Bedazzled (The Beguiling Bachelors Book 1)

by Madison Michael

  “Can you at least tell me if you know where she is? Is she okay? Did she move cause she couldn’t pay her rent? I can help her with money. I don’t care if she wants my money. I just want to be with her.”

  “Wow, did you just say that, Wyatt? Are you sure about that? You would be okay if Keeli needed you to support her? You wouldn’t wonder if she is using you? Think about what you are saying here. This has been your issue your whole life.”

  “Let her use me, Missy. I love her.”

  “Well, in that case, yes, she is okay, or was the last time I talked to her.”

  “I am at my wit’s end,” Wyatt complained. “I don’t want to tell her about Sloane and me in a text. I don’t want her to think I ever stopped caring about her. It’s so damn complicated. I need to see her and talk face-to-face.”

  “Well…there might be a way.”

  “Spill, Missy. I mean it. I am about ready to kill you.”

  “Have you Googled her lately?”

  “Seriously, that is your idea?”

  “Oh brother of mine, you are so clueless sometimes. I suggest you Google Keeli Larsen Designs,” Wyatt could hear her laughing at him. “Then, brother dear, follow your instincts.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Keeli could not believe her luck. After weeks of armed truce with her mother she had taken to just staying in her room all morning, taking long walks, and working into the evenings. It helped her get along with her meddling mother and also to get a lot of work done.

  Had it not been for the long hours in the small bedroom she might not have opened her old high school trunk and found her old notebooks. She enjoyed going through her bad high school poetry and rereading her essays. She had been so sure she was sophisticated and smart, but looking back, her small-town innocence and youthful naivety jumped off the page.

  She impatiently thumbed through a stack of binders and theme books to create more room to spread out her jewelry. She needed all available space for both storage and design work. Since arriving in Gilman, Keeli had created well over fifty pieces for her trunk shows and shipped at least that much more to the boutiques.

  The work was going really well but she was frustrated by the lack of inspiration for her new collection. Rather than continuing to rack her brain, she went back to sifting through old notebooks. Leafing through the pages, Keeli noticed some doodles in the margins that almost leaped off the page at her. They had intricacy and color that was compelling. They were delicate in some places, contemporary and complex in others. All of the designs were interesting and unique and Keeli realized with a jolt that she was staring at her new collection.

  Grabbing colored pencils and sketchpad, Keeli began reworking the designs at a frantic pace – her concentration no longer on herself but on her jewelry. Two hours flew by in a flash and she was surrounded by page after page of ring, necklace, bracelet and earring designs. The colors were vibrant, the plans delicate and enticing.

  When her mother’s voice hollered up asking her to come downstairs she responded sharply, “Not now, Mama.”

  Her mother persisted. “Not now, Mama. I am on a roll.”

  She heard her mother coming up the creaky hall stairs and knew she would get a scolding for making her climb up them to get her but the designs were flowing fast now and she dared not stop.

  “Mama, please,” she said without looking up. “I am working right now and everything is just coming together. Can you just give me an hour or so?” Her pencils flew across the page like they had wings and she just kept sketching.

  “I guess I can wait another hour,” a deep, familiar voice responded. “But I don’t think I can last much longer than that.”

  Keeli dropped the pencil from her hand and fell back in the chair as if she had been punched. Wyatt was standing in her mother’s house, in her old bedroom. He filled every available inch, absorbed all the light and all the air.

  “What are you doing here, Wyatt?” Keeli could barely find her breath, let alone her voice, which came out in a whisper. It had been nearly two months since she’d last seen his handsome face. She couldn’t get enough of it, drinking in his rugged good looks, his impish smile, and his smoldering glance.

  She was just getting to a place where he no longer haunted her dreams every night - just half of them. She thought she stood a chance of getting over him but seeing him encompassing the entire doorway, staring at her intently, her heart tripped over itself and she fell in love with him all over again.

