Chapter Six

“Why are you in such a rush this morning?” Gavin asked as he padded into the kitchen, his hair a mess and his eyes barely open to a squint.

Paige turned toward him, blowing on the top of her coffee as if the act would cause it to instantly cool enough to avoid burning her lips. “Got an email from the local city council saying someone’s meeting me at the courthouse to give me a tour this morning.”

“A tour of Silvertip?” Gavin lifted a brow. “That oughta take about fifteen minutes.”

Paige laughed. “You’re probably right. But I don’t want to be impolite since I’m here for the summer. I need everyone in town to like me.” She stuffed her iPad into her small backpack and reached for her jacket.

“Have you ever met anyone who didn’t like you?”

“Ha-ha. There’s always a first. You never know. I just hope I’m not stuck getting a two-hundred-year history of every building in town from a ninety-year-old man.” It was possible.

“What are you doing about that reporter, Kelly? Did you talk to her?”

Paige cringed. “Not yet. I’m hoping to avoid her this morning. She makes me nervous. I don’t need the added stress of entertaining her while I get this tour.”

“Admit it. You’re afraid she’ll embarrass you.” Gavin chuckled.

Paige groaned. “There is that.”

“Did you get ahold of your professor to find out what the deal is?”

“Sent him an email.”

“Good. Well, have fun. I’ll just be here working on my thesis.”

“Good luck.” She scrunched up her face. “I think I’d prefer the lengthy tour from an old guy.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Love you.”

“If I’m not here when you get back, you’ll find me at the library. It’s going to get claustrophobic in here in a hurry.”

She turned back to him as she hit the door. “Okay, but I’ve gotta warn you. The library in this small town probably doesn’t have many books. Calling it a library is most likely a stretch considering what you’re used to on campus.”

“I don’t need books. I just need a place to sit.”

“Right.” She smiled at him and left.

Ten minutes later, she took the steps to the entrance to the courthouse two at a time and then turned around and waited. The email had indicated someone would meet her out front. And since the weather was warming up this time of year, it was pleasant enough outside to wait.

She tipped her head back and took a deep breath of the clean air, letting the morning sun hit her face. Moments later, realizing she was no longer alone, she lowered her face and stopped breathing.

Wyatt Arthur stood two steps down in front of her, putting his face almost at eye level. He was smiling, and he spoke first. “You absolutely do not look like you belong here.”

She frowned, trying to find enough brain cells to speak. “Here? At the courthouse? I’m meeting someone.” What are you doing here?

Shit. She hadn’t been in town one full day yet, and already she had the bad luck of running into Wyatt.

“Here in Silvertip at all, I guess. You look like you stepped off a magazine to get here. And, the person you’re meeting is me.” He grinned wider.

Her heart stopped. Please tell me this is an illusion.

He powered forward, not waiting for a response. “The town was looking for a volunteer to show you around today. I accepted the challenge. Figured you might like seeing a familiar face.”

She licked her suddenly dry lips. Damn, he was hot. His body was so big it blocked the sun, casting a shadow over her face. His hair was a bit longer on top, hanging over his forehead. His skin was darker too. And his eyes. He had surely melted thousands of women with those eyes.

But she couldn’t spend the day with him, or even an hour. No way. “Don’t you have to work? It’s a Monday.”

He reached out with a hand, tucked hers in the crook of his elbow, and guided her down the steps before speaking again. “Took the day off.”

“To give me a tour?”

“Yes.” The dazzling smile he shot her almost caused her to trip on the steps. But he steadied her and didn’t comment on her clumsiness.

When they reached the street, he opened the passenger door of a bright red truck and grasped her fingers for the second time to help her climb inside.

She was pretty sure she didn’t breathe or have even one coherent thought while he rounded the hood and climbed in next to her. “How’ve you been?” he asked as he buckled his seat belt and pointed at hers.

She scrambled to reach for the buckle.

“Did your semester end okay?”

“Yes. I just need to do this internship, and then I’ll be free to adult.”

He chuckled.

