“Did you take pictures of the floor?” I asked. I’d had my phone ready in case she called with questions. She hadn’t. I’d almost called her just to hear her voice, but I didn’t want to seem like another overpowering force in her life.
“No, I forgot.” She started reeling Owen’s line in, her gaze on the bobber in the water. “Bruce stopped by.”
I nodded, grinding my teeth together before I forced my jaws apart. “The hour delay?”
“He insisted on mowing. I was hoping to get in a workout when I did it tomorrow.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“Not the workout part. He said it was supposed to rain tonight, and then he saw the kitchen and said he’d install the flooring too. So I told him I had a headache and needed to lie down.”
Kenny wanted to think the best of him, but I didn’t get my stubbornness solely from my mom’s side. “He’s going to be back tomorrow to do the floor.”
“I doubt it.” She squinted at me. “You think?”
I jerked the rod up to keep the hook from catching in the pebbles and weeds by the shore. “He thinks you need to be taken care of. And I’m sure it keeps him from feeling guilty about Derek.”
“I agree that’s part of it, but he and Willow welcomed me into the family. I’m like a daughter to him.” She set the rod down and slumped in the chair. “Willow’s a lot like Mom. I know how to handle her. But with Bruce… I don’t know. I feel bad even complaining. He’s done so much.”
“Relax, Kenny. It’s me, remember? Having a Barron as a father—or even a father figure—isn’t easy.” We were leaning close to each other, our heads tilted in, and it had nothing to do with keeping the kids from hearing us. I couldn’t help wanting to be close to her. “Evander left home after graduation for a reason, and Derek always complained about the pressure his dad put on him to take over the ranch.”
Derek had used Kenny as an excuse to create distance between himself and his parents as much as Kenny had used Derek to keep her mother from being a helicopter mom into adulthood. Love had been the biggest motivator in their relationship, but they each had wanted to claim their own version of happiness. I’d been more than happy to see them do it. But the problems between Derek and Bruce had gone unresolved, and Bruce was going to try to do what he did best—control his loved ones.
She brushed her fingers along my arm. An innocent touch with a hint of promise that made me want to groan. I met her gaze, her need reflecting my own. “Enough about my in-laws. How’d the talk with Grandma Gin go?”
“Short of her slapping me upside the head and asking what took me so long to realize that I had as much right to a happy life in Coal Haven as the rest of my family, it went well.” I shared a wry smile with Kenny, grateful for the warmth and acceptance. The two people I cared about the most in the world wanted me to stay. “She did ask what changed my mind.”
“You told her about the farmers market?” Kenny asked, seemingly clueless that she was any part of my motivation. It’d stay that way. This thing between us was so new, I didn’t want to scare her off.
“Yes. Told her I realized I’d rerouted my life because of my dad, and my kids shouldn’t have to do the same.”
“I’m proud of you, Liam.”
My chest damn near puffed out. But I lowered my voice to a purr. “And you find me really sexy, right?”
She laughed, tipping her head back, making me wish I could nibble along her slender neck. “News flash: most women find you sexy. But yes, I do.”
“Good. Cuz you’re sexy as hell.”
Surprise lifted her brows. “I’m not—”
I silenced her with a hot look. She bit her lip. Owen rushed over. “Did I catch anything, Kenny?”
Her cheeks were flushed when she switched her gaze to my son. “Not yet. Should we cast again?”
She stole another glance, one that said she wanted me to prove what I meant later. I’d do exactly that.
Chapter 11
Kennedy
* * *
I stayed on the couch while Liam tucked the kids into bed. I had given each of them a hug. I usually loved getting them to bed and witnessing their wily minds slowing down for the night, but I’d helped the other night. If I did it too often, they might start to ask questions Liam and I weren’t ready to answer. Instead, I had taken our mint chip ice cream bowls to the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher before waiting in the living room like a nervous date.
