Free Two Nights with His Bride by Kat Latham Page A

groups and seen far more than he’d ever wanted to. People liked getting down and dirty in the woods, as if getting back to nature reminded them of their inner animals. As long as no one had sex right next to him as he tried to sleep—something that happened with alarming regularity—he usually couldn’tcare less.
    But something about Jared struck Wyatt as creepy, and he’d always felt protective where Nancy was concerned.
    They’re engaged. It’s Jared’s turn to be protective toward her.
    Yeah, but what if he’s the one she needs protection from?
    He tried to shake the doubts from his head, but they lingered.
    By the time Faye stumbled out of the yurt ten minutes later, purple and black makeup smearedaround her eyes like a drunk clown, Wyatt had the porridge made and a second pot of coffee brewed.
    “I smell coffee,” Faye muttered as she collapsed close to the fire. “Need.”
    Wyatt poured her a mug. “Milk and sugar?”
    “Both. Lots.”
    He fixed it up and handed it to her. Her eyes drifted closed as she took her first sip, and for a moment Wyatt feared she would fall asleep right into the flames.But the caffeine seemed to have an almost immediate effect, jolting her into consciousness. “God, that’s good.”
    “Let me know when you want more.”
    “You’re a god among men.”
    “I know.” He ladled some porridge into a bowl. “Here. Breakfast.”
    Giving it a critical look, she screwed up her face. “Where are the Belgian waffles, strawberries and chocolate sauce?”
    “Back in L.A., but I have a mix ofnuts and seeds if you want your porridge with more bling.”
    She screwed up her face. “I take back that god-among-men comment.”
    The other two women came out, yawning and scratching themselves. Polly sat on the log next to Wyatt and laid her head on his shoulder. “Morning, hot stuff. Dream about me last night?”
    “Depends. Have you ever been a winger who chipped the puck straight to me when I wasin front of an open goal in the closing seconds of the cup final?”
    “Not that I know of.”
    “Then no.”
    “I could pretend to be, if that’s your thing.”
    “Porridge?” He leaned forward to sling some into a bowl for her, conveniently jostling her away from him at the same time. She didn’t seem to take offense.
    “Thanks.”
    “I had a nightmare,” Ruby said as she grimaced into her coffee. “It was so vividit woke me up. I dreamed Jared showed up and insisted on rafting with us.”
    Polly shuddered. “Oh, total nightmare.”
    “I know, right? I walked right up to him and kicked him in the nuts.”
    Wyatt’s brows shot up. “Why?”
    “Because—” Ruby grunted as Faye elbowed her in the ribs. “Never mind,” she grumbled.
    “No, seriously. Why?”
    Ruby shot Faye a questioning glance but was answered with a curt shakeof the head.
    “Oh, come on. He’s an old friend of hers,” Polly said, gesturing toward Wyatt.
    “There’s no such thing as old friends,” Faye quipped, “only people who haven’t sold you out yet. No offense, Wyatt.”
    “A shitload of offense taken. I wouldn’t sell Nancy out.”
    “Maybe not, but I don’t know you well enough to take that risk.” Faye stared him down with the same hard-eyed determination she’dcut Ruby off with a moment earlier, and Wyatt’s offense simmered down. How could he be angry at someone who clearly felt protective of Nancy, even if her instincts were misplaced?
    Of course, that didn’t mean he would give up on getting the information he wanted. He rifled through his food container. “Oh, look. I have a bar of dark chocolate.”
    Faye shot to her feet and grabbed it. “Subtle. Anddisappearing in about three seconds.” She ripped the wrapping off and downed the chocolate, ignoring Polly and Ruby’s shouts.
    He grinned and slowly drew a king-sized bar from the container. “Oh, look. An even bigger one, and it goes to whoever tells me more about Jared.”
    Ruby snatched it from him and took a bite. “You