Love on the Line (Love Beyond Danger Book 3)

by Diane Holiday

It had, but it’s not like he’d asked for it. “It’s okay. I’m glad you weren’t alone on your birthday, and I enjoyed the food.”

  After they reached her car, he waited until she opened the door and got in. Since he was still standing there, she rolled down the window. He leaned over, placing his arms on the ledge. “So, next week do you want to try this again?”

  Hell no. They needed to get back on solid, safe ground with no cake sharing or wine. Nerves bounced in her stomach, but she couldn’t agree to another dinner. “I think it might be better if we met at the hospital.”

  He nodded. “That’s fine.”

  She started the car, but he didn’t move from the door.

  “Thanks for tonight,” he said in a soft tone.

  “No problem.”

  “I really mean it.” Devon’s sad half-smile appeared again. “You know, this was probably the nicest birthday I’ve had in years.”

  Now she felt like a jerk. All she’d done the whole night was analyze his intentions. Meanwhile, he’d spent his best birthday with a stranger doing charity work. A piece of her heart melted. “Well, happy birthday, again.”

  “See you next week.” He patted her shoulder, and took a step back.

  Anne frowned as she drove. Devon was full of surprises. With his stunning good looks and charm, he had to have women falling all over him. Yet he’d commented on wishing he had someone special to take on trips. As generous and kind as he was, the right woman would come along. He deserved as much for buying a cappuccino machine to help out a man struggling with medical debts. Who did that?

  She had to be wrong about him flirting with her. He was a stand-up guy who cared about people. Next week they’d meet at the hospital, and everything would be fine.

  Wyatt pulled out of the away-game parking lot, his brain still frozen since last night when Anne had told him she wanted to spend the whole weekend together. Even during the lacrosse match tonight, his mind had wandered. Tomorrow, unless he fucked something up, they’d have sex. He’d fantasized about it for over a month. Hell, pretty much from the first time he’d laid eyes on her.

  But now that he’d gotten to know her, he wanted her even more, if that were possible. It went beyond lust or attraction. They’d really connected after the whole spaghetti fight, and even though he knew she was scared of taking this next step, she was doing it.

  It meant a lot that she didn’t care about his money or his fame, only about him. But that complicated things, too. In the past, women had drifted in and out of his life. There was something to be said for having a good time and moving on. No sticky conversations or discussions of feelings. His lungs pressed against his ribs. He’d never committed to anyone before and could be offered that USC job, which meant he’d leave.

  He hit the brakes for a stop light. This whole thing could turn into a big, ugly mess with Anne getting hurt. That would kill him. But he had to look out for his future and hadn’t even known her for very long or made any promises.

  Still, they’d been getting closer, and she stirred up all kinds of new emotions. She might not be the only one who got hurt in the end. He wouldn’t back out now, but he needed to protect himself as well.

  He hit the accelerator and called, using the speaker phone. On the fourth ring, she finally answered.

  “Hey, Wyatt. How’d the match go?”

  “We won, but it was close. I’m headed home now. Everything okay with the fundraiser meeting?”

  “Umm…yeah. Devon is really pumped about having a poster contest and came up with some other great ideas.”

  So, the mysterious person was Devon. First time she’d mentioned his name. “Good. You get your papers graded?”

  “Not yet. I…uh…just left Toni’s.”

  Wyatt’s eyes cut to the time display on the radio. “Wasn’t your meeting at five?”

  “Yeah, but dinner took longer because of some weird stuff. Doesn’t matter, I’m headed home now.”

  The hairs on the back of Wyatt’s neck stood up. He turned into a convenience store parking lot so he could pay full attention to the conversation. “What weird stuff?”

  Anne cleared her throat. “It turns out it was Devon’s birthday today, and apparently he goes to this restaurant a lot, so they kinda, you know, made a fuss over it.”

  Nothing strange about that. Time to throw the challenge flag. “What do you mean by them making a fuss?”

