Jenny jumped and snapped from her thoughts when she felt fingers move from her elbow down her arm. When another drink was set down in front of her, she looked over to the man next to her.
“I didn't want another drink,” she said.
“He already made it for you,” Todd said. “Just have one drink with me.”
Jenny felt the air cross her neck and shivered. That was when she knew he was there.
Chapter 7
Kyle
Kyle sat in the booth in the corner with his head back against the wall and his eyes closed. He'd been nursing the same beer he'd ordered when he'd first sat down. He couldn't help but think about all of the happy families he'd spent dinner with. The kids were loud while they yelled out and played at the table, but the parents all carried on unfazed. Kyle knew his dream career had happened plus so much more. That was what he'd always wanted. He thought once it happened, he would be happy, but he wasn't. Ethan had signed over half of a multi-billion dollar company to him. He had the world at his feet. There wasn't anything he couldn't buy or do.
He knew he wanted to wait until he could provide an amazing life for a family before he looked for that perfect woman. The one woman he knew he wanted to be with happened to be the assistant of one of his dad's friends. John wasn't his real father, but he still referred to him as dad. She also didn't like him, which was a problem. He remembered how he felt when he heard Ethan mention that she was getting married. It was as if someone knocked the air right out of him. It took away any hope he had, that once he was finally the man he wanted to be, that she would want to be with him. A small part of him thought they would end up together. The day he found out she was getting married, that part vanished. He knew she definitely wasn't interested and needed to give up on his thoughts of her.
With the way his parents' relationship went, he knew he probably shouldn't believe in that all-consuming love and the thought of that perfect woman being out there. He knew his friends and the guys at the office would give him shit if they knew he was a romantic with thoughts of finding one woman that would be his everything. When he thought about the five guys and their families, he knew it was possible. They were all deeply in love and would give their lives for their women. He wanted that, and he knew it was out there somewhere. Kyle wanted that kind of love and the crazy, loud family to go with it. He wanted kids one day, and he knew he would give them everything he could. He wanted to be an amazing dad the same way John was to him. Only he wanted that from the second they were born. He knew it would perfect.
When he heard a soft familiar voice say “I'm fine,” he slowly opened his eyes and sat up. Then he heard her say her name. Kyle saw a tall, muscular guy standing there, but he couldn't see her on the other side of him. He could hear the nervous tone in her voice when she said she didn't want another drink. Kyle was surprised she didn't have the confident tone she used to have around the office. He'd heard her put Gavin in his place and stand up to him a few times over the years. Kyle hadn't seen her since her divorce. During the few months she was married, he'd seen her a couple of times. The smile he'd seen on her face didn't seem to be there anymore. He did see that smile earlier that night when he'd gone to get her and the girls for dinner. She had that perfect, infectious smile while she'd waved her wand around. Kyle watched the guy motion to the bartender. When the guy put his fingers on her arm and moved them down toward her hand, Kyle was on his feet. He didn't give a shit if it was his business her not. He'd done it without thinking. He walked up behind her just as the guy told her she should have one drink with him.
Kyle wanted to break his fingers. It took all he had not snatch the jerks hand from hers. He could feel his blood boiling. All he wanted to do was pull her close and keep her safe, but he knew it wasn't his place. She wouldn't want him too. She pulled her hand from the guys and moved back right into Kyle's chest. Her head turned quick, and her eyes connected with his. He leaned forward and softly kissed her cheek. Kyle felt a spark shoot across his lips, and he saw her eyes widen. He had to wonder if she felt it too.
“Sorry, baby,” he said with his lips close to her ear. “I didn't see you walk in. I got a booth over in the corner for us.”
Kyle still had his chest to her back and felt her shiver against him. She stood up and his arm went around her back.
“I was waiting for you, babe,” she said with a little confidence. “I was getting ready to walk back to the house.”
Kyle smiled and looked up at the guy.
“Thanks for buying my girl a drink,” Kyle said.
He picked up the drink and led her over to the booth he'd just gotten up from. Jenny scooted into the seat, and he slid in next to her. When she turned to look at him, she had an embarrassed look on her face.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I just came down here to have a minute to myself.”
“Were the fifty screaming kids too much for you?” he asked with a laugh.
“Not at all,” she said in a serious tone. “I love being around all of them. I think it's so great that they have such loving parents that would do anything for them. It would be amazing if every child had that kind of love in their life.”
Kyle saw sadness in her eyes and felt his heart break for her.
“Did you have that?” he asked.
“No,” she said, as she held her drink tightly in her hands and looked at her fingers wrapped around the glass.
“I know what you mean,” he said without thinking.
“Yeah, right,” she whispered. “Look at your family.”
“What about them?” he asked in a stern tone.
Kyle felt his body stiffen at her words. What was up with her judging him, he wondered? Jenny must have noticed it too. She looked up at the bar and moved in her seat.
“I can't seem to say anything right,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don't know what it is. I can see why you wouldn't like me.”
She whispered that last part more to herself, but he didn't miss it.
