The silky strands slid effortlessly through my fingers, teasing me. I squeezed my fingers together, holding his hair between them, and tilted my head for a better angle.

  I was starving for him. We never finished what we started the other night, but I was ready to pick back up right where we left off.

  And if the rod pressed to my belly was any indication, so was he.

  Wyatt groaned then pulled back. He rested his forehead against mine, panting his minty breath into my face.

  “I told myself I wasn’t going to attack you when you got here.”

  “Yeah, I told myself the same thing.”

  He laughed and kissed my nose. “Let me at least feed you.”

  “Are you going to cook for me?”

  He pulled back. “I can. But you have to help me.”

  I shook my head. “That’s definitely not a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “My sister says I use the smoke detector as an oven timer.”

  Wyatt laughed then glanced at the oven, probably worried about me catching it on fire. Smart man.

  “I’ll tell you what. We’ll go out tonight, but Wednesday you’re coming over and we’re going to cook.”

  “You’re a brave man.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Just like seeing you flustered. Dr. Peyton always has her shit together.”

  “Ha! You haven’t been paying attention very well.”

  He stepped closer. “I’ve been paying very close attention Peyton. You might think you don’t have it all together, but from where I’m standing, you impress the hell out of me.”

  “I think I’ll take that compliment and run with it. Coming from the man who runs the entire town.”

  Wyatt laughed. “I have help. Lots of help.”

  “So do I.”

  He nodded. “I imagine you do. But you still impress me, Peyton. Do you want to finish your wine before dinner?”

  I grabbed the glass and drained the last bit of it, then set the glass on the counter a little too hard. Thankfully it didn’t break, but Wyatt and I exchanged a worried glance. I choked my wine down before I spit it all over him while he laughed at me.

  “You’re definitely trouble.”

  “You love it.”

  “I do. I need a little trouble in my life.”

  He led me out of the condo and insisted on driving since I had a glass of wine. I smiled when he parked in front of Kobe.

  “Seriously?”

  He slid me a look and shrugged innocently. “What?”

  “We were just here.”

  “I told you I come here a lot.”

  “And is your waitress friend working tonight.”

  He avoided my eyes. “I don’t know.”

  “Uh huh. That means she is and you want her to see us together again.”

  “Maybe. Come on Peyton. Help me out.”

  “Fine,” I huffed, not really caring. “But you owe me for this.”

  “Anything. I’ll do anything.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Wyatt held my gaze for a moment then laughed. His hand rested low on my back to guide me inside and stayed there as we followed the hostess to a table. I noticed the waitress who had a crush on him as we walked, but I didn’t look at her. Not that I needed to see her to feel the icy glare she gave me.

  Wyatt pulled out my chair for me and winked at me before taking his own seat. When the hostess left, I asked, “Was that because you’re such a gentleman or for your stalker’s benefit?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe a little of both.”

  I nodded. “How mad do you want to make her tonight?”

  “I don’t want to make her mad. I just want to make sure she knows I’m not interested.”

  “By making her think you’re unavailable?”

  “It’s nicer, right?”

  I shook my head. “I’m always a firm believer in the truth.”

  “I am, too. But it’s hard to let someone down easily.”

  The waitress came over then, interrupting us. She smiled at Wyatt and gave me a tight lipped grin. It was better than I expected and I grinned back at her like I was thrilled she was there. I even asked how she was doing.

  “Fine, thanks,” she said, clearly a little surprised. “How are you guys tonight?”

  “Good,” Wyatt said before I could answer her. “Thank you.”

  She smiled at Wyatt, but the grin was sad. I almost felt bad for her. She was young and had a crush. I didn’t blame her a bit for liking Wyatt. There was definitely a lot to like about him.

  She took our drink orders and left us to look over the menu.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” I said once she was out of earshot.

  Wyatt nodded. “I think you surprised her. She wasn’t expecting you to be nice.”

  “I told you I know how to handle women.”

  “I think you know how to handle men, too.”

  I grinned and winked at him.

  We focused on our menus for a minute before the waitress, Zoe I finally figured out, came back to take our orders. When she was gone again, I found Wyatt watching me.

  “What?”

  “You know you saved me, right?”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. Besides, I almost feel bad for her. She’s crushing hard on you.”

  Wyatt nodded. “I’ve been coming here for a while. At first, I thought she was just friendly. I’m a little dense when it comes to women being interested in me.”

  “And then you don’t know how to let them down?”

  “I really don’t. I was never that guy in high school who had girls chasing him. I was nerdy and kept to myself mostly. I never learned how to handle girls throwing themselves at me.”

  “Oh, Wyatt, you’re so dreamy,” I teased in a high-pitched voice.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to drop this off,” Zoe said, setting a basket of bread between us. She gave us a tight smile and walked away with pink cheeks.

  “Um.”

  “Shit. She thinks I was talking about her.”

