Page 8 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

“I don’t think that refusal had anything to do withyou,” Tori said thoughtfully. “I have a feeling he was reluctant because you were related to a good friend. Wyatt doesn’t really…. date. He hasn’t had anything that I’d call a serious relationship since he got out of the military years ago. My brother is a workaholic. He should have met up with you though. He trusts Kaleb and he should have trusted his judgment. Wyatt’s reaction to the offer was pretty thoughtless, but I honestly don’t think he ever thought that your feelings would be hurt. Underneath that cool and aloof exterior of his, he really does have a heart. Give him a chance, Shelby. If you do, he’ll eventually grow on you.”

I highly doubtedthat,but Tori was my friend, and I didn’t want this kind of awkwardness with one of her brothers. “It’s fine. It happened a year ago, and he never really said anything personally hurtful after the reception.”

I might not like Wyatt Durand, but hewasTori’s brother, and Ididlike everyone else coming to this dinner.

How difficult could it be to tolerate the annoying man for one evening?

Wyatt

My stomach growled as I pulled into the driveway of my sister’s home.

I’d skipped lunch on my flight back from Paris, and I was starving.

I’d also been in nonstop meetings for the last two weeks, and maybe I wanted to see some friendly faces of people who wanted nothing from me but my presence at a casual meal.

Okay, so maybe Ihadinvited myself to this get-together, but a guy had to eat, and it was a lot better for my digestion to do it while I was talking to people who didn’t want a piece of me for business reasons.

I wouldn’t stay long.

I never did.

When I could actually make the time for my sister’s casual dinners with family and friends, I usually had other obligations to handle later that evening.

I could only hang out long enough to eat dinner and touch base with my family and friends.

I was also curious to hear about the mission that Last Hope had done in my absence, and since every person at the dinner tonight knew about or was a fellow volunteer for the hostage rescue organization, we could speak openly.

I knew that the latest mission had been successful. The hostage had been rescued without incident. Not that I expected it would go any differently, but I still wanted to know the details.

I hated it when an operation happened and I wasn’t here to take part in it from our San Diego headquarters.

Especially when it had been volunteer members from my previous Delta Force team who had completed that flawless op out in the field.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust every single person involved in Last Hope, but I’d been there to watch my team’s six for years, just like they’d watched mine.

I didn’t like it when they were running a rescue, and I wasn’t there to monitor it personally.

I exited my black, F-150 Limited and shrugged out of my suit jacket, tossing it in the back before I locked the truck.

Maybe my truck wasn’t the vehicle of choice for a lot of guys who had the money to buy any car on the planet. But there was no way I was going to suffer by contorting my extra-large frame into a seven-figure vehicle just for the prestige of driving an expensive sports car.

I was a large man who needed more shoulder, leg, and head room. I also wasn’t into status cars that were as uncomfortable as hell to drive every day.

Occasionally, when I had the time—which was almost never—I liked to find remote areas to just chill out, camp, and fish. At times, I liked to get out of the city, and those pricey sports cars didn’t cut it on dirt roads.

I also liked my damn space and comfort when I was driving in traffic on a daily basis.

As I walked to the door of Tori and Cooper’s home, I rolled up the sleeves of my dress shirt.

I guess I could have made a stop at home first to change.

But my empty stomach had been in control, and I’d wanted to get to this barbecue before all the food was gone.

Hudson, Jax, Cooper, and Chase could put away enough food that would usually feed a dozen people, and I wanted my share.

“Wyatt!” Tori exclaimed as she opened the door and instantly threw herself into my arms with a delighted shriek. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

Generally, I wasn’t a hugger or a touchy-feely kind of guy, but my little sister was the exception.

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