by Taylor Hart
Kyle set her on the pavement. “Where does it hurt?”
“It’s my ankle.” She pointed to it, and unwanted tears filled her eyes. “I’ve done it before. I think it’s sprained.”
Placing tentative fingers on her ankle, Kyle wiggled the foot back and forth. “Yeah, it’s already swelling up.” Then he picked her up, holding her just like any prince would hold a princess in need of help.
“You don’t need to carry me.” Although she wouldn’t lie—being this close to Kyle, skin on skin, was doing crazy things to her.
He flashed her a grin. “Me caveman. Me carry hurt women.”
She laughed.
They got to the door, and he slid it open. “I’m going to take you up to your room and then give you privacy to get ready, but I’ll be back with ice for it.”
The silly thing, Kennedy thought, as she held on to this insanely strong guy as he carried her up the stairs, to her room, and into the bathroom, was that this was the exact thing some guy in a romance book would do.
Putting her down on the side of the tub, he asked, “Why are you smiling?”
Not wanting to tell him, but kind of wanting him to share the joke, she shrugged. “You really are the guy on the cover of the romance book, aren’t you?”
Looking offended, he took off out of the bathroom, hollering back. “I prefer Prince Charming, not a romance book.” He rolled his eyes. “Those guys are idiots in those books.”
She watched him go and thought Kyle Bones was no idiot.
Chapter 17
Kyle quickly changed and rushed to the kitchen and prepped two Ziploc bags full of ice. It was almost eleven. It’d been a long day, packed with lots of things. Funnily enough, he wasn’t tired at all. All he was worried about was Kennedy. He hated that she had hurt her ankle.
He thought about being here with her, and certainty surged inside of him. He wanted to be here, with her, forever.
It was strange. The last woman he’d wanted to marry was Cassidy. Tonight had been so ridiculous, but kind of nice too. It’d given him some closure.
The incident had made Cassidy and Anthony and their relationship real to him. They were just people, living life, having their own challenges.
Rushing up the stairs, to her room, he knocked at the door.
“Come in,” he heard her say. As he walked in, he saw she had changed into sweats and a T-shirt. She was lying on top of her bed, her foot propped up on a pillow, her hair wet. She looked so young right now.
He went to the bathroom and got a hand towel, then came back and situated the ice on the towel.
A look of pain flickered her face as she leaned back. “I hate it when I sprain my ankle. I’ve done a few times since moving to Miami. The first time I did it, I was in the ocean after I came off my board the wrong way and tweaked it. Now, it feels like it turns pretty easily.”
Kyle stood next to her, thinking about how they could apply direct pressure. “Can I have one of your socks?”
Looking surprised, she said, “Okay.”
He tugged off her sock, then used it as a wrap to keep the ice against her foot and tied it off. “There, that should help. We’ll keep ice on it today and tomorrow. I’ll help you start a strengthening regimen when it gets better to prevent a severe injury.” He wagged a finger at her. “You should have been doing a regimen of strengthening and stretching since you initially hurt it.”
Giving him a salute, she smiled at him. “Yes, sir.”
Finding it cute and a bit annoying at the same time, he backed off. “I know I can be a drill sergeant about it, but you have to take care of little injuries like these so they don’t lead to bigger ones.” The way she looked so fresh, so innocent, it hit him again how much he wanted to protect her and care for her. “Now, it’s late, and I want you to get some rest. I’ll set an alarm on my phone and be back to get the ice in half an hour.”
She took his hand. “Don’t leave. If you’re going to wait, just stay.”
The woman didn’t know what kind of predicament she was putting him in. He wanted to keep their relationship innocent, and being with her so late at night wasn’t helping. But he didn’t want to deny her, so he sat on the floor and propped his back against the night table.
She let out a light laugh. “I’m sorry. You’re still in your swimsuit.”
“It’s dried, pretty much.”
“You can sit on the bed, silly.”
“No, I can’t if we’re just kissing friends.” He kissed the back of her hand. “But wait.” He stood and dashed to the lights to turn them off. Settling on the floor, he kept his hand in hers.
“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” she said, but her voice sounded sleepy.
“I’m fine.”
Neither of them spoke. The moonlight filled the room, and her hand was warm.
Without thinking, he put it against his cheek and held it there. “I can’t tell you how many nights I spent in Afghanistan, on nights with bright moons like tonight, in much worse circumstances. Believe me, I’ll survive the floor for a bit.”
Trying to turn as much as she could onto her side and keep her ankle propped, she looked down at him. “Were you scared?”
“It was more like lots of boredom mixed with moments of sheer terror.” He shivered, thinking about one of the nights an explosion had gone off and he’d lost one of his guys.
She moved her hand to his head and pushed her fingers through his hair. “You still haven’t told me anything about you.”
He knew what she meant, but he didn’t want to get into it. “I think we’ve had a big enough night.”
She sighed. “Maybe, but you’re not off the hook, Bones.”
It made him smile that she was trying to sound all authoritative. “Okay.”
Silence fell between them. Even though he was propped up, he felt himself beginning to relax and get tired. He didn’t like talking about his childhood, and he never did, but maybe he would with Kennedy.
