Chapter 14
A/N #1: My apologies for another long wait between updates, but the day after I posted the preceding chapter, I tested positive for Covid. While grateful I wasn't seriously ill, still felt pretty bad for a couple weeks, and therefore, have been focusing most of my energy on recovering. Easing back into writing has been a slow process, to be sure, but I'm getting there. I appreciate your patience, and hope you enjoy this extra-long chapter :) And now back to 1881 and how Wyatt and Lucy are dealing with that unexpected kiss...
Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the woman sitting rigidly beside him, one side of Wyatt's mouth curved wryly. Despite the fullness of her heavy skirts, Lucy had somehow managed to plant herself as far away from him on the narrow seat as possible (which was maybe all of two inches), small hands clasped tightly in her lap while she ignored him and chatted amiably with his grandparents, who were riding behind them.
Wyatt sighed. This wasn't really how he pictured the ride home when he'd impulsively pulled Gramps aside towards the end of the social and discreetly asked him to switch places with Lucy in the carriage. Not being an expert on women (by any stretch of the imagination), he couldn't be certain, but seemed possible the teacher might be feeling a little unsettled around him-seeing as how Wyatt lost his mind and stole a kiss from her just moments after that...
Flashback
In the hazy moonlight, her full, rosy lips were soft and warm and trembled sweetly beneath his. The normally cautious part of Wyatt's brain that was rightfully aghast by his impetuous conduct was quickly shouted down by what seemed like every one of his remaining senses...
The light scent of violets she wore delicately teasing his nose...
Her barely audible whimper like music to his ears...
The touch of Lucy's hands on Wyatt's chest as she clung to him...
His natural masculine desire for a beautiful female roared to enthusiastic life after being dormant for such a long, lonely time-so strongly it made Wyatt's head spin. Wrapping his other hand firmly around her tiny waist, he drew Lucy against his chest, his mouth moving leisurely, persuasively over hers again and again, his tongue patiently teasing at the inner curve of her tempting, but innocently closed lips. Right or wrong, Wyatt's male pride couldn't help but be pleased by her unmistakable lack of experience when she gasped softly in shock at the tender trespass...the faint noise urging him on until the distant sound of voices gradually penetrated his besotted mind.
Hastily jerking his mouth from Lucy's, he dropped his hands and stepped back. Taking a couple shallow breaths, Wyatt managed what he hoped was a half-decent apology–rather amazing considering the way his heart still raced from the powerful kiss. "I beg your pardon, Ma'am, for acting so boldly." Blinking slowly, she shook her head in confusion at his words before gently touching her fingertips to kiss-swollen lips. When Lucy made no sound, though, just shivered and stared at him with wide eyes, Wyatt frowned uneasily. Aww, hell. Had she really never been kissed by a man before?
Despite what he presumed was a willing response from Lucy to his impulsive kiss, had Wyatt in fact offended or worse (in his eyes), frightened the teacher? He grimaced mentally. Upsetting a lady like her because his unanticipated desire got away from him was the very last thing he wanted to do.
"Lucy? Are you okay?" Wyatt asked carefully, instinctively gentling his voice to a tone he often used to calm a high-strung or skittish horse. When he reached out for her, Lucy put a couple more inches between them, eying him uncertainly even as her narrow shoulders stiffened under the bulk of his coat. Just as Wyatt's nerves were starting to wear thin, she finally answered (a tad breathlessly, he noticed absently), "Uh, yes, fine, it's fine...I'm fine...no apology necessary, Wyatt." Whatever reaction he expected out of her, the brief response felt lacking, even a bit sparse to him–and going on just her behavior alone, he very much doubted she was fine.
Staring at each other as if mesmerized, it was like being the only two people in the world...until Wyatt belatedly noticed the sound of voices seemed to be growing a bit louder–which meant he and Lucy were possibly in danger of being discovered any minute now. Two unmarried people alone in the dark...doing who knew what...for who knew how long...oh, how the sharp, careless tongues of the town busybodies would wag...
While of course right this second Wyatt had no idea what the kiss meant for the two of them in the coming days, mercifully, he still had enough of his wits about him to know his impulsive behavior this night could cause irreparable damage to Lucy's reputation in their small community if anyone happened to witness it. Not even his well-respected grandparents would be able to shelter the pretty brunette from the ugly gossip sure to spread like wildfire around Brady and the outlying area if they were caught embracing.
