Page 51 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

I gave her an astonished look. “That’s crazy. He’s probably the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, and I’d rather talk to someone who’s brutally honest than some guy who feeds me bullshit.”

In my mind, Wyatt was the epitome of tall, dark, and ridiculously handsome.

He was tall, brawny, and gruff, but I certainly didn’t see any of those things as a negative.

It was hard to believe any single female wouldn’t find him droolworthy.

Tori shrugged. “I feel the same way. I think he’s handsome, but he thinks I’m biased because I’m his baby sister. I’m glad someone appreciates him and all the good qualities he has. Didn’t I tell you when you first met him in person that he’d grow on you?”

“You were right,” I said wistfully. “He did. I misjudged him.”

“Not your fault. He usually doesn’t make a very good first impression,” she quipped. “He can come off as pretty grumpy and abrasive, and you had your reasons for not liking him at first. He isn’t a guy with pretty words, but he makes up for it with his actions. I’m glad you understand him. Very few people do. So what are you going to do about that attraction if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Nothing,” I rushed to assure her. “I’m not Wyatt’s type. We’re better off just being friends. Anything else could get…complicated.”

I really didn’t want to tell Tori about the kiss or that I suspected that Wyatt might still harbor feelings for a woman who had never deserved him.

It was his secret to tell, not mine.

If he hadn’t shared his feelings about Simone with his sister or brother, I wasn’t about to let the cat out of the bag.

“I think youareWyatt’s type,” Tori said with a smile as she turned toward me. “He probably hasn’t let you know that, but he’s been even more reserved and careful since he got out of the military. He saw some…pretty bad things there.”

She’d chosen her words carefully, and I already knew why. Wyatt was her brother, and he’d told me that he didn’t share his military background with anyone except his family.

I nodded. “I know that he was special forces. I don’t think anyone could function as an operative like that without having it change them. He told me about what happened with Simone, too.”

Tori’s expression was shocked as she asked, “He actually told you about Simone and that he was in special forces?”

“No specifics,” I assured her. “But he did share that he was special forces in the military, and the basics about what happened with his ex-girlfriend.”

“Then he likes you even more than I thought. I still don’t know much about what happened with Simone, except for the fact that she slept with someone else. They were together for a long time, but we only met a few times. I didn’t like her. I thought she was using Wyatt, but I didn’t know her well enough to tell my brother what I thought. I feel bad sometimes that I was relieved when they broke up. And he never told anyone but family about his involvement in special forces while he was active. I’m not sure Simone even knew why he was deployed so often, but I doubt she cared as long as she had access to his funds. He still avoids sharing that information unless he has to for some reason.”

Apparently, no one had mentioned to Tori that Kaleb had been informed that all of my friends’ spouses had been in special forces or that I knew, too. Apparently, that subject hadn’t come up yet. I hesitated about mentioning it, but it would be awkward if she found out and I’d never told her that I knew.

I quickly explained what had happened, and why Wyatt had told us the truth.

“I understand,” she said after I’d told her. “It makes perfect sense why Wyatt would tell you and Kaleb about it. My brother wouldn’t have said anything if he hadn’t already cleared it with Hudson, Jax, Cooper, and Chase. Cooper didn’t tell me you knew, but I’m glad you do. Wyatt trusts you, Shelby, and he isn’t a guy who trusts easily,” Tori mused.

“That makes two of us,” I said drily. “I wasn’t sure I could ever trust anyone again after what happened to me in Montana, especially a guy.”

Tori knew my entire history now, as did the rest of my friends.

Her expression was gentle and sympathetic as she asked, “But you trust Wyatt?”

I nodded slowly, a big lump in my throat. Although I didn’t want to tell her what I suspected about Simone, there were other reasons why I couldn’t get too attached to Wyatt. “I do trust him. He’s never been anything but honest with me, but I’m still not his type, Tori. I don’t dress up like this every day. I’m a chef who wears jeans and a T-shirt almost all of the time because I get dirty in a kitchen every single day. And I usually smell like whatever food I cooked by the end of a long day. My ass is too big because I love to eat, and it will be a very long time before my makeup and hair looks this decent again. Wyatt and I come from two different worlds, and whether he likes it or not, he does have a public image.”

Tori chuckled. “Considering how much my brother likes to eat, you smelling like gourmet food is probably an aphrodisiac to him. Don’t underestimate Wyatt. He doesn’t give a damn what other people think, and the media eats that indifference up like it’s candy on the rare occasions that he exposes himself to public scrutiny. Besides, you’re gorgeous, and any man would be lucky to be dating you, but it would take more than that to get his attention. You’re real, Shelby, and I doubt any woman has spoken to him like a person and not the CEO of Durand in a long time. It’s not surprising that he’s drawn to a woman like you.”

I picked up my clutch purse as I said firmly. “We’re just friends. I’m doing Wyatt a favor tonight, but we aren’t dating.”

I had to end this conversation because it was killing me.

Any kind of relationship with Wyatt, other than what we had right now, just wasn’t possible.

Things had been tense between the two of us after he’d kissed me, but we’d eventually fell back into our old routine, and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.

I was attracted to him in a way I’d never experienced before, even though I’d been married before.

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