Page 16 of Made for Wilde

“Perfect. I’ll get that order in for you. Let me know if you need anything else,” she says, and there’s something in her tone that makes me look up sharply.

Our eyes lock, and for a moment, I swear she’s speaking only to me.

As she walks away, I catch myself watching the gentle sway of her hips. Then she glances over her shoulder and catches me staring.

Fuck.

Her cheeks flush pink and she turns away. I wonder if she feels it too, this invisible thread pulling taut between us. If she’s as confused by it as I am. If she knows how dangerous this could be.

“You okay?” Jason asks, breaking into my thoughts. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I force a smile.

“Just tired. It’s been a long day.”

But as Charlotte moves behind the bar, the low lights catching in her hair and turning it to spun gold, I know it’s not fatigue weighing on me. It’s something far more complicated. Something that could destroy my friendship with Jason if I’m not careful.

The restof the evening wears on.

Jason and I spend the next hour catching up on lighter topics after our food arrives. He tells me about his latest construction project, a custom lake house outside Cheyenne that’s been giving him headaches for months. I fill him in on Torres’s upcoming title fight and Dana’s plans to expand Worthington Sports into the neighboring building.

I order another drink, then a plate of wings, then a cup of coffee to clear my head.

Anything to keep my hands and mind occupied. To stop myself from looking over at the bar every five minutes.

It doesn’t work.

Each time I glance over, I tell myself it’s the last time. And each time, I’m lying. I can hear Charlotte laughing behind the bar, and every sound she makes seems to bypass my brain andgo straight to some primal part of me I thought I’d buried years ago.

If Jason notices, he doesn’t let on. He’s telling me about Rebecca’s teenage sons and how they’re warming up to him slowly. I nod and comment in the right places, but my eyes keep tracking Charlotte across the room.

Finally, Jason glances down at his watch. “I should probably get going. I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

I drain the last of my water.

“Yeah, me too.”

We’re just standing up when Charlotte appears at our table.

“You guys heading out?” she asks, tucking her tips into her back pocket.

Jason nods.

“Yeah, sweetheart. Got to hit the road.”

Charlotte frowns slightly.

“Back to Cheyenne? This late?”

“Nah,” Jason says. “I’m crashing at the Fit Mountain Resort for the night. I’ll drive back in the morning.”

“That’s smart,” she says, visibly relieved. “Those mountain roads are no joke after dark.”

“Got any good coffee places in town?” Jason asks as he pulls on his jacket. “That hotel stuff is always crap.”

Charlotte’s face brightens. ““You should check out the Piney Creek Diner. I go there every morning before class. Their blueberry muffins are amazing. They remind me of Mom’s.”

“Piney Creek it is, then,” Jason replies.