Kissing Kendall

by Jennifer Shirk

  And worse, she would have kissed him back.

  Then where would that leave them? She couldn’t do that to him. With any luck, by the time she was done talking to Melanie and her friends, Brad would have forgotten all about her slip of the tongue and maybe even laughed off what they almost had done.

  Brad smiled politely at Melanie, then sent Kendall a look that clearly told her, I’m not going to be laughing later and you can bet your grandmother’s new Coach bag that we’ll be picking this discussion up right where we left off.

  She swallowed hard. “Um, I’ll see you later, Brad.”

  “Yes, later,” she heard him say behind her. His voice was quiet yet firm. He seemed to be giving her a warning that they were well past the point of mere friendship and that they would need to deal with it, which under normal circumstances she would appreciate. But right now, it only made her wish she could drink some whiskey after all.

  Kendall handed out the last of her business cards to Melanie’s friends in complete amazement. Her bakery wasn’t even open yet and she already had three birthday cake requests and an order of cupcakes for an upcoming baptism. She’d thought Brad was kidding, but now she was glad she had taken his suggestion and brought her business cards along with her. It certainly did pay to come prepared.

  Melanie turned around and handed her another amaretto sour—extra cherries—with a grin. “Here’s to your new bakery,” she added, clinking her glass with Kendall’s. “I really hope you do well with it. We need a good bakery in town.”

  Kendall smiled. “Thanks. Now I just need to hire some part-time cashier help and I should be good to go soon.”

  “Hey, my daughter Lindsey will be home this week from college,” Melanie said. “I know she’d be thrilled to make some extra money this summer.”

  “Really? Okay, she’s hired,” Kendall said with a laugh. “Seriously, that’s great. It would be such a relief to hire someone I already know and could trust. Tell her to stop by the store whenever she can to fill out the application and I’ll go through it and train her. It won’t take long. ”

  “I will,” Melanie said, raising her glass again. “Maybe she’ll bring me home some of those doughnut muffins I keep hearing about as a reward for getting her this job.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she does.”

  “I don’t know how you keep your figure having all those baked goodies around you,” Melanie said, planting a fist on her hip with a scowl. “You must have some hidden incentive for keeping so trim.”

  “Oh, nothing outside of the usual vanity I possess,” she quipped.

  “Really? No incentive at all? You mean there’s nothing up with you and old blue eyes?” Melanie commented, nonchalantly stirring around the ice cubes with her pinkie.

  Kendall blinked. “Old blue eyes?”

  “Yes.” Melanie’s eyes glinted with amusement. “I mean Brad Mayer. Please don’t tell me you haven’t noticed his eyes. They’re blue and they’re deep and if you don’t know all that, you need to have your own eyes examined.”

  Kendall tensed a little. Of course she would have to be blind not to notice Brad’s eyes. In fact, she had allowed herself to drown in those same blue eyes just a few minutes ago before Melanie had interrupted them. “Well, yeah, Brad does have nice eyes. But we’re…uh, just friends.”

  “Uh-huh,” Melanie murmured, sending her a skeptical look.

  “No, it’s true!” she insisted. “Brad is great and kind and—”

  “Yummy.”

  Kendall’s lips twitched. “Okay, and yummy,” she relented. Totally yummy she’d have to say if she were forced to swear on a stack of Bibles. “But you know me, I don’t want to get involved with anyone from the police or fire department again. Besides, I’m not ready for a serious relationship.”

  One of Melanie’s brows lifted. “Who said anything about being ready for a serious relationship? I asked if anything was going on between you two. There’s a big difference. And honey, there’s no reason to feel guilty about that. No one would fault you for having a little male company for a bit. After all, it’s been more than two years. Who says you can’t date casually?”

  “Date casually?” Kendall repeated, a little bemused.

  That was one solution to get Brad out her system and for her to get out of his. They could take it slow. She could still keep her distance. By the time Brad went off to Quantico for training, things would be cooling and they could calmly end things between them. And if she were honest about it from the beginning, no one would get hurt.