“I need to get up,” she said.
Kyle stood up and she quickly got to her feet. Then she turned to face him.
“What I meant was that John and Sandy seem so happy. It's amazing to see how good he treats you, your sister, and her kids. You can see the love he has just watching him. I'd love to have a dad or mom look at me that way.”
“It wasn't always like that,” Kyle said.
Jenny looked over at the bar. The guy who'd originally bought her the drink was gone. She motioned toward the spot Kyle had originally found her at.
“Thanks for saving me over there. I'm going to get back to the house.”
“It's getting late,” he said. “I'll walk you back.”
“No, stay and have a good time,” she said. “I'm a big girl. I told Becky I shouldn't have left.”
“I said I'm walking you back,” he said sternly. “There is no way I'm having you walk down that beach this late alone.”
Kyle was surprised by his own words and tone. He wasn't taking the chance of anything happening to her. It wasn't happening. Not with him there.
Kyle put his hand on her lower back, felt that damn spark again, and pulled his hand back quickly. He walked next to her, leaving some space between them, out of the bar.
“How much do you know about John and my mom?” he asked, as they were walking down the beach.
She stopped and turned to face him.
“Not too much,” she said. “I know John raised Ethan. I really didn't know much about any of the guys until around the time you started working with Ethan. I grew closer to Becky when the twins were born. It's only been the last three years or so that I've been going to things at their house.”
“My real dad is an asshole. He used to hold money over my mom's head. He was not good to her or Kelly. I was different. He treated me better than he did them. I used to get so upset with the way he'd treat Kelly when we were kids. My mom waited to leave him until I was in college. She knew he wouldn't take care o
f us if she took us, so she waited. We ended up finding out that he tricked her. Kelly wasn't his daughter. It wasn't until Julie did some digging around the time of the divorce that she figured out Kelly was John's daughter. He'd had a child and never known. I've not spoken to my father since. It was hard for me for a bit. I really care about my sister. My dad was a horrible person and hers wasn't. John said he was going to make up for every second he'd missed with her. He said he was going to treat me just like his own child too. I didn't believe him. I was so pissed. You know what, he did. John has treated me better than my own father ever did. He doesn't expect things from me. He encourages me to follow my dreams and only do what I have passion for. When I first moved here, he got me everything I needed to be able to do all of my gaming and computer stuff. I know it cost him, but he never expected anything from me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be where I am now.”
Jenny looked at him with caring eyes. She'd genuinely listened to every single thing he'd said. Kyle took a deep breath and started walking again. He knew he needed to stop putting things there that weren't really there. She didn't like him. She was just a good person. He could feel her walking next to him but didn't speak.
“I heard that you moved,” she said. “Ethan mentioned it last week at the office. He said you bought a house. I bet that feels good not to be in an apartment anymore. Sad to think I've got to go from a house to an apartment. I had a house but lost it. I guess I gave it away so I could be free. I need to move before I wear out my welcome with Becky and Gavin. Anyway, how do you like your new place?”
What did she mean she gave it away to be free, he wondered? Kyle made a mental note to dig into that later.
“It's actually super quiet. I'm used to hearing my neighbors. I'm at the office until late most days, so I'm not home very much. It's nice though. The basement is awesome. I have televisions across the entire wall. There are tables with computers everywhere. It's very cool. I have some that have company stuff on them, but some of them are all my games. You should come check it out.”
“Really?” she asked. “Come check out your house?”
"Sure,” he said. “Why do you seem so shocked?”
“No reason,” she answered with a shrug.
“What's your family like? You said you didn't have the kind all the kids have,” he asked without thinking she might not want to talk about it.
“We're not really close,” she said, as she stopped on Gavin's beach and turned to face the water.
Kyle watched her as she watched the speckle of sun that remained in the distance. It was almost completely dark. The water was quiet. Nobody was around. The little bit of light bounced off of the small waves on the water. She looked so beautiful standing there. He could tell she was fighting her emotions. He put his hand on her lower back and didn't move it when he felt the familiar spark.
“Jenny,” he said softly.
“My dad left when I was just a toddler. I don't really remember him. My mom didn't keep any pictures with him in them. She's not much better. It was more important to her that she was able to go out than to spend time with me. She wasn't horrible. I had clothes and food. She left me with sitters a lot. She never made crafts or did homework with me. Her dating life came first. She never stayed with one man long. She still doesn't. College was out of the question. That was how I started working at Gavin's company. I became a secretary there right out of high school. He will never know what he did for me giving me that chance. I moved up to being his assistant pretty quickly. It was only about a year. His assistant went on a leave and never came back. I was only filling in. My plan was to only take one year off of school. I was saving up as much as I could. Once the year was up, I had just been promoted and didn't want to mess up what I had with his company.”
“Does he know you passed up college for that job?” Kyle asked.
She turned and put her hand on his arm.
“You can't tell him,” she said. “I never told him that. He would still give me a huge lecture if he heard about it.”