  “I came to take you home, Keeli.” The short sentence could mean anything but the infuriating man failed to enlighten her further.

  “I am home.”

  Liar. You know wherever he is, is home for you now. You are lost without him.

  Keeli could see that her statement startled Wyatt. He took a moment to regroup.

  “You hate it here, Keeli, and we both know it. I have searched for you non-stop over the past weeks and not once did it cross my mind to look in Gilman. Why are you hiding here? You belong in Chicago, Keeli. And you belong there with me.”

  “I’m not hiding.”

  “You aren’t responding to calls, to texts. That’s hiding.”

  “That’s working, I am sorry if you were worried. Did Missy tell you where to find me?”

  “No, she kept your secret. It was your blogger. She let slip something about going home to work on a new collection.”

  “Remind me to kill her.”

  “Remind me to kiss her.”

  Wyatt crossed the tiny room in two powerful strides careful to avoid the sketches strewn about the floor but wasting no time closing the space between them. Wrapping his large hands around her shoulders, Wyatt pulled Keeli from the chair into his arms, holding on like he would never let go.

  “I have missed you so much,” he breathed into her hair before showering her with kisses. “We have so much to make up for. I have so much to make up for. I should never have let you go.”

  Pushing against his rock-hard chest was like moving a mountain, but Keeli managed to back away from him, locking him in a steely gaze.

  “I mean it, Wyatt. Why are you here?”

  “I mean it too, Keeli. I came for you. I came to take you back with me, to be with me, and to start fresh. I am done with ultimatums from my family. You are my family now, if you’ll have me. It has taken me a while to get here but now I am my own man. I want to build my life with you. I am not leaving without you.”

  “Wyatt, you are talking about giving up too much. I know about your father’s insistence that you marry Sloane. You cannot risk everything. I couldn’t live with myself if I was the reason you lost everything.”

  “I won’t lose everything, Keeli, but I would want you by my side even if it did cost me everything. I want to be with you Keeli. I believe in you and I believe in us. Come home with me, please.”

  “Wyatt. You need to be absolutely sure. I am doing a lot better but I can’t support you yet. I know what it is to be poor, but you don’t. You would hate it. Then you would hate me for causing this.”

  “You want to support me?” With a whoop, Wyatt lifted Keeli in his arms twirling her in a circle until she knocked into the chair, tipping it over and forcing him to remember where he was. He returned her feet gently to the ground.

  “If I have you Keeli, I will have everything I need. I can support us while you grow your business, and forever. I will take care of you.”

  “Things have changed, Wyatt. You are your own man now. Well, I am finally my own woman. I can take care of myself now.”

  He fell to the bed, the mattress sinking under his large frame until it almost reached the floor.

  “You don’t want me? Now that you are successful, you want to live in Gilman? What about us, Keeli? Can’t you try? We deserve a second chance.” Wyatt looked like a vulnerable three year old, confused and lonely.

  “Oh Wyatt, that is not what I mean at all,” Keeli rushed to reassure him. “Of course I want you. I have wanted you since the fi
rst time I saw you more than two years ago. I have thought of no one but you since that day in the elevator last January. However, a lot has changed since I last saw you. You have business and family obligations. You have Sloane. And things have changed for me too. We have a lot to figure out.”

  “But you are willing to figure them out with me, right?”

  “I am willing to discuss them at least.”

  Okay, I am good with discussing, provided you discuss from over here next to me.”

  Wyatt patted the bed and gave her a roguish grin, one eyebrow lifted up invitingly. Keeli laughed easily at his playful behavior until his hand snapped out to grab her and pull her down onto the bed beside him. His mouth swooped down to claim hers in a greedy kiss. Keeli reveled in the feel of his solid body pushing her into the lumpy mattress as she opened her lips to Wyatt’s probing tongue. She gave into the sensation briefly before pushing at the mountain of a man who was determined to hold her tight.

  “Wyatt,” she was breathless. His lips plied her mouth with small nibbles and kisses. “Wyatt, stop. My mother. Really, stop.”