Sadly, unfair as it was, very few would place the blame on him-the one who started all of this. She, however, would likely lose her teaching position and be sent back to Belton on the very next stage out of town. That didn't set well with Wyatt and stirred up all kinds of seldom-used protective feelings in him. He had to fix this. Mind made up to keep her and her reputation safe (whether she wanted him to or not), he grabbed one of Lucy's hands–smoothly ignoring her sputtered protest–and led her a little farther away from the schoolhouse, far enough to at least avoid being seen right away should someone approach.
"Ssh, now, quit fussing before someone sees us alone together and decides there needs to be a marriage ceremony after church services tomorrow...we Texans don't call it a 'shotgun' wedding for nothing, sweetheart," Wyatt cautioned, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they were still alone–completely unaware of the endearment that slipped from his lips. Despite his valid concern, he still found it mildly diverting to see how the (not entirely) joking remark caught her attention when she went perfectly still–save for her slim hand flexing nervously in his.
"A wedding? After one little kiss?" Lucy stammered, dropping his hand like it was on fire. "Because you and I were alone together in the moonlight for a few minutes? That's...why, that's preposterous." Defiant words, yes, but Wyatt's conscience twinged guiltily at the tremor he heard in her voice. (He purposefully dismissed her description of the highly enjoyable kiss they shared as little).
Even though Wyatt would willingly swear on a stack of bibles if need be his sole intention was to reassure her, his eyes were nonetheless drawn to the brunette's chest just then and the way all that pale, delicate skin swelled invitingly above the demure neckline of her dress as she tried to calm her breathing. Jesus, man, show a little respect here, his usual good manners scolded-though secretly, Wyatt was hard pressed to necessarily feel too remorseful for putting a woman as appealing as Lucy in such an interesting condition. Damn, but she was pretty. His hands tingled faintly with the urge to touch her again. Focus, Logan...
"I agree," he soothed in a husky voice, "But while most of the fine folks around these parts are easy to get along with in general, I promise you there's definitely one or two who believe it their 'God-given' duty to keep us from straying very far from what they consider to be the righteous path." When Lucy's forehead creased anxiously as she digested his words, Wyatt fought to hide his amusement since it was a safe bet she would fail to see anything funny about the situation they found themselves in.
Chancing another look around, he was grateful to see they remained hidden...and hopefully, still protected from prying, judgmental eyes. Probably a stroke of luck it was getting late and a large number of families had already left. "Now, why don't you go back inside while I fetch the carriage?" he suggested calmly. "Gran might appreciate your help with getting everything squared away."
To his relief, Lucy merely nodded distractedly and turned away, only to stop abruptly after a couple steps, and without meeting Wyatt's eyes, thrust his coat at him before gathering her skirts and hurrying back inside the schoolhouse–luckily for them without meeting anyone coming or going. Slowly shrugging into the coat (still pleasantly warm from her body and now smelling faintly of violets), he thoughtfully watched her slender figure retreat-shocked to realize that contrary to his strenuous, repeated objections to Betsy Sherwin's relentless matchmaking since the teacher's arrival in Brady, for some crazy reason, Wyatt just couldn't seem to find it within himself to regret kissing Lucy Preston...
End Flashback
Bathing everything it touched in a soft, wintry light, the moon had risen high in the starry late evening sky by the time Wyatt pulled up in front of the house. Draping the reins over the front of the rig, he jumped down to help Lucy from the carriage while Gramps gave Gran a hand. "What a lovely evening it's been," Betsy declared with a tired but contented smile, bidding the two of them 'goodnight' before taking the arm her husband held out.
When the teacher started to follow his grandparents inside, Wyatt tugged on her coat sleeve, effectively holding her in place until the older couple had moved completely out of earshot. Regardless of that memorable kiss earlier-and what it may or may not mean-no sense giving his Gran any ammunition if it could be helped...
"Hold up a second there, Lucy. Before you go in, feels like I need to apologize again for taking liberties, I meant no disrespect, truly," Wyatt told her, charmed by the warm blush instantly pinking her cheeks even as Lucy shook her head, soft brown gaze intently searching his face. (What she hoped to find, he wasn't quite sure.) He looked behind him and smiled fondly when the silence was abruptly broken by the horse tossing his head and snorting impatiently.
