“Emery.”
My heart sinks. I hate that she still has a thing for him. “You guys hung out?”
“No. She told me before I left that you were here watching me.” He grabs my face and pulls it so that I’m looking at him. “You’re the last person who should be ashamed of watching me, Kennedy.”
“Why?”
“You’re the only person I want watching me.”
I look away after swiping the water to take a drink. Not that I need it. I’m not even thirsty. I just need an excuse to look away from him after what he just said.
“I’ve always loved you watching me. I could have a million eyes on me and it’s yours that always caught my attention.” He pauses and grabs the water from me to take another drink. “It’s the truth. And I wouldn’t lie to you. I may be a prick at times, but never a liar.”
“Well, if we’re being honest, you’ve always been impossible not to watch,” I admit. “I think having all eyes on you is proof enough, so really, I had no choice but to be drawn in like everyone else.”
He smiles and pulls me closer to him until I’m practically in his lap. His breath fanning across my lips has me feeling weak again. With his eyes on mine, he tosses his board into the bowl, grins, and then slides down with me in his arms.
By the time we reach the bottom, I’m laughing and slapping at his chest above me. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”
He laughs and pins my arms to the ground, making me too aware of his hard body between my legs. “Then it wouldn’t have been as fun, would it?”
“Probably not,” I whisper close to his lips, my mouth dry.
His eyes lock on mine for a few moments as if he’s trying to decide what to do with me, before finally standing and helping me to my feet, taking his hat off and putting it on me. With a smile, he hands me his board. “Use mine. Go ahead. I’ll watch you for once.”
“All right, fine.” I drop his board down and he watches as I skate around him. His eyes keep rising to his hat sitting backward on my head every once in a while, and the look of satisfaction in his eyes confirms he must like me wearing something of his. I think I do too.
“Why’d you stop coming here because of my brother?” he asks, eyes following me around the bowl. “Clearly, you still love it, and I know you did back then. I still remember when I came here for the first time. You were thirteen and busted your lip on that railing, but you got right back up and started skating again as if it never happened. That shit inspired me. I was like if this girl can do it, so can I. I was ten and scrawny as hell; could barely even walk on my own two feet without tripping.”
“You remember that?” I ask, skirting around his question.
He nods. “Yep. Now talk. Is Dax the only reason you stopped coming here? Be real with me.”
I hop off Colson’s board and work to catch my breath. No one has really asked me why I stopped, not even Blaire, even though she knows how much time I used to spend here. “He was part of the reason,” I admit. “I started watching more than I was skating. That’s the other reason.”
I go to walk away, but he grabs my wrist, pulling me back to him. His throat moves as he swallows. “Watching who?”
“You. I was watching you, Colson.”
Just as he’s about to say something, Travis yells his name from above us, causing me to step away from Colson and look up. “Oh, hey. Didn’t know you were here too.” He smiles and holds up my board. “Need this?”
I shake my head and run up the side of the bowl, Travis reaching down to give me a hand. “I need some more water. I’m going to go cool off.”
Colson stares up at me from the bottom of the bowl, the look on his face making me wish we were still alone. I walk away to get another water before I think too hard about my feelings.
“Hey, gorgeous.” I look away from watching Colson and Travis when Steve Garrett’s voice comes from behind me. I hate that voice.
“Steve,” I mutter. “Can I help you with something?”
Without asking, he takes a seat beside me and reaches for my bottled water. “Colson and Dax put on quite the show last night over you. You fucking them both now?”
“Excuse me?” I snatch my water from him right as he’s about to take a drink. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He grins, his gaze roaming over my chest that is quickly rising and falling in anger. “I was in my bedroom, so I didn’t see shit, but I heard a few loud bangs and your name mentioned. I’m assuming someone got choked out last night over you. Dax just won’t tell me shit.”
“I couldn’t tell you what happened with them. I wasn’t there.” I stand and grab my board, ready to beat him with it if he says another word. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t tell you shit. Fuck off and mind your own business, Steve.”
“So hostile. The Bennett Brothers must have you really twisted up. From what it sounds like, they’re not into sharing or I’d ask for a taste too.”
I fight the urge to slam my skateboard into his smug face. I never could understand why Dax is friends with him to begin with. He’s worse than his brother, Jett. I turn and walk away, getting as far away from Steve as I can before my board becomes a bat.
But just as I’m about to take my frustration out on the rail, my eyes meet Colson’s from across the room and my legs go weak—shaking—my nerves kicking in. He looks like he’s in protective mode and the last thing he needs is to get into another fight. Especially if it’s because of me.
Colson’s eyes stay on me as I turn the opposite direction and head toward the exit. Some girl is attempting to get his attention, but he steps around her to watch me. I can’t tell if he plans to come after me or not, so I hurry, hoping to escape before he does.
“Colson! Where are you going?” the girl questions seconds later, but I don’t turn around to see if Colson is following me. I’m on a mission.
I make it out the front door, but barely before a hand grips my arm and I’m pulled into Colson. “What the fuck did Steve say to you?” he questions, cupping my face in his hands.
