Keeping the Beat: An Adrenaline Novel

by O'Hara, Morgan

  “Why do you have to antagonize her like that, Wyatt?” Declan asked. “Emma is our friend too, yet you insist on getting a rise out of her every time you’re in the same room.”

  “Having her yell at me is better than getting the cold shoulder,” Wyatt nearly shouted. He ran a hand over his eyes before picking up the cookies Emma had made him with a frown.

  “Poor guy I know just how he feels,” I whispered in Kenzie’s ear as I snagged the cookie she was bringing to her mouth. She turned to yell at me but I distracted her by kissing her. I pressed my lips against hers taking slow sips of her mouth until I heard someone clear their throat in annoyance. Kenzie winked at me before taking the last bite of the cookie from between my fingers.

  I remembered how right Emma and Wyatt had been together before he had treated her so callously. Something I knew Wyatt regretted deeply. There were times when I doubted they would ever get back on good terms no matter how sorry Wyatt was, but maybe I was wrong. If I had learned anything over the past few months it was that no matter how much you wished your feelings away, they would always coming bubbling back to the surface in the end.

  Reece opened the back door and Loki came shooting out of the house. The dog nearly shoved Kenzie off of my lap in his eagerness to greet her. I tightened my hold around her waist and settled her more firmly on my legs ignoring the growing stiffness between them. I didn't need anyone to notice my reaction to the beautiful woman wiggling on top of me. My face and ribs couldn't take it. Ignorant of my thoughts Kenzie laughed and patted the pup until he had calmed down to rest at our feet. “It’s nice to have someone so excited to see me,” she giggled even as Reece groaned.

  “He needs to go to school for the sake of our new furniture. I swear to God if I catch him doing something naughty in the house he’s going to become an outside dog.”

  “Peter Brooks was just telling me that there is a new manager at the animal shelter,” Emma said as she followed Reece out of the house. “I can't remember her name but apparently she’s going to be offering obedience classes.”

  “Peter said her name is Maeve Stevenson,” Kenzie chimed in. “She’s supposably getting set up now so I imagine she’s booking classes soon. You should give her a call Reece.”

  “You can bet I’m going to do that,” Reece confirmed with a nod of her head watching Loki chase Lane and Jon’s kids around the side of the house. “I love my mutt but he needs to learn some manners.”

  After dinner was finished Declan stood at the head of the table, clinking his glass to quiet the chatter. “We asked you all here not only to show off our beautiful new home, but because we have an announcement to make.”

  “Is it the sex of the baby?” Wyatt asked looking excited. His dark mood from earlier seemed to have faded at the thought of our new niece or nephew.

  Reece shook her head and smiled at him moving to stand next to Declan. “No. We finally set a date for the wedding. Everyone mark your calendars, we’re getting hitched December nineteenth.”

  Chapter 12

  Kenzie

  After dessert Jace and I headed back to my house in town. I could tell Jace was tired, no doubt from the hits he had received this afternoon. A part of me was worried he was going to change his mind about me again but when he climbed out of the car after parking in my driveway I let out the breath that was trapped in my lungs.

  Following him inside I quickly brushed past him and walked into the kitchen grabbing the ice packs I had in the freezer. Jace had settled on the couch by the time I came back to the living room. Sitting beside him I gently pressed one pack to his eye, lifting his shirt to get a good look at his ribs.

  The bruises were already turning purple and I could clearly see where Lucas' knuckles had connected. His hands were probably really sore right now. I didn't have it in me to feel sorry for him. Tugging Jace's shirt back into place, I gently laid the other pack over his sore spots before brushing his hair back from his face.

  "Don't look so sad, sugar," he gave me a small smile. "I'm tougher than I look." Jace had always been strong but I had never seen him look so beat up before. Even when he and the guys had gotten into their scraps, Jace always managed to come away from them relatively unscathed.

  "They shouldn't have hit you in the first place," I shook my head in disgust. "Why didn't you defend yourself Jace? With Declan I can maybe understand, but you just let Lucas knock you to the ground. My brother was right, you would have let Wyatt do the same."