  “If she spits in my food, I’m blaming you.”

  I laughed. “I deserve it. I didn’t mean her though.”

  He nodded. “I know. She walked in at the wrong moment.”

  “I should say something to her.”

  “I don’t think that will make things better. Just let it go.”

  I sighed, knowing he was right. I did feel bad though.

  “What were you like in high school?” Wyatt asked.

  I chuckled. “Like you, I guess. Nerdy. I always had my nose in a book. I knew I wanted to be a doctor in middle school and was studying like crazy all the time.”

  “Are you from here?”

  I shook my head. “No. We grew up near Albany.”

  “That’s right. Ever learn to turn the boys down?”

  “What boys? The non-existent ones who asked me out?”

  “I can’t imagine you not having men falling at your feet.”

  “Oh, please. No man wants a woman who’d rather read a book about anatomy than examine his.”

  Wyatt choked on his water. He set the glass down with a hard thud and coughed. I stared at him, feeling helpless as he struggled to get the water out of his lungs. When he could breathe again, he shot me a smirk.

  “Is it safe to assume you’re well versed in anatomy now?”


  I shrugged. “I guess. I passed all my classes. Why?”

  His smile was sexy and seductive and told me exactly where his mind was going. My body flashed hot enough that I worried menopause started at that exact moment.

  “Just making sure you don’t need the books anymore.”

  Damn. Just damn.

  That fast my panties were soaked. I was ready to tell Zoe to box up our food so we could have it later. I didn’t even care that it would be horrible heated up in the microwave. I just wanted Wyatt.

  Immediately.

  I sipped my wine to try to calm my nerves. Wyatt watched me, a knowing look in his eyes.

  “Tell me what happened at work today.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know something happened. I could see it in your eyes when you got to my place. Well, when you weren’t gawking at my chest.”

  “Hey,” I said defensively, “you were the one who had it on display.”

  He grinned and prompted me with a wave of his hand.

  “Work. Sometimes a couple can’t get pregnant. There’s no medical explanation, but it just doesn’t work. I had one of those couples in today.”

  “I’m sorry, Peyton.”

  “Thanks. I think it hit me hard today because they decided to stop trying for the time being. It makes me feel like I failed them.”

  “Why do you feel that way?”

  I shrugged. “I’m their doctor. The specialist. I’m the one they came to so they could have kids. And it’s been years. My failure has almost destroyed their marriage, so they wanted to stop trying so they could remember why they’re together.”

  “It sounds like a good reason.”

  I nodded. “It is. But if I’d been able to figure out what’s going on, she’s already be pregnant, or have had a kid or two. They wouldn’t be struggling.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “First of all, you just said there’s no medical explanation. I know you’re smart, but if medicine can’t explain what’s going on, it’s not on you. If you could assign a cause, I have no doubt you would have helped them. But them having issues isn’t your fault. Marriage is hard. Whether you’re able to have kids or not. It’s not something that people just walk through. Everyone has to work for a marriage to be successful. It sounds like they stopped working on it somewhere along the way.”

  “Maybe, but trying to get pregnant is stressful.”

  Of course, that was the exact moment Zoe walked up with our dinners. Jeez, talk about the wrong place at the wrong time.

  She sucked in a breath and froze just long enough for it to be noticeable. She plastered on a smile that I knew was fake and set our plates in front of us. She whispered enjoy and turned and ran, with tears in her eyes.

  “Shit,” I blurted.

  “I’ll go talk to her,” Wyatt said.

  “How is that going to make anything better?”

  He shook his head and lowered himself back into his chair. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

  “I didn’t either. She’s taking our conversation out of context. Is it really our fault that she thinks we were making fun of her and now thinks you’re trying to get me pregnant?”

  Wyatt paused for a second then laughed. “If she only knew how averse you and I both are to kids, she’d never believe that one.”

  I snickered. “I didn’t think about that. She really doesn’t know you at all, does she?”

  He shook his head, his eyes darkening into something sad and painful. “She’s not the first.”

  What did that mean?

  Chapter 14

  We finished dinner without any more run-ins with Zoe. I felt like shit walking away without explaining what she overheard, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Wyatt said he left her a really good tip. Not that it would make it better, but he tried.

  “Have you found your ornament yet?” I asked when we stepped out into the cold.

  Wyatt shook his head. “There are a few I’ve liked, but nothing I loved. I’m going to have to grab whatever I can find this weekend.”

  “I saw a new store not far from here. It has all local products. I haven’t checked it out yet, but if you haven’t been there, we can check it out.”

  “Dr. Peyton? Are you suggesting a Christmas adventure?” He stepped toward me, wrapping his arms around my back and tugging me close.

  I smiled. “I think I am.”

  “Does that mean I win? That I’ve managed to convince you that Christmas isn’t so bad?”