God, she loved that sound. She wanted to kick herself for loving that sound.

“Free to adult.” He started the engine and turned to face her, his gaze roaming up and down her body before he took a deep breath and faced the road. “How did you end up with this internship?”

“It wasn’t intentional if that’s what you’re thinking. I tried to switch with someone, but my professor insisted.”

“Why did you want to switch with someone? Silvertip is a wonderful town.”

She bit her lower lip and glanced out the side window.

He kept speaking. “Look, I know this is awkward, and we have a weird thing between us, but the reason I volunteered to show you around today was so we could get past this and eliminate it. You’re going to be in town for three months, and there’s no way to avoid each other. The town isn’t that big. So, we need to do whatever it takes to push past our awkwardness.”

He thought that was possible?

He hadn’t pulled away from the curb yet. In fact, he hadn’t put the truck in drive. And now he twisted his body to face her more fully. When she turned to look at him, he reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear in an incredibly intimate gesture. “I heard your boyfriend is with you for the summer.”

“He is.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes slightly as if he were concerned.

“He’s working on his thesis. He’ll be buried in books while I do my research,” she added as if Wyatt cared what Gavin was doing with his summer.

“I see.” His gaze was intense to the point she had to fight not to squirm under the scrutiny. “And what does this research of yours entail exactly?”

“Well, my degree is in urban anthropology, which means I’m supposed to gather data on the people living in Silvertip to help determine what factors exist in your lifestyle and environment to promote such longevity and overall healthiness.”

One side of his mouth quirked up a moment before he laughed hard.

She rolled her eyes, full-on squirming now at the sound of his deep voice. There was no denying what he did to her body. And in the confines of his truck, his pheromones were killing her. “I know. I know. It’s ludicrous. But my professors don’t know that.”

He kept laughing. “This is going to be fun.” And then he put the truck in drive and pulled away from the curb. He glanced at her as he drove, no longer chuckling. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you. That was rude.”

She shrugged. “I’m going to get that a lot, I suppose.”

“I don’t think your work is as preposterous as it initially sounds. I mean, there is merit to the fact that generations of people have been drinking glacial water, living without the smog of cities, getting better exercise. Hell, I’d even say the locals get better nutrition. The people here are kind of granola. Even the humans. I bet your study will end up showing longevity among the human population too.”

She was taken aback. This was the first moment she’d even considered her work as valuable. She’d spent the last few weeks groaning about it, feeling like it was completely bogus. But he had good points. “You’re right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He shot her a grin.

Thirty minutes later, after pointing out all the local hotspots in town and the surrounding areas of the center of Silvertip, Wyatt pulled onto a road heading west. Paige fidgeted. “Where are we going now?”

“Gonna show you where the brewery’s located and then my family’s property.”

“Ah, the Arthur brewery.”

“Yes. Glacial Brewing Company. I think you met Adriana last night from the Tarben pack, right?”

“Yes. She stopped by.”

“Either she or someone else in their family will show you around their brewery and land another day. We’re the two largest packs in town. I know you can’t refer to us as such in your research. Families. Whatever. But you get my drift.”

“How many packs are there in Silvertip?” She tucked her hands under her thighs to keep from squirming so much, but Wyatt’s proximity was wearing on her. It was hard to focus. His scent was intoxicating. And every time she glanced at his profile, she drooled a bit. Her panties were wet, and that wasn’t something she was used to experiencing with anyone. She needed out of this truck and fast just so she could take a deep breath.

“About two dozen, or parts of two dozen. None with as many local members as the Tarbens and the Arthurs, though. We each have about fifty relatives and members who we’ve taken in over the years. The other local packs are spread wider and don’t have as many family members in the Silvertip area.” He pulled off the road onto a narrower side street, pointing out the windshield. “And there you have it. Glacial Brewing Company.”

“Wow. That’s larger than I expected for a microbrewery.”

“Yeah. It’s not tiny. Both Glacial and Mountain Peak are about the same size. We do a similar volume too. It’s pretty competitive.”