"Well, I'd say Angus here is ready for bed," Wyatt observed lightly, touching the brim of his hat politely. "Night, Lucy, sleep well." Reassured everything appeared to be resolved between them, he moved briskly toward the carriage, intent on getting the horse to the barn and settled in for the night before heading to bed himself when Lucy unexpectedly called out his name.
"Wyatt?" she asked hesitantly, clearing her throat quietly. When he turned around, Wyatt was puzzled by the troubled expression on her face. "It's late and I don't mean to keep you, but I was wondering...that is, I happened to notice only a moment or so before I went outside you were speaking with your grandpa...and after what happened when we were alone, couldn't help but think perhaps the reason you followed me and...and then kissed me was because...well, because Mr. Coleman asked Mr. Sherwin for permission to court me and I thought maybe you didn't approve. It's probably silly, but I'm just trying to make sense of what happened between us..."
He did what? Caught off guard by her rambling admission, Wyatt scowled, closing the gap between them in two steps until he was standing right in front of her. He hated to admit it, but it looked like Rufus had been right on the money with his prediction about the older man's intentions towards the new teacher. At the time, he'd told himself his friend might be imagining things, but now that it had actually happened, Wyatt was perturbed to find he didn't like it one damn bit. It bothered him also that from the way she talked, it sounded like Lucy might be wondering if he kissed her out of jealousy–which, hell, no, he had not. Regrettably, though, his temper immediately got the better of him and Wyatt rashly spoke without weighing the words (or the effect they might have on Lucy) first. "Well, I'll be damned," he gritted out, exhaling harshly when her eyes widened. Damn, Logan, get yourself under control.
Counting to ten under his breath first, he tried again. "So you're telling me Coleman wanted to come courting after spending what, maybe an hour with you this evening? Really? That after twirling you around the dance floor a few times, he just decided on the spot because you have a nice smile and dance gracefully, you'd make him a fine wife and a fit mother for his children? What a presumptuous bastard. Hell, Lucy, I'm surprised he didn't skip right past the courting part of the process to an actual marriage proposal," Wyatt drawled arrogantly, using what he considered to be a perfectly reasonable voice, even going so far as to fix an unconcerned smile on his face-though on the inside, his anger was growing ever stronger. Looked like someone needed to have words with Jed Coleman-and he knew just the man...
When after a few seconds, she either wouldn't or couldn't deny his (admittedly mocking) observation, Wyatt literally felt like he'd been kicked in the gut by one of the horses. That son of a bitch. The rancher actually had been nervy enough to ask Lucy to be his wife. Presumptuous, indeed. He struggled to contain his temper–which was absolutely not jealousy–but apparently did a poor job when after staring at him for a few intense seconds, the teacher's lips began to tremble, her dark amber eyes filling with tears.
Wyatt was promptly aware that in spite of his efforts, to Lucy he'd appeared neither reasonable or unconcerned–and in the process, had somehow injured her feelings. And now she was starting to cry. Shit. He'd served as a Captain with the Rangers for years, chasing the meanest, deadliest, most ruthless outlaws all across Texas and beyond, and could endure just about anything-but God help him, a woman's tears had the power to bring Wyatt to his knees...
Though she easily surmised by the tight set of Wyatt's lean jaw and his phony smile he was not only startled but unhappy, too, at her question, it was the unmitigated scorn Lucy heard in his deep voice that dealt the final blow to her already fragile composure. The highly-anticipated evening that had commenced in such a promising fashion had finally, completely fallen apart. For hours now, Lucy attempted to appear calm and serene while her emotions (and heart) were being buffeted all over the place. Up and down, high and low and everything in between. Seemed like it had been one thing after another...
Flashback
Her feminine pride gratified by Wyatt's flattering response to her appearance when she came downstairs, Lucy was naturally excited by the thought of sharing a dance (or two) with him. His sincere compliment before they went inside the schoolhouse had been very nice, too. Regrettably, however, that lovely feeling rapidly faded within minutes of the music starting when she gradually became aware the man had no intention whatsoever of taking to the dance floor because he was missing his late wife. While certainly understandable given the circumstances, she couldn't help but be disappointed. Nevertheless, Lucy was determined to respect Wyatt's feelings as gracefully as possible and set her mind to enjoying the social.
The musicians played one lively tune after another, and once Mr. Sherwin kindly asked Lucy to waltz, she never lacked for partners. She especially liked dancing with Wyatt's amusing friend, Rufus. Even better was spending time laughing and talking with the two men while having some refreshments. It was wonderful seeing a different, more relaxed side of Wyatt Logan, and oh, those dimples of his...
