Page 174 of Giddy Up, Daddy

“You heard Wyatt. I’m not going home with you.”

Leon grabbed ice out of his water glass, wrapping it in a tattered napkin. “Your pussy ain’t worth a night in jail.”

Wyatt pulled me back to his side, one hand moving to my hip.

“We don’t want any more trouble, Michelle. No police, but I might not be in such a good mood the next time.”

“Cocky cowboy,” Leon said, slurring his words while he nursed his hand.

“You’re lucky I didn’t swing back.” Wyatt kept me against his body as we headed to the door again. He twirled the knob and shook his head as if marveling over the turn of events.

“If she’s really your girl, she has too long of a leash,” Leon called out, having to have the last word.

Wanting to leave more than I cared about what Leon thought of me, I followed along. Wyatt hustled us out to the parking lot, but I was seething.

“That fucking dickhead!”

“Shh, sweetheart. Leon is an asshole and not worth another thought. Get in the truck.”

Trying to calm down, I let him assist me into the passenger seat of his burnt-orange Dodge Ram. The tires themselves were practically bigger than me and I couldn’t get into the beast alone. Rummaging in the back seat, I found the first aid kit that I knew he kept. I cracked an ice pack to activate the cold and wrapped a cloth around it. When I held it to his cheek, Wyatt inhaled sharply.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “This is all my fault.”

“I’ll be all right,” he assured softly. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“You’re bleeding from your lip and your poor face is bruised,” I said as I shifted the ice pack higher.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, but I’m not mad at you, and this isn’t your fault. Leon made a poor decision to put his hands on me, not you.”

“If I hadn’t come here tonight, you wouldn’t be in pain.” I tucked a piece of hair that had slipped down in front of his eye behind his ear.

In the moonlight it was hard to see what Leon’s fist had done to his handsome cheek, but it looked darker than the other one. He placed his hand over mine.

“I know, Kennedy. Please explain yourself. It seems like you got all dressed up, wanting attention but got yourself into hot water pretty fast.”

After a few minutes of silence, I tugged my hand out from under his. The ice pack didn’t seem to be helping much anyway. It’d be better to look at his face in the light. I hated how tonight’s events had played out. Since I refused to answer him, he shook his head and started the engine.

“You’re not off the hook, trix.”

Letting my head fall back against the seat, I crossed my arms. He had no idea the sort of thoughts spinning through my brain. Wyatt would be shocked that part of my sudden refusal to open up was that my attraction to him had grown exponentially since he’d walked in. It pissed me off because I had enough shit to deal with. At least we were fifteen minutes away from my house. I could make it that long without talking.

“You can’t get out of my truck easily without my help. So, you’d better say something.”

Steeling my nerves, I unclenched my fists. “Fine! I was mad and feeling sorry for myself because I walked away from our relationship before we even started. You know how much Alden means to me. But I don’t trust you, Wyatt.”

“Then why the hell did you call me tonight? If you really believed I wouldn’t answer your phone call or that I didn’t give a damn about you–”

“I know! I know,” I said, interrupting him.

“Well? Spit it out then. You’ve got some shit to say.”

“If I called you instead of any of our other friends then some part of me knew I could count on you. You came immediately. You didn’t ask a million questions on the phone. You didn’t judge me.”

“No, I won’t judge you. Not like you do to me.”

“I’m not judgmental, Wyatt. Not most of the time.”

“Then what is your problem?”

---