by Abby Brooks
“You told me I wouldn’t believe what happened. Seeing as I’m a firm believer that nothing is impossible, what choice did I have but to go big?”
Kennedy gave me the sweetest smile, her eyes lighting up with something I hadn’t seen aimed my way before. A jolt of shock asked if what I was seeing was love. Panic twisted my stomach into heart-shaped knots at the thought, but then she turned away, breaking the spell.
The fact that I was imagining stuff like that meant I was getting attached. With a capital A. I’d need to be more careful on that front. Zero expectations. Stay detached. Prepare for the worst. Those measures had kept me from being disappointed after Perfect Mom crushed my soul and they hadn’t let me down yet.
“That kid?” Kennedy paused, hitting me with a question mark of a glance. “The one I was considering calling the state about?” When I nodded, she continued, “I met his mom today. I was so completely wrong about her. Like, one hundred percent off the mark. I’m so glad you told me to wait until I had more info before I did anything. I could have devastated them if I’d made the call.”
“Assuming his mom is telling the truth.”
She folded her arms over her chest and sucked in her lips. “She seemed very honest.”
“People can seem like anything they want. Believe me. I was very good at it for a long time.”
“You think she was lying?”
Tension crept into Kennedy’s shoulders. She’d expected me to celebrate with her and there I was, telling her to slow down again.
The world she lived in was mostly good.
Successful parents.
Plenty of money.
Loving grandparents.
She didn’t understand how nuanced a bad situation could be. Just because this kid’s mom was walking the right walk when she had an audience, didn’t mean she was doing it at home.
People were shitty that way.
I slid my hands into my back pockets. “Just keep your eyes open, okay? The world isn’t black and white. His mother might be everything she seemed when you talked to her today, or she could be everything she seemed when the kid first came in.”
“The world might not be black and white, but it’s not all bad, either. I’ll keep my eyes open because this really smart guy I know said I should, but I have faith in this woman.” She gave me a wide grin. “Also, today was all about the good news. Right after Shane and his mom left, my building manager called. My apartment is ready!”
That hit me like a right hook to the face. It shouldn’t have. I knew this day was coming. I just didn’t want it to come so fast.
“Wow. You got what you want from me and now you’re leaving. Go figure.”
I meant it as a joke, but an embarrassing amount of anxiety followed those words. I swallowed it down and leaned against the wall.
Kennedy smirked. “That’s exactly what’s happening here. Thanks for the orgasms, but toodle-oo!” She waved her fingers and stuck her nose in the air.
She was messing with me. I knew it. But her words cut deeper than they should have.
I decided to change topics and surprise her with more good news.
“I hope you don’t have any plans tomorrow, because, well, you have plans tomorrow. You’re set up with a relaxing massage first thing in the morning with our friend Cat at The Hutton Hotel.”
Her face fell. “Actually, I do have plans. A work thing. Though, that’s in the evening, so I could probably fit both in.”
The needle on my bullshit meter twitched. “A work thing? On a Saturday?”
Kennedy nodded, looking oddly embarrassed. “No matter what I do, I can’t give my patients the in-depth care they deserve and get them out fast enough to please my office manager. One of the other doctors, he’s been trying to get me to meet him for drinks forever to give me some pointers on the topic.”
The needle twitched again.
Two things stood out to me in her last statement. The other doctor was a man. And he’d been trying to take my girl out for drinks for a while. “There’s no way that’s a business meeting.”
“I’m meeting a colleague to talk about work.” Kennedy frowned. “Sounds like the textbook definition of a business meeting to me.”
“Sounds like a coward who asked you on a date under the pretense of meeting for work.”
“At least he didn’t do it under the pretense of meeting his brother.” Her grin was wide, her eyes sparkling with humor. The light bled from her face when I didn’t react to the joke. “I can’t believe you’re jealous about this.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I can’t believe you’re falling for it.”
“Are you saying you don’t trust me?” She stepped forward and I kept an eye on that right fist.
“I’m just sayin’…”
Kennedy drew to a stop in front of me. “You’re saying you think this guy from work is going to take me out for drinks at The Drunken Goat and I’ll be whisked away by his wonderfulness and forget about you.”
I met her eyes. The weak part of me felt that way and I hated it. Kennedy hadn’t earned my suspicions. In fact, up until this moment, I would have sworn I trusted her.
Maybe it was me I didn’t trust.
Maybe I knew I wouldn’t be enough to hold her attention.
Why stick with the man whose biological mother didn’t love him enough to keep him? Who wasn’t good enough for Perfect Mom to keep him? Why stick with the man who only found a home with people who wanted the check he came with?
Instead of saying any of that, I stared at my feet and sucked in my lips.
Why did dealing with other humans have to be so complicated? It fucking drove me nuts, worrying about what they were thinking, how they were feeling, if I was annoying them…
I never knew how to just be.
Kennedy took a breath and I prepared myself for the lash of humor I typically found so refreshing. Instead, her hand came to my cheek. “Hey. Joe. If you’re worried about me going out with this guy, I’ll cancel. It’s no big deal. There’s nothing he’ll tell me I wouldn’t be able to find on the internet. Plus, he’s a nose booper.” She bounced her finger off the tip of my nose. “It’s really freaking weird coming from a colleague, no matter what he says.”