“Is that a good thing? I heard the two families have been locked in a century-long feud.”

He nodded as he rounded to the side of the brewery and put the truck into park. “It’s good and bad. It’s healthy for competition. But the feud is getting old. Most shifters my age won’t tolerate it anymore. A few months ago when Alton and Joselyn bound together, shit really hit the fan. They were the first couple in many generations to bind, uniting the two families.”

“That’s why they moved to Calgary, right?”

“Yes. They wanted to get away for a while. Some of my family and some of Alton’s are intolerant.”

“That must suck.”

“It does. What Jos and Alton went through was unimaginable. The pain of knowing someone’s your mate and not being able to have them is intense.” His stare bore into her, halting her breath.

Was he talking about his sister and Alton? Or was he talking about himself and her? Because she couldn’t handle that at all. Not now. Not ever. She twisted to look out the window.

“I’ll take you on a full tour someday, but not today.”

Why not today?

She really didn’t want the answer to that question. It felt loaded.

The brewery was pretty large. The siding was white, and she noticed above the front doors and on the side of the building was the company logo—the face of a glacier next to a lake. Apropos. Behind the front, which appeared to be office space, extended what she assumed was the plant itself. Several pieces of machinery she couldn’t identify were scattered behind the entire structure, undoubtedly because they wouldn’t fit inside.

“We’ll come back another day when it won’t be so overwhelming to meet my family,” Wyatt stated as he pulled slowly away. “But at least you know where it is and have an idea of the size.”

She nodded. His cryptic statements were making her nervous.

As they continued to drive, he pointed out mountain peaks and entrances to hiking paths in the area. Several minutes later, he pulled off the road again onto a gravel drive.

At first, she didn’t see anything in the distance, and then a home came into view. Hidden among the trees with dark brown siding, she almost didn’t see it before they came to a stop. She knew instinctively this was Wyatt’s house.

Without a word, he jumped down from the cab and rounded the truck. She couldn’t move. This was not a good idea. Why had he brought her here? “Wyatt…” she said when he opened the door.

“Come on. I’ll show you around. The view is amazing.” He reached for her hand, and she let him take it as if she were pulled from the truck by a force out of her control. Was Wyatt himself the force? Or was it something bigger?

Either way, she wanted no part in it. “Wyatt…” she repeated as she slid to the ground, shrugging her backpack onto one shoulder. She instinctively knew it would change the nature of their relationship for her to enter his private world—a world she wanted no part of.

He knew that too. That’s why he was forcing the issue.

She was nervous. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d been alone with a man—human or shifter. It happened occasionally at school or an event, but it made her sweat. She was also smart enough to realize her reaction to all men was irrational. No way in hell was Wyatt a threat to her safety. Nevertheless, she wiped her hands on her jeans and swallowed her fear.

He shut the door, took her hand, and led her toward the front porch. There was nothing on it. Not even a rocking chair. “It doesn’t look like much from the front. But wait until you see the back.”

It looked like Heaven from the front, and she didn’t need to see the back. Or like the back. Or grow attached to the back. Or grow attached to the owner of the back. Or grow attached to the owner’s back, she amended in her mind as she stared at his ass. She tugged her hand free of his grip to sever at least that contact. If she could have found the words, she would have demanded he return her to Alton’s apartment. But instead, she found herself following him as if a magnet pulled her toward his porch.

He opened the front door and led her inside.

She followed, unable to stop herself, knowing it was a bad idea. Knowing what would happen when she stepped inside. And sure enough, his scent filled her lungs, intoxicating her even further than the ride in the truck.

The first thing that grabbed her attention was the floor-to-ceiling picture window straight across the great room. She headed in that direction, ignoring the rest of the house and gasping at the beauty that lay beyond it. She could see for miles in several directions. Mountains. Evergreens. Valleys. “Heaven,” she muttered.

“I thought you’d like it,” he stated from far closer to her than she realized. He stood inches behind her.