But then Mr. Coleman interrupted them and asked Lucy to dance for a third time (the only man to do so all night)–and her heart sank when Wyatt seemed to have no objection at all. It severely tested her usual good manners to pretend to be interested when the rancher talked incessantly about himself throughout their dance. At last the music ended, and while Lucy wanted nothing more than to sit with the blue-eyed cowboy for a few more minutes of quiet conversation before it was time to go home, she was further denied the pleasure, first by Julie Spencer and her chatter, and then by another of Mr. Coleman's ill-timed intrusions–one that came with an unforeseen, unwanted marriage proposal.
Escaping outside for a respite (and to hopefully regain her composure), she was pleasantly surprised when Wyatt followed her, thoughtfully placing his warm coat around her shoulders to keep the chilly air at bay. Nothing that had happened thus far since leaving her room earlier in the evening–good or bad-mattered one bit when he abruptly pulled Lucy to her feet and began to awkwardly 'dance' with her. That in itself had been truly delightful, especially after his bashful declaration to her earlier that he never danced, but then Wyatt utterly shocked Lucy when he stopped moving. Gently cupping her cheek, he looked deeply into her eyes and lowered his lips to hers, sending waves of pleasure through her entire body. At what most would consider the advanced age of 25 years, it was her very first romantic kiss...
During her chaste, lengthy courtship with her former beau, Noah, the young doctor had only kissed her cheek once or maybe twice–but never her mouth. At that moment, Lucy was fiercely glad of it because Wyatt Logan's lips were firm and warm and did all kinds of crazy things to her heart she'd never felt with the other man. His kiss was everything she could've secretly ever wished for and so much more. For the first time since her loving father passed away, Lucy felt safe and cherished in a man's arms.
Yes, in spite of the unpredictable turn of events leading up to the beautiful kiss, she would've considered the evening to be a resounding success after all...until Wyatt ruined the special moment by suddenly talking about 'shotgun' weddings. As in they might be expected to get married because he'd kissed her once in the moonlight. Was the man serious? Or just having fun at her expense?
The very idea of being coerced into wedding a man she'd known for all of two weeks over a single kiss was inconceivable–and like a splash of freezing water thrown at Lucy's face. At his sensible suggestion, she fled inside, relieved beyond measure to see the Coleman family was nowhere in sight and had apparently gone home while Lucy was outside...alone with Wyatt Logan and getting thoroughly kissed...
Deliberately pushing aside her chaotic feelings since it was neither the time or place, Lucy assisted Mrs. Sherwin and the pastor's wife with packing up the little food remaining while some of the men put the benches back in place for church services tomorrow. Alas, once it was time to leave, however, she was disheartened when Mr. Sherwin proceeded to climb into the back of the carriage with his wife-which meant she had to sit beside the man who'd not only given Lucy her first ever kiss, but also kept her emotions stirred up the entire night...
End Flashback
The usually enjoyable ride back to the ranch seemed to take forever. Lucy's eyes kept straying to the man beside her. Why had Wyatt kissed her like that out of the blue? she mused, wondering idly if it had anything to do with Mr. Coleman's proposal. But of course, that would be ridiculous. Sitting next to him, Lucy couldn't help but notice the way his large, calloused hands skillfully handled the reins, confidently guiding the horse and carriage safely through the moonlit darkness. She shivered faintly, thankful for the chilly, bracing air on her suddenly flushed cheeks. Those same strong hands had been breathtakingly considerate when Wyatt touched her-and she'd liked it very much...
It was a struggle, but Lucy focused what little remained of her flagging attention on conversing with the Sherwins and maintaining a tiny bit of space between her and Wyatt as they rode along. (Easier said than done when Lucy imagined she could actually feel the warmth of his broad shoulder against her smaller one and occasionally caught a hint of his inviting masculine scent). Little wonder then her head and feet ached terribly by the time he pulled the carriage to a stop in front of the house. At the moment, all she yearned for was the tranquil solace of her bedroom and some restful sleep.
