Just say it, Kins. Tell him. “I don’t want us to date anyone else. I . . . I never felt about Ben the way I feel about you.”
A slow smile curls at one side of his mouth, and I can’t tell if he’s laughing at me or with me. “Are you asking me to go steady, Kinsey Malloy?”
“No! I mean, yes. Kind of. You know . . . if you want to.” Smooth, Kins. Where’s your ‘check yes or no’ note?
“Yeah, I don’t know about that.” He sticks his tongue in his cheek, gives his head a brief shake, and my stomach drops to my toes. “Would I have to hold your hand? Open doors? Kiss you goodnight?”
“Um . . .” My face is on fire and I haven’t even opened the wine. “If you wanted to?”
Stepping back a bit, he studies me carefully. “Are those things you want, too?”
“Maybe?”
“Hmm.”
“I’d also like you to come to California with me in a few weeks. For my dad’s wedding.”
“Already? That was fast.”
“Malloys don’t do it any other way, apparently.”
He chuckles, flashing another killer grin. “I’ve noticed, but you know what? I dig it.”
“Yeah?” Does that mean . . . ?
“The only problem I see with this arrangement is that if you keep baking and feeding me, I’ll get fat. Probably going to need a lot of sex to keep in shape.”
“I’m game for that. Definitely.” Hell, I’d be up for anything he suggested.
“How about we eat so we can get to working out? Then we can talk about all the ways we’ll burn off those wedding cake calories.” He waggles his eyebrows and I laugh. From hardass to my hunky, horny man. I love it.
“You’re asking for trouble, Sergeant.”
“You think I’m afraid of your dad? Psshh. He’s the least of my concerns.”
“Goddamn, that’s good.” Arms wrapped around her waist, I flick my tongue against Kinsey’s tight, little nipple, loving the slow and steady way she rides me. Fucking her hard and fast blows my mind, but making love to her like this? I could do it every damn day.
“Ohhhh,” she moans, her head thrown back with that mess of dark hair spilling down her back like a goddess. “I could get used to—”
Suddenly, she gasps and goes stock-still.
“What’s wrong?” I pop her nipple from my mouth and flex my cock inside of her. Whatever it is can’t be nearly as important as finishing what we’ve started.
“I thought I heard the door.”
“I locked it when I came in.”
“Yeah, but that won’t stop—”
“CLARK!”
“—my dad.”
Fuckkk.
“AW, YOU GUYS!” I PULL Dad and Shelby in for a hug as the warm California breeze ruffles through my hair. Early fall is rich in the air and, on the other side of the open pavilion, the band plays a sappy, instrumental 80’s ballad. “Today was absolutely perfect.”
Shelby laughs softly in my ear and Dad’s hand rubs up and down my back. “Thank you, princess. It means so much that you spent the day with us. You and . . . Sergeant Clark,” he says, his tone turning gruff on the last two words.
In the three weeks since he burst through my bedroom door like a raging bull, his feelings about me dating Trent haven’t changed much. Even when Shelby invited us to dinner, Dad spent more time staring daggers at Trent than he did anything else. Never have I know my dad to be so . . . opinionated about my choice in men.
The interesting thing is that I know he actually really likes Trent. Despite all the crap he’s given him over the years, Daddy gave him a glowing recommendation for the Investigations transfer. I can’t even think about it without getting choked up, but suffice to say that my dad never forgot the brave little boy who came into the police station that day twenty-four years ago. There’s a bond there that I’m not sure I’ll ever fully comprehend and that’s okay. I don’t need to, as long as the two of them appreciate its significance.
The problem, however, is that that little boy turned into a man who’s seen Daddy’s princess naked.
No bond in the world would ever make that okay, at least in my father’s eyes.
Detangling from the group hug, Shelby hurries over to Trent who lingers patiently behind us looking so handsome in his suit and tie. She throws her arms around him, too, and I laugh at his wide eyes and awkward acceptance. Dad grunts.
“Come on, Daddy. He’s not so bad.”
Dad shoots me a hard look and all I can do is smile.
“It’s your fault you saw what you saw, you know. I told you to stop breaking in.”
“And you told me it was just a cab ride.”
I suppose I did, but I have no regrets. These past six weeks with Trent have been incredible. Minus the fact that he pulled me over again last week. Said it looked like I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt, so he took it upon himself to make sure I was properly secured, complete with a full, second-base groping session.
“Only two more weeks of patrol, princess. Gotta make the most of it,” he’d said before winking and heading back to his SUV like he didn’t just get me all hot and bothered on Flamingo Road.
