Page 56 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

“No,” I said gruffly as I grabbed her hand. “But I think it’s time for me to convince you that if the goddamn slipper fits anyone, that woman is you.”

I didn’t say another word as we said our goodbyes to my family, and I hustled her out of the ball.

Shelby

Wyatt had been unusually quiet on the way home from the gala.

In fact, the tension between the two of us had been so heavy that I hadn’t even tried to question him before I got my own thoughts straightened out.

I’d stayed silent on the ride home, trying to figure out why in the hell he was so determined to convince me that he wanted to date me.

If he was finally determined to try to forget the woman he cared about, why me?

It wasn’t like Wyatt couldn’t attract a woman from his own circle. Probably a gazillion of them if he’d just drop that standoffish attitude of his.

I lifted Xena onto the couch and rubbed her belly absently as the silence between the two of us started to get so uncomfortable that I had to force myself not to squirm.

The pleasant buzz I’d gotten from too much champagne was wearing off, and I didn’t feel quite as bold as I had at the gala.

Neither one of us had gone upstairs to get out of our formal clothing, and I couldn’t help watching Wyatt’s every move.

I’d never seen a guy wear a tux as casually or as well as he did, and as I continued to ogle his massive, incredibly fit body, it was almost impossible for me to believe that he’d been completely sincere about wanting something other than friendship.

Yeah, we had this bizarre attraction to each other, but dating? Being his girlfriend? Some kind of intimate partner?

What I’d said to him earlier was true though.

If I thought there was a chance we could be something more, I’d probably throw caution to the wind and hop into his bed, even though the thought scared the hell out of me.

I was thirty-five years old, and I’d never experienced this kind of attraction.

But…

There was still the Simone thing.

He couldn’t just will those emotions away by finding himself a girlfriend.

I took a sip of the wine he’d given me when we’d gotten into the house and watched as he poured himself a drink.

He threw back half of his drink as he strolled to the other end of sofa and finally perched on the wide arm of the couch like he was too antsy to sit down.

Troubled by his obvious edginess, I started to speak, “Wyatt, I—”

He held up a hand to stop me. “Don’t, Shelby. The first thing I need you to explain to me is exactly why you think that I don’t want you when I thought I’d made it pretty damn clear that I do. Do you still have feelings for your ex?”

I wanted to laugh because I wanted to ask him the very same question.

“No,” I confessed softly. “I made a mistake, and I paid dearly for falling for that con. It wouldn’t even be possible for me to still have feelings for a person I never even knew. It’s part of my past. I learned from it, and I’m trying to move on with my life. I thought you preferred your solitude to having a woman around.”

Well, any woman whowasn’this ex-girlfriend anyway.

“I wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship and haven’t been for a long time. Now, I’m interested, but the ironic part of this whole thing is that I finally found a woman I trust, and I’m not sure if she wants to give me a shot.”

My breath caught as I saw the disappointment in his eyes.

I knew exactly what it was like to completely give up on relationships because you were disillusioned.

I’d have to be fool not to understand that Wyatt wasn’t a guy who opened up like this to just anyone.

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