Bracing herself for the inherent intimacy of his hands on her waist when Wyatt naturally hastened to help her from the carriage, Lucy couldn't help closing her eyes for a fleeting second at the dangerously strong allure of his touch. Being in Wyatt Logan's arms felt like heaven. Dismayed by her weakness when it came to this man, she hurriedly stepped back, and sending a superficial smile of thanks in his direction, made to follow his grandparents inside when without warning, he caught hold of Lucy's sleeve and offered her a solemn–but in her opinion, unnecessary–second apology.
Her breath caught at the intensity of his dark blue gaze. (Truly, it was a miracle Lucy could remember her own name when he looked at her like that.) But then instead of simply telling Wyatt goodnight and going inside to savor the delightful memory of her first kiss in the privacy of her room, Lucy did something quite imprudent. Before she knew it, the words were heedlessly tumbling out of her mouth.
It was evident from his terse response Wyatt was less than pleased. But why? Frantically searching her mind for what might've riled him so, Lucy was at a loss...until she vaguely remembered that he had seemed a bit tense around Jed Coleman last Sunday after church services. Perhaps Wyatt disapproved of the man courting Lucy? If so, she could possibly understand him having reservations about the rancher-yet it didn't explain his curt attitude towards her. Heavens, did the man assume Lucy had deliberately encouraged Mr. Coleman? That she welcomed his attentions? The very idea. If he'd been watching her at all (and she was reasonably certain there had been several times during the evening that he was), Wyatt would've seen for himself his absurd presumption just wasn't true.
Aside from that foolishness, what stung most of all was it appeared the bashfully charming man who'd kissed her so sweetly in the moonlight-the one whose very touch made Lucy's heart beat wildly-had vanished. In his place was someone whose manner towards her was cold and sarcastic, arrogant even. Head throbbing uncomfortably (and fervently wishing she'd kept quiet), Lucy blinked hard at the tears that threatened because breaking down in front of Wyatt Logan was positively the last thing she needed. Without warning, the final thread of Lucy's fading composure snapped.
"Never mind, please forget I asked. Thank you for the dance earlier...I...I enjoyed it. Good night, Wyatt," she said hoarsely (unwilling to acknowledge his kiss under the circumstances). She practically ran toward the house in search of blessed sanctuary. Once inside the front door, Lucy fled up the stairs–thankfully without encountering either of her hosts-and ducked into her room. Closing the door firmly behind her, she wearily sagged against it and closed her eyes mere seconds before the hot tears began sliding down her cheeks. How could a man she'd known for such a short time turn her world upside down so easily?
Sniffing, Lucy swiped wearily at her damp cheeks. Though it was rather tempting in her present emotional state to indulge in a few more tears, crying herself to sleep would solve nothing (and only result in her waking up with red, puffy eyes). Enough self pity, Lucy, she told herself sternly, stifling a tiny yawn. Eager for the sweet oblivion slumber might provide, she started getting ready for bed, slipping out of her party dress and petticoats. While a small, disappointed part of her wanted to petulantly toss the lovely pink and white gown in a heap on the closet floor after taking it off, instead, Lucy carefully hung the expensive garment up. Running her finger across the striped bodice, she sighed. Only hours ago, she'd been practically giddy with anticipation for the social, but nothing had really turned out the way Lucy girlishly hoped it might.
Within minutes, clad in her nightgown and nothing more, she at last removed the pins from her long dark curls and shook them loose with a sigh of pleasure before retrieving her brush from the dresser top. Bending at the waist, as she did every night, Lucy began brushing her hair thoroughly before braiding it loosely for sleeping when she was interrupted by a brisk knock at the door. Thinking it might be Mrs. Sherwin, she hastily smoothed back the heavy tresses and opened the door a couple inches to reveal not the lady of the house as expected, but her plainly irritated grandson...
Left standing there staring after a visibly upset Lucy like he was some kind of jackass, Wyatt frowned and shook his head to clear his thoughts. What in the name of God just happened here? Bewildered by both their unsettling conversation and her surprisingly emotional response, Wyatt was truly at a loss about what he should do next and found himself taking a couple tentative steps after her.
Dammit it to hell and back. Frustrated, his first instinct was to follow her inside and try to explain (not that Wyatt was wholly sure himself what exactly was going on between them besides a stolen kiss), but he couldn't just leave poor Angus standing there hitched to the carriage half the night, cold as it was. "I'm sorry, big fellow, for treating you so poorly. Let's get you put to bed," he murmured, patting the Morgan's sturdy neck. A brief flash of lightning illuminated the northern sky, followed seconds later by a low rumble of thunder in the distance. The storm would likely be coming through within the next hour, so he better quit wasting time fretting about Lucy Preston.
