Her Three Wilde Champion Men (Wilde, Nevada 2)

“Fine,” Brandon answered.

“Fine and dandy, Pop,” Justin chimed in.

His dad looked Alex in the eyes. “What about you? Are you okay?”

He nodded, though it was far from the truth. The old competition was springing back to life and Shelby Taylor was right in the center of it. When this event was over, he was going to amend his plan straightaway. No matter how busy his schedule was, he was going to ask Shelby out on a date. He had the advantage. He’d been in Wilde for months. She knew him.

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“Good. I could really go for some food now.” His dad raised his eyebrows. “How long until the dinner bell, son?”

His father’s new wife, Connie, mother of Charly Wynn, came up beside him. “Don’t let your dad push you, Alex. This is your day. Yours and Charly’s.”

“Sweetheart, this old man is hungry.” He put his arm around his lovely wife. Seeing how happy his pop and Connie were thrilled Alex. There was a sparkle back in his dad’s eyes that had been so dull for far too long. “The Wildes have pulled out the stops and have enough barbeque to feed a small army.”

“Sheriff Champion, you’ll live. I promise,” Connie said. “Alex, you do whatever you need to do. Take as long as you require.” Then the sweet woman turned back to his dad and kissed him on the cheek. “You behave and you might get a piece of that pie I made this morning.”

“Pie?” His dad’s eyes lit up.

“Connie, thank you for keeping my dad in line.” He grinned, and then stepped up on the stage. He walked over to Charly. “You ready?”

“I am.” She nodded. “Take it away, Dr. Champion. Let’s shovel some dirt and get this project underway. This town is going to love their new hospital.”

Moving to the podium, he tapped on the microphone. Why did people always do that? It wasn’t like it was necessary. “May I have your attention?” He looked over the crowd.

All of Wilde and several surrounding communities had showed up. Everyone was smiling but the one person who held all his attention. Shelby. She had been passing out the gift bags as he’d as

ked, but now was at a standstill as one attendee of today’s event had hold of her wrist. Justin.

“There are several people to thank today—” His mind locked in on Shelby and his brother. He glanced down at his prepared notes briefly, and then brought his gaze back up to the place he’d seen Shelby. Now her back was to him as she walked away with his younger brother. “Let me bring up the woman of the hour, Charly Wynn.”

As the applause rose and he brought the microphone down to accommodate Charly’s height, Alex felt his gut twist into a knot of frustration. He wanted to run after Shelby, to push his brother, the man-whore, away from her. She deserved better than one-night-stand Justin. Alex was finally ready to settle down with a woman and start a family. Shelby deserved someone like him.

Then he spotted Brandon, who was watching Shelby and Justin’s retreat with narrowed eyes.

Damn it.

Alex didn’t want Shelby to be fodder for foolish sibling rivalry between him and his brothers. When this was over, he would make sure she wasn’t.

Chapter Two

“I can’t believe you’re leaving.” Justin walked beside Shelby. “Don’t you want to sample the barbeque first, doll?”

The gorgeous woman stopped in her tracks and turned to him. One hand was loaded with plastic bags, and the other was placed on her curvy hip as a clear act of defiance. “Time to get something straight right away. I’m not your doll. I’m not your sweetheart. I’m not your honey, your babe, your sugar, or anything else, cowboy. I’m Shelby.”

God, she had fire, which was igniting the blood in his veins. Sexy as hell, this one. “Sorry, darlin’. I’m from Elko. It’s a place that can be a little too familiar at times.” He smiled, hoping to hit the mark on this native Wilde girl with the backhanded comparison of her town and his.

By the look on Shelby’s face, his comment had done the job. “The barbeque is great. You’ll love it, I’m sure.”

Even though his stomach was chomping on his backbone because he was so hungry, he didn’t care. He wanted to spend time with Shelby. A lot of time. “I’d rather walk with you or help you with whatever you’re working on.”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself, Elko.”

Shelby clearly was testing him. Alex’s statement about Wilde girls and Elko boys was something Justin had experienced over and over. Elko and Wilde folks didn’t mesh well. Never had.

Most in Elko knew the score in Wilde. The poly life was the norm here, not to mention that just outside the town was The Masters’ Chambers. BDSM. He’d tried to gain access to the exclusive club with a couple of buddies a few years ago when it first opened. No dice. The asshole owner, a Mr. Austin Wilde, wouldn’t grant them access. The reason? The dick said they would have to attend an introductory class prior to getting to tour the place. Clearly the training session was a means to weed out unwanteds, like Justin and his friends.

His left ankle, the one that had broken and put him out of commission for the circuit this year, began to throb. Don’t limp in front of her.