She could feel him as if he were touching her. And every breath filled her with his pheromones. He wanted her. He couldn’t mask it. Then again, she was aware she couldn’t mask her need to have him, either. She couldn’t shake it. It had its talons in her, gripping her so tight she felt as though she might suffocate. “We can’t do this, Wyatt,” she muttered.

He said nothing. The silence was deafening.

After several long minutes, she turned around to face him. “We can’t.”

He stared at her, his eyes deep brown and penetrating. He’d removed his jacket. “Do what? Talk? Get to know each other? Why not?” He didn’t blink.

She blew out a breath and stepped around him to put some distance between them. The rest of the room drew her attention. It was so warm and inviting. All browns and oranges and reds. The woodwork and cabinets in the adjoining kitchen were dark. The paint was a warm beige, and the tile separating the kitchen area from the living room was a deep tan. When she was across the room, leaning against the back of his brown suede sectional, she finally spoke again. “I have a boyfriend.”

“So?” He lifted his hands in the air, palms facing her as if he were totally innocent. “I haven’t suggested anything salacious here. I’m just showing you around town.”

She rolled her eyes. “This is not town. This is your home. I’m not in the habit of spending time alone with men in their homes.” She immediately realized how ridiculous that sounded.

He swallowed. Shocked? “Because of Gavin?”

She cocked a hip. “That’s a pretty legit reason.” He was too perceptive.

He shook his head, frowning. “I don’t think so.” At least he didn’t approach.

Yeah, way too perceptive. She sucked in a sharp breath. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true. I don’t know what your deal is with him, but I’m not buying it.”

She hated that he could read her so well. “Are you always this blunt?”

“No.” He took one step forward. “We need to talk.”

“We are talking. We’re done talking. In fact, you’re making me uncomfortable.”

“That’s not my goal.” He stopped walking and ran a hand through his hair until it slid back across his forehead in disarray. Sexy disarray.

She had to glance away. “Well, it’s your result nevertheless.”

He sighed, stepping backward until he leaned his ass against the enormous window. She noticed for the first time there was an unfinished deck outside. It ran the length of the house, and it would be spectacular when it was done.

Wyatt cleared his throat. “Listen, you can ignore this thing for as long as you want. I won’t pressure you.”

A burst of nervous laughter left her mouth. “You won’t pressure me? What do you call blindsiding me this morning and carting me away in your truck and then bringing me to your home? If that isn’t pressure, I don’t know what is.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Pressure would be if I plastered you to the front door and kissed the life out of you until you saw reason. Pressure would be if I demanded you admit the deep scent of your arousal has filled my truck all morning and is now permeating my home.”

Her face heated to the point it burned. And the wetness in her jeans increased until she was sure he could see it through the denim. She shuddered involuntarily.

He lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Like I said, I’m not going to pressure you. But I do want you to know how things stand, so there will be no misunderstanding. I seriously considered tiptoeing around you all summer, but then I changed my mind. I’d be lying to myself and you if I didn’t say something. I want you. You’re like a drug. Just being in the same room as you is a treat that will sustain me for a while. And you can say anything you want, but the truth is you can’t hide your reaction to me, either. So, I’ll let you do what you need to do, but you need to know that when you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

She shook her head, panicking. “It’s never going to happen, Wyatt. You need to let it go.”

“It’s never going to go away, Paige. You need to accept that.”

“I disagree.”

“What are you afraid of?”

She inhaled sharply. “What makes you think I’m afraid of anything? Maybe I’m just not interested in you. Maybe I’m committed to someone else.”

“Gavin.”

“Yes.”

“Why Gavin?”

“I’ve known him most of my life. We grew up together. We love each other. Why am I explaining myself to you?” Aggravation filled her, but mostly because she wasn’t able to hide anything from Wyatt. Damn grizzly pheromones.

Wyatt hesitated, his mouth partly open, seemingly deciding what to say next, or perhaps judging how wise his words might be. “You do realize he’s gay, right?”

She jerked her gaze to the floor. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Wyatt sighed. “Oh my God. You know he’s gay. What the hell are you doing, Paige? Explain it to me.”

