Wild Rekindled Love (4 page)

Cars and trucks sat packed in the parking lot like sardines in a can. Lucky for him, they kept a smaller area for motorcycles. He swung the bike into a spot, switched it off and pushed the kickstand down. Slipping his helmet into the backpack he carried, he headed for the entrance and the cold beer waiting for him.

Men and women dressed to the hilt in their cowboy garb spilled out onto the long wooden porch. A few faces he recognized and even acknowledge when his name reached his ear on the breeze, but he didn’t stop, only raise his hand in greeting. Once inside, the bright lights of the dance floor illuminated the couples twirling to the music from the band on the stage, but he didn’t come for the atmosphere.

Raising his hand when he approached the bar, he motioned for the bartender. “Hey, John. Can I leave this back there?”

“Hey, Wyatt.” The bartender motioned for Wyatt to hand over his backpack, placed it under the bar and laid a napkin on the glistening bar. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I know. I’ve been working a lot. Not much leisure time these days.”

“I’m sure they’re keeping you busy at the hospital.”

Wyatt shook his head and said, “Don’t you know it.”

“What can I get you?”

“An MGD please.”

“No problem.” John grabbed a bottle from the cooler to his left, popped the cap and handed it to Wyatt. “Hey—how’s that cute little nurse out there? Amy, I think is her name.”

Tipping the bottle to his lips, he took a long drag on the longneck before he sat it back on the bar. “Good, I guess. I just saw her a little while ago.”

“I wouldn’t mind gettin’ her number, I tell ya.”

A light chuckle left his lips. “I’ll see what I can do for you, my friend. She doesn’t seem to get that I’m not interested, so maybe if I swing her your way, she’ll leave me alone.”

John cocked a questioning eyebrow before he said, “You ain’t interested? That’s kind of surprising.”

“Why? She’s not my type.”

With a quick glance over Wyatt’s shoulder, he nodded his head and said, “No, but I know who is.”

Glancing in the mirror over the bar, Wyatt realized where John’s attention had been drawn to. His heart slammed against his ribs and his breathing hitched in his throat when his gaze found the three women sitting in the corner booth. The sexy brown-haired woman who haunted his dreams sat with two of her friends.

Taking advantage of the fact that Jaime didn’t see him standing at the bar, he watched her absently peeled the label off the bottle in her hand. The other two women seemed to be in an animated conversation about something or another, but she appeared to be totally bored. Her gaze scanned the crowd around her, but never rested on anyone in particular for any length of time.

A moment later, a tall blonde cowboy approached the table and she smiled up at the guy, her gorgeous dimples peeking out of her cheeks. Wyatt’s gut clenched when she nodded and stood, apparently planning on dancing with the cowboy. She followed the guy onto the dance floor while Wyatt tipped the beer to his lips and took a long pull. He wiped the drop of liquid clinging to his lower lip, as the guy wrapped his arms around her petite waist, his palms settle familiarly on her hips.

Damn it!

Turning toward the music and lights, his gaze found the couple again when he leaned back and rested his elbows on the bar behind him.

Why the hell am I torturing myself this way? Just turn around and forget the fact that the guy is practically seducing her right there on the dance floor.

Anger swept down his spine like a lightning bolt clear to his toes as the cowboy slid his hands across her lower back and then down to her ass cheeks.

He growled low in his throat and pushed away from the bar. Twenty steps and he stood next to them.

“I’m cuttin’ in.”

The guy’s eyes ricocheted to his and Jamie gasped before she stepped out of his embrace.

“Wyatt,” she said when she faced him.

“Butt out buddy. She’s mine.”

“Like hell she is.”

“Wyatt—Jake.” She placed one hand on each of the two men’s chests in a vain attempt to keep them apart, stepping between them. “Just stop this.”

Wyatt continued to dare Jake with his gaze, his hands balled into fists at his sides. The other man probably outweighed him by fifty pounds, with biceps that bulged under the strain of keeping his temper in check. If Jake decided to hit him, it wouldn’t be a pretty fight, but he wasn’t about to back down.

She’s mine, damn it!

“Tell him, Jamie,” Wyatt growled.

“I’m not telling him anything, Wyatt. This is nuts.” With her back plastered against Jake’s chest, she held out her hands toward Wyatt, her gaze pleading.

“You’re going to allow him to practically fuck you on the dance floor?”

“We were only dancing, nothing more.”

“He had his hands on your ass!” he spat.

“It’s none of your business.”

“The hell it’s not!”

“It’s not. You know nothing about me anymore.”

“Well, if you’ve changed that much in the last nine years, maybe I don’t want to.”

She gasped, hurt reflected in her eyes.

“Never mind. Just forget it.” He spun on his heels and headed for the bar. Throwing some money down before asking John for his backpack, he headed for the door without a backward glance, cussing in his head all the way out.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The wooden panel gave way to the pressure of his hand as a blast of warm air hit his face and ruffled his hair. He jumped off the porch, his boots crunching the gravel beneath them when he stomped toward his bike.

Son of a bitch!

Suppressing the urge to throw his backpack across the parking lot in a fit of rage, he pulled out his helmet and slipped the backpack over the back of the bike.

“Wyatt,” she said, touching his arm.

He spun around to find Jamie standing behind him. Before he could stop himself, he wrapped his hand in her hair and yanked her up against his chest. His lips came crashing down on hers in a desperate kiss.

She whimpered slightly under the crush of his mouth, but her lips softened under his and she returned the pressure. She opened to the urging of his tongue, wrapping her hands around his neck.

 
God, she tastes like heaven.

After several moments, he ripped his mouth from hers and opened his eyes as his chest heaved from every ragged breath he tried to pull into his air starved lungs. “Why do you torture me like this?”