“Nothing worth repeating,” I say, my voice shaking with rage. “He was just being a dick, as usual. Now move so I can leave. I never should’ve come back here. This place isn’t part of me anymore. I’ve changed. I don’t belong here.”
“The fuck you don’t.” He tilts his head, moving in until his lips hover just out of reach. “Stay and hang out. You came here with me. If Steve comes near you, I’ll rip his fucking throat out. You don’t need to worry about him. Nothing he says matters. Don’t let him get to you.”
“I’m not,” I bite out. “He’s not the one I’m worried about. I have too much shit on my mind to give a crap about Steve Garrett. He doesn’t matter the least bit to me.”
“But I do?” he questions, moving in closer. “And you don’t want him to see that?”
I shake my head. “I can’t do this with you right now. I need some air. I’m going to skate home. Stay and hang out with Travis. I want to be alone.”
He looks down at my board—the one he gave me when he was sixteen—and then back up to me. “You came here with me, because even though you don’t want to admit it, you wanted to spend time with me. You want to use that skateboard; the one I gave you years ago. You know here with me is where you belong. Not with my brother. If it were just the two of us here, you’d be having fun with me still and you know it.”
I have nothing to say to that, because he’s right. I was having fun with him, and I wanted to stay longer. I move around his body to walk away so I don’t have to admit that to him.
“Get in my truck,” he orders. “I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.”
I stop and exhale. “Your sister’s workplace is fine. We have plans today.”
“All right. Let’s go.” He walks past me, going straight for the passenger side door and opening it.
“What about your board?” I question, climbing inside.
“I’ll have Travis put it in the office. I�
�m not worried about my board, Kennedy.” With that, he shuts the door.
After what Steve said inside, hanging out with Colson is the last thing I should be doing while on a break from Dax. The more I’m with Colson, the more people will question exactly what Steve said, and it’ll also make me more vulnerable to falling for him.
After dropping Kennedy off at the tanning salon to meet my sister earlier, I went to Dixie’s to kill some time and have a few drinks. Travis met me with my board not long after I arrived, and we played a few games of pool and chilled.
The whole time at the bar all I could think about was how I should’ve kissed Kennedy in the bowl at the skatepark. The way she looked at me with need, I have no doubt she would’ve let me too.
But my plan is to make her crave my touch now that she’s had it. I want her to want me so fucking bad that it hurts. My brother coming back tonight might fuck with those plans a little, but I’m not worried about him too much.
If she was sure about their relationship, she never would’ve kissed me back and asked for a break. Their relationship has never been solid. Not even close. Dax can try all he wants, but in the end, it’ll be me and Kennedy. That’s the one thing I’m sure of.
It’s just past nine now, so I leave Travis’s and head back to my sister’s. Knowing my dad and brother, they’ll probably be back in town soon, and I want a chance to see Kennedy before the dickhead shows up. If he shows up. I don’t know the rules of this whole ‘break’ thing. It seems pointless if you ask me.
When I walk inside, Kennedy’s bedroom door is closed and music is playing from the other side of the door. I love that the song playing is one from my playlist; the one I’ve been playing outside the food truck the past few days. But I love it even more to find out the next song is too as it begins to play. Bottom of The Deep Blue Sea by MISSIO.
Getting lost in the music, I pull out the chicken and bacon I bought the other day and cook it up. I’m in the process of chopping the meat for the wraps when the music shuts off and Kennedy’s bedroom door opens.
It’s quiet for a moment, before the sound of Kennedy clearing her throat has me looking up. “Nice playlist,” I tease.
She looks a bit embarrassed as she walks to the fridge and opens it, pulling out the orange juice. “How long have you been back?”
I shrug and grab a glass from the cupboard, setting it down in front of her. “Long enough to hear that all six already played songs came from my playlist.” Smiling, I set one of the wraps in front of her. “Clearly, you’ve been paying attention.”
“It’s hard not to when you play the same playlist every single day.” She takes a bite of her chicken wrap and practically moans in satisfaction. “Wow. I was just about to look for a late-night snack. But this is so much better than anything I could’ve thrown together.”
“I know. You’re always hungry before bed.” She looks at me but doesn’t say anything before taking another bite. “What’d you do with my sister today?”
“Shopped at the mall and got your sister’s nails done. Then we went to the movies and out for dinner and drinks afterward.”
“We could go for dinner and drinks,” I say, looking over to see her reaction. “Me and you. I could take you on a date.”
“You take me on a date?” She laughs as if it’s the last thing she can imagine.
“What’s so funny about that?” I stand and move in behind her, resting my hands on the island around her. “You don’t think I’d take you out?” I brush her hair behind her ear, before leaning in to whisper, “You don’t think I’m capable of doing that and making you scream in the bedroom? You really have no idea how good I’d treat you if you were mine. There are so many things I’d do for you and to you. After all this time, you clearly underestimate my feelings for you.”
She swallows and leans into my touch when I run my hand down her cheek. “What’s so special about me?” She sucks in a breath when my hand moves around to her throat. “You could have any girl you want. Why me?”
I run my lips along her neck, making my way to the side of her mouth. “Because I’ve wanted you since that first day I saw you when you busted your face at the skatepark. You were tough, brave, and the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. You still are. Fuck all those other girls. I. don’t. Want. Them. They don’t even compare to you for me. Not even on your worst day.”