Taking hold of the reins, Wyatt led him across the yard and into the barn where one of the men had kindly left a lantern burning for him before retiring for the night. Like it or not, further conversation with the teacher would just have to wait. All was peacefully quiet in the barn at this time of night, though it lifted Wyatt's spirits some when both Commander and Caesar popped their heads over the stall doors to greet him happily. Deftly unharnessing Angus, he guided him into his stall and began briskly rubbing the horse down.
Normally, Wyatt found taking care of the horses to be relaxing, but turned out his temper was a little too far gone at the moment. It also didn't help his current state of mind on top of his anger towards Jed Coleman, Wyatt felt awfully guilty about the fact that without meaning to, he'd acted badly enough to make Lucy cry. He exhaled glumly. His Gran would bless him out something fierce if she happened to catch wind of that piece of damning information. His task finally complete, he gave the patient Angus one last affectionate pat before closing the stall door securely.
Carrying the lantern towards the front of the barn, he extinguished it and latching the doors behind him, stood there trying to decide what he wanted to do about Lucy. Despite the steady stream of well-meaning advice from his family and friends, Wyatt wasn't convinced he was ready to commit himself to another woman—not after the terrible pain of losing the wife he still missed and thought of, even going on two years now since her death.
Still, after the potent kiss they shared, Wyatt realized it was no longer possible to deny his ever-growing attraction for Lucy. Not to mention it actually had been kinda nice getting to know her a little better the past few days. Then why the hell had he ruined things by giving into a reckless impulse the way he had? Because obviously Wyatt was an idiot who understood very little about the feminine mind, a voice in his head (sounding a lot like Dave Baumgardner) helpfully pointed out. Knock it off, Sheriff, he mumbled, still slightly unhappy with both of his best friends for ganging up on him tonight about Lucy.
Not helping his sullen mood, either, was the woman jumping to the wrong conclusion by assuming Wyatt was jealous of Coleman. Like the rancher's brazen proposal to Lucy (after spending maybe an hour with her) even mattered...and dammit, now he was getting pissed off all over again. Though Wyatt was worn out from the long day, stirred up as he felt right now, it was likely his chances of getting a good night's sleep would be near impossible, he thought grimly. God help him, but Miss Lucy Preston from San Francisco, California, had managed to turn his peaceful world upside down in only two short weeks.
A hasty glance at the house revealed the light shining from a window of the bedroom he knew to be hers–which meant she was probably still awake. Enough dawdling, Wyatt told himself firmly. Mind made up, he headed across the barnyard with long, impatient strides, determined to confront Lucy and straighten out this mess–at least enough so he might be able to grab some shuteye.
Mindful his grandparents were probably already in bed, Wyatt ignored the strong urge to slam the front door behind him and instead, quietly shut and locked it. Tossing his hat on the table and blowing out the flame in the oil lamp hanging beside the door, he took the steps two at a time, stopping in front of Lucy's bedroom door and knocked sharply. After what was probably only a few seconds, but felt to him like an hour, it opened a couple inches to reveal her soft brown eyes regarding him curiously.
"Wyatt?" she whispered hesitantly, trying to look past his shoulder, "Is something wrong? Are your grandparents alright?" Before he could answer her, though, Wyatt was horrified to suddenly hear the older couple's voices coming up the stairs. Having a pretty good idea exactly how Betsy Sherwin would behave if they discovered him, he did the only thing possible. Wyatt abruptly shoved the door open wide enough for him to slip inside, ignoring Lucy's shocked gasp. Closing it as noiselessly as possible, he pressed his ear to the thick wooden door and waited until the sound of voices faded down the hallway. Well, that was a close call.
At the sound of an irritated female loudly clearing her throat, Wyatt spun around to behold Lucy Preston looking like an angel right here on earth. While he'd been in the barn tending to Angus, she'd changed into a long-sleeve, high-necked nightgown, her thick black hair down and waving loosely about her shoulders all the way down to her trim waist. Merciful God. It never occurred to him Lucy wouldn't still be dressed. Closing his eyes, Wyatt swallowed hard. Seems he'd jumped right out of the frying pan into the fire...