Her proximity soothed the ache that had settled into my heart by sending all my blood to my dick. Lust seared my edges. I needed to transfer some of the heat to her before I went up in flames.
Angling my lips over hers, I slipped my fingers into her hair. “I don’t care if you go.”
In that moment, I didn’t care about anything but her scent. Her smile. And getting her into my bed so I could watch her writhe and shriek in pleasure.
She nuzzled along my jawline, those petal soft lips tickling the skin beneath my ear. “I don’t want to upset you.”
“Please. Penny. I’m not that guy.”
She started to protest, and I silenced her with a kiss. She tugged at the button on my jeans and I put a hand over hers.
“Not here.”
Surprising Maxine with Kennedy racing out of the guesthouse fully clothed was one thing. Walking in on the handyman doing unspeakable things to her granddaughter? That was something else altogether.
Kennedy nodded and slowly sauntered up the stairs, beckoning over her shoulder. “Follow me, big boy. I’ll show you just how dirty this penny is.”
I sprinted after her, taking the steps two at a time, the solid thump of my feet hitting the wood both a battle cry and celebration for a job well done. As soon as I reached the top of the landing, we came together in a clash of chemistry and hormones.
Lips teasing bodies.
Hands tugging at clothes.
We stumbled down the hall and into her room. When I slipped inside her, those tight muscles massaging my cock, I fought the urge to shout “Hallelujah!” to the ceiling.
Her body was made for mine. Together, we were a fucking masterpiece. I gripped her hips and thrust deep. Fast. Fell into those eyes and what I found sc
ared me to death.
Not only had I let her in. Not only had I allowed her to mean something to me. But I meant something to her, too.
I meant something to her.
My pace slowed. A grin teased her lips.
I cupped her face and she nuzzled into my hand.
Whatever we were doing, whatever this was between us, we’d obliterated barriers without either one of us knowing.
I fucked away those thoughts. Focused on the physical. The hiss of her breath. The slap of our skin. Closing my eyes, I felt her clench around me and gave in to a bone-melting orgasm. We finished together and I collapsed on the bed beside her.
As she disappeared into the bathroom to clean up, my mind wandered over the last few weeks. The fire between us had been there from the start. We’d come together in a clash of intensity and it hadn’t faded. Not one bit. Her quick wit and intelligence kept me on my toes and she seemed perpetually surprised when I didn’t back down.
“Can you imagine how hard-headed our kids would be?” I asked as she walked back into the room. “Considering how stubborn we both are?”
Eyes wide, she froze mid-slide into bed, then nervously settled herself beside me. “There you go again, moving this relationship at the speed of light.”
“You know what they say. When it’s right, it’s right.”
And boy, does this feel right.
Kennedy pushed up on her elbow, terror streaking across her face. “I’d have to give up my career to have kids. And I really just got started as a doctor…”
“Easy, Penny. I’m not proposing.” I quirked a brow, pretending to be hurt. “Though I have to admit, my pride is stinging if this is your reaction when you think I am.”
“I didn’t think you were.” Rolling her eyes, she dropped back on the pillow. “I guess I’m just touchy. Everything’s going so well. I keep waiting for it all to come crumbling down.”
“Everything’s okay. It really is.” I ran my fingers into her hair. “You’re not your mom. And I’m not your dad.”
And finally, her smile lit her face the way it should after what we’d just done together. “Thank goodness about that,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. “This whole thing would be really awkward if you were.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kennedy
We rumbled into the parking lot in front of The Hutton Hotel at nine in the morning. Joe patted the dashboard of the truck as he killed the engine, then gave me a sideways grin. “You ready for this?”
“Is there a person in the world who would not be ready for a surprise massage first thing in the morning? One gifted to her by a very thoughtful…” The word “boyfriend” was locked and loaded, but I artfully avoided embarrassment with a quick dodge. “…friend.”
“That’s me. The thoughtful-est friend of all the friends.” Joe arched an eyebrow and gave me a strange look.
Maybe my dodge wasn’t as artful as I thought.
We hopped out of the truck into a soggy sponge of a day. I felt like I could wring out the air and watch water disintegrate on the pavement, but when I glanced at the hotel, all thoughts of the weather disappeared.
“Oh, wow. I’d heard this place was charming, but…” I took in the wraparound porch with ferns swaying in hanging baskets. Palm trees dotted the grounds with the ocean as a backdrop. Bungalows squatted under trees in the distance, each of them with their own unique view of the water.
“It’s one of those places that stays with you.” Joe threaded his fingers through mine and led me up the porch steps, through the front door. In the foyer, Lucas sprawled in an armchair while his wife perched on the armrest, laughing at something he’d said. They stood as we entered, and Lucas thumped Joe on the back while Cat offered me one of those smiles that made me feel like I’d found a new friend.
“I’m so excited to get to work on you.” She rubbed her hands together like a kid contemplating donuts.
Lucas raked his fingers through his hair and turned his intense gaze my way. “You’ll come out a whole new woman, I promise. Cat has a gift.”