  She didn’t answer right away, and each second of delay ratcheted his heartrate higher.

  “There were just some awkward things like the waitress brought out wine for us. Devon tried to explain that we were working, but she said it was his birthday and she’d already poured it.”

  Wyatt inhaled and waited.

  “We didn’t want to be rude, so I had some with him.”

  What bullshit. A person didn’t have to drink something they never ordered. “Sorry, Anne, but that’s lame. You don’t have any trouble speaking your mind with me. Why didn’t you say you didn’t want to drink?”

  She sighed. “I felt bad for him spending his birthday with a stranger. His entire family died when he was twelve.”

  What the fuck?

  Wyatt squeezed the steering wheel hard. “How do you know that?”

  “Well, he looked so sad when the waitress commented he was like family there. I felt horrible when he told me they all had died.”

  Yup. She would. Wore her heart on her sleeve. Sure, it was sad, but no guy dumped emotional shit like that on someone he just met unless he had an ulterior motive. Wyatt’s blood heated to a slow boil.

  “So, there he was, stuck with me on his birthday,” she said.

  Uh huh. Stuck with her. A gorgeous, adorable blonde with a killer body who didn’t seem to have a clue about it. The gut instinct he’d had about this dinner meeting reared its ugly head again.

  Before he flew off the handle, he’d better find out more information. That’s what communication was all about. Or at least that’s what he’d read in the article online. It said to repeat back what his partner said and ask for clarification. He counted to five. That’s all he had. Ten was a stretch.

  “You said there were awkward ‘things.’ What else happened?”

  “Umm…the waitress brought over a big piece of birthday cake.”

  Wyatt closed his eyes and leaned his head back. She’d had this business meeting that somehow ended up at a restaurant, drinking wine and eating cake. His pulse throbbed in his throat.

  “He asked me if I could take a couple of bites because Toni was watching us, like waiting to see if he liked it, so I didn’t want to say no.”

  “Wait, who’s Toni?”

  “The owner.”

  Now she was on a first name basis with the staff? This was so like her. Never wanting to upset anyone. Even at her own expense.

  “It seems like this Devon guy took advantage of the situation.”

  “None of it was his fault.” Her tone took on an edge. “He apologized and agreed to meet next week back at the hospital. He had no idea any of that was going to happen.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Wyatt thumped his palm against the steering wheel and blew out a frustrated breath. “Maybe I don’t like my girlfriend going on dinner dates with other men. What happened to exclusive?”

  “That was not a dinner date.”

  “Really? Because it sure sounds like it. And by the way, how did they even know it was his birthday?”

  She huffed into the phone. “I don’t appreciate the inquisition. I didn’t have to tell you any of this.”

  “Oh, so now we’re going to start lying to each other?” Heat flared through Wyatt’s body. “This whole thing spun out of control, and don’t tell me it was nothing.”

  She didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. After a sniffle, she said, “I think we should reconsider this weekend. I don’t want to spend it with someone who doesn’t trust me.”

  Shit. I
t wasn’t her he didn’t trust. “Look, it’s not—”

  “I have to go. Goodbye.” The line went dead.

  What the hell? Wyatt blew out a long breath. Yeah, he was jealous, but damn it she’d been so defensive. Devon didn’t know the waitress would bring wine. Devon was too polite to hurt the owner’s feelings and asked her to please share the cake. Devon was happy to meet back at the hospital next week. Yes, he sounded like the perfect gentleman.

  Then why did it feel like the perfect storm?

  Wyatt shook his head. From that sniffle and the way her voice broke, she might be crying. His heart pinched in his chest. Anne may not have handled the situation the way he’d liked, but one of the things he loved about her was her concern for others. Maybe he’d been too hard on her. Jesus, this relationship shit was complicated.

  Only one thing to do. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed to her apartment.