After waiting a half hour, he took the ice off and then tucked a blanket around her. She was fast asleep. He watched her for a moment and smiled. She really would call him a stalker if she could see him now.
Chapter 18
When Kennedy woke, it was to a light knock at her door. Jolting to a sitting position, she remembered the previous day and night and spraining her ankle.
“Are you awake? It’s ten-thirty, sleepyhead, and I made breakfast for you this morning.”
A nervous flutter filled her gut. That tended to happen when Kyle was near. “Come in.” She pushed her hands down her hair, knowing it was probably a wreck since she’d slept on it wet.
The door opened, and Kyle came in. The tray he carried held two plates of waffles and eggs and bacon.
Kennedy’s stomach growled, and she smiled at him. “I’m starving.”
Good-naturedly, Kyle moved to the table and put the food down. “Would you be good with a move to the table?”
“Yes,” she said as she started to stand.
Kyle rushed next to her, looking all showered and fresh in a red Under Armour T-shirt and shorts. “I’ll carry you again.”
“No,” she said forcefully. “But I will lean on you.” She stood on her good foot, and he helped her limp to the table. Any pressure on her injured foot caused immediate pain.
“I brought ice up too,” Kyle said as he helped situate her and grabbed another chair to prop her foot. Without asking, he did the bath towel, ice, and sock thing. “There,” he said, turning to her and looking pleased with himself.
It irritated her how much she liked having him help her. “Thank you.”
He cocked an eyebrow as sat at the table. “I know it’s hard for you to let me help you, so I’ll just say you’re welcome, and I won’t be at all smug about it.”
Unable to not smile at him, she didn’t hesitate to bow her head and listen to him pray this morning over the food.
When he was finished, she dove into the food. “This looks so good,” s
he said, meaning it. Then she blinked, feeling foolish because she thought about how he did treat her like a princess.
Kyle ate for a bit, but stopped when he noticed she wasn’t eating. “What’s wrong?”
“I just can’t believe I’m sitting here, at your house in Jackson, having brunch with you.”
His lip tugged up. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Because I’m just a college kid who wanted to be on the radio.” Just saying the words felt silly.
“That’s not what I see.” He put his fork down and leaned over the table, propping his elbows and tucking his hands beneath his chin.
It made her nervous, how intense he could be. “What do you see?”
Hesitating, he studied her from top to bottom, a smile playing at his lips when he looked at her hair.
Self-consciously, she put her hands to her head. “I cannot believe I’m sitting here with bedhead to boot.”
He laughed. “I like it.”
She cringed. “I’m going to go shower.”
“No.” He reached out his hand to her. “Stay, eat. I’m not done telling you what I see.”
She relented. “Fine. But I want to hear about you too this time.”
His brow furrowed, but he nodded. “Okay.” His eyes held hers. “I see a woman who has gone through hard things, but keeps figuring it out. I see a woman who doesn’t realize how beautiful she is. I see a woman who loves to teach kids to surf because it makes her feel closer to her parents.”
She hadn’t realized it, but he was right.
He winked at her.
She frowned. “Again, cocky and smug, not a good combination.”
He laughed, and the sound flooded her with warmth. “I see goodness. I see light. I see everything working out for you, Ms. Dawson, maybe even a handsome man in your future.”
She laughed and tugged her hand back. “Really?” The chemistry between them heightened.
His lip tugged up. “Maybe.”
“Maybe I want to be with this handsome man if he tells me about himself.”
Looking disconcerted, Kyle pulled back and sucked in a breath. “You’re really going to make me tell you about that crap?”
Even more intrigued by his defensiveness, she nodded. “I want to know you.”
He looked out the window, closed his eyes, and raked a hand down his face. “Fine. Here’s the CliffsNotes version. My mom and dad were sixteen when they had me. They didn’t get married. Until I was five, I lived in Florida with my mother. But she got married, and the guy didn’t want me. So she took me to my dad’s place in Oregon.” He took in another breath. “I remember not really knowing why my mom left me, but it was fine at first. Then there were always people over, and they would snort things off the table. It was always so loud. I remember there wasn’t any food. Lots of times, I would come home, and I would just eat ketchup.”
Kennedy watched as he spoke, her heart aching for him.
Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose. “One day, I came home from school, and my dad wasn’t there. There was no food, but he left five dollars so I could go to the gas station and get something. So I did. I rode my bike. On the way back, I fell off my bike and broke my hand.” He held up his hand. “I walked back to the apartment. When I arrived, I was crying. I told my dad, and he took me to the hospital. But—” He blinked. “—he never came back.”
“What?” Kennedy was aghast. “What do you mean, he never came back?”
“He left me at the hospital. To this day, I don’t know why. Maybe because he couldn’t pay the bills. Maybe … he just didn’t want me.” His shoulders twitched in a shrug. “Finally, my mom showed up and took me back to Florida. I’m not going to lie. It wasn’t good there either. Got hit a lot by my new stepdad. So when I was probably about ten, I was placed in foster care.” He looked at her. “It wasn’t pleasant there either. By the time I was fifteen, I pretty much knew how to game the system. Be there, but not be there. I was with a family who just wanted a paycheck, so I kinda lived there, kinda didn’t.”
