Page 50 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
Not only was he lying to her, but he was lying to himself. He’d kissed her because he wanted to kiss her. Ever since their first kiss, that’s all he’d been thinking about, and when the chance presented itself, he’d taken it. Not only that, but it was an incredible kiss.
A kiss that he’d stolen…again. She was dating Bandit, and Wyatt had done the one thing he’d promised himself he’d never do. What kind of man was he? He wanted to blame Carrie Anne, but if he was honest, he knew it wasn’t her. It was him.
Since the moment he saw Gabby at the airport, something had shifted in him. The only thing Carrie Anne’s little speech had managed to do was give those thoughts words. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that Gabby was only family, she wasn’t. She was more than that, and he knew it.
He sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. His excuse for not pursuing Gabby in the past was that he didn’t want to hurt their families, but the reality was, he was scared. He’d been fearless with Lori because he knew it would go nowhere.
With Gabby, the opposite was true. It had the potential to last. The real fear was that he’d mess it up. Maybe it was time to man up and face those fears, but first, he needed to figure out what he needed to do next. At the moment, he had no idea which way to go.
Chapter 20
Stepping back, Gabby looked over the decorations for Carrie Anne’s bachelorette party. She’d decided it was probably best to have it before Christmas because afterward, there would be a frenzy of activity leading up to Carrie Anne’s wedding.
She’d thrown herself into planning the party to keep her mind off Wyatt. It was her own fault for allowing the kiss to happen. He’d already been cheated on, and he thought she was dating Bandit. The last thing she wanted Wyatt thinking was that she was anything like Lori. But for him tostillthink of her as a friend…she couldn’t do it any longer.
Of course, that didn’t make the fact that he called it a mistake hurt any less. It was absolutely irrational since she had said it first, but Gabby had learned when it came to Wyatt, there was nothing rational about her. Giving herself something to do had helped, though, and she’d worked to avoid him the last few days.
“Stop fussing with it,” Gabby’s mom said. “It looks fine.”
“People are going to start arriving in about an hour. I just want everything to be perfect for Carrie Anne.”
Instead of a restaurant, Gabby had opted for Bear’s home. Of course, she’d okayed it with him first and then asked if Bandit would mind cooking for them. Nothing big or fancy, just some finger sandwiches and punch.
Stephanie stopped between Gabby and their mom. “No, I think Gabby is right.” She stepped forward and messed with the candy centerpiece. “There. That looks good to me.”
Gabby nodded. “Yes, now it is. Thanks.”
Her mom touched her arm. “You should probably get changed. Stephanie and I will finish the rest, okay?”
With a chuckle, Gabby looked down at her clothing and touched her hair. “Yeah, guess I built up a sweat, huh?”
“I could smell you from my room,” her sister teased.
Gabby playfully popped her arm. “Shut up. I’m gonna go now.”
She left the room, walked through the house, and hit the stairs at a jog. As her feet touched the top of the landing, she bounced off a body, smacking her head hard against the wall. She sucked in a sharp breath, her vision blurring.
Strong arms grabbed her around the waist. “Whoa, Gabby, are you okay?” Wyatt asked.
She wanted to respond, but she was dazed. Her knees buckled, and a second later, she was being lifted into his arms. The next thing she knew, she was being lowered onto a bed.
Wyatt sat next to her. “Gabby, are you okay?”
“I…I think so.” She blinked a few times to clear her head.
“I’m so sorry. I was rushing to get downstairs and not paying attention.”
She lifted onto her elbow and said, “It’s okay. I think I’m all right now.”
He took her jaw in his hands, his eyes roaming over her face. “Are you sure? You nearly passed out.” He dropped his hands from her face but continued to keep his intense gaze on her.
“Guess I’m not just tenderhearted; I’m tenderheaded too.” She chucked and winced. “I may need some aspirin.” She pushed herself into a sitting position.
Wyatt took her in his arms and held her. “You scared the dickens out of me.” He pulled back just a fraction, kissed the side of her face, and held her tight again.
“It’s okay, Wyatt. It was just an accident. I wasn’t watching where I was going either.” Now that her head was clearing a little, she was keenly aware of how tightly Wyatt was holding her. Her head was dizzy again, but it had nothing to do with cracking it against the wall.
“I still feel bad you got hurt.”