  Letting out a harsh breath Jace removed the ice pack from his face so he could see me more clearly. His eye was starting to swell shut so I pressed the pack back to it making him sigh. "After this past year it was the least I deserved."

  That was what I had thought he was going to say. "I forgave you for that Jace. Yes it hurt me to think I wasn't good enough for you but we're past that now."

  I saw him wince and shift under my steady gaze. "I should have let the guys do more damage than a few punches for making you feel that way Kenzie. I should be shot for putting that defeated look on your face once and yet I did it day after day."

  "Stop it." My voice grew sharp making his eyebrows shoot up. "Stop punishing yourself, Jace. It's not doing anyone any good." I poked his bruised ribs for emphasis. I felt bad hurting him but I wanted to get my point across. The past year had been painful but it didn't mean I wanted to watch Jace tear himself to shreds over it. That only made my pain worse.

  "You're right about that," he groaned grabbing my hand. "I'm sorry, Kenzie. I feel like I wasted so much time being an idiot when I could have been with you."

  I gently kissed his sore lips before dusting them over his bruised eye. "You're with me now."

  "Fuck yes I am." His large hand cupped my neck bringing my mouth back to his for another kiss. I loved the feel of his mouth on mine but was worried he was going to hurt his lip or worse that I was. "Where are you going?" He sounded cranky when I moved off of his lap, his hazel eyes heavy lidded as he watched me.

  "You're too sore to play with," I answered with a wink. Jace moved like he was going to grab me, wincing when his muscles protested. I gave him a little smirk but readjusted the ice packs and reached for the aspirin bottle I had brought from the kitchen. I gave him two and watched as he swallowed them dry.

  "You're not going to make me go back to my cold bed are you?" He wondered with a frown. "I promise I won't get fresh if you let me stay."

  Letting out a laugh I kissed his cheek and let my fingers run through his hair. "You can stay the night. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not disappointed you won't be getting fresh with me though."

  His eyes filled with delight and I had to force myself not to throw my arms around him. “Sugar, for the things I want to do I'm going to have to be in full health. Besides I promised to take you out on a date."

  I felt myself start to pout. "I don't need you to take me out on a date."

  The humor faded from Jace's face as his finger trailed over my cheek. "What you said last night got me thinking. You're the most important person in my life Kenzie.” The emotion in his voice made my heart skip a beat. “I don't deserve you but I'm going to do my best to prove that I can be the man you need."

  "Jace," I started to say, stopping when he pressed a finger to my lips.

  "You deserve the world, Kenzie Kane. I'm going to do my damnedest to try and give it to you." At a loss for words I stared at him dumbly making the smile on his face grow. “Come on and put me to bed, sugar. I haven't been sleeping well and I want to lay with you awhile.”

  With a nod I hopped to my feet and waited for Jace to do the same. Slinging his arm around my shoulder we walked towards my bedroom and I felt nervous anticipation course through me. I knew we weren't going to be doing anything besides sleeping but I had been imagining being with Jace so long I was afraid I was going to wake up and find it had all been a dream.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked perching on the side of my bed. He was watching me carefully as I shrugged my hand out of
his grip.

  “Nothing,” I lied and moved around him to the other side of the bed, throwing the covers back. Climbing in I turned to face Jace and saw that he hadn't moved from his sitting position.

  “What’s wrong?” He repeated in a softer tone, his warm hand coming to rest on my cheek. “Don’t say nothing. If you don’t tell me what’s wrong I can't help you sort it out.”

  “I’m afraid to go to sleep,” I confessed snuggling into my pillow. “I’m afraid to wake up and realize this is just some really elaborate dream I’ve concocted in my head.”

  Jace laid down beside me, his big body weighing the mattress down so that I leaned into him. Wrapping his arms around me he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “What would you do if it was a dream?”

  I started to trace patterns along his chest, gently skimming my hand down his injured side. I loved being able to touch him like this, loved knowing that he wanted me to. “Probably cry when I woke up.” One of Jace’s hands moved to cup my bottom giving it a light pinch. “Hey!” I exclaimed giving him a little smack even as he soothed the sting with a gentle rub of his fingers.

