My Cone and Only (King Family #1) - Susannah Nix Page 0,44

me like that and then head straight into the arms of another woman?

I couldn’t decide if I was more pissed off or embarrassed. But really what I was, most of all, was hurt.

Wyatt had looked me right in the eyes and said he didn’t want me. I’d let myself be vulnerable for one miserable moment—let myself believe that kiss might actually mean something—and I’d gotten kicked right in the teeth.

The annoying thing was, I couldn’t even pretend to be shocked. It wasn’t like I didn’t know exactly who Wyatt King had always been. What had I expected? That he’d change his fickle, womanizing ways just for me? That I was special?

I was almost as mad at myself as I was at him. I’d let hope creep in, when I should have known better. I’d fallen prey to my own baser instincts as much as I’d let myself be fooled by his. Because I’d wanted to feel Wyatt’s lips on mine, I’d thrown sense out the window.

If anything, it was worse now that I knew exactly what I was missing out on. Before last night, I could only imagine what kind of kisser Wyatt was. But now I knew precisely, because he’d given me the best kiss of my life.

Nothing else I’d ever experienced had come close to feeling like that. When he’d grabbed me and slanted his mouth over mine, it had hit me like a chemical reaction. Instant combustion. Friction and heat igniting the oxygen between us, generating more energy than one simple kiss had been able to contain.

My nerves were still vibrating with it this morning. That one damn kiss had left me weak and desperate for more, with an ache of incompleteness I hadn’t been able to shake since he’d walked away.

How was I supposed to come back from that? How was I going to face him again without launching myself at him to finish what he’d started?

I’d have to figure it out, because that was one thing I would absolutely not be doing. No matter how badly I wanted to. Wyatt King was not getting a second chance to play me for a sucker. Fool me once, fuck you forever. That had always been my philosophy.

Only…I couldn’t exactly cut Wyatt out of my life. There were too many ties binding us together. My brother, my aunt Birdie, my parents. A lifetime of friendship and shared memories. Even as mad as I was, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop caring about him. He’d been right about one thing. We were family.

I could limit my exposure though. Put up some defensive walls that were frankly long overdue. Stop torturing myself over someone who would never want me.

Unfortunately, I still needed his help with the house. There was no getting around that. I hated being dependent on anyone, ever, but I especially hated that I needed Wyatt so much right now, when I’d be better off enforcing more distance between us.

Speaking of which, I was starting to worry he might ghost on me completely after last night. It was almost eight thirty and there was still no sign of him. If he decided to leave me in the lurch, I was completely screwed.

Well, not completely. He’d done some of the work already. What was left was too much for me to finish on my own, especially when I didn’t have enough vacation saved up to take time off work. But I could work on it myself this weekend. If Wyatt didn’t come back by Monday, then I could try to get a home equity loan and hire someone to finish the rest. Not by the deadline probably, but I could talk to the HOA and ask for more time. Hopefully they’d give it to me, because I sure wouldn’t be able to get a loan with a lien on the house.

I gave up waiting on Wyatt and went outside to attack the thicket of weeds growing along the back fence. It was pretty therapeutic, actually, snipping off the thick stalks and hacking at the roots, taking out my violent impulses on the vegetation and imagining it was Wyatt’s face.

I’d been at it about twenty minutes when I finally heard his truck pull into the driveway. Instead of going to greet him like I normally would, I kept on working.

Yes, I was sulking. But I was also protecting myself. And honoring his wishes. He’d made it clear that we’d crossed a line last night that he wasn’t comfortable