A tear fell from her eye before she could stop it. And then another. For no good reason. Emotions flooded her. She’d never been called out on this before. Never. Not once in all her years had anyone ever accused Gavin of being gay, at least not to her face. How dare he?

More uncomfortable silence and then, “Is he using you? To hide?”

She bit her lip, hoping he didn’t notice the tears. Her hair fell forward enough to cover her face.

“Paige, talk to me. Why are you staying with him? Make me understand. If he’s using you…”

She jerked her gaze up, no longer caring about what he saw on her face, but needing him to stop prying. “Maybe I’m using him, smarty pants. You think you know everything?”

Wyatt winced. “What for, Paige?”

“None of your damn business, Wyatt.”

“See, that’s where you’re mistaken. Because everything that has to do with you is my business. I can’t stop it any more than you can. Whatever it is, I need you to tell me. Lean on me now. Not Gavin.”

A maniacal laugh escaped her mouth, and she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. “Don’t be so cocky. You may be older, but you don’t know everything. Some things can’t be fixed. And I’ve made my choice. Gavin is a kind, decent man who adores me. Your efforts to convince me otherwise are futile and annoying.” She shrugged her backpack off her shoulder and unzipped it with trembling fingers to extract her cell. Two seconds later she typed a text.

Please come get me. I’m at Wyatt’s. His address is in the address book Joselyn made for me. I think it’s on the table.

Be there in ten, Gavin sent back.

She tossed the phone back in her pack.

“I would have taken you home.”

“You would have filled the truck with your pheromones.” She gasped as soon as those words left her lips. Damn.

She didn’t look at him, but she knew instinctively he was smiling. He shoved off the window and headed for the kitchen area. “Why don’t you take off your jacket? Sit. You want a beer?”

“No.” She didn’t move from the door.

“Paige, I’m not going to bite you. Sit.” He turned and nodded toward the couch.

She winced. Him biting her was exactly the problem.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened the bottle, and then he rolled his eyes as if just realizing the poor word choice. “Okay, that wasn’t my best line. But I won’t bite you today and certainly not without your permission. So, sit.”

She wanted to be defiant. She wanted to open the front door and wait outside. But she found herself padding toward the couch instead. Fine. She would sit. But she wasn’t going to remove her coat.

The sectional was enormous, and Wyatt sat on the opposite end, facing her. He took another drink of his beer and then tipped it to the side and stared at the label. “It’s a pretty good IPA if you like that kind of beer. I have others if you prefer something less hoppy.”

“I don’t like beer at all.”

He smiled. “Now that’s a problem.”

“I don’t see why.”

“It’s in my blood.” His grin widened. “But you’re young. It’s an acquired taste. How many times have you tried it?” He sounded like Gavin.

“Never.”

He chuckled again. Damn, his laugh was infectious. It calmed her even though she wished it wouldn’t. Every time he made that sound, it reached into her and tugged at her heart. “Then how do you know you don’t like it?”

“The smell.”

“Ah. Well, when you’re ready, I’ll educate you. You’ll come around. You can start with one of our new citrus brews. Glacial Lemon or Glacial Orange. You can’t go wrong with those.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

He sighed, his shoulders falling. “I won’t give up, you know.”

She knew he wasn’t talking about beer. “I wish you would.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Of course it does. When someone turns you down, you walk away. When they turn you down again, you grab your tail and stick it between your legs. If you keep this up, you’re going to start looking foolish.”

“Eventually, I’ll wear you down.”

“Nope.”

He leaned back in his seat and ran his free hand through his hair, the thick locks falling back across his forehead and making her wonder what it would feel like between her fingers. “Where did you meet Gavin?”

“Small talk?”

“Yes.”

She sighed this time. “We grew up on the same street.”

“And you went to school together all the way until now?”

“Yes.”

“And your parents? What do they think?”

“They love Gavin.”

“I didn’t ask if they liked him. I’m sure he’s a great guy and all. But what do they think about you hiding behind a fake relationship with a man who can never be yours in so many senses?”