  His laughter rumbled out of his chest making the whole bed shake. “Guess you’re not dreaming.”

  “It sure feels like it,” I muttered snuggling into him. His strong arms wrapped around me and I felt myself start to doze off feeling completely content.

  “It’s 11:11,” Jace said quietly, settling his chin on top of my head. “Think of something to wish for.”

  “I don’t have to think about it,” I said with a yawn. “Since my eleventh birthday every wish I’ve made on a cake or at 11:11 has been the same.”

  Jace moved away from me slightly, tilting my chin up to meet my eye. “What do you wish for, sugar?”

  I shimmied up the bed to press a kiss to his nose before resting my head over his heart. “I always wish for you.”

  Jace

  My aunt was due to arrive this afternoon so I decided to wait for her at the house. Kenzie had insisted on coming with me, saying it was something we should tell her together. I was more nervous to talk to my aunt than anyone else and almost wished Kenzie would let me do it alone. I knew my aunt loved me but Kenzie was like her daughter and she knew who I was. She knew what I came from. There was a good chance she would tell me I should back off and with good reason.

  By the time three o'clock rolled around I was so nervous I thought I was going to wear a hole in the floor from all my pacing. Kenzie had tried her best to soothe my frayed nerves and now sat watching my restless movements from her seat on the couch.

  On what felt like my hundredth turn around the room she popped up and grabbed my hand, tugging me towards the couch where she straddled my lap. Cradling my face in her palms she placed a sweet kiss to my lips. Grabbing my hands, she placed them on her back pressing closer to me as she deepened our kiss taking my mind off of my worries for the moment.

  Kissing Kenzie was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I felt as though I was being swept away by her and I wasn't going to put up a fight. Her lips were gentle on mine almost as if she were memorizing every slide of tongue and touch of teeth.

  These past few days with Kenzie had been the happiest of my life. The night she told me I had been all she’d ever wished for, I felt like the luckiest man on earth. I didn't ever want to lose that feeling. I wouldn't be able to recover.

  My hands moved to grip her hips pressing her harder against me. I let out a rough groan when she rocked her pelvis against mine. It was a wonder I didn't lose it right then and there, especially when she sighed against my mouth, her tongue reaching out to taste my lower lip.

  Wrapping my hands around her waist I tugged Kenzie off of my lap not severing the connection of our mouths. I rolled her beneath me on the couch using my forearms to keep my weight off of her as my chest came to rest on hers. Her legs wrapped around me and I was helpless to control the jerk of my hips when her sweet tongue started exploring my mouth.

  "Well," an amused voice spoke from behind me. Lifting my head I saw my aunt standing over us and quickly untangled myself from Kenzie. In my haste I rolled off of the couch and landed on my ass at her feet.

  "Aunt Lorraine," I said trying to catch my breath. "How was your trip?"

  "It was good.” Running her tongue over her teeth my aunt looked from me to Kenzie. “I'm assuming from what I just walked in on and Jace’s black eye that you two have something to tell me."

  Kenzie had stood from the couch and was straightening her clothes. Her cheeks were flushed either from our make out session or from my aunt catching us. Probably a bit of both. Clearing her throat she shot me a quick look before looking over at my aunt. "Jace and I worked things out."

  "It seems you moving out gave Jace the kick in the ass he needed," Aunt Lorraine said as if I wasn't sitting right there. "I had a feeling that would do the trick." She gave me a knowing look. "Glad you finally got your head out of your ass, Jason."

  Jumping to my feet I ran a hand through my hair and shifted uneasily. "You're okay with this?"

  My aunt's expression softened as she moved around the couch to stand before me. "I'm ecstatic about this. It's been hard seeing two people I love be so miserable for so long." I saw a huge smile come over Kenzie's face as she moved to grab my hand. I gave it a reassuring squeeze but still felt a knot of unease in my gut.