“I’m not…”

Pressing his finger against her lips, he effectively silenced her protest. “All you have to do is be in the same room with me to torture me.” One finger swept across her bottom lip. “I want nothing more than to fuck you until you scream my name like you used to.” The shiver rolling over her body made him smile, as he watched her eyes close.

When she opened them again, her brown eyes danced with fire barely banked and she whispered, “What’s stopping you?”

He exhaled on a chuckle. “You.” He dropped his arms from around her and stepped back. “I’m not going to take advantage of your momentary loss of control or whatever you want to call it. I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life, but it will be when you come to me and want the same thing.” Letting his gaze skim her face, a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth before turning back to his bike, straddling the leather seat and hitting the ignition. Without looking at her again, he slipped his helmet on, lifted the kickstand and left her standing there in the middle of the gravel.

* * * *

He pulled out of the driveway and disappeared. She lifted her fingers to her lips where they still tingled from the pressure of his. Her eyes closed and she sighed heavily.

Damn it! Why did he have to come back?

She kicked at the gravel beneath her boot before she stomped back toward the bar. Pushing the heavy door open, she made her way back to the corner table she shared with Candy and Liz.

“Where the hell did you go?”

“Outside.”

“Chasing Wyatt?” Liz asked, her eyebrow rising in question.

“Go to hell, Liz,” Jamie grumbled as she slid into the booth.

“When are you going to just admit you never got over him?” Candy asked.

“Never.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Good lord, Jamie. Everyone in the bar saw that scene on the dance floor and then you take off after him when he stomps out of here? It’s as obvious as the nose on your face.”

“I don’t care, Liz. There is nothing between me and Wyatt anymore.”

“Nothing except the fact that you share a child,” Candy said as Jamie gasped. “What? You act like people around here don’t know Samantha is his?”

Jamie’s jaw dropped.
Is it that obvious?

“Oh, come on, Jamie,” Liz said. “She may have your hair and dimples, but she’s got Wyatt’s eyes and he disappears from town shortly after you found out you were pregnant. Everyone knew you two were seeing each other pretty seriously.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Jamie shrugged, trying to forget about the kiss they had shared in the parking lot.

“Hey, sweet thing,” Jake said, approaching the table next to Jamie. “Shall we finish what we started?”

She cocked her head to the side as her gaze raked him from the top of his blond hair to the tips of his cowboy boots.

He is cute. Built and bulging in all the right places, but he is also so stuck on himself, he wouldn’t even know how to please a woman.

“No thanks, Jake.”

“Why the hell not?” He put his hands on his hips and his lip stuck out like he was pouting and she almost laughed out loud.

“I’m not interested in what you have to offer. It’s as simple as that.”

“You know what you are, Jamie Wilder? You are a fucking tease.”

Her temper flared and she stood up, going toe-to-toe with the man who stood at least six inches taller than she did. “And you know what you are, Jake Black? You are a fucking moron. You think all you need is that three inch piece of meat between your legs and a few pretty words and all the women will fall at your feet. Well, let me tell you something. I would rather have thirty seconds with Wyatt Crossland than a lifetime with that stubby thing you call a cock.” She stood up on the seat behind her and shouted to the crowd gathering around them. “Girl’s, trust me when I say it ain’t worth it.” The women chuckled and the men laughed behind their hands at Jake’s expense.

“How would you know, Jamie Wilder? I haven’t been able to get you in the sack in over nine years.”

The crowd roared with laughter.

“I rest my case.”

Jake’s complexion flushed crimson when he realized what his words sounded like. He got right in her face and growled, “You bitch! You’ll pay for that.” Spinning on his heels, he disappeared into the crowd as the roaring laughter followed him.

She got down off the chair and slipped back into the booth with her friends while the crowd dispersed back to their own devices.

“That was hilarious!” Liz exclaimed, continuing to chuckle.

“I think you’ve made an enemy, Jamie,” Candy said.

“Oh well. I didn’t like him anyway.”

“Then why did you dance with him?”

“Because he asked.” Her shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “And I was bored.”

“And you didn’t know Wyatt was here,” Candy interjected.

Jamie frowned and looked down at the scarred tabletop under her hand as she traced a gouge with her finger.

“Why don’t you just admit it to yourself and him that you still love him?” Liz asked.

“I never loved him, Liz.”

“You are such a liar. I don’t know why he left when you found out you were pregnant, but he’s back now and obviously still interested in you, if the scene out there meant anything. He would have gone one on one with Jake over you. Most guys wouldn’t do that unless they care.”

After several minutes, Jamie reached over and grabbed her purse.

“Where are you going? The night is still young,” Candy asked.

She slipped out of the booth and stood. “I’m going home. I’ll see y’all later.”

“Sure. Call me next week and we’ll see what kind of trouble we can find.”

Jamie rolled her eyes and turned toward the door. Several people stopped her on the way out and jokingly slapped her on the back for putting Jake Black in his place. She just grinned, shook her head and kept going until the warm night air greeted her when she stepped outside. As she walked toward her truck, her gaze found the spot where Wyatt had parked his motorcycle and she remembered the pressure of his mouth. She opened her truck and slid into the cab and slipped the key into the ignition. Laying her head against the steering wheel, she closed her eyes for a moment as her brain battled with her heart. After several moments, she sighed, started the truck, and slipped it into reverse before she backed out of the parking spot.

The lights of Laramie glared brightly on the semi-deserted pavement in front of her when she drove in the opposite direction of her parent’s house. After the trip to the emergency room yesterday and running into Wyatt there, she looked up his address. They really needed to talk and she figured now seemed like a good time to her.