  Chapter 17

  Wyatt texted Anne that he was at her door. He didn’t want to scare her since she probably wasn’t expecting anyone. Hell, she might ignore him for all he knew. He waited a minute, but she didn’t respond to his text, so he knocked.

  A muscle ticked in his neck. He hated arguing with her, but the whole “dinner charade” had been ridiculous. The more she’d told him, the worse it had gotten. Maybe this Devon dude was a complete wuss and afraid of his own shadow. If he didn’t have the backbone to say he didn’t order drinks for a business dinner, he shouldn’t have pressured Anne to play along.

  Period.

  Wyatt didn’t really care about whether she had a drink. It was the fact she’d done something she didn’t want to that bothered him.

  He knocked again and tapped an impatient foot on the concrete. At last the knob jiggled and the door opened. Anne, dressed in a pink robe cinched tight at the waist, crossed her arms and thrust her chin up. “Why did you come here?”

  Her puffy eyes and red nose meant she’d been crying. Shit. Guilt shrank his heart. “To talk to you. Can I come in, please?”

  She sniffled but stepped aside, opening the door wider.

  He entered, and she shut the door, taking her time to turn around. “I really wish you could have given me the benefit of the doubt tonight. You weren’t there. I told you everything that happened. I don’t know what else you want from me.”

  “I’m sorry.” He stepped closer, but didn’t reach out to touch her. “I got upset. I do trust you, but put yourself in my shoes. How do you think it all sounded?”’

  She rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, to be honest, I guess pretty suspicious. I mean, it’s just one thing happened after another, and I didn’t know what to do without insulting someone or hurting their feelings. And then I told you everything, and you got mad at me.”

  He sighed. She had told him about the entire night and how uncomfortable she’d been. “I wasn’t mad at you. I was annoyed he put you in that situation and you went along with him. Do you understand the difference?”

  She bit her lip and slowly nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure part of the reason I got so upset is that you hit a nerve. I wanted to please everyone and not make any waves.”

  “I’ve noticed that.” Wyatt pulled out a chair and they both sat at the kitchen table. He took her hand. “You’re the most giving person I’ve ever known, but you don’t always stand up for yourself.”

  “I know, and I’m nervous because I’ve got to change that if I intend on being a principal one day. I can’t make everyone happy in that job.”

  She had a point but was overlooking her major strength. “That’s true, but you’ll be good at it because you’ll be making decisions that are for the best of your students and school. There’s no way you’d back down from the tough ones in that scenario.”

  She cocked her head, and her brows wrinkled. “You’re right. I wouldn’t hesitate a second to make a hard call if I knew it was the right one for someone.”

  “Exactly.” He squeezed her hand. “You’ll go to the mat for anyone else, just not always for yourself.”

  “I never thought of it that way.” Her eyes sharpened, and she nodded. “I feel so much better about this now that I see it in perspective. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for pointing this out.”

  A wave of pride washed over him. He’d actually talked to her about feelings and insecurities. He, the rookie at communication, had helped her. “I told you I’d get better at this talking stuff.”

  “Well, I would give that an A plus.” She kissed him on the cheek, and his heart soared.

  “Hey, I’d be happy to just get some A.”

  She slapped his hand and grinned. “You’re so bad.”

  “Just sayin’.” He shrugged.

  Her smile fell. “Seriously, though. I’m sorry I transferred this onto you earlier. And don’t hold this against Devon. I think he felt as awkward as I did.”

  Wyatt doubted that, but maybe he was still caught up in jealousy. The most important thing was that Anne had opened up to him.

  She stood and he pulled her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. They fit together. Perfectly.

  So much for that “protecting himself” plan. He’d just dove in deeper with her.

  “Thanks for coming over.” She kissed him. “If I can take back what I said earlier, I’m still up for the weekend.”

  Chapter 18

  Anne zipped her suitcase, anxiety tightening the walls of her chest.

  A knock sounded, and she jumped. Sheesh. She needed to get a grip.