  “Men pull the no-strings-attached kind of dating all the time,” Melanie added sourly. “So we women should take advantage when the situation comes around. There won’t be any heavy expectations weighing the relationship down, ya know?”

  That could be true. She wondered if something like that would be as simple as it all sounded. “Yeah, I guess. I’ll have to think about it.”

  “Well,” Melanie said, nudging her chin in Brad’s direction, “I’d think about it sooner rather than later if I were you.”

  Kendall followed her gaze and saw an exotic-looking brunette conversing with Brad by the snack table. Jealousy stirred in her, and she realized that Melanie had just made a very good point.

  That settled it. She was going to think about it right now.

  …

  He couldn’t think.

  Hell, he could barely breathe. He had come so close to kissing Kendall by the bar, so close to admitting afterward to anyone watching that something serious was going on between them. He didn’t know how long he could go on like this. Her tiptoeing around their attraction to each other wasn’t working.

  At least not for him.

  Wearily, he rubbed his face with both hands. Sharon Silvers, one of only two women cops on the police force, wasn’t working for him either. But she wasn’t getting the hint that he wasn’t interested and continued to ramble on and on to him about her recent breakup.

  “So that’s why I showed up single tonight,” she finished.

  He ignored that last comment and took another swig of beer.

  “This is a great turnout so far, isn’t it?” she asked, flipping her dark hair off her shoulders and sidling closer to him.

  Brad scanned the room and nodded absently. He saw Kendall shaking her head at whatever Melanie was saying before she let loose one of her dazzling smiles. Even from across the room he felt the blaze of it. He wondered if she was having a good time and had forgotten all about him or whether she was hiding out, afraid of being too close to him. He’d bet his overtime pay it was the latter.

  “I heard you’ve been getting a lot of calls on the boardwalk,” Sharon commented. “And summer hasn’t even officially started yet.”

  Work talk finally got his attention and he focused his gaze back on her. He had to admit, Sharon was an attractive woman. She was tall with rich, chestnut hair that fell well past her shoulders in silky waves. She regularly worked out to keep in good shape and best of all, she was a damn good cop. Too bad there just wasn’t any spark between them. “Yeah, a lot of kids are hanging out there late at night. It’s getting worse—fights are breaking out more and more. The retailers there practically have a direct line to us now.”

  “Do you think gangs are involved?” she asked, suddenly all business.

  He shrugged. “I don’t think so. Just kids who have no supervision and nothing better to do. It should make for an entertaining summer if the calls stay like this though.”

  Sharon finished the last of her beer and placed the empty bottle on the bar. “Should we go get some food? The line looks shorter now.”

  Brad frowned. Oh, no. Sharon was assuming he didn’t have a date—which technically he didn’t. Sort of. He didn’t want to hurt Sharon’s feelings, but he wanted to wait and get food with Kendall, if she hadn’t already eaten without him. “Well, actually I—”

  “Hi, sweetie,” Kendall said, suddenly materializing by his side and giving him a light peck on the
cheek. “Sorry I kept you waiting. Melanie can be a real talker sometimes. I’m starving. You didn’t eat already, did you?”

  Brad was speechless. Kendall had just called him sweetie. But when he gazed down at her, he could see a glimmer of humor in her eyes. She was playing the part of rescuer and nothing more, which was fine with him—for the moment.

  She wrapped her arm through his and gave Sharon a saccharine smile. “Hi, I’m Kendall. Have we met?”

  Sharon’s face fell, then she composed herself and shook her head. “No. I work with Brad on the force.” She looked at Brad and shot him a confused smile. “I had no idea you were seeing someone. The way your sister was going on and on about you at the pharmacy, she made it seem like you were single.”

  “Yep, he was, but then he found me and the rest is history,” Kendall readily supplied. Then she slid him an amused glance. “Isn’t that right, pookie bear?”