“My parents are progressive, Wyatt. They let me make my choices. And I wish you’d stop being so condescending about Gavin.”

“I’m not being condescending. I’m merely pointing out the facts. He’s not a shifter, so you can’t bind to him. You can’t have kids with him. Hell, you can’t even have sex with him because he’s not straight.” His voice rose a bit again, the frustration evident. “Dammit, Paige, make me understand.”

Something behind him caught her eye, and she jerked her gaze to the window. “There’s a man on your porch.” And not just any man. A large man. A shifter. First Nations if she wasn’t mistaken. His long black hair was pulled haphazardly into a ponytail at the base of his neck, tendrils hanging loose around his face and shoulders.

Wyatt twisted his head to glance outside. “That’s Dale Gerben. He’s a close friend. He’s building my deck. He was on lunch break when we got here, I guess.”

“I see.”

“You want to meet him? I’m sure you’ll meet his family eventually while you’re here.”

“No. That’s okay.” She didn’t want to meet Wyatt’s friends. She didn’t want to do anything that would add to their already infuriating connection. She wanted to run from the house and get as far away from Wyatt as possible, never to return. She was considering forfeiting her education to get out of this town and this internship. Maybe if she called and pleaded with her professor…

“We could go for a run if you want.” Was he a mind reader?

She furrowed her brow.

“How often do you shift?”

“Rarely. Can’t do it in the city. Banff National Park is about the closest place we can go.”

“Well, lucky for you, we’re in Banff National Park, and you can indeed shift here anytime you want. I usually walk straight into the trees behind my house, shift, and run. It’s such an amazing place to live.”

“I’ll be sure to include that in my research notes.”

He laughed again.

She really needed to stop making him do that.

“Maybe there’s something to that idea.”

“Something to what?”

“The shifter population of Silvertip being in good shape because we can run freely in the mountains for exercise. Perhaps the better study would be to compare grizzlies living in Silvertip to grizzlies living in Calgary.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think my professors had that in mind.”

“I’m sure they didn’t. I assume they’re all human?”

“Yes.” Damn, his smile. She had to glance away again.

“I make you uncomfortable.”

“Yes.”

“It’s natural, you know. Did you ever date a shifter? I mean, before Gavin the Human? Or have you been with him since like ninth grade?”

If he only knew how accurate he was. “No. Never dated a shifter or a human, and again, I’d appreciate if you didn’t demean him. His name isn’t Gavin the Human.”

“Again, I have nothing against Gavin except he isn’t right for you.”

She wondered if he was homophobic, but she didn’t want to point out the possibility since she hadn’t admitted to him verbally that Gavin was gay.

The sound of tires on gravel made her jump to her feet.

Wyatt stood also. “Jesus, Paige. Relax. You act like I’m going to attack your friend. Good grief. I’m just going to invite him in like a nice guy.”

“No way in hell.” She started to round the edge of the couch, a bit too warm because she still wore her jacket.

Wyatt was at her side in a heartbeat, his hand on her arm.

She yelped a bit louder than necessary and jerked her arm free, stumbling backward until her ass landed in the spot she’d vacated.

Wyatt’s eyes went wide. “Paige?”

She shoved farther across the couch, needing more space and feeling foolish. If he hadn’t gotten under her skin, she wouldn’t be freaking out so badly. There was no way to hide her anxiety.

His brow furrowed. “Be right back.” He left her there, darted across the room, and opened the door before Gavin knocked.

“Hey, Gavin. Come in.”

“Hey?” Gavin’s voice sounded weird. And it should. After all, he would have recognized the distress signal from Paige.

She righted herself on the couch, tugged her backpack between her legs, and twisted her head to face her best friend. “Thanks for coming.” Her legs were too wobbly to attempt standing, so she remained in her spot.

Wyatt wandered back across to the kitchen area. “You want a beer, Gavin?”

“No, thank you.” He shot a wide-eyed look at Paige as if to say, What the fuck?

