Valene shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”
Wyatt snapped the ring box shut and put it back in his pocket. As if at a loss for what to do, he retrieved his phone and studied the screen for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “Too late now,” he grumbled, typing a response into his phone. He then pointedly glanced up at Daphne Charlene and back at Valene.
“I can’t go on like this, Valene,” he said, not using his typical pet name for her. He was hurt. She heard it in his voice and saw it in his posture. She never wanted to hurt him. Not ever.
“I don’t expect you to. I know it’s completely unfair.”
“Please tell me the problem. I can’t fix what I don’t know about.”
She didn’t speak, just shook her head and didn’t try to hide her utter desolation as she looked away from Wyatt’s equally miserable expression. There was no fixing this problem, this stupid, secret Alpha-Prime-versus-human issue.
Wyatt stood up and retrieved his wallet from a back pocket. He threw a twenty on the table and signaled the bartender with a nod. Valene got out of the booth, too.
Daphne Charlene moved closer to Wyatt, but wisely didn’t hug him or anything overt like earlier at the chili cook-off. Valene gave her the stink eye, but the other woman didn’t move away. She just returned the evil look with a side of attitude. Valene gauged Wyatt’s expression, but couldn’t figure out what was on his mind. He probably wanted to ditch her since she’d just turned down his second marriage proposal.
Wyatt was tall, blond and gorgeous and any woman would of course be in love with him because he was perfect. He was perfect for Valene and she wanted him with every beat of her heart and every breath of air she inhaled.
She opened her mouth, about to blurt out that she was considering moving in with him sans marriage so they could be together, but didn’t want to find out what he thought about living in sin while they faced each other in this raucous biker bar.
And especially not with Daphne Charlene hanging on every word they uttered. Valene didn’t have the courage to make things possibly worse by spilling her unlikely idea.
“Let me walk you to your car,” he said briskly. He took her elbow gently and guided her toward the door, leaving Daphne Charlene to her own devices.
“What about me?” Daphne Charlene asked loudly, causing several bikers at a nearby table to take notice of them.
Wyatt didn’t say anything. He gave her a sharp glance, as if to say, “Do not mess with me right now.” If he noticed any of the bikers watching them, he didn’t acknowledge it. He just kept shepherding Valene toward the door.
Once through it, he searched the parking lot with his eyes.
“Where is your car?” he finally asked.
“I brought my parents’ sedan,” she said, pointing to it parked illegally at the edge of the forest.
“Hiding in plain sight again, I see,” he said in a low, amused tone.
That’s the truth!Little did he know it was also the problem.
“I’m surprised you ditched Daphne Charlene in there all alone.”
“She’s not alone. I saw her brother sitting in the corner. She’ll be fine. Me, on the other hand, I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life without you.”
Valene didn’t comment, but she was fairly miserable about turning down his fervent marriage proposal, again.
They reached the sedan and he held out a hand for her keys. Valene dug around in her purse, retrieved them and gave them over.
He unlocked and opened her door. When he turned back, Valene launched herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He stiffened and didn’t hug her back. Well, what did she expect? She’d just turned his second sweet marriage proposal down, this time in front of a horrid witness, no less. Would there ever be another ask? She mentally sighed, wishing for things that would never happen. No matter how many times he proposed, she’d have to say no.
“Let’s go to your place.”
Wyatt’s breath whooshed out in surprise. “What?”
“I’ll follow you home.”
“And then what?”
“Whatever you want.”
“I want to marry you.”