The stairs creaked as he came down. When his gaze landed on me, he chuckled. “They were both asleep by the time the first story was done. I think we need to go fishing every day.”
“I’m not sure it was fishing as much as racing up and down the shore for hours with their toy trucks.”
Liam and I had given up with the rods, only putting a line in the water when a boy popped over wanting to cast. Eli was disappointed they couldn’t teach me how to fillet a fish, but I was okay not knowing what the guts of my food looked like.
Liam sank onto the couch next to me. I continued flipping through shows on TV, enjoying the heat radiating off his body. Having him sit near enough that I could curl my legs to the side and tuck my feet close to him was a different sort of intimate. The thought of kissing him again sent my belly tumbling, but cuddling also ignited my nerves.
“What do you feel like watching?” I clicked through more options, trying to be casual. This wasn’t me testing the waters of touching and sex. This was us being a couple. This was me wondering if I was moving too fast or too slow into another relationship.
I concentrated on the screen, flipping through action movies. Horror movies were definitely a no. There were a lot of young adult series options, but Liam wouldn’t be interested in those. I stayed away from romance. I had my own to weather.
“I feel like taking you to the bedroom and making out.” My startled gaze jumped to him. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, quirking a brow. He hadn’t been joking. “No pressure, Kenny.”
Heat flooded my body, but my flight response had kicked in at the word bedroom. I had thought I was ready for more, but thanks to my toes tucked under his powerful thigh, I was back in uncertain territory. Having sex with Liam meant I was navigating new territory and he was there to support me. We’d talked about moving beyond friendship status, and we’d done things that were more than handshakes, but this relationship was blooming faster than I had expected. My mind had a hard time keeping up.
I licked my bottom lip. Neither of us wanted a repeat of me fleeing his house. “I want to be ready for more, but I’m not sure I’m ready for everything.” Sex had never been casual in my life, and this thing between us was anything but superficial. I didn’t want to mess it up because all of me wasn’t on the same page.
“We’re only doing what you’re comfortable with.” He dropped his hand onto my calf, and my body lit up like the night sky. “We can watch a show too.”
The choice between watching a show and making out with Liam was absurd. Who wouldn’t want to be held by him? Yet, I was tempted to tell him that I could find something on TV we’d both enjoy.
He gave me time. The internal struggle probably played out over my face and in my eyes, but he didn’t back away. He didn’t get frustrated and tell me to forget it. He waited, and I could tell he’d be fine with another kissing session or just a night full of screen time.
I wouldn’t be, though. On that simple point, I was clear. I rose and held out my hand.
A ghost of a smile passed over his full lips—lips I wanted on mine.
I struggled to draw a breath as I led him to the guest room. This room had become neutral ground. My house was loaded with emotion. His bed promised more intimacy than I was ready to handle. The guest bedroom didn’t smell like him. The bed was made and not rumpled from his strong body. His clothing wasn’t lying on the dresser or piled in the laundry.
I stopped just feet from the bed, and he closed the door behind us.
He tugged me into his embrace
, but like he’d been doing, he took it slow. Shadows draped over us, giving me space to hide, time to ease into this moment. He lowered his head and grazed his mouth across mine.
Soft, with a hint of firmness. My lips parted. I’d watched those lips for years: smile, frown, joke, discipline. The touch sent tingles down to my toes. I lifted my head and met his light pressure with more force. He was warm and safe and, for the moment, he was mine.
Wrapping my arms around his wide shoulders, I encouraged him. More. Faster. Harder. He answered each demand, prodding my lips apart until my tongue tentatively danced with his. He made each move deliberately, waiting for me to take it further.
Electricity swept through my body. I angled my head, took him deeper. Tasted the mint chip ice cream on his breath. Soaked up the heat from his body. Relied on his strength to hold me up.
When he moved, I was ready to go with him. He backed me to the bed. His strong hands gripped me around the waist, and he lifted me. My surprise didn’t stop me from twining my legs around his waist to keep the kiss from stopping.
