They’d left the barre and mirrors untouched in this room, had refinished the floors and painted the walls. He hadn’t known why and hadn’t asked, had only been relieved that Kenzie could mark one room as complete on her list.
The Kenzie of the never-ending lists.
But below him now was Kenzie as he’d never seen her before, hair pulled back in a ponytail, exposing her face in an unfamiliar way, every delicate line pronounced, the slender length of her neck unhindered by the distracting waves of red hair that teased her shoulders with every move.
She wore only some skintight black thing that seemed to have been poured on the way it clung to every inch of her slender curves. Her arms were bare and a pair of tiny pink gym shorts rode low on her hips, ornamentation because they didn’t cover much of anything. In fact they really only drew his gaze to the tight curve of her bottom peeping out above long, long thighs. He’d died and gone to heaven. Reason gnawed through the physical haze of the moment, or tried to. That adult Kenzie had talked about warned his inner child that if he wound up in city lock-up, he’d be leaving Sam at Melinda’s mercy. He lay on the catwalk, barely breathing, the worst sort of Peeping Tom. He refused to wind up a report on the eleven o’clock news.
This just breaking...city councilman Will Russell has been arrested on charges of alleged voyeurism...
He meant to slip the panel back in place, sure she wouldn’t hear him over the music, but then Kenzie bent forward, stretching her splayed hands toward the floor, flashing him with her tight backside. His hand stopped of its own accord, his blood suddenly crashing through his veins, his attention entirely focused on her amazing agility as she conducted a series of moves designed to stretch various muscles and expose her for his viewing pleasure.
There was no possible way that any normal man could watch a beautiful woman move this way and not think of sex. And not only was he a normal man, he was suddenly a horny one who had been ignoring that part of his life for a very long time.
Every shred of integrity urged him to pull the panel into place. A moment of immediate gratification and he wouldn’t be able to look himself in the mirror in the morning. Not to mention the risk...
Then Kenzie moved to the barre, first hanging from it as she crouched low in front of the mirrors then hooking a trim ankle and beginning a series of moves that brought every part of her body into play. Will knew exactly why this room had remained virtually untouched.
Her private studio.
Where he was an uninvited guest.
But every poised motion of her hands, fingers outstretched, made him imagine her fingertips lightly brushing his skin.
Every graceful sweep of her bare arms made him imagine how she might slip them around him to pull him close.
Every plunging stretch of those long, long legs made him think how they might wrap around him and lock his body against hers with a grip surprisingly strong, with skin so sleek.
He lay rooted to the spot, barely breathing, the sight of her in motion pummeling his reason into a befuddled daze. His body dominated the battle of wills between reason and need right now. Hot blood slugged toward his crotch with every sharp throb of his heart. In this moment he was nothing but awareness and need, a sensation so acutely physical, he could barely breathe.
Then Kenzie moved away from the barre with a series of practiced spins that whirled her into the center of the room.
And she began to dance.
Reason finally broke through the lusty ranks of sensation that had immobilized him. The memory of her telling him she’d once been a student with the building’s former owner came to him. Will had envisioned kids about Sam’s age parading on the big stage in the hall in tutus.
Will had been so wrong.
Kenzie danced.
Her body moved with the practiced grace of a dancer. A real one. His experience was limited, but Melinda had once forced him to sit through a ballet in Charlotte, entertaining some studio executives who liked that sort of thing. Will had barely been able to keep his eyes open during the performance, lulled to sleep by the sedative strains of the orchestra, the numbing movement on stage. He hadn’t been invited again.
But watching Kenzie reminded him of those dancers, of the effortlessly precise movements that displayed her beautiful body in all its exquisite glory. He couldn’t have cared less about the dance he’d seen in Charlotte, but Kenzie’s body in motion reached deep inside him, touched him on so many levels. Her body in motion reflected all the gentle passion that made her so uniquely who she was, a woman who was impacting him far more than he could allow her.
Pursuing Kenzie wasn’t a choice he could make. Giving in to the way he felt right now wasn’t an option, and wouldn’t be.
Reason finally won the battle. With a deep breath and a final longing glance, Will eased the panel into place.
CHAPTER TEN
THE BISTRO, OR KEVIN’S, as it was locally known, was the commercial version of an Italian kitchen—all about food and friendship. Guests gathered at the bar, which stocked everything from pricey port to craft beers. The wine cellar routinely earned starred reviews. Guests sat at tables with red-checkered tablecloths inside the dining room or outside on the patio during mild weather to enjoy a sunset over the mountains.
Everyone who walked through the door was a friend of the owner and chef, Kevin, who presided over his establishment through a cutout in the wall where he called out greetings and made small talk with every guest who walked through his door. He personally sent out orders through that cutout, ensuring every dish lived up to expectation. He had a few traditional items on the menu, but most came to eat Kevin’s daily special, which was always different and always delicious.