  "Kenzie," Aunt Lorraine turned, her smile slipping slightly. "Would you mind running to Garret's to tell him I'm home? I could use his help with my suitcases and souvenirs. The twins, Simon, Declan and Reece should be recruited too. I’ve missed all of you.”

  "Sure," Kenzie gave me a worried look but I nodded to let her know it was okay. I needed to have this conversation without her around. When she walked outside Aunt Lorraine gave me a look and waited.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face and tried to prepare myself for the talk we were about to have. "Are you really alright with this?"

  "Did I not just say I was?" She asked. Her brow crinkled with worry as she studied my face with a slight frown. "Why would I not be happy for you Jason?"

  "You know who I am,” I shrugged moving to sit on the couch with a sigh. “You know who I get that from."

  Neither of us said anything and I didn't have the courage to look at my aunt's face. I felt the couch give as she sat next to me but continued to stare at my hands.

  "Jason," she grabbed them and squeezed until I looked at her. "You're not your father."

  "I know that."

  "Then why are we having this conversation?" She sighed and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand. "I've always suspected that was part of the reason you held yourself back from Kenzie."

  “She’s already had too many people treat her badly to last a lifetime. Mom and dad always said I was going to grow up to be just like him. I shouldn't be selfish enough to take that chance with her." Standing up from the couch I resumed my earlier pacing, tying my hair away from my face. "I have his temper. I try to control it but it's always there. What if I lose it one day like he did and Kenzie gets caught in the crossfire?"

  "That's not going to happen."

  I didn't feel worthy of the confidence in my aunt's voice. "It did to my mom." I saw a flash of pain cross over her face and hated myself for bringing it up but I needed to remind her of what was at stake.

  “Would you ever hit Kenzie, Jason?”

  “Fuck no.” The thought of it made me feel sick. I knew I could never physically hurt Kenzie the way my father had hurt my mother but that didn't make the fear in my heart lessen. My palms started to sweat and my breathing quickened. “There’s not even a small part of you that worries about her safety with me?”

  “No,” my aunt answered without any hesitation. “I know you would rather lay down in traffic than do anything to hurt Kenzie. That’s why seeing you this past year has been so hard for me. You’re not the man you were trying to be.” Her words bore a striking similarity to Garret’s from our conversation in his kitchen n
ot too long ago. “You hurt Kenzie but you hurt yourself just as much. I don’t like seeing my kids hurting.”

  Moving forward she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a squeeze, pulling back when I yelped. With a frown she pulled up my shirt and gasped when she saw my ribs. She gave me a questioning look. I shrugged and pulled my shirt back down.

  “Which one?” She demanded.

  “Does it matter?” I asked with a small smile. If I gave Lucas up he was going to be in trouble. My aunt was a tiny thing but she knew how to keep us in line.

  Just as she was about to speak Kenzie and the rest of the family filed inside. The guys were lugging Aunt Lorraine’s luggage. They set it down by the door and moved across the room, stopping in their tracks when she gave them a harsh look. She pointed a finger at me before sweeping her gaze over them.

  “Who is responsible for what?”

  Kenzie and Reece started to snicker as my aunt placed her hands on her hips regarding the men before her.

  Declan raised his hand and stepped forward. “I gave him the black eye and split lip.” He couldn't disguise the pride in his voice even as my aunt glared at him. “She’s my little sister, what did you expect?”

  “And the ribs?” Her stare went straight to Wyatt who looked affronted at the accusation.

  “It wasn't me! Why do you always assume it’s me?”

  “Because it usually is,” Kenzie muttered under her breath making me laugh.

  “It was me,” Lucas admitted.

  “Lucas?” She sounded genuinely surprised. I was still a little shocked myself. Not for the first time I suspected something more was behind his response to my relationship with Kenzie.

  “Got carried away,” he shuffled his feet and gave me a brief look. “Didn't mean to hit him so hard.”

  “Liar,” Wyatt covered the word with a cough ignoring his mother’s stormy face.

  Aunt Lorraine gave Lucas a curious once over but apparently decided to let it go for now. “Where’s my grandson?”