To Claim a Wilde. Kimberly Kaye Terry

it’s kinda too late for the whole ‘deflowering’ thing, if you remember?” Naomi reminded her friend.

      “Girl, please...that don’t even count. Didn’t you know that if the first time wasn’t any good, you get a do-over? What? Yes. A do-over!” she said, snapping her fingers together. “But that ain’t none of my business, though!” she finished with a smirk and lifted her glass to her mouth and took a sip...staring at Naomi over the rim.

      Again Naomi laughed.

      “Well, be that as it may. My one and only time left a lot to be desired. And not only that, but I haven’t even dated since then. Not that I’ve had all that much experience anyway,” Naomi said with a glum look.

      “And whose fault is that?”

      “Doesn’t matter. You know school comes—” Naomi replied, ready to shoot with her standard answer.

      “First,” Alyssa interrupted and filled in for her, raising a palm. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve always got that answer locked and loaded, girlfriend, ready to fire. But you promised we’d celebrate your birthday and graduation. What better way than to find some sexy beast and let him have his way with you, oooh Papi give it to me,” Alyssa quipped, making goofy kissing sounds as she pooched her lips out. Naomi groaned at the cheesy reference to her favorite, even cheesier, classic romance film, but had to laugh along with Alyssa at her crazy antics.

      It wasn’t that Naomi didn’t want to loosen up, as Alyssa said, and have fun. She’d just always been so focused.

      Besides, most of the boys her own age just didn’t do it for her. They all seemed so...young.

      She sighed. “I don’t know, Lyssa. What if I do it and end up falling in love with said guy I do it with, quit school, stay around here in Wyoming, have a bunch of kids, and never fulfill my dream of being a doctor? Huh? Huh? What then?” she asked, half joking, half serious. It was one of her fears to stay in their hometown and do...nothing with her life.

      “Really, Ne Ne? All that is going to happen? Girl, I swear you’re going into the wrong profession. You should really think about becoming a writer!”

      “Ha!” Naomi replied, taking a drink and settling back in her seat.

      “Listen, I’m not saying you gotta fall in love with the first guy you get involved with or do it with!” She stopped and qualified the statement, as Naomi opened her mouth. “Reallllly do it with,” she said, and Naomi grunted. “Girl, just do it, have fun and move on! Seriously, that’s my motto. Ain’t nobody got time for falling in love!” Alyssa chuckled at her own joke.

      “Hmm. I don’t know. Most of the guys I know just don’t do it for me. At all. Not even a little bit,” Naomi replied with a deep sigh.

      Feeling warm, she stood up to take off her leather jacket, to which Alyssa shot her an approving look and mumbled, “Finally!”

      “And I think you’ve been reading those romance books of yours way too much. Trust me, if it were that easy to find Mr. Right, I would have been married with a bunch of kids a long time ago! And besides, what if that did happen, would that be so bad? Tall, dark and fine could be just the ticket for you! Have a hot, sexy brief affair, release some of that tension you carry around like a bad habit. Hmmm.” Alyssa stopped, a thoughtful expression crossing her small gamine features as she took a sip of her drink, lost in thought.

      Naomi was contemplative when her friend grew quiet, and she removed her jacket, feeling warm and actually more comfortable than she thought she would feel.

      Maybe Alyssa was right.

      Maybe a fun rendezvous was all she needed, with a tall, dark— Her thoughts were cut short when she looked up, her jacket in her hand, and met the cornflower-blue eyes of one of the hottest men in Wyoming, Canton Wilde.

      She swallowed, hard.

      Although she was younger than Canton by at least three or four years, Naomi knew of him. Heck, every female under the age of ninety-nine in and around Cheyenne knew of Canton, as well as his siblings. Not only were they one of the richest families in the area, if not the richest, the men were so hot, so sought-after, they could all collectively star in their own reality show, of the Bachelor competition variety.

      Tall, he had to be over well over six feet, easily a full foot taller than her own five feet four inches.

      From where he stood, the light from the bar showed his full body, face and all. But in reality, Naomi knew what he looked like from memory.

      He wore his dark blond hair closely cropped to his well-shaped head, while a stubble of a beard the same dark blond shade shadowed his chiseled squared jaw. His long nose was aquiline. And she knew that the slight bump in the center, he’d gotten being tackled in high school while playing football.

      Her glance slid over his beautiful male form.

      Casually, he wore jeans that sculpted and hugged his thick thighs and muscular legs. The light from the bar seemed to focus on the center of his jeans, and his zipper, and the distinct bulge thereabouts. Or maybe it was her own lust that had her helplessly gazing at the man’s crotch like some kind of wanton woman.

      Whatever it was, helpless, she stared at him, transfixed. She forced her gaze away and met his eyes, his glance hot and filled with something she dare not name...

      Was it her imagination, or was she really seeing what she thought she was seeing? Naomi wondered, wetting her lips with a quick swipe of her tongue. And if so, then...dare she?

      Why not? she thought, a plan forming in her mind. Why not...proposition Canton Wilde? Not as if it hadn’t happened to him before; she well knew his rep. Besides, who better to really, uh, deflower her than him, she thought, feeling bolder by the millisecond as she allowed the wild thought to marinate in her mind.

      She bit her lower lip, wondering if she dared to be so bold?

      Naomi let go of her lip and smiled.

      It was small at first. Just one side of her mouth kicked up.

      The stronger the thought took root in her mind, the naughtier, the bolder, she felt.

      Empowered, even.

      Now both sides of her mouth lifted up, until a full-toothed smile took over her face with a mind of its own.

      His bright cornflower-blue eyes widened, and his own very sensual mouth lifted in the corner. Naomi just about melted right there on the spot. Dear God, the man was beyond sexy. He oozed sex appeal like other men sweat.

      Question was, did she have what it took to actually go through with what was fermenting in her mind?

      They held each other’s gazes, communicating on some odd, unique wavelength that was new, fresh, exciting. One that only they felt, only they knew about.

      It was as though they were sharing some secret of the universe that no one else could claim.

      The club, the noise, Alyssa, all faded away as she held Canton Wilde’s penetrating, hypnotic deep blue gaze.

      Her nipples hardened beneath her gauzy blouse.

      As though he knew, though there was no way he could tell from their distance away from each other, Canton’s gaze wandered, briefly, to her breasts before returning to her eyes.

      She inhaled a swift breath.

      Naomi couldn’t have looked away had her friend told her the club was on fire.

Chapter 2

      “But then again, would it be sooo bad meeting Mr. Right? How romantic would that be... I mean sure, you’d have to stay in Wyoming, but then again— Uh, Naomi?”

      Naomi was oblivious to the small fingers being snapped in front of her face. “Girl...are you even listening to me? Naomi?” Now frustration