Kyle could see the sadness in her eyes from talking about her family.
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Not that I know of anyway. It's better that way.”
“Do you talk to your mom often?” he asked.
“Once a year, maybe twice,” she said. “Only when I call her on a holiday. Becky and Gavin have been more of a family to me than she ever was. They were there for me when I needed someone. I will forever owe them.”
Kyle watched a tear slip from the corner of her eye and instantly reached out to wipe it away with his thumb. He didn't move his hand away. The feeling of her skin against his palm had his head spinning. When she leaned into his hand, he thought he was going to lose it. Her eyes moved up his face and connected with his, and that was it. The connection he felt toward her was so strong, he couldn't stop himself. He went forward and covered her lips with his just as his other hand went to the back of her neck. Her arms went around his neck with one hand buried in his hair. His tongue moved softly across her lips, and she opened for him to enter. Her tongue found his and slowly danced around it. It wasn't rough and demanding. It was soft, loving, and pure bliss. He felt more heat in that one kiss than he had ever felt with anyone before in his life.
When they pulled apart from the kiss, he looked up toward Gavin's house and was instantly brought back to reality.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I shouldn't have done that.”
He turned toward John's house.
“I have to go.”
He started walking as he whispered.
“Gavin would kill me if he'd seen that.”
Chapter 8
Jenny
She stood on the edge of the beach and watched him walk away. What did he mean Gavin would kill him, she wondered? Her fingers went to her lips. She could still feel him there. She could still taste him. His life wasn't always perfect, she thought. She had no idea all of that had happened with John and Sandy while she had been working with Gavin. Then she wondered what else she didn't know.
Jenny walked through the quiet house, got changed into shorts and a tank top, and crawled under the covers. He was all she could think about. She was so glad he'd been there when that guy was talking to her. When he said the words my girl, she thought she was going to melt. It didn't matter that he hadn't meant it. She fell asleep with her fingers touching right where he'd kissed her.
She woke up earlier than the kids, so she hurried down to the get some coffee. Becky walked in right behind her with a smile on her face.
“How was your night?” Becky asked.
Jenny shrugged but didn't say a word.
“Did you go to the bar?” Becky asked, trying to drag something out of her.
“Yes.”
“Isn't it cute inside?”
“Yes.”
“Did you meet anyone?”
“Yes.”
Becky grabbed her arm and swung her around to face her.
“Spill it, woman,” she said. “Give me something more than yes.”
“I kissed a guy,” she said shyly.
“No way,” Becky said, practically jumping up and down.
Jenny nodded.
“Who?” Becky asked with an excited look on her face.
Gavin walked in, wrapped his arms around Becky, and pulled her against him. Jenny was so envious of Becky. Not that she was into Gavin or anything. She'd never looked at him in that way. It was just the way and how deeply he loved his woman. Jenny wanted that more than anything. She wanted a love that was unbreakable. She wanted a man that could love her just as hard as she loved him.
“What are you two talking about?” Gavin asked.
“Nothing,” Jenny said, as she gave Becky a don't you dare look. “What are you guys doing today?”
Gavin released his woman long enough to pour himself a cup of coffee before holding her again. He explained that he planned on doing a lot of nothing for
the rest of the week. Both women laughed at his lazy response. He wanted to relax with his kids, wife, and friends. He had no plans of running all over to see new things. For him it was all about alone time with the people he loved and cared about. He took his coffee and walked out onto the beach. Jenny watched as Becky's eyes followed her man the entire time.
The ladies carried their coffees into the living room and sat down.
“Have you seen that house for sale down that way?” she asked Becky, as she pointed down in the direction of the bar. “It is absolutely beautiful.”
“I did,” Becky said.
She went on to mention everything she liked about it. Then she made a joke about the poor person buying it not knowing what they would be walking into. There would be only one house between them and the six houses owned by the group of friends and Gavin's uncle. Jenny laughed about the one house dividing them from all of the craziness.
“Maybe the beauty of it will make up for that,” Jenny joked.
Gavin cleared his throat from the doorway just behind Jenny.
“We said craziness not that your crazy, Gavin,” Jenny laughed as she turned around.
Her eyes moved slowly up the person standing with Gavin, and her laugh stopped when her eyes connected with Kyle's. She turned back to Becky and quickly took a sip of her coffee. She couldn't help but check him out. He was wearing shorts, nothing covering his chest, and a pair of running shoes.
Gavin turned and walked back into the kitchen. Kyle turned toward him. Becky looked at Jenny with her mouth open and eyes wide. Jenny shook her head over and over.
“What's up, Kyle?” Becky asked.
Gavin handed Kyle a bottle of water before they both looked over at Becky.
“I was just getting ready to go for a run,” he answered. “John asked me to come by here first to see if you and Gavin want to go out to dinner with him and my mom tonight. Ethan and Julie were supposed to go, but she's not feeling well. They already have reservations. John said it's some place you really like eating at. Gavin was pretty sure you'd want to go.”
The Future of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #6) Page 4