“Can we have a minute alone?” I ask my dad, who eyes me warily. “Just a minute or two. I won’t keep you from your new bride for too long.”
We make our way outside the pavilion and into the shadows. The sky is so clear, its millions of stars shining bright. I have to think that one of them belongs to Mom, smiling down on us tonight.
Looping my arm through Dad’s, I sigh. “She’d be so happy for you.” I can’t bring myself to say more without falling apart and, given Dad’s silence, I know I don’t need to. He’s thinking about Mom, too.
After several moments of walking casually toward the vineyard, he finally speaks. “She’d be happy for you, too, princess. Just like I am.”
“Really?” I turn to him, surprised.
“Yeah.” He nods slowly, his hands squeezing gently around mine. “He’ll be the one to take you from me, Kinsey. I see it in his eyes.”
“Dad,” I laugh, a sneaky tear sliding down my cheek. “That’s not a bad thing, is it? You have Shelby now. You can’t expect me to be alone forever.”
“No, but I’ve enjoyed being your number one guy all of these years.” Emotion glints in his gaze as he smiles down at me. “If I could stop time, I would’ve done it years ago, princess. But that isn’t possible and whether or not I like it, you’ve grown up. You’ve made me so proud. You know that, don’t you?”
More tears fall, but I can’t stop from smiling through them. “I know, Dad. I’m proud of you, too. We’ve done good, the two of us.”
“That we have.” He pulls me in, and I close my eyes as I rest my head against his chest. We stand like that for a long moment, before he asks, “He’s your guy, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” The answer comes easy. I think I’ve known since that first night above the bar. “I know he’s not the man you saw me with, but—”
“Honey . . .” Dad leans back and shakes his head. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted was for you to find someone who would love you as much as you deserved. Someone who’d stand up for you and fight for you.”
Trent’s fought all of his life. Mostly, he’s battled his own demons, but, besides my father, there’s no one I trust more to go to bat for me. I’d do the same for him in a heartbeat, too.
“Trent proved to me what kind of man he is years ago and, even though I didn’t appreciate finding the two of you like I did, he proved it to me then, too. He could’ve been a coward. He could’ve run out the second I came in, but he didn’t.” Dad pauses to chuckle, and I blush, remembering that all too awkward confrontation. “He holds his chin high wherever you’re concerned, and I have to respect a man who won’t back down.”
Me, too, though I know it doesn’t always come easy for Trent. I have no doubt how he feels about me, but he’s definitely his own worst critic. Feeling like he’s enough for me is a daily struggle, bu
t I’m more than willing to let him show me . . . over and over again, as often and as hard as he needs to.
“I think he’s going to be around for a while,” I say quietly, smoothing down the lapels of Dad’s jacket. “Because I don’t plan on letting him get away.”
“Ah, hell . . .” Dad tips his head back and lets out a full-bellied laugh. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to you being a grown woman, Kinsey Grace. Not in this lifetime.”
“You realize I’ve been grown up for about eight years now, right?”
“Yes, but this is different.” He’s suddenly serious again. “You know it just as well as I do.”
I can’t argue with that, not one bit. My heart tells me it’s true every time I look into Trent Clark’s blue eyes.
“Today was so beautiful.” Walking barefoot in the grass ahead of me, Kinsey spreads her arms wide and spins in a slow, blissful circle. Her hair whirls around her shoulders and the hem of her dress lifts in the air just as carefree as she looks in this moment.
“It was nice,” I agree, with her heels dangling from my fingers. “I’m glad you asked me along.”
She stops a few feet from the cobblestone pathway that leads to our private quarters, overlooking the vineyard. The light glowing outside the door sets one side of her face in shades of gold, while her eyes sparkle beneath the California moonlight.
“Of course, I’d ask.” She smiles softly, but there’s hesitance in the expression. Uncertainty. “You know I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.”
“Likewise,” I tell her, stopping only when I’m close enough to feel her breath on my face. “What’s wrong?”
“You said that like I did you a favor, asking you to come.”
“Well, yeah.” I lift a shoulder, trying for casual, though I’m anything but. I’ve waited all damn night to get her alone. “You kind of did, didn’t you?”
Her pretty red lips part and her eyes search mine frantically. “Baby . . .”
God, I love when she says that. Almost as much as my name on her lips when she comes. “What?” I ask, playing dumb.
“Ugh!” She shoves at my shoulder and spins toward our room, but I’m faster, dropping her shoes so I can catch her by the waist.
