Page 49 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

“Was that past tense or present?”

“Fuck!” I cursed irritably. “I don’t know. It’s not like I’m used to discussing anything emotional with anyone. I took it literally. It sounded like she was warning me that she wasn’t about to get involved with another guy after what happened to her. I can’t say that I blame her. I’d seriously like to hurt the bastard who treated her like shit. What idiot could be married to a woman like Shelby and not appreciate the fact that she was his?”

Chase shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll never understand that myself. I can’t help you there. But I understand why you’re drawn to her. I like Shelby. I have since the first time I talked to her about my wedding. You care about her. Admit it. She’s the first woman who’s gotten your attention since Simone.”

“She’s nothing like Simone,” I said, my voice guttural. “Shelby is different from any woman I’ve ever known. She’s been through a lot of shit, but it hasn’t made her bitter. In fact, she’s made it her mission to help everyone she can, even though she’s gotten burned. She lost her restaurant, which was always her dream, but she’s managed to turn it into something positive by doing something else she loves. Christ! She turns almost everything into something positive. And she actually likes me. There’s something seriously wrong with that. There’s nobody who wants to be my friend, especially not a female.”

“You’re screwed,” Chase said morosely. “Never give a woman you want a reason to put you in the friend zone. I’m assuming you are attracted to her.”

“Probably way more than I should be,” I told him, seeing no reason not to be honest now that I was already spilling my guts to him. “But I never should have touched her. She’s Kaleb’s cousin, and I’m not like you, Chase. I’ve never been a charming type of guy. Shelby deserves someone who can tell her everything she ought to hear, the stuff she never heard from the prick she was married to. Someone who can say all of the right things. I’m not that guy. You know that. I’m a cynical asshole.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not. Not with the people you care about. Not when it’s really important. And you’ve done a lot of nice things for Shelby, even if you can’t always find the words you think she wants to hear. Actions really do speak louder than words sometimes, Wyatt. Shelby is intelligent. She sees that.”

I sent Chase a skeptical look. “You’re not going to slam me for being attracted to Shelby after I gave you so much shit about Savannah?”

He grinned. “Not now. I think you need my help. But maybe later. Honestly, you kicked me in the ass when I needed it, so I probably shouldn’t give you a hard time at all. Right now, I think we need to figure out exactly how to set Shelby straight about what you really want from her. I don’t think you want to be stuck in her friend zone. What do you want from her?”

“I have no fucking idea,” I confessed huskily. “I’m attracted to her physically. Always have been. But I think there’s more to it than that.”

Chase shrugged. “Let her know you’re interested, and make it very clear that she’s the only woman who matters to you right now. I haven’t seen you give two shits about a woman in a long time. I think Shelby would be good for you, Wyatt. She couldn’t care less about your money, your power, or the luxury product and fashion industry. If she likes you, she actually likesyou.”

I lifted a brow. “I find that a little frightening, don’t you? I’m not exactly a likable guy.”

Chase chuckled. “Shelby is a smart woman. She can see who you really are beneath your bullshit. I think you’re just out of practice when it comes to dealing with a female who isn’t interested in your money.”

Out of practice?

The truth was, I had no idea how to deal with a woman who didn’t make my money their first priority.

“Maybe you think that I’m better at charming women than you are,” Chase mused. “But do I really need to remind you that I had the woman I wanted right in front of me, a woman who really cared about me, and I almost fucked it up?”

“That was different. It was obvious that Savannah wanted the same thing you did. It was also obvious that everything would work out once you pulled your head out of your ass. I’m not sure I can say the same thing about this situation. Hell, I don’t even know what I want, but it’s definitely not to be stuck in her friend zone forever.”

“You’re crazy about her,” Chase stated confidently. “And you’ve never been a guy who gives up on anything you really want.”

“I didn’t say I was giving up,” I told him. “I’m just not sure what my strategy is going to be going forward.”

“No strategy,” Chase insisted. “For once in your life, lead with your damn emotions. This isn’t a business transaction or a rescue operation. You need to talk her into giving this a chance. You kissed her. She kissed you back. There’s obviously an attraction there on both sides. I’m not exactly sure what made her run away from it, but you’re perfectly capable of making her see that she has the wrong impression. She’s your date for the charity gala tomorrow night. I know Shelby well enough to know that she wouldn’t have agreed to go with you if she didn’t want to be there with you.”

“Like I said,” I answered. “She’s doing it to help me out. You know I suck at small talk. It would be easier to have a date.”

“Maybe you should convince her that’s not the only reason you want her there with you.”

It wasn’t.

It never had been.

I’d only used that excuse to get her to attend with me.

I’d suffered through some of these types of events on my own when I absolutely had to attend.

“You’re not a man who is willing to waste an opportunity, Wyatt,” Chase said in a thoughtful tone.

Maybe not, but like Chase had said, this wasn’t about business.

It was personal, and I didn’t do anything personal well most of the time.

Shelby had called this thing between us a temporary attraction, but it sure as hell didn’t feel like something temporary to me.

---