“Have a seat,” Wyatt continued, angling back toward the spot he’d vacated.

Gavin’s attention aimed for the picture window, and he headed in that direction instead of sitting next to her. Not surprising. Every first-time guest probably did the same. It was mesmerizing out there. “This view…”

“Yeah. I get that a lot,” Wyatt said, winking at Paige. Why did he have to be so damn endearing? He was killing her.

“You’re building a deck,” Gavin continued.

“Yep.”

“Your place is fantastic.”

“Thank you.” Wyatt never took his gaze off Paige, making her squirm. “I like it.” His gaze burned into her. His words might have been directed at Gavin, but his eyes were pinned to her.

She licked her lips. Again. Unable to release the hold he had on her. He was consuming her. This was not going well. She needed to get out of his house. Now.

“Mind if I step outside?” Gavin asked.

What? What the hell? Gavin no. No no no no no. We need to get out of here. Why couldn’t he sense her vibe? How unlucky that her best friend in the world was human and had no telepathic ability to read her.

Gavin didn’t even turn around before Wyatt said, “Go right ahead. Wander around if you want. I know it’s enticing.”

Paige’s eyes widened. She leaned forward, but she couldn’t get any words to form before Gavin opened the glass door and stepped outside. She jerked her attention back to Wyatt, who still stared at her. “What are you doing?”

He raised his eyebrows. “What did I do?”

“You’re encouraging him. He has no idea.”

Wyatt shrugged. “I can’t help he doesn’t have shifter senses. He’s human. The view is awesome. He wants to check it out. You wanted me to be rude to your boyfriend and say no?”

She pursed her lips. “Are you this annoying all the time? Or is it just me?”

He grinned for the millionth time. “I’m not sure. You can let me know in a few years.”

She flinched at the suggestion. Exasperating.

“I suppose I can be exasperating at times.”

This time she literally jumped. “You’re in my head.”

“You opened your mind. All I did was slip in.”

“How long have you been in my head?”

“Just that last thought. Though I must say, you don’t hide much even when you block me. Most of your thoughts are on your face.” He pointed at her hands where they gripped her backpack. “Do you think I’ll steal your notepad if you let go?” He actually looked hurt this time.

She released the strap, even more annoyed. “Of course not. But I’d like to leave.”

“I can see that.”

She glanced at the picture window to find Gavin standing on the deck talking to Dale. She squinted. If she didn’t know better, she’d say Gavin was flirting.

Wyatt, still not looking behind himself toward the window, spoke again. “Dale is gay.”

At this revelation, Paige nearly jumped out of her skin. “Seriously? Did you set this entire thing up to prove a point?”

Wyatt winced as if she’d slapped him. “No. Of course not. It wasn’t my idea for Gavin to come to my house. That was your doing. Nor did I suggest Gavin go outside. That was his idea. I’m innocent in all this.”

“Right. Why do I get the feeling you don’t have an innocent bone in your body?”

He ignored her and changed the subject. “My parents want you to come to dinner. How’s tomorrow night?”

“You don’t play fair.”

“Never.” He crossed one leg over the other and leaned his chin against two fingers, his elbow on the arm of the couch. “Not when it’s this important.”

“Why is this so important to you? Why can’t you let it go like I’m asking? Can’t you see I’m not interested?” She squirmed as those last words left her mouth, knowing she was lying to both of them, and also knowing Spidey over there would not miss a beat.

“I can see that you are interested, but something’s holding you back. I’m patient.” He tapped his chin.

Her turn to laugh. “You’re anything but patient.” She stood firm this time. “I’m leaving.”

“Nobody’s stopping you.”

She rolled her eyes as she headed for the door, even though he couldn’t see her.

“I’ll tell my mom seven.”

“Fine.” Two seconds later, she was out the door, shut it behind her, and beelined for the car. She didn’t care how long Gavin spent talking to Dale in the backyard. As long as she was safe in the confines of her car, which did not smell like Wyatt and wouldn’t test her resolve.