  His brows lifted. If Sharon told anyone on the force he was called pookie bear, he’d never live it down. But it was a small price to pay to let Sharon down easy and to be able to touch Kendall in public like this. “Um, that’s right…my little muffin maker.”

  When Kendall scowled at his endearment, he almost lost it and laughed out loud.

  Sharon didn’t notice and seemed genuinely happy for him. “Well, that’s just great,” she gushed. “I’m glad you finally found someone. You look so cute together. You’re lucky, it’s slim pickings out there.”

  “Well, Georgie has been really good at setting people up lately. You should talk to her about it. She’s got quite the eligible bachelor list going.”

  Sharon’s face brightened. “Really? I will ask her about that. Hey, thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  When Sharon turned and walked away, Brad was relieved, but decided not to waste a prime opportunity when he was handed one on a silver platter. He quickly swung his arm over Kendall’s shoulders and drew her in to his side. “I missed my little muffin maker so much,” he said, nuzzling the side of her neck.

  “Cool it, pookie,” she said, but only gave him a halfhearted shove as she stepped back. “I just did you a favor.”

  “I know you did. Now how about another one?” Grinning, he reached for her again.

  Kendall went into his arms without any protest and he held her close, resting his cheek against hers. He didn’t care if she did it to put on an added show for Sharon’s sake or not. He just wanted to enjoy her being in his arms. Kendall felt so right, so good.

  “Is this how you repay my kindness in saving you from the unwanted attentions of a co-worker?” she said with a soft sigh.

  “Absolutely.”

  She chuckled and wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. “Do you want to think about it?”

  “No, I don’t want to think right now,” he murmured in her hair. He just wanted to feel, and with Kendall in his arms he was feeling so much. There was so much he wanted to say to her.

  “What are we doing, Brad?” she asked after a moment.

  “Right now I’d say we’re giving the entire police force, plus a few guests, a quick lesson on public displays of affection.”

  She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “No, I’m serious. I’m so confused. All I know is that I’m attracted to you, but I’m afraid—”

  “Shh…” He held a finger up against her lips. “I really liked what you said up until the ‘but’ part. Let’s just go with that for now. It’s enough—that and a mutually exclusive relationship, of course.”

  She shook her head but smiled. “You’re impossible.”

  “I like to think of it as being an optimist. Especially if it has anything to do with you and me.”

  “I wish I could be as confident as you. I don’t want our friendship affected because we’re giving in to this attraction, so let’s not rush into anything. Let’s take this slow and casual and see where it ends up.”

  Slow and casual… His jaw tightened but he said nothing as he studied her a moment. She was gazing up at him with big, hopeful brown eyes that seemed to implore him to understand how she felt—and to a point he did. Slow, he could understand and even agree with, but the casual part raised his suspicions of her still trying to keep her distance from him. But he’d take what she offered him for now and worry about the consequences later on.

  His hands slipped up her arms. “A slow and casual relationship it is then. I can’t argue with you when you smell like sugar cookies.”

  “What?” Kendall hung her head back to look him in the eye. “I do?”

  “Yeah, and it’s awesome,” he said with a grin. “I think that’s part of my attraction to you. That and your eyes. They remind me of melted chocolate.”

  Those brown eyes of hers narrowed. “Again with the food reference?”

  He chuckled. “I’m afraid so. Half the time I’m not sure if I want to kiss you or just eat you up.”

  “Kissing gets my vote,” she said a little breathlessly.

  His mind went blank for a second. She wanted him to kiss her. He ran his hands up and down her arms as if verifying she was real. He wasn’t dreaming this. Hell, yeah, he should kiss her. He should be doing that and a lot more. But that thought wasn’t even fired out of his brain yet before Kendall reached up on her tiptoes and eagerly pressed her lips to his.