I clung to him as he laid us back. I didn’t release him to relax into the mattress. I couldn’t let go, but the easy compliance from earlier was receding. I needed a moment to adjust. His weight was on me, over me, yet he supported me. He kept most of the pressure off until the tension leaked out of my body, then he eased his weight onto me.
His jeans held back the erection that pressed between us, but my awareness centered on the length, the thickness, how hard he was. For me. With my legs around him, I cradled him, getting used to the idea that someday soon we’d do this without clothing between us. My body reacted, and I rocked against the hard ridge.
A growl left him, and his kiss increased in force and matched the rocking of his pelvis. Sensation swept me away. I unhooked my legs to press my heels into the mattress and use it for leverage. Need piled on top of desire, wrapped in demand. I writhed. I whimpered.
He backed off the kiss and murmured, “Do you need more, Kenny?”
“Yes,” I pleaded, trusting him not to go too far.
His hand landed at my waistband as he kissed a path down my neck. I rocked up, urging him to go faster. I hated that he had to put space between us for him to undo my jean shorts, but when his warm fingers pressed against me, I was lost in pleasure. I knew nothing but his touch. His hot lips at my neck. His expert fingers stroking me.
Within minutes I went off, lightning exploding behind my eyes. He smashed his mouth to mine and swallowed my cries and my whimpers and my moans. When I settled, he withdrew his hand and muffled that moan too.
He’d taken care of me, like he had before. Who would take care of him? I’d take all the pleasure he was willing to give, but I didn’t want to be selfish. I brushed my hand across the hard erection behind his jeans.
Liam curled his fingers around mine and rolled to his side, tucking me in next to him. “You don’t have to do that.”
I blinked from the sting of rejection until I noticed the restraint etched into his expression. This had nothing to do with how I thought I might bumble my way through a hand job compared to the more experienced women he’d likely been with. He was protecting me. “I want to.”
“Next time.” He dropped a kiss into my hair. “But I’m ready to explode, and I’m afraid it’d be too much too soon for you.”
Energy vibrated under our hands. He had to be uncomfortable, but he held me as relaxed as someone ready to fall asleep.
The fog of lust waned, and awareness returned. He was right. I was growing used to us, but how would I react to stroking him off, to being the one responsible for him coming apart in my arms?
I liked the idea, and the reality would probably be better. But this wasn’t just me. It was important to Liam not to push me. So I wouldn’t push him.
I caressed his face. The rough stubble that had sprouted up during the day ran under my hand, a texture I hadn’t felt for so long and wanted more of.
I pressed a kiss to his lips. “You mind if we stay like this for a while?”
He rewarded me with a sweet smile and wrapped his arms around me. I was safe in his embrace.
Liam
* * *
Eli was telling Grandma Gin about our fishing trip with Kenny from a couple of days ago, so excited he forgot to use the new skills he’d been learning in speech. She smiled and nodded along as we sat around the table, eating our meal. I’d missed seeing her with the boys, these times when she could enjoy herself and didn’t have to cook and clean up after them.
I’d invited her over for supper. I had grilled, and the steaks made up for the lack of flair with the rest of the meal, which consisted of frozen green beans I nuked in the microwave and box mac and cheese. She’d played with the boys, and I’d stared into the flames, thinking about how good it had felt to have Kenny shatter in my arms. That night hadn’t been like the first time I’d gotten her off in the guest room. She’d held me in return, and she’d wanted to do the same.
I’d wanted nothing more than to have her explore my body. God, had I been fantasizing about it. But if so much as one of her little fingertips had touched my dick, I’d have been coming like a beast. So I’d asked her to wait, and my dick still hated me for that decision.
Eli wrapped up his tales of the weekend and gobbled down his food. Owen shoveled orange macaroni into his mouth. He’d devoured the meat I’d cut up for him as Eli had talked.
“You two can go play,” I said. “Just take your plates to the counter.”