She turns her face until our mouths are inches apart, our heavy breaths hitting each other’s lips. “Why are you making this so hard?” she breathes. “I’m not supposed to want you. I’ve been with your brother for years. That makes me look bad.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” I spin her around and pick her up, sitting her on the island. I step in between her legs and grab the back of her neck. “If I had been your age when we met, and had I not been too young, it would’ve been us that ended up together from the very beginning. You would’ve been my girl first, and you better damn well believe there would’ve been no breaks involved. In fact,” I brush my bottom lip against her upper one, “You’d probably be my fiancé by now.”
“You seem so sure of that,” she says nervously. “What makes you think I’d even say yes?”
I grip her thighs and pull her into me. “Once I’m yours, and there’s no mental blocks, you’ll understand why.”
Her eyes linger on my lips, and just as I think she’s about to go in for the kill, she pushes me away and jumps down to her feet. “Your sister is in her room.” She clears her throat and reaches for her plate. “We can’t get that close anymore.” She drops her dishes into the sink and walks past me, going straight for her room.
Just as I get ready to follow her, my phone goes off for the tenth fucking time today with a phone call from my brother. I’ve ignored every single one, but I suddenly have the urge to answer it this time. “Need something, brother?”
“Yeah, for you to stay away from Kennedy, asshole. Don’t think I haven’t heard about you kissing her. That’s beyond fucked up, even for you.”
“And why the fuck would I stay away from her after that?” I question, my attention on the way Kennedy’s breathing picked up just minutes ago when I was touching her. “It was clear she enjoyed my mouth on hers. You should’ve heard the way she moaned during it.”
“I’ll rip your heart out if you touch her again, and don’t think for one second that Kennedy will kiss you back should you try again. Stay the fuck away. I’ll be there soon, and I don’t want you anywhere near her when I get there.”
“You mean I shouldn’t be eating a late-night snack with her right now? Or telling her how I’d treat her if she were mine? Every second I’m with her, her walls crumble a little more. She’s letting me in, Dax. We’re slowly getting back to how we were before you fucked it all up for me. That’s gotta suck for you. Maybe you’re the one that needs to stay the fuck away.”
“Goddammit! Fuck you, Colson. You’re full of shit. She’ll never be yours.”
“Gotta go, brother. A little busy stealing my girl back from you right now. Have a good fucking trip. Oh, and tell dad hey for me.”
Before he can respond, I hit the end button and shove my phone back into my pocket, ignoring it when it vibrates seconds later.
I may not be with Kennedy right now, but that doesn’t mean he needs to know she left me out here alone. It’s what happened before she walked away that counts.
The movement from the bed dipping beside me wakes me up, causing me to open my eyes to see who’s in my room. I have no idea what time it is. “What are you doing here, Dax?”
He crawls above me and reaches for my shirt, pulling it over my head. “Fighting for you.” His lips come down on top of mine, his fingers digging hard into my hip.
It’s been years since he’s kissed me this way, and for a second I allow myself to get lost in his mouth and the way it’s moving against mine. I quickly come to my senses and place both my hands on his chest. “Stop, Dax. It hasn’t even been a day yet. I told you I need space to figure t
hings out. Let’s not do this.” Most girls would love this right now, but all it does is confuse me more. Something doesn’t feel right; not like it used to.
He removes my hands from his body and brings his mouth down to my right nipple, taking it between his teeth. I moan out and grip the blanket, not expecting the sensation.
“It’s too soon.” I point out again, my breathing picking up when he moves to show my left nipple the same attention. “Go home, Dax.” Finally gaining my composure, I grip his hair and yank his head back. “I need you to go home and go to bed. Stop trying to use sex to change my mind.”
“Why?” he grits out, frustration clear in his voice. “It seems to be working for my brother.” He goes to cover my mouth with his again, but I turn away in just enough time, causing him to grunt against my cheek instead. “What’s the problem? I’m here fighting for you and all you’re doing is pushing me away and allowing my brother to get closer to you. It’s bullshit.”
“I’m not allowing anything, okay? You don’t think I’m fighting him too? That I’m not pushing him away just as much. I’m pushing you both away. So just stop.”
He finally rolls over and runs both his hands over his face in defeat as I cover up with the sheet, feeling exposed and just… wrong. “He’s asleep on the couch right now. Do you have any idea how much restraint it’s taking to not choke the life out of him? I have to go home while my asshole baby brother gets to sleep twenty feet from your room. Yeah, I wonder who has the advantage here.”
“He won’t be here for long. Wednesday he’s moving out. That’s only three more days. If you think he can win me over in that amount of time after all the years we’ve had together then you must not have much confidence that we belong together. How am I supposed to?”
His eyebrows knit together as he stands to his feet and looks me over. “Of course, I’m confident that we belong together. The question is, are you?”
I look at him in silence, not sure how to answer that when I’ve been questioning it since long before Colson came back home. “I don’t know. That’s the only explanation I can give you right now. All I know is that I need time. I won’t lie to you. I’m sorry. I won’t do that.”
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