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Because I love honest Wyatt. I love his playful side too. But the guy who isn’t afraid to be vulnerable? He’s the one who really captivates me.

He sighs again. Looks away, turning his head so I’m able to ogle the square, masculine line of his jaw. “I hate the idea of it—you going home with him. I got no right to say it, but it’s been eating at me all night, and I—trust me, I know what I agreed to. I want you to get what you need, Sally. But the thought of you goin’ to someone else to get it…” He keeps his head turned, but his eyes move to meet mine. “That don’t sit right with me.”

Everything inside me heaves. It’s like a bomb detonated inside my circulatory system, sending shock waves of debris through every inch of my body.

Silence, electric and alive, blooms between us. Did Wyatt just say what I think he did?

Is he actually opening up to me?

Because that’s one hell of a confession. And the raw, vulnerable look in his eyes—how he’s clearly terrified, but looking me in the eye anyway—it’s everything.

The fact that he’s letting his mask slip—that he’s not filling the silence with a joke or a line—iseverything. Not to mention what he’s confessing.

Does he really want me the way I want him?

“Wy,” I say softly.

“Yeah.” His reply is equally soft. Equally scared. “I knowyou and me can’t happen, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it all night. Longer’n that, if I’m being honest.”

I have to be one hundred percent sure we’re talking about the same thing here. “Thinking about…”

“Don’t make me say it. You know, Sunshine. You know I wanna be your guy.”

My heart flies right out of my chest. Just sprouts wings and takes off, leaving me unable to breathe, to think, to process.

Is Wyatt as turned on by me as I am by him?

Is he asking me to hook up with him instead of Beck?Surely, that’s what Wyatt means when he says he wants tobe my guy. He wants to be the person I go to whenever I have—ahem—needs.

I want to laugh at the absurdity of it. But there is nothing absurd about the frank lust in his eyes as he gives me a once-over.

Those eyes linger on my chest before moving to my face. “You’re cold. Put on your jacket.” He nods at my coat, which I have folded over my arm.

But I don’t want to put on my jacket.

As a matter of fact, I would very much like to take some clothesoff. Not put more on.

This is stupid. You’re playing with fire. Be careful. Be careful.

Be smart.

Hooking up with your best friend of twenty years is definitely not a smart move. There’s a voice inside my head that says I’m conflating lust with love, which is exactly why I set my sights on a random cowboy in the first place. There’s no risk of getting hurt. Of having my heart broken because I don’t have enough time left in Hartsville to fall for anyone new.

But Wyatt? He’s a heartbreaker. And he’s not new. I’ve known him forever, and he is my favorite person on theplanet. Which means crossing this line with him—becoming friends with benefits—has the potential to get messy.

It also has the potential to be exceptionally delicious. And if I’ve learned anything tonight, it’s that taking risks is worth it.

Let’s be real, I couldn’t keep my hands offthisWyatt—the honest one—if I tried.

Time for me to be honest. Guess Wyatt’s bravery is contagious.

“Put the jacket on, Sally,” Wyatt warns.

I blurt the words before I lose my nerve. “I forget how to kiss. Wait, scratch that. I know how to kiss, but I don’t know how to quiet my mind and just…get lost in the moment. Get lost in the kiss. I could use some practice.”

He goes still. “Are you serious?”

“I mean, I feel like I can get by.” A nervous chuckle. “But I wouldn’t say I enjoy it?—”