Page 17 of Wild Bliss

Wyatt huffed. “No. Apparently it’s an alien.”

Damn, when she’d flushed and leaned toward him his dick hadtightened and his world had kind of tilted on its axis. He hadn’t expected herto push back. In his head he’d formed a fully detailed version of her. Sweet.Probably wanted a family. Wouldn’t ever accept a man who’d been arrested asoften as Sawyer had. Wouldn’t want to hang out in some dingy bar in ruralColorado. Wouldn’t be able to stand up for herself so he would end up walkingall over her because he was an asshole who needed a woman who could put him inhis place. “Yeah, we’re going to have to figure something out or Mel reallywill be on my ass. And I don’t even want to mess with Nell. I thought maybewhen she had a baby she would chill or not have as much time to protest, butshe just brings the baby along. I swear she taught her baby to cry on cue.”

Wyatt sighed again, stepping back. “Well, I suppose she’slocked herself in the room. I’ll find a tray or something.”

“She’s promised to come out to dinner.”

A brow rose over Wyatt’s blue eyes. “She did?”

“We talked after you left. We’ve agreed I’m an asshole.” Itwasn’t the only thing he’d agreed to. “And apparently I’m not supposed to callher sweetheart.”

Wyatt went still, staring at him like he was working throughsome problem in his head. “You called her sweetheart?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, maybe we should go over a couple of things,” Wyattbegan. “Why were you such a massive ass to her? I’ve never seen you be so rudeto a woman who wasn’t drunk off her ass and trying to cop a feel.”

It happened way too often at Hell on Wheels.

Wyatt waited for him to say something.

See, this was why he didn’t do friends. Or roommates. Theyexpected a guy to talk way too much. Wyatt had been pretty easy in thebeginning. They’d communicated mostly through grunts and the occasionalwanta beer?They’d talked about how Wyatt could help with the bar andeventually the businesses Sawyer had inherited, but then the therapy hadstarted. Freaking therapy. “Look, I saw her and things got weird and I didn’tlike it.”

“You saw her and things got weird. Weird, how?” Wyatt’s eyeswent wide. “Holy shit. You love at first sighted.”

Sawyer pointed a finger his way. “Abso-fucking-lutely not. Ido not do the love crap. I saw her and thought ‘hey, there’s a gorgeous womanI’d like to spend some time with. In bed.’ If I’d seen her at Hell on Wheels,I’d probably have done exactly that. I would have brought her up here and had ahot night and sent her on her way. But we weren’t in my world. We were inBliss, and I don’t belong there.”

Wyatt’s head shook. “Why do you think you don’t belongthere? I don’t get it. Everyone’s so nice.”

“They’re nice, but at some point they’ll figure out what wedid in the past and then it won’t be so nice,” Sawyer explained.

“They know. I mean the sheriff talked to me. He told me Ishould let him know if my brother ever shows up,” Wyatt replied.

For a man with Wyatt’s rap sheet, he was awfully naïve. “Hewas warning you. He was telling you he’ll be watching you. Like he watches me.”

Wyatt thought for a moment. “I don’t think that’s what hemeant. I know cops, man. I’ve been around all kinds of cops, and Sheriff Wrightwas simply letting me know he’s here. He spent time undercover in an MC. Heknows what it’s like. And he knows there’s not always an easy way out.Especially if you’re born into one. He’s the one who told me to go see Alexei.”

It bothered Sawyer. “And it’s why I told you it’s a badidea. Alexei is probably telling the sheriff everything.”

“He wouldn’t. Alexei knows where we’ve been. He wouldn’tbetray me, and I don’t think the sheriff would ask.” Wyatt turned back to hisstew. “Anywhere I go, my past will follow me. Do you really think we don’tbelong here?”

He didn’t understand what he was trying to say. “No, wedon’t belong down the mountain.Hereis exactly where we belong.”

“Do you think I scare them when I go into town? Is that whyyou usually drive all the way to Alamosa for supplies?” Wyatt asked quietly.

Sawyer leaned against the sink, hating the fact he’d put alook of sorrow on his friend’s face, but they had to acknowledge the truth.“No. I don’t think you scare them. But I also think we’re not getting invitesto dinner or town parties. Look, Wyatt, I’m not saying they’re going to show upwith torches and pitchforks.”

Wyatt frowned, and his eyes narrowed. “Holy shit. They’renot afraid of us. You’re afraid of them.”

What the hell? “I am not.”

Wyatt’s head nodded as though he was confirming somelong-held belief. “The way you were afraid of her. You said it yourself. Youfelt weird. What if weird means emotional? What if your version of weird is anemotional connection to a woman you’ve never felt before? You’re afraid ofbeing rejected so you reject people first.”

He should never have taken him into town. He definitelyshould never have let him see Alexei Markov. “I am not afraid of rejection. Idon’t care about anything. Now we have to talk about how we’re going to handleour guest for the next few days. You like her.”

Wyatt looked like he didn’t want to change the subject, buthe went with it. “Yeah. I like her a lot.”

“You don’t know her.”

---