  I wanted to tell him no, that I still had reservations about Christmas and the entire holiday season, but with his arms around me, the snow falling in our hair, lit snowflakes reflecting in his eyes, I loved it.

  The holidays were definitely better with someone to share them with.

  I shrugged. “I might be shifting my perspective.”

  He let go of me and danced in a circle around me, taunting me with, “I win, you lose. You have to go out with me. Hell yeah!”

  I laughed, loving the silly, playful side of Wyatt. He made it easy to like him. Easy to want to spend time with him. I knew it would be, but I didn’t expect that I would ever have so much fun with a man like him. A man who always seemed to be so put together. I was crushing hard on Wyatt.

  And there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

  Wyatt slipped on the ice and nearly fell on his ass. He caught himself with my sleeve, tugging me down. I grabbed him, on instinct, and we both ended up on the ground.

  Our arms and legs were tangled together and we were both laughing like lunatics. I picked up a handful of snow and smashed it over his head. He laughed harder, pushing himself to a seated position and pulling me closer.

  “Now that wasn’t fair.”

  “You dragged me down.”

  “Actually, you dragged me down.”

  “If you hadn’t grabbed me to start with, I wouldn’t have fallen!”

  He laughed again, standing, then reaching for me. “Come on, crazy girl, let’s go.”

  I took his hand and tugged, letting him know I could pull him back down if I wanted to. His eyes grew wide, but he held firm and helped me stand. He didn’t let go of me right away, but eased our bodies closer until he could wrap his hand around my neck. With a smile, he lowered his lips to mine.

  He only kissed me for a second. Just long enough to chase away the chill on my lips. I wanted more, and when he pulled back, I could see he did, too.

  “Let’s go shopping,” I said with false cheer.

  He grinned at me, then stepped back and took my hand. We walked to the store in silence. Wyatt opened the door for me and followed me inside. The store was clearly new, but I was always a fan of something different, and I loved Winterville. I knew as soon as we stepped inside that it was a unique place.

  “I’ve never been in here,” Wyatt whispered as we looked around. “This place is pretty awesome.”

  I nodded. “It is. Everything Buffalo, but lots of stuff about the suburbs, too.”

  Wyatt led me deeper into the store. His fingers grazed over sweatshirts, scarves, and wool socks. He joked that he needed to get me those for Christmas since I liked the holidays now.

  “You’re so clever,” I joked back. “I should get you a box of tissues.”

  “Tissues?”

  “To wipe your tears when I beat you,” I said with a shrug.

  “Oh, the woman has jokes now! I thought I won.”

  “I never admitted that.”

  “There’s still time,” he promised. He stepped closer. “We still haven’t done my favorite thing this time of year.”

  “We went sledding, and ice skating, and shopping. We even set up your Christmas tree. What’s left?”

  His smile turned me to mush. It hit me straight in the heart, then traveled down to settle between my legs. He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear, and whispered, “Making love in front of a
warm fire with snow falling outside.”

  The image of Wyatt above me, Wyatt beneath me, Wyatt behind me even, flashed through my head like a sexy movie built only of my fantasies. I wanted it all.

  Wyatt kissed my throat, his tongue darting out to tease me. Then he pulled back and turned away, continuing his shopping trip.

  It took me a full minute before I could put one foot in front of the other again. I looked around for something to bring my mind back to the present and not the fantasy. I took a deep breath and saw something I thought Wyatt might enjoy.

  “Did you see this book?” I held it up. “The History of Winterville.”

  Wyatt walked back over to me and reached for it. “I should probably read this.” He flipped through, pausing at some old black and white photos. “It looks so different.”

  I nodded. “We spend a lot of time thinking about what we can change, but not much examining what’s already changed.”

  “That’s very profound, Dr. Peyton.”

  I smiled, then noticed a collection of ornaments in the back corner. “Did you see those?”

  Wyatt tucked the book under his arm and looked where I was pointing. “I didn’t. Haven’t made it back that far.”

  “Let’s go see if they have one for you.”

  Wyatt followed me to the ornaments. They were stunning. Elegant and elaborate or simple and quaint. I almost wanted to get one for myself.

  I picked up a snowflake ornament. It was elegant, but simple. Straight lines of metal with a glittery element that made it look like ice. It spun in my hand, dangling from my finger like a delicate fantasy. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

  I felt Wyatt beside me before he spoke. “It’s beautiful.”

  I nodded. “It is,” I answered, feeling like I was in a trance.

  “I think that’s the one,” Wyatt said, finally snapping me out of myself.

  I immediately handed it over and smiled. “You should get it.” I couldn’t explain why I felt odd looking at it, or why it bothered me that Wyatt was buying it and I couldn’t have it. It made no sense. I didn’t even put up a Christmas tree. Vicki did, but she knew to decorate it when I wasn’t home. I ignored it the entire month of December and finally breathed when January arrived and the tree was packed away.