Kennedy was shocked. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to talk about it. He looked resigned.
Kyle looked out the window, avoiding her gaze.
Gently, she took his hand. “Kyle.”
“I don’t need sympathy.” He met her eyes.
She blinked, trying to hide her emotion.
“It’s fine. I mean, looking back, I knew I had to make my own way. There was nothing and nobody who was going to figure things out for me.” He grunted. “And when I joined the SEALs, I knew there was no looking back. The SEALs became my family. So when you ask why I took Scar’s offer to be the head of the Sparring for Vets program, well, the easy answer was there was no question. He was a SEAL brother, and he was asking for help, and it is for all vets. I like that. So it’s all worth the trouble.” Kyle frowned, and his voice softened. “Please don’t cry, Kennedy.”
The thing was, she hadn’t even noticed the tears were on her face. Once he mentioned it, she put her arms out to him. “I want to hug you.”
He shook his head.
“Please.” She couldn’t stop more tears.
Finally, Kyle moved to hug her, awkwardly kneeling on the floor in front of her.
She pulled him to her, holding the man.
He rested his head on her chest, and they held each other.
Kennedy felt truly humbled by this strong, gentle man who had overcome so much. And she was proud of him. Proud of the fact he had overcome and he’d become a SEAL and he’d built a company.
He pulled back, and she saw the tears on his face. “I told you we should have left the Prince Charming castle story in place.”
“No,” she said, sputtering. “You’re amazing, Kyle Bones. You really are a prince and you deserve everything you’ve worked for.”
He let out a long breath. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do.” Slowly, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. “I like the real story. I like real. A bit broken.”
The side of his lip turned up. “You do?”
Warmth filled her, along with something else. Something much more than simple physical attraction for this man. “I do.”
He swallowed. “So, this might be more than just like between us?”
It stunned her to realize that this man was nervous. Feeling all gooey inside, she smiled and pushed her hand through his soft blond hair. “I think it might be.”
He leaned in and she met him halfway. Their lips touched and the kiss was slow and gentle, a healing kiss. She trailed kisses on his cheeks and then back to his lips.
He held her tighter. “I guess if I get rewarded like this, I shouldn’t fight telling my secrets so much.”
She smiled and kissed him again. This time, the kiss would have swept her off her feet if she hadn’t already been sitting.
Finally, she pulled back and sucked in a breath. “Must. Have. Air.”
He laughed. Then his hand trailed down to her ankle. “How is it?”
“It’s fine. I mean, I can’t really walk on it, but it’s fine.”
“Is it okay enough to go for a motorcycle ride?”
Giddiness surged through her. “Oh, yeah!”
Chapter 19
Kyle took off slowly, being careful with Kennedy on the back. Her arms tightened around his waist, and he wouldn’t lie. It was so nice to feel her behind him, pressed up against his back.
“You okay?” he asked, turning to her.
“Fine. My foot is fine too,” she said again. Just a minute ago, as he went over the basics of safety on a motorcycle, he’d been asking about her foot, and he could tell she was getting tired of it.
The woman had grit. That was for sure.
Kyle pressed on the speed and felt the bike roar to life beneath him. One of his favorite things about Jackson was being able to ride his motorcycle up into the mountains. He knew just the spot he was going to take her to.
Getting to the end of his street, he turned onto the highway
and gunned it.
“Whoo!” she yelled from behind him.
Wishing he could turn and see her, he was sure her blonde hair was flying, and he could clearly feel her slim body pressed against him. Dang, how had this woman gotten into his head so quickly?
He thought about telling her about his childhood, and remembered how she’d wanted to hug him and soothe him. When was the last time he’d felt that way?
Cassidy popped into his mind. Cassidy was the last person he’d told about his childhood. Told about everything, really.
Russell—well, yeah, he knew. Of course he did. All the guys who’d been captured with him knew about everything. How many hours did they have to spill their guts to each other? Too many.
But Cassidy had been the woman he trusted.
He laughed softly. It was insane what happened with Cassidy yesterday. The fact he’d gotten to belt Anthony had been nice, but when he’d discovered that she’d been having dreams about him and her father recently passing, he could understand why Anthony had been defensive.
It all felt different now that he had Kennedy, new and fun. He thought of when she’d wrapped him into her arms and held him and cried about his childhood, how he’d felt like he was home.
Yes, that was it. For so long, he’d been without a home. The truth was, it scared him to think he might have another shot at love. But did she want him like that? Did she want to make a home with him?
She was young. Sure, he didn’t think of her being young until he thought of their ages, but he had to take it slow with this woman. She said she was falling for him, but there was no way she could understand he was already long gone.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, they got to the top of the mountain that he’d wanted to bring her to. He slowed the bike and stopped, taking care to get off and then help her. She was babying her foot, but he noted she could put some weight on it.
The falls pummeled down the mountains. Kennedy drank in the cascade with wide eyes. “This place is awesome!”