Free Ugly Ducklings Finish First by Stacy Gail Page A

this was all about. He was the Coyote, and she was anything but. Put the two together and it made for an even worse mismatch than her parents. “You shouldn’t have done that, Wiley.”
    “I didn’t do it by myself. In case you weren’t paying attention, I had help.”
    “Yeah, well, the help stops here. Just because there’s a little attraction between us—”
    “ A little? ”
    “That doesn’t mean you have any right to take advantage of it.”
    He gave her a baffled look. “Would you mind telling me why the hell not?”
    Payton shriveled up inside when she realized she sounded like a hysterical Victorian spinster. “Look, I’m going to be as honest as I can, okay? You’re one hell of a kisser, and you’re every woman’s idea of the perfect man to have a knock-your-socks-off affair with.”
    His smile was hot enough to make her tingle in all the right places. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
    “The thing is, I’m not interested in that.”
    His smile faltered. “What?”
    “I’m only going to be here for six more days. And while that’s usually how long your relationships last, that’s not how I operate. So please, let’s just stay out of each other’s way while I’m here, okay? I’m too smart to get tangled up with a man like you.”
    “A man like me.” He repeated the words as if sampling their taste, and if the way his face darkened was any indication, they didn’t agree with him at all. “You know what, Payton? There are times when you’re too damn smart for your own good.”
    “Maybe that came out wrong. What I meant—”
    “I know exactly what you meant. You’re judging me on the boy you once knew and obviously didn’t respect very much.”
    “I never said that.”
    “You didn’t have to. I’m forever going to be the Coyote to you, right? The shallow, brainless guy most likely to be slapped with a paternity suit? Damn, you’re right, you are smart. You’re a freaking genius to have figured out I haven’t changed one iota in ten long years.”
    “Look, you’re the one who kissed me ,” she flung out, then felt like the universe’s biggest jackass.
    The look he gave her told her he heartily agreed with her personal assessment. “Luckily for the both of us, I never make the same mistake twice.”
    Ouch . “Wiley, all I’m saying is—”
    “You’ve already said it. Enjoy the rest of your stay in San Antonio.”
    Numb, Payton watched him retrieve the briefcase that had fallen, unnoticed, at his feet before he stalked out of the alley. It was better this way, she told herself fiercely. Better to protect her peace of mind against Wiley’s notorious charms. Better to avoid the raging flame they could spark before someone got burned. Better not to feel that dangerous lick of passion that unraveled the sanity stitching her world together.
    She took in a breath and tried to ignore its audible tremor. She’d thought she understood passion; college had given her more than a medical education, after all. But the passion she’d experienced with the lovers she’d taken had never made her forget how to breathe. Nor had she burned up from the inside out until her skin felt scorched and the cleft between her thighs throbbed with a need bordering on agonizing. And no lover, ever, had emptied her brain of what she’d thought was important, with everything that was him.
    His taste.
    His scent.
    His touch.
    His throbbing, rock-hard...
    With a sound of distress, Payton headed out of the alley.

Chapter Six
    Spring had a firm grip on South Texas. In every field and all along the roadside, wildflowers bloomed in the sultry heat. Wiley was blind to the profusion of nature’s color as he zipped along the two-lane highway leading into Bitterthorn. Since he had left Payton a handful of hours ago, he hadn’t been aware of anything except the smoldering anger setting up residence in his gut.
    An anger, he realized, that was aimed partly at himself.
    How the hell was he supposed to have