  Reluctantly, Wyatt leaned away from her and sat up, scooting until his back rested against the white wooden bedframe, hands in the air in surrender.

  “Alright, let’s talk. Then we can go back to kissing.” He was so adorable and tempting, but Keeli rose to her feet, scooped up the papers from the floor and stacked them neatly on a corner of her old high school desk. She paced the small floor space collecting her thoughts.

  “First, what about your business and your father? I will not come between you and your family.”

  “Oh Keeli, I can’t wait to tell you about the business. Everything is going fantastic. The board of directors in in place, I got all the funding I wanted and we have alpha code already being tested by Lyons Howe. The engineers are amazing. The press has been unbelievable.” Wyatt was animated, his excitement overflowing the small room.

  “My father is completely on board, in fact is on the board and a major investor. It took quite a bit of discussion and some proof, but now he sees what I visualized when I started this. His sales force will have a substantial competitive edge all because of my software. It’s totally win-win.”

  “Oh Wyatt, I am so pleased for you.” Keeli hopped up and down clapping her hands. “This is exactly what you hoped for. Now, what about Sloane?”

  “Sloane. She is a snake, Keeli, precisely the kind of woman I was running from my whole life.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “My entire adult life I have wondered if the women who dated me wanted me or the Lyons Howe name and fortune. I could never be sure except with Sloane. She already had her own money - well her family did. With her, I never worried. Turns out she is the worst fake of all.”

  “I still don’t understand, Wyatt.”

  “Her family business has been in trouble for a while. She wanted my father to underwrite overseas expansion for Huyler Industries, which he did. Oh, it’s complicated but suffice to say she was marrying me to assure my father stayed engaged in her father’s business. All you need to know now is that she is toast.

  “The wedding was just a way to tie everything up neatly. She thought she had it all figured out. Bring me around to marrying her and she would be the perfect society wife. Except I didn’t love her and you, my love, were getting in the way.”

  “Did you just call me your love?” Keeli stood like stone, her mouth hanging open like a fish. After a moment, she closed her mouth self-consciously.

  A slow lazy grin spread across Wyatt’s face but he ignored Keeli’s question. “A legal team got involved to straighten everything out and it was finalized last week. After that my family just had one question.”

  Wyatt paused until Keeli was forced to ask, “What? What was the question?”

  “When do we meet Keeli?” He was so pleased with himself, preening like a peacock. Wyatt reached for her again, pulling her from the chair to sit beside him on the bed. He planted a wet, noisy kiss on her cheek, then a slower, more seductive kiss on her lips.

  “So…can I please take you home now?”

  “Oh Wyatt. It’s not that simple. I don’t have a home in Chicago anymore.”

  “What are you talking about?” Wyatt raises his voice in alarm. “What do you mean you don’t have a home? Please tell me you did not move back to Gilman.”

  “Well, not exactly. I am looking for a new studio. Remember, while you were off setting the world on fire Theo and Dylan were getting married. It was a wonderful wedding, wasn’t it? The ceremony was so beautiful.”

  Looking at her expectantly, Wyatt waited for Keeli to get back on track. She revisited the wedding, the room, the food, until he almost shook her.

  “Keeli, housing, we were talking about your housing.”

  “Oh yeah, sorry. Anyway, they bought a house and I could not afford to keep the apartment. I need a new place to live. That is the bad news and good news too. Estime picked up my designs and that opened up the world for me. Now I need a bigger studio.

  “That is fantastic,” Wyatt used the news as an excuse to give Keeli another long kiss. “I knew you were on the brink. This is so great. I saw your new website, too.”

  “Well, all these people started calling about trunk shows and asking to see my collections so I needed a new site, and thanks to Estime, I could afford to hire a professional web person.”

  “I would have done your website, Keeli. I wish you had asked me.”