  She tasted even sweeter than she smelled—like sugar and cherries—which only made him hungrier for more. His hands reached up and cradled her head, tangling in her hair. He forgot everything about going slow and where they were. The tone had to be set. If he couldn’t tell her how he really felt, he was damn sure going to show her.

  A throat cleared loudly behind him, causing their kiss to end early. He glanced behind him and saw Georgie and Walt exchanging curious looks.

  Brad blew out a breath, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. Great. Of all the people he didn’t want to run into now—his sister. Just like a shark, Georgie could smell potential relationship blood in the air and circle around it all night. He didn’t need his sister on his case right now about moving on. He knew exactly what he was doing.

  “Oh, hey, what are you guys doing here?” he tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible.

  His sister scowled. “What are you talking about?” she asked, planting a fist on her hip. “You sold us our tickets.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually come,” he countered.

  “Well, Randall’s covering the pharmacy and I figured I might as well take advantage and get out as much as I can before the baby is born,” Georgie said, patting her stomach.

  Walt signaled the bartender, then turned to Georgie. “What would you like?”

  Georgie gestured to Kendall’s heated cheeks and announced, “I’ll have what she’s having,” with a wink. Then she and Walt started chuckling.

  “Oh, yeah, you both are a real riot,” Brad muttered.

  Georgie lifted her chin in challenge. “Well, it’s your own fault kissing in public. That makes you fair game for some ribbing.” She shifted her head, shooting Kendall a speculative look. “So, uh, I guess your date with Rick went well then?”

  Kendall’s face grew even redder. “Oh, yeah. About that… He was nice, but—”

  “Not nice enough?” Georgie supplied, her eyes narrowing. “So I suppose this sudden lip-locking means you and Brad are an item now?”

  Caught off guard by her blunt question, Brad and Kendall just looked at each other. Walt glanced from Kendall to Brad with amusement in his eyes. “You two want to discuss this a bit before answering? We can wait over there while you decide.”

  “No!” Kendall shook her head. “Um, I mean, don’t do that. We are seeing each other—casually. We’re taking it…slow.”

  Georgie’s brows pulled together. “Slow. Right.” She looked up at her husband with a sardonic smile. “It’s good they’re taking it slow, don’t you think? In fact, if they took it any slower, Brad might have sucked Kendall’s lips clean off just then.”

 
“Georgie,” Brad said in warning.

  Georgie’s eyes grew wide with fake innocence. “What? I’m just telling you what I saw—and what half the bar saw, I might add. The cat is already out of the bag, so I don’t understand all the need for secrecy.” And with that, she immediately walked over to Kendall and threw her arms around her friend as best she could with her protruding belly in the way. “I just want both of you to be happy.”

  Brad saw Kendall stiffen and knew she was uncomfortable about having their new relationship status on display, especially when she was just getting used to the idea herself. They had to leave before his sister gave Kendall any more reasons to bolt from him.

  He gently pried Kendall away from Georgie’s embrace. “Well, it’s been real, guys. But Kendall and I are heading out.”

  Walt looked at his watch and frowned. “Already?”

  “Yeah, well, we’ve been here a while and Kendall has an early morning tomorrow. She’s super busy right now trying to get her store ready to open in the next few weeks.”

  Kendall’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, that’s right. I do have an early day tomorrow.” She squeezed his hand and gave him a grateful smile.

  Georgie looked disappointed but she nodded. “Well, okay. Maybe we can all go out together some time. You know, like a double date.”

  “Sure, you bet,” Brad said, kissing Georgie on the cheek and shaking Walt’s hand. “We’ll let you know when we’re both free.” Then he skillfully pulled Kendall through the crowds as she waved good-bye, not letting go of her hand until they stepped foot outside.

  Kendall huffed out a breath. “Wow, you sure know how to make a quick escape. You were pulling me so fast, I almost stepped out of my shoes.”

  “Sorry,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I was trying to spare you my sister’s nosy interrogation. You said you wanted to take things slow and that’s exactly what we’ll do.” For now.