From the way she tore into him, he guessed the teacher might be thinking the very same thing. "What are you doing? You can't be in here," she hissed furiously (like somebody's fussy old maid aunt, Wyatt thought vaguely). "Have you no decency, sir? No self control? Can't you see I'm in my night clothes for heaven's sake...this isn't proper at all...and you shouldn't...well, you are not my husband."
Naturally, upon hearing that, Wyatt's eyes instantly popped open, drawn like a moth near a flame to Lucy's slender figure in the virginal-looking gown, arms folded defensively across her chest. And yes, sadly for his wavering self control, from the illuminating glow of the oil lamp beside her bed, didn't take much imagination on his part to guess she wore nothing beneath the thin white cotton material. Wyatt groaned under his breath even as his traitorous body tightened with desire–and for the second time this nerve-wracking, never-ending evening, lost his damn mind...
What a shame for Miss Lucy Preston and her feminine virtue that an aroused Wyatt evidently had very little decency to spare for her at the moment. Dismissing her prim reminder of their (non) marital status, he took one step towards the brunette-who was eying him suspiciously-then another, intrigued when she bravely held her ground against his advance. Without warning, Wyatt reached out lightning-fast to capture one of her delicate wrists. Deftly tugging her small body to his, he quickly smothered Lucy's alarmed squeak with his demanding mouth.
Dear Lord, her soft lips were every bit as sinfully delectable as he remembered. Another enjoyable revelation was how neatly, how perfectly, her petite frame seemed to fit in his arms–like this tempting woman had been made just for him. At her soft whimper and the sensation of her hands tightly gripping his shoulders, Wyatt growled and deepened the kiss, rewarded when unlike the first time, her lips parted shyly for his. He may be going to hell for his many sins tomorrow, but tonight would be well worth it...
It was only when Wyatt realized he was about a heartbeat from moving things along to the comfortable bed beside them that he came to his dazed senses. For God's sake, man, what are you doing? his brain shouted. Jerking his mouth from Lucy's, he leaned his forehead against hers and panted lightly, "Lucy, we have to stop." Being a little slow on the uptake at the moment, Wyatt realized too late when she immediately frowned and stiffened in his arms that it might possibly have been the wrong thing to say.
Pushing forcefully on his chest with both hands, Lucy took a wobbly step back, scolding breathlessly, "I'm sorry, but did I hear you correctly? Did you say 'we' need to stop? As in both of us? There's no 'we' here, Mr. Logan. You barged into my room and kissed me...and not that I'm counting, but for the second time, remember?" Wyatt grinned. As if he was likely to forget...and she damn well was counting.
Finding himself strangely entertained by her stern tone (must be the teacher's voice), Wyatt willed his madly-beating heart to slow down long enough to catch his breath. Deciding against the apology that instinctively rose to his lips, he tried not to smirk when Lucy folded her arms protectively over her chest once more and (despite the telltale quiver of her rosy lips), directed a scorching glare at him. In the hazy lamp light, Wyatt couldn't help but notice the fire in her dark amber eyes and the wild color warming her cheeks. Heaven help him, Lucy Preston was even prettier in a temper...
And alright, yes, she was absolutely correct that he had been the one to instigate this second kiss also, but Wyatt Logan wasn't one to easily back down once he set his mind on something–just ask his adoptive parents. And at the moment, after days and days of stubbornly denying the attraction he felt towards Lucy from the minute she tumbled out of the stage and into his life, Wyatt's desire for the comely brunette would be even harder to deny now that he'd held her soft, warm body in his arms and tasted the sweetness of her kiss.
He purposely ignored the smug voice in his head (this time sounding too much like Rufus) wondering if Lucy had been right earlier...that Jed Coleman and his rather possessive manner towards her at the dance had something to do with Wyatt's out of character behavior. That didn't signify with him, not right now, anyway. Whether it was fate or divine intervention, this woman truly had turned Wyatt's world inside out...now he just had to figure out what that meant and what he was gonna do about it...
A/N #2: Sorry, Timeless friends, for the cliffhanger (so frustrating, I know), but I need to give serious thought about where this story is heading-and how quickly Wyatt and Lucy will get there, lol ;) Before I forget, quick shout out to those guest readers like Michelle I'm unable to personally respond to for the nice reviews. I treasure each one. Also want to say the enthusiastic, continuing support for this story means a lot to me. Hard to believe it's been nearly a year since I posted the first chapter, and I'm still enjoying every second of writing it. Thanks again :))