The boys did as I asked and ran outside. I’d taken them each riding around without training wheels on their bikes. I’d put the trainers back on and had drawn a chalk racetrack on the concrete pad in front of the garage. They’d been riding their bikes around it all afternoon.
Grandma Gin pushed her empty plate to the side and shifted in her chair until she was facing me. “Have you done some job hunting?”
“I’ve found a few openings.” It’d taken longer than expected to comb through them. I kept staring at the screen and thinking about Kenny’s heat flooding my hand. Goddamn, I had it bad. “My resume’s all polished and ready.”
I met her gaze. She read right through me. Not about the Kenny stuff. I’d stuck true to what Kenny had asked. But about the job stuff. I’d left a lot unsaid, and Grandma Gin had heard every word.
“Worried about the can of worms that might open as soon as you hit the apply button?”
“Word’s going to spread like wildfire.” And a trail of gasoline led right to Cameron. But this time I had seven years of welding experience and a handful of supervisors and managers that could recommend me as both a welder and an employee.
“It always does.” Her scrutiny stayed on me. “The fence along the north end looks nice. Did Bruce do that?”
“I fixed it. The kids had fun helping.”
“He was an ass about it?”
About the north side? No. That had been the west side of the fence. “Bruce was busy taking over Kenny’s flooring project the last couple of days.”
She’d called, exasperated. She hadn’t had the heart to shoo him away, but at least she’d insisted on helping. Only, he’d made her the tool bitch. Just like I’d been with Grandpa Bob when I was five. Hand me the hammer. Hold the flashlight. Grab a glass of water, will ya?
“I take it his help wasn’t welcome?” Grandma Gin asked.
I took my plate to the counter and peered out the window above the sink. Eli was halfway around the track, and Owen was lying in the middle hollering something at him. He probably wanted his brother to try to jump him with the bike. “The problem is he doesn’t help. He takes over and makes Kenny feel inept.”
“Then Kennedy should say something to him.”
She wouldn’t. She had a soft heart, and Bruce was the closest thing to a father she’d ever had. “She tries, but you know how they are.”
Grandma Gin grunted like she didn’t believe Kenny really tried, but also like she could believe Bruce ign
ored her. She brought her plate to the counter and reached for the faucet. I stopped her. “I’ve got the dishes. Me and the boys wanted to treat you tonight.”
She smirked and glanced outside. This time it was Eli lying in the middle. Owen was drawing an outline around him with the chalk. It would look like a crime scene by the time they were done.
She turned her back to the window as if she didn’t want the kids to hear. She wasn’t afraid of the kids suddenly learning to read lips. She’d put her back to the Barrons’ land. We couldn’t see their house from the window, but all the land in the distance was theirs.
And I was filled with satisfaction that the pastures surrounding our house wouldn’t be.
“Can you meet me at the bank tomorrow? Deano will go over everything with us.” Dean Bateman. Forever Deano to the over-fifty crowd in Coal Haven who remembered him as the pitcher who’d almost made it to the minors. “I told him ten and warned him that kids will be there.” She ran her tongue along her front teeth. “If the bank wants our business, they’d better not say a damn word about it.”
There was no other bank in town. So if we didn’t want to drive, they’d get our business. But Grandpa Bob had always liked Deano, and my father had long outgrown doing his banking in Coal Haven. Grandma Gin and I wouldn’t worry that Cameron had Deano’s ear.
“I’ll meet you there. I’ll treat you to lunch after?”
She patted my shoulder. “You don’t have to spoil me. But one of my friends wants to rearrange her living room, and we’re all trying to talk her out of it. She’s eighty. If we’re not done moving furniture by the time we’re eighty, then I don’t know why we bother getting that old.”
I chuckled. Grandma Gin had likely already volunteered me. She wanted to get in good with her senior living complex. There was nowhere else to go from there. Leaving this house had been hard enough.
Make Me Whole: Oil Barrons, Book 1 Page 13