  “Oh, Wyatt. I would never impose. But thanks for offering. I forget sometimes what a geek you are.” She punched him lightly in the arm as she said this, enjoying the light-hearted teasing and easy camaraderie.

  “I am so proud of you, Keeli. You are a true talent. I am so happy people are finally figuring that out.“

  “There is so much more, Wyatt. I am negotiating with Bloomingdales and two boutiques in San Francisco. Estime opened a zillion doors for me.”

  “Except the door to an apartment, it would seem. You are not planning to do all this from Gilman? After all the stories you shared with me, I am surprised you have survived your mother this long.”

  “Shhhh. She’ll hear you. Actually, this is so mean, but I have enjoyed watching her come around about my work. She just might end up my biggest fan.“

  “Really? Who would have guessed it? So it looks like both our families have come around.”

  “Yep, seems so. I came down here for some peace and quiet so I could design a new collection. It has been great. I am using the doodles from the margins of my old notebooks. They have totally inspired me.”

  Keeli spread the papers from the desk around them on the bed and showed Wyatt her sketches. He was interested and asked questions about gemstones and metals all the while interspersing his comments with kisses. His hands never left her, twisting a curl through his fingers or making lazy circles with his thumb. She loves sharing all of this with him.

  “So before, when I said I don’t need you, I just meant that I do not need your money. I do not need you to take care of me financially. I never wanted your money, Wyatt. You know that, right? I always just wanted you. “

  “I know that Keeli, but I want you to know that I don’t care. I want you even if you want my money. I just want to be with you, every day. I want to wake up beside you in the morning and go to sleep beside you at night. I am in love with you, Keeli.”

  “You love me? I love you too. I have loved you for so long and I never believed you could love me back.” Keeli put her hands on both of Wyatt’s cheeks drawing him to her for a slow, thorough kiss. When she tried to break away he held her tight against him, molding her body to his, running his hands up her back over and over until he wrapped them in her hair and held her fast while he plundered her mouth.

  “I think we should seriously consider the idea of you moving in with me,” Wyatt stated while catching his breath.

  “I think it might be too soon, Wyatt, but maybe you could use your real estate
connections to find me a very short term lease. Oh, and a studio space? I really need a full-blown studio now.”

  “Hmmm, what will you give me if I help you find a place?” As he posed the question, Wyatt slid them both down the worn chenille spread until Keeli was lying close in his arms and he was kissing her deeply.

  “Maybe I could take it out in trade?” Keeli flirted shamelessly.

  That was all the encouragement Wyatt needed to slide his hands under Keeli’s shirt, fondling her breast with one hand while reaching down to unzip her jeans with the other. He kissed away her feeble protest, running his hand low upon her abdomen, sliding his fingers into her panties to stroke her.

  Keeli moaned into his mouth, lost in desire. She was clinging to him, tasting his mouth like he was a drug, falling under his spell. Her hands ran along his back, caressing the strong muscles, sliding her fingertips over the warmth of his skin.

  “Wyatt, stop. My mom is right downstairs and my brothers will kill you if they find us like this.”

  “Then you need to be very quiet when I make you come,” was his mischievous response before he gave her one hard kiss and reluctantly took his hands out of her panties and zipped her pants.

  “I’ll stop but only if you promise to come home with me today. Please, Keeli. I want to hold you. And I wouldn’t complain about a bigger bed either. What is it with you and single beds?” With that, he shoved Keeli gently and watched her fall the short distance from the bed to the floor.

  “Now, get packing while I go charm those threatening brothers of yours and break the news that I am taking you home.”

  “Yes sir,” Keeli responded crisply with a salute and radiant smile.

  EPILOGUE – THE FOLLOWING JULY

  The Howe Museum benefit promised to be the event of the season, even larger and more successful than last year’s blowout. The glamorous crowds were exiting from a long line of limousines, town cars and private vehicles that were clogging Michigan Avenue. The press was snapping photos and stopping Chicago’s glamourati for interviews.