Fiona hadn’t been able to make the dance class, only dinner, so as a result, Kenzie and Jess looked like train wrecks compared to Fiona in her business wear.
Twins Fiona and Jess were so identical with their honey-gold hair and warm brown eyes that most people couldn’t tell them apart. Back in the days when they’d all danced, Fiona and Jess had been the performance darlings, drawing attention because of their appearance. They’d been known to style their hair and dress alike to confuse people.
Until high school, anyway. Then the pendulum had swung back and they’d made concerted efforts to express their individuality so no one could possibly confuse them. As long as one knew Fiona was the more conventional, type-A-personality twin and Jess the intellectual, avant-garde twin.
Nathanial still mixed them up, but only because he never hung around long enough to tell them apart. Kenzie had never had the problem. She wasn’t sure why. They did look alike. Both were striking with their gloriously golden skin, but they were still individuals. Their expressions differentiated them, maybe.
Fiona was the elder by twenty minutes and the big sister in all ways. More take-charge, and definitely the more nurturing of the two, while Jess had a mischievous grin and a quick wit that made her the life of the party.
They greeted Kevin and bypassed the bar for a table, where they ordered a bottle of wine and caught up. They discussed Fiona’s fund-raiser of the previous night, Jess’s solo run teaching Wheaton’s class and Kenzie’s first scheduled presentation of her new curriculum.
Finally, Fiona couldn’t stand it. After refilling the glasses, she got down to the real business. “Are we done with all this chitchat yet? It’s not as if we haven’t seen each other since our last class reunion or something. Anything else, anyone? Anything?
Because I want to know what’s going on.”
“Ditto,” Jess said. “You’ve got the floor, Kenzie.”
All the turmoil that had been simmering inside her for days didn’t take more than that invitation to erupt verbally. She outlined exactly what had been going on since the day she’d met Will then finally concluded, “Something is wrong with me.”
Her audience didn’t appear as shell-shocked by all the erupting emotion as Kenzie felt. They exchanged a glance that didn’t include her. The exchange was even more than a twin thing, a couple thing that meant two people were intimately connected.
Kenzie’s own parents interacted that way. Together so long they could practically read each other’s mind. She was like that with Nathanial. One glimpse of his expression, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. His tone of voice alone could cue her about what was coming next.
“Why does something have to be wrong?” Fiona asked. “So you’re attracted to the guy. What’s wrong with that?”
Hadn’t she heard a word Kenzie had said? “The being attracted part isn’t the problem. The not being able to control being attracted is.”
“Correct me if I’m mistaken,” Jess said. “But I thought that was the fundamental nature of chemistry. It’s physical. It brings people together who should be together.”
“Um, obviously not.” Kenzie hissed then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper when a server passed the table. “I’m not supposed to be with this guy. While I admit my opinion of him has grown a great deal from my first impression, he’s still not relationship material by any stretch.”
Fiona swirled the wine in her glass thoughtfully. “You don’t have to marry him, Kenzie.”
“Which is good, since he’d be going for round three.”
“Then have sex, get him out of your system and move on.” Jess pulled a face as if to say, “What’s the problem?”
Kenzie dropped her face into her hands. Maybe the whole ranting idea hadn’t been a good one after all. She didn’t feel any better. More confused if anything.
“Oh, please, you two. You’re beginning to sound like Geri.”
“You shared all this with Geri before us?” Fiona looked as if she might choke. “Well, that’s nice. Are we, like, the very last to know?”
“Not for lack of trying. You were too busy to get together, remember?” They had lives. Balanced lives that involved more than work. Geri’s life wasn’t quite so balanced, but she did pretty well considering.
Jess had yet to weigh in, was still staring wide-eyed when Kenzie finally lifted her head.
“Geri told you to have sex?” She blinked a few times for good measure. “Who knew? She always seems so stern and no-nonsense. Must be the black robes.”
“Like, when have you seen Geri in court?” Fiona scoffed.
Kenzie shook her head. “No sex, you two. Not an option.”
“Why not?” Jess asked. “You and Nathanial aren’t together.”
“And I liked Will when I met him at the agency,” Fiona added. “Which was a good thing since I voted for him.”
Had everyone in town voted for the man? Her parents. Fiona. Kenzie seized the perfect segue from the sex conversation with both hands. “You voted for him? Why?”
Fiona shook her head as if to clear it. “You’ve seen the man and you can still ask me that question?”
“I’m telling Cody,” Jess said.
Fiona scowled. “Do not tell Cody.”
These two were even more of a comedy skit than usual, which was saying something. “Do not tell me you voted for the man because you thought he was attractive.”
“There’s no thought to it. He is attractive. I have twenty-twenty vision.”
