Not that Kennedy had any idea how that worked, nor did she particularly care to know.
“They won’t tell us that, either,” Brendon said, gripping the back of Kennedy’s seat like a five-year-old who was anxious to get to the toy store. She was tempted to question them on whether they were wearing their seat belts or not. She decided against it.
“Not that it really matters,” Braydon explained, his head popping up beside hers through the middle of the two front seats.
Drunk, these two really were like a couple of little boys.
“Why doesn’t it matter?” Kennedy asked, finding she was actually enjoying the conversation.
“’Cause they’re both gonna be daddies.”
True. Kennedy could understand that.
“So y’all don’t know the sex of the baby and y’all don’t know who the father is. Are you sure she’s actually havin’ the baby tonight?”
“Yep,” they both answered in unison.
Well, then, it was a good thing they were about two minutes from the hospital.
“Do y’all know where to go when you get there?” she asked, stopping at a red light.
“Nope. We were hopin’ you were gonna show us.”
Kennedy wasn’t sure why they would think she would know where they were supposed to go.
When the light turned green, she hit the gas and Brendon flopped back against the seat, releasing hers in the process, causing her to bounce forward.
The sign for the hospital came up and she tried to read the information, but it went by too fast. She turned in at the light and headed toward the emergency room entrance. Maybe someone in there could help the twins get to where they needed to go.
A cell phone chimed from the backseat, and the next thing she knew, Braydon was leaning forward, holding his phone up. She glanced down at the screen but couldn’t read it, so she put her eyes back on the road. “What does it say?”
“Women’s Center,” Braydon said, the smell of beer lingering on his breath.
This was going to be interesting. Too bad she wasn’t going to be there to see it.
“There’s a sign,” Brendon said, his hand flying up beside her head, pointing directly in front of them.
Kennedy passed the emergency room entrance and followed the sign to the Women’s Center. She took a left at the back of the building and came to another entrance. This time she stopped.
“All right, boys. Looks like y’all made it.”
“Come on, Kennedy. You know you wanna see the football,” Brendon taunted, sounding very much like a five-year-old, which made her laugh again.
These two really were something else.
“Park the car. You can leave once you see her,” Braydon stated.
“Now it’s a girl, huh?” she asked, putting her foot on the gas when she realized there was a set of headlights behind her. She didn’t want to hold up traffic in front of the hospital doors.
She caught a glimpse of an empty parking spot and pulled into it in order to get out of the way.
“Awesome,” Braydon drawled. “Now come on. Let’s go check it out.”
“Now it’s an it, huh?” Brendon said, mimicking her last comment, and doing a pretty damn good impression of her voice, if she did say so herself.
Resigning herself to getting these two grown men to where they needed to be, Kennedy unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car when Brendon opened her door for her. She was barely out of the way when he shut it, not even allowing her enough time to grab her purse. But then he took her arm and it didn’t matter because she had two choices: run to keep up with them or be dragged by Brendon.
The three of them barreled through the main doors in the same fashion the twins had come out of the bar, skidding to a halt in front of a reception desk where a little gray-haired woman sat. Her eyes widened as she looked up at them, her gaze sliding over each of their faces before she said, “Can I help you?”
“We need to go where they deliver the footb—”
Kennedy elbowed Brendon in the gut, effectively shutting him up before she told the woman that they were looking for labor and delivery.
“What’d you hit me for?” Brendon asked, holding his stomach as they took off down the hall in the direction the woman had pointed them.
“’Cause I’m sure she thought you were crazy enough. Didn’t need to have her callin’ someone for a straitjacket. I’m pretty sure they don’t deliver footballs at this hospital.”
“Good call,” Brendon said seriously.
They found the waiting room for labor and delivery and Kennedy was just about to turn and head in the opposite direction when Lorrie and Curtis came toward her, calling her name.
“Thank you so much for delivering them safely,” Lorrie said softly. “Hope they weren’t too much trouble.”
“Oh, well, you know kids,” Kennedy teased, looking in the direction the twins had headed. Braydon was pulling Jessie, the woman he was now engaged to, if the rumors were true, into his arms. Brendon was chattering on about footballs to Ethan and Beau, who were looking at him with matching smirks.
“I do know kids,” Lorrie said with a huge grin. “When Braydon texted to let us know you were bringin’ them, I’d hoped you’d come in.”
“Well, I really need to get home, but I wanted to make sure they made it safely. They keep spoutin’ off about footballs, so I didn’t know what kind of trouble they’d get into.”
Lorrie laughed softly. “My poor grandchild. If they give my grandbaby that nickname, I’m gonna have to break out the belt.”
Kennedy could actually picture Lorrie pulling out the belt on her grown boys. It was a highly amusing picture in her mind.
“Well, I better get goi—”
“Hey.” The deep, smoky voice that interrupted her had Kennedy’s entire body stilling. She was still looking at Lorrie, but she knew exactly who stood behind her and she didn’t want to turn around. She didn’t want to see what little floozy he might’ve dragged along with him to the hospital.
“Son,” Curtis greeted him. “Glad you could make it. Mom said you were at home.”