  When she opened the door, Wyatt stood in the hall, hands in his pockets. He cleared his throat. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” Oh, shit. She didn’t realize how awkward it was going to be. He usually greeted her with a hug and kiss. Now they faced each other like kids with spin-the-bottle pointed at them.

  “Come in. I just need to turn out some lights and get my bag.” The one that had black-and-pink lacy lingerie packed inside. She’d bought the outfit a week ago on a whim to have in case she decided to let things go to the next level. A wave of heat surged to her face.

  Wyatt entered, leaving an all-male, spicy scent in his wake as he passed. His pine-green T-shirt stretched across his chiseled pecs, and he wore the jeans she liked best on him. Not that he knew it. They fit him like a lover’s hand, hugging all the right places. He caught her staring when he turned around, and grinned.

  Crap.

  “I’ll grab my suitcase. Be right back.” She hurried past him to the bedroom. A glance in the mirror confirmed what she suspected. Her cheeks were bright red. How was she going to get through this?

  “Need any help?” Wyatt called.

  “No, I got it, thanks.” She brought the bag out and stopped in front of him.

  He glanced down at the suitcase and swallowed. Awkward silence again. Spiking a hand through his hair, he sighed. “This is ridiculous.”

  She frowned. “I know it’s kind of big, but I fit everything inside so I’d only have one thing to carry.”

  Wyatt waved at it. “No, not the suitcase. Me.”

  “You? I don’t understand.”

  He paced to the door and back. “I’m not used to…not knowing what to say or do.”

  So she wasn’t the only one. “Just be yourself. What are you worried about?”

  He held her hands and stepped closer. “Messing up. I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you, and I’m afraid I’m going to blow it.”

  “Well that makes two of us.” She squeezed his hands and gazed up at him. “If anyone’s going to blow anything, it’s going to be me.”

  Wyatt’s mouth twitched.

  She blinked. Crud, that had come out way wrong. “I mean…”

  “You’re priceless.” He laughed, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through her body.

  He let go of her hands, wrapped his arms around her, and lowered his head to kiss her. As always, his warm mouth worked its magic. She melted into the kiss and crawled her
hands up his chest, massaging the defined, hard muscles. He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers. “Tell you what. Let’s put the bag in the trunk and forget about it for the day.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “I want us to have fun and not worry about what happens later.” He raised his head and held her gaze. “And when the time comes, if you change your mind, that’s fine. I’m here for you, however you want me.”

  The tenderness in his tone wrapped around her like a warm blanket. “Believe me, Wyatt”—she rested a hand on the side of his face—“I want you.”

  His eyes flashed, and he smiled the cocky grin that made her knees wobble. Picking up her bag, he jerked his head in the direction of the door. “Let’s go then.”

  As they drove, a smile stayed plastered on his face. He’d managed to keep their destination a secret, but now he looked like an overfilled helium balloon about to burst at any second.

  She tapped his arm. “Enough mystery, where are we headed?”

  “Ocean City.” He glanced at her. “I figured off-season it wouldn’t be crowded.”

  “Really? I love the beach.” She rolled down the window and stuck her hand out. “And this is the perfect day. We don’t usually hit the seventies in March.”

  “I know. Next month I have another Big Brothers Big Sisters event on the beach. I’m supposed to sign a bunch of footballs and camp out with the kids. It’s the biggest fundraiser of the year for the organization, and they’re really hyping it. I hope the weather is good. It’s a crap shoot in April with the rain.”

  She glanced at him, and her heart softened. He really cared about the kids. “That sounds like fun. They’re lucky to have your support.”

  He shrugged. “They’re not so lucky, but I do what I can.”

  “It’s not seventies yet. My fingers are freezing now.” She held the button to close the window and touched his arm.

  A wicked smile formed on his face. “I have a place where you can warm them up.”

  Oh hell no. Now that thought would get stuck in her head. Like he needed to give her any ideas. “Not while you’re driving.”