This nation was in big, big trouble. “Oh, Fiona.” She exhaled in disgust. “Seriously.”
“Okay, not really. But I do think he’s attractive. You and I have the same taste, Kenzie. Always have.” She glanced sidelong at her twin. “Do not tell Cody. I voted for Will because he called my house and told me all about his plans if he got elected. He was really pleasant, and I like the idea of someone in office having a plan.”
The very calls that Kenzie had avoided. Would her impression of the man have been influenced if she’d picked up the phone, listened to his campaign spiel? The voice mail messages hadn’t conveyed the gravel and silk of his voice.
Or had Kenzie’s mind been closed because of her impression of him based only on bits and pieces of information?
“Family Foundations is quite a plan. I know all about it,” Jess informed them. “The political science, cultural affairs and religion departments have all been watching with interest to see if the new councilman gets any backlash.”
Now this was news. “Really, Jess? How come?”
“That school you’re supposed to share the building with. It’s a private school with religious affiliations.”
“Family Foundations wants to cover all the community demographics from what Will told me. Angel House addresses special needs.”
Jess nodded. “I know, but people get really touchy about private institutions and government funding. Trust me. I work for a private college, and you have no idea how many haters there are. Everyone’s got internet access nowadays and wants to share opinions. That school that’s supposed to move next to you isn’t only private, but it’s religious.”
“You keep saying supposed to be moving next to me. I thought this was a done deal.”
“All I know is what’s been going around the college,” Jess said. “Professor Davis said she’s holding her breath to see when the special interest groups start rearing their ugly heads. She says it’s bound to happen, and she should know since she’s the dean of political science and very knowledgeable about current political events.”
“Oh, wow. I don’t like the sound of that at all.”
“Don’t worry, Kenzie.” Fiona smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure Will can find someone else to put in the building if that happens. Someone who’s not a strip joint. Sounds like you have an in with him.”
But Kenzie wasn’t thinking about how a new neighbor would reflect on Positive Partings. She was envisioning a glossy-haired little boy who wasn’t crazy about carrots. “You’ll keep me posted if you hear anything new, won’t you, Jess?”
“Yeah, sure. But I agree with Fee. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Positive Partings doesn’t touch on any hot issues. Well, I suppose divorce is a hot issue. How about noncontroversial? Better choice of words.”
“And this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Fiona said sternly. “Do you hear yourself?”
“What?” Kenzie asked, surprised.
Fiona and Jess slanted knowing glances at each other.
“You’re right back to worrying about work again.” Fiona was the one to break the news. “You need to do something other than work, Kenzie. One could get the impression you’ve got nothing better to do while you’re sitting around waiting on Nathanial.”
“Just tell her how you feel, Fee.” Jess scowled as she raised her glass in a toast.
“Oh, my. That was direct.”
Jess snorted with laughter. “You think?”
Fiona pulled a face. “I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but give it some thought. I say this with love.”
“I thought you two liked Nathanial.” Kenzie sank back in her chair, attempting to wrap her brain around this much love.
One thing she did know was to say Fiona a
nd Jess liked Nathanial was a mild understatement. Neither of them would ever breach the boundaries of friendship, Kenzie knew, not even back in middle school when hormones had been raging, but long-distance lusting had never been off-limits. It had even become a running joke through the years.
Well, Nathanial had never found it very amusing.
“I do like him,” Fiona said. “Don’t you like him, Jess?”
“Of course I do. He’s family after all these years. But you snooze you lose.” Jess spread her hands in entreaty. “Oh, well. Nathanial can’t expect you to sit around and wait forever.”
“Is that what you think of us?” Kenzie asked.
They both nodded simultaneously, making Kenzie’s eyes cross. “That’s not how it is. Not at all.”
Jess shrugged and Fiona said neutrally, “If you say so.”
Everyone reached for their glasses in the ensuing silence, a feat since Kevin’s was hopping and loud on the slowest of nights. Kenzie sipped her wine, savored the disconnect from reality. The intensity of the moment was fading. The urgency of her feelings didn’t feel quite so urgent, and all the activity inside Kevin’s, all the sights and sounds seemed sharper.
When had drinking become an acceptable coping skill?
“How long has it been since we ordered?” she asked.
“Not that long.” Jess hopped up from the table and went to the bar. Fiona watched her go and asked, “You want an unsolicited opinion?”
Kenzie suffered a moment’s hesitation. Would she really want to hear this? Probably not. “Solicited. I wanted to get together, remember?”
“Then be happy, Kenzie. I know you love Nathanial. You always have. I know he loves you. Jess and I love him, too. You know that. We’ve always loved him.”
Was she missing the point in there? Had there been one?
She didn’t get a chance to ask because Jess returned with a server in her wake, who set a plate of bread and a bowl of olive oil herb dip in the middle of the table.
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