Kennedy fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“I was,” Sawyer said sternly. “Just got there when Gage called.”
When a strong, warm hand touched the small of her back, Kennedy let out an involuntary gasp, and the next thing she knew, Sawyer was standing directly beside her, his arm around her in a way that felt incredibly possessive. He leaned down and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before standing to his full height and tossing her a sideways glance.
“I heard you were on taxi duty tonight,” Sawyer said.
“Right place, right time, I guess,” Kennedy replied, not sure what else she was supposed to say.
“We’re gonna go sit down,” Lorrie said softly, her delicate hand touching Kennedy’s arm briefly. “Thank you again for bringin’ them.”
“Anytime,” Kennedy said, unsure exactly why she said that.
When Lorrie and Curtis walked away, Kennedy started in the opposite direction, figuring that telling Sawyer good-bye wasn’t necessary. Unfortunately he didn’t let her get far before his hand landed on her arm. When he touched her, it was like he’d taken a cattle prod to her skin. She flinched, pulling back. It wasn’t that he’d hurt her, but she knew that his simple touch would likely render her stupid.
After all, she’d seen many women succumb to his touch and she definitely didn’t want to be the next victim.
chapter FOUR
Of all the people he would’ve expected to see at the hospital, Sawyer had not planned on seeing Kennedy. Fortunately, he managed to hide his surprise because he overheard his mother thanking her for bringing the twins, and Kennedy’s back had been to him when he joined them in the waiting room.
And yes, he had purposely put his hand on her when he approached, and again just now when she pulled away as though he’d hit her with an electrical current. Then again, maybe she had felt the same jolt
he had when his skin met hers, he didn’t know. He wouldn’t get to find out either because he knew Kennedy. She was not going to let on that he affected her in any way.
“So you were at home, huh?” The incredulity in her tone was thick enough that he was surprised he didn’t see it dripping from her lips.
“I was at home. You can ask my dog,” he said, keeping his tone soft enough that the others passing by in the hallway didn’t hear him.
“So, what? You just left Greyson to fend for himself?”
“Greyson’s a big boy,” Sawyer countered. “Not to mention, what does it matter to you, Kennedy?” His own frustration was beginning to shine through and he felt like a shithead for taking it out on her, but the fact of the matter was, Kennedy wouldn’t take anything he said at face value.
Clearly she didn’t trust him. And that bothered him.
More than he wanted to admit.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” she bit out a little too loudly.
Kennedy’s eyes darted around them, probably checking to see just who’d seen her prim exterior slip.
“Could’ve fooled me,” he argued unnecessarily. He knew this wasn’t going to go anywhere, but the fact that she was there, talking to him . . . Well, Sawyer had learned that when it came to Kennedy, sometimes he would take what he could get, even if he knew it was hazardous to his health.
“I really do need to get home. I’ve gotta be at work early.” She didn’t wait for him to respond before she started walking.
He followed her, unable to convince his feet that they needed to be moving in the opposite direction. Without saying a word, he continued after her until she approached her car. Just as she was about to open the door, he put his hand on the glass, halting her.
“Sawyer,” Kennedy said in warning.
Yeah, well, he should’ve alerted her that he was long past listening to any warnings she had for him. His frustration level had hit an all-time high and he knew that his night wasn’t going to end anytime in the near future. Once she got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot, he’d be left to watch his brothers try to entertain themselves, and as much as he was looking forward to that—which he absolutely wasn’t—he was looking forward to this more.
Placing his hand on her shoulder, Sawyer gently urged her to turn and face him. Surprisingly, she didn’t try to fight him.
They were less than a foot apart and Sawyer closed that gap without thinking. “For the record, I was at home. That’s the honest-to-God truth, Kennedy.”
“So you didn’t go to the resort?” she asked, her voice low, her eyes locked with his.
“I went to the resort, but I didn’t stay,” he explained honestly. It wouldn’t make sense to lie to her.
“Why would you?” she snapped. “It’s not like you’re the overnight kinda guy, are you?”
Rather than defend himself, Sawyer did something he’d dreamed about doing since the day he saw that she was back in Coyote Ridge.
He kissed her.
With his palm cupping her face, Sawyer leaned in slowly, brushing his lips against hers briefly. His brain screamed for him to stop, and he knew he should probably move his hand to protect his junk because any minute now, Kennedy’s knee was going to get quite intimate with it, but Sawyer just couldn’t help himself.
When she didn’t push him away, or knee him in the balls, Sawyer pressed his lips against hers more firmly. And when she sighed against his mouth, he inhaled her breath before delving his tongue between her lips. His other hand joined the first, holding her head, tilting it ever so slightly so he could deepen the kiss. She tasted so fucking sweet. Sweeter than he’d even imagined, and holy fuck had he imagined. So many times.
At first, her lips were firm and she just stood there, allowing him to do all the work, but then her hands slid up beneath his jacket, her fingernails raking up his back as her tongue met his. His brain splintered, the overwhelming intensity of her kiss nearly knocked him off his feet. It took everything in him to remain upright while he devoured her, tasting, searching, teasing.
Holy fuck she tasted good.