“That’s exactly what today calls for.” Joe folded his arms over his chest with the scowl to end all scowls. “We need to get Kennedy gussied up for her date with another man.”
I fought the urge to hit him. I really did.
“It’s not a date,” I said with a swat to his bicep. “It’s a business meeting.”
“On a Saturday. At a bar with a dress code.” He gave his friends a look that said “you’re not gonna believe this.” “With a male co-worker who’s been asking her to meet him for drinks for a month now.”
Lucas wrinkled his nose. “There’s no way that’s a business meeting.”
Cat nodded her agreement.
When Joe had gotten weird about it the day before, my internal alarm bells leapt into instant agreement. I’d been sure Ramsey was asking me out on a date from the start, which was why I’d turned him down for so long.
But I’d been wrong about Joe.
About Shane.
About my apartment neighbors.
How could I trust an alarm system that led me so far astray? But with both Lucas and Cat agreeing with Joe, I started to worry all over again.
“It’ll be fine,” I said, and hoped I was right.
Ramsey arrived at The Drunken Goat in a cloud of perfect bone structure, name brand slacks that hugged his thighs, and a fitted button down with the top four buttons undone.
You heard that right. Four buttons.
Hello, chest hair at a business meeting.
His face lit up when he found me, perched at the bar in my sensible skirt and stiletto heels. Balancing practical clothes with sassy shoes had seemed like the perfect outfit for a business meeting in public. When Ramsey’s gaze went on a pleasure cruise around my face, my body, and back again, I wished I’d dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized T-shirt.
He leaned in to kiss my cheek. I jolted away, and his lips grazed my hair. Without missing a beat, he leaned a hip on the stool next to mine. “You look amazing.”
Well, shit.
I was on a date.
Ramsey signaled the bartender, then tossed me a smoldering glance. “Are you a wine drinker?”
I steeled myself for unabashed disdain when he found out my favorite drinks came adorned with umbrellas and hunks of fruit. “Not really.”
He waved the statement away. “You just haven’t met the right wine. That’s something else I’ll have to help you with.”
His grin caused me to shiver…not in delight.
The bartender was a stocky man in a black button up, sleeves rolled up to show forearms covered in ink. A tag on his chest identified him as Paul. He sidled our way and dropped a hand on the bar. “What can I get you lovely people this fine evening?”
Ramsey leaned on his elbow. “The last time I was here, the Pomerol was more cloying than a Kenny G album. I missed that gritty Bordeaux terroir.” He pinched his fingers together and shook them in front of his lips.
My eyes widened in time with Paul’s. Had Ramsey prepped for the night by searching how to talk about wine? Or did he really speak that way? Either way, I judged him for it.
“I recognized most of those words,” I said, “but not all strung together like that.” The bartender bobbed his head and Ramsey regarded me as he would a wayward puppy.
“How about a pinot grigio?” He beamed. “One bottle, two glasses.”
Paul had the good grace to cast a questioning glance my way and I shook my head. “Just a glass for him, please. I’ll stick with the theme of drinks starting with P and have a pina colada.”
Ramsey’s jaw dropped as Paul left to fulfill our orders. “How do you keep your figure inhaling calories like that?” His eyes said he thought he’d given me a compliment.
With a light shrug, I crossed my legs and sat up straight. Prim. Professional. Decidedly not flirty or inviting in the least. “I’m really excited to hear your advice for giving solid care to patients wh
ile still keeping to a clock.”
Ramsey leaned in, his perfect bone structure annihilating my personal space—the move he made every time he came near me. To say it was getting old was an understatement. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk about work. Why don’t you tell me a little about why you became a doctor in the first place? Let me unravel all there is to know about Kennedy Monroe.”
There would be no unraveling.
Of any kind.
For any reason.
I shifted, recreating a comfortable distance between us. “I’ve been volunteering at a clinic after work, and people love me there because I take my time with them. They line up, knowing I’ll make them wait, but only because I give people my full attention. I don’t understand why things are so different at Key West Pediatrics.”
“You volunteer at a free clinic? How virtuous of you.” He purred the compliment, but an involuntary nose wrinkle betrayed his true feelings. Ramsey Middleton did not approve of volunteering. Or maybe free clinics weren’t his style. Or maybe he thought it was beneath me. Whatever it was, his disapproval was on full display.
As the man who promised his interest was purely professional ran a flirty finger along the back of my hand, I searched for a way to end the evening gracefully. I had to work with the man, for goodness sakes. How could I shoot him down without offending him?
Navigating the encounter was like wandering a minefield blindfolded. In clown shoes.
I moved my hand out of reach. He leaned closer. I shifted to the edge of my seat. He did the same. We were locked in a ballet of body language and we spoke different dialects. Things were definitely lost in translation.
“I’m sorry,” I said, interrupting him middle humble-brag. “I have to go to the bathroom. Would you please excuse me?”
Ramsey blinked, then had the balls to finish his sentence as if I hadn’t spoken. Sure, I’d interrupted him, but who ignored an emergency bathroom request? Apparently, the same kind of guy who hid a date in a business meeting and expected everything to work out his way.