“Where you going, princess, huh?” Her sweet perfume fills my nostrils and I bury my face in her hair, breathing deep.
“You know I wanted you here!” she protests, stomping a little foot into the grass. “God, Trent, sometimes I don’t know what else I have to do to—”
Spinning her around, I crash my mouth to hers, turning her frustrated words into soft moans. When her hands slide into my hair and her body goes limp in my arms, I pull back just enough to ask, “To what?”
“To show you how I feel about you,” she whispers, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. “You have to know by now.”
Fuck yeah, I do. I’m just not sure I’ve done as good a job showing her what she means to me. I could’ve told her sooner—and maybe I should have—but tonight there’s nothing in the world that could keep me from coming clean.
“That you love me?” I ask, smoothing the backs of my fingers against her cheek.
Her lips tremble as her eyes flutter shut, so much pinched emotion in her gorgeous face. “Yes,” she rasps, and the greedy caveman inside of me beats his chest.
“Well, I happen to love you, too, so . . .”
Her eyes snap open again and I flash a grin.
“Maybe now you won’t be so quick to question how I feel about you,” I tease.
A low laugh starts in her belly, slowly making its way to her throat. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Come on, babe . . . we both know it’s because I’m a good fucking lay.”
She slugs my arm and I swing her up off the ground, spinning us both around in the grass. She giggles and I’m positive I’ve never been this content . . . this comfortable in my own skin since I was a kid.
Somehow Kinsey has the ability to rile me in a way no one else can . . . and, just the same, she’s the calming, reassuring force that keeps me grounded when I get too far inside my own head. I can’t explain how or why she does what she does, but I love it.
I love her.
So goddamn much.
“How about we head inside and work off that cake?” I ask, carefully setting her down and snatching up her shoes. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I had two pieces.”
“So did I.” Her grin is full of mischief. “On purpose.”
I laugh again and she toes up and presses a kiss to my lips.
“I love you, Sergeant.”
“I love you, too, princess.”
THE END
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The River Bend Series
Can't Shake You
Can't Hold Back
Can't Get Enough
Can't Walk Away
Can't Resist Him
Always Enough (short story)
A River Bend Wedding
The Velocity Series
Fly
Fight
THIS PART OF A BOOK is perhaps one of the hardest to write, not because I can’t think of anyone to thank . . . but because I can think of hundreds!
First and foremost, I have to thank Dana from Designs by Dana for taking my crazy idea one afternoon and turning it into a sexy as hell cover. More than that, thank you SO much for always being ready and willing to help me with every single thing I ask of you. Not even kidding when I say that you’ve made me teary with your awesomeness. Watch out for Vegas, chickie. I’mma bear hug the shit out of you!
Kristin, Kristin, Kristin . . . My PA and the girl who’s always one step ahead of me. K, you cover my ass like a champ and, believe me, that’s no small feat. You also put up with more of my OMG moments than you should have to. You, too, have been with me almost from the beginning and I hope you stick around. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. I’m pretty fucking crazy. :D
Next, I have to thank my reader friends, the Misfits. I love you ladies so much! You are an endless support system that has never once let me down. You roll with me punches and cheer me on, no matter what kind of craziness I throw at you, and I can’t thank you enough for that. I’m convinced you are the absolute BEST reader group out there and someday I’ll find a way to show you properly.
Thanks so much to Ellie McLove for taking this project and dealing with my fangirl BS. I appreciate your thoughts and your time, and if you seriously want to be besties, I’ll buy the charm bracelets. :D
To my beta readers, who I’m almost afraid to name in case I forget someone, but I’ll try . . . Lisa, Andrea, Ashley, Amy, and Jessica, thank you so much for your honest thoughts on Trent and Kinsey. I appreciate your WTFs and your OMGs and your patience. Y’all are the best, and I’m happy to have you read for me anytime you want!
Last but certainly not least, I have to thank Christine from The Hype PR. Queenie, you’re my rock. Sounds crazy, because we fuck around more than we probably get shit done, but I love your face. And your dick pics. :D
MOLLY MCLAIN LIVES IN A tiny Wisconsin town with her husband, three kids, and a sassy dog. She loves fountain soda, jellybeans, Luke Bryan and Avenged Sevenfold, thunderstorms, and camping at quiet lakes. She’s been scribbling down love stories since she was old enough to dream about happily-ever-afters, and now she writes sexy, small town romance for real.
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Bend ~ Molly McLain Page 12