Sliding his hands beneath her hair, Sawyer palmed her head, holding Kennedy to him. All the wicked things he wanted to do to this woman came to the forefront of his brain, making him hard as fucking steel and as eager as a teenage boy. She was kissing him back, no longer hanging on to that barrier of control she was known to keep wrapped around her like a shield of armor.
When air became a necessary resource, Sawyer pulled back, staring down into her wide gray eyes. He couldn’t find his voice, unsure what he was supposed to say to her now. It wouldn’t be in his best interest to remind her that she should’ve been pulling away and running as fast as she could.
After all, that was exactly what she’d done for the last year, once he’d ramped up his attempt to pursue her.
“What was that?” Kennedy asked, her voice a breathless whisper.
“Hopefully, it was the first of many kisses to come,” he mumbled softly. He didn’t want to scare her. She was like a timid animal, just waiting for him to lunge so she could cower away from him. But with his hands still fisted in her hair, she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Why?” she asked dubiously.
“Why what?”
“Why’d you kiss me?”
“Because I’ve wanted to for years.” Since that first day he saw her in the grocery store after she’d returned home from college.
“Kennedy?” Approaching the woman from the side, Sawyer was trying to figure out whether or not his brain was playing tricks on him.
“Yes?” she asked primly, turning to face him.
Sawyer noticed the anger that flashed in her pretty eyes, but she quickly masked it. “I . . . uh . . .” Shit, Sawyer had no idea what he wanted to say to this woman. As it was, he couldn’t stop staring, mentally noting every single difference from the last time he’d seen her at their high school graduation.
This woman, who he was still trying to tie back to that girl from high school, wasn’t wearing her hair in a tight ponytail or a bun on the top of her head, nor was she wearing thick black glasses or carrying an armful of books. No, this woman, with her long, wavy auburn hair, was nothing like that girl. She was . . . Holy fuck, she was hot.
“Did you need something?” she asked sweetly.
Sawyer noticed immediately that she was pretending not to recognize him. Damn, did she hate him that much? It’d been what? At least eight years since the last time he’d seen her?
Yep, that was the last time. Back on the day they graduated from high school, before she went off to college.
“Are you back in Coyote Ridge for good?” he asked, not wanting her to walk away just yet. He could sense she was ready to flee, so he pretended not to notice.
“I am,” she said quickly, glancing around them.
Nope, no one there to save her if that was what she was looking for. Nothing more than the produce section to keep her attention, which she somehow managed to feign a significant amount of interest in.
“What did—” Sawyer didn’t get his question out before she interrupted him.
“Look, I really don’t have time to chat,” she said simply. “I’ve got things to do.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said, trying not to sound disappointed.
There were just so many things he wanted to say to her, starting with an apology for the way he’d treated her in high school. But she didn’t allow him the opportunity to get the words out before she was turning and walking away.
He watched her go, admiring her jean-clad ass. Yeah, it was safe to say, Kennedy Endsley had gone from ugly duckling to beautiful swan and now she was back home for good.
Which meant Sawyer now had a new game plan. One that involved getting to know her a little better.
That was eight long years ago. Yet it still seemed like yesterday.
Sawyer pulled himself from the memory, remembering that he was standing there with Kennedy, still touching her,
still feeling the warmth of her body against his.
“I really should be going,” Kennedy told him, her breath fanning his face.
“I know,” he told her. He should’ve been stepping away from her, but he found the task nearly impossible. He was touching her and this time it was more than just a friendly dance, or an unintentional brush of their arms against one another. Even though she would probably fight him tooth and nail from this moment forward, Kennedy couldn’t deny the fact that she’d kissed him back.
And it was fucking awesome.
“Go out with me,” he told her, trying to keep it from being a request. Giving Kennedy the choice was a surefire way to get a “hell no” thrown back in his face.
He didn’t want her to say no again.
“I—”
Sawyer put his finger to her lips, quieting her. “Before you answer me, you should know one thing. No, make that two things.”
“What’s that?” she asked when he removed his hand.
“First, I did go to the resort tonight, but I didn’t stay. And the only reason I didn’t was because I didn’t want to stay. I’m not interested in . . . other women, Kennedy.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t respond. Sawyer took that as a good sign, hoping she understood what he was telling her.
“And second, if you say no, I’m just gonna ask you again. A lot. I mean, seriously. A lot. I’m gonna come to your work every day and ask you to go out with me until I finally manage to break down those walls.”
Kennedy’s lips tilted up slightly in an almost-there smile. “I’ll just have to embarrass you every time, too.”
“Embarrass me how?” he asked just to make conversation. He wasn’t actually worried about this woman embarrassing him. He did enough to embarrass himself—most of it on purpose.
“Every time you come to my work to ask me out, I’m just gonna tell you the same thing I’m gonna tell you now. I’m not lookin’ for a romp in the hay, Sawyer. I’m not that girl. And I’ve promised myself that I would never be anyone’s flavor of the week. Not even yours.”
“I’m not lookin’ for a flavor,” Sawyer stated defensively. He hated that terminology. Who the hell had come up with that shit anyway?
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