Reforming Kent: A Stand-Alone Angsty Bad Boy Romance (The Kennedy Boys Book 10)

by Siobhan Davis

  “Ugh.” I step in front of the warring boys. “You’re gross. They love each other, that’s why.” I know it’s a foreign concept to him, but I hate how superior he acts around my brother. Like he deserves some life medal for being a player. “Go, Trent.” I push him toward the door. “Go to that skank and fuck her up the ass. See if I care.”

  “You’re going to Rochelle’s?” Drew queries, raising a brow.

  “Your sister won’t spread her legs, as usual, and I’m all fired up.” He winks at me. “Lucky for Rochelle.”

  “We had an agreement,” Drew protests, and it’s the first I’ve heard of it. “And you’re already breaking it.”

  “You decided I should cut Rochelle loose. I didn’t voice an opinion either way.” He saunters toward the door, and a layer of tension lifts from my shoulders. “Convince your precious sister to put out, and I’ll consider it,” he tosses over his shoulder, before leaving, the noise of his shoes echoing in the wide hallway as he walks away.

  Drew slowly turns around, inspecting me quickly. “Did he hurt you anyplace else?” he asks, pulling a handkerchief out of his dress pants and gently dabbing at my lip.

  The guys were at some function in the gentleman’s club downtown with their respective fathers. Hence why Drew is dressed like he’s attending a funeral. And why Trent is wasted. I hate the way women are treated within the elite social circles, but there are times I’m glad we’re excluded from things.

  I harrumph. “You have to ask?” I push the short sleeves of my dress up to my shoulders, skimming a finger over the bruising already blossoming on my upper arms.

  Trent never leaves a mark in a visible place.

  Appearances and all.

  That’s something else he has in common with my father. That and the obvious shared psycho gene. Thankfully, Drew seems to have escaped that trait, although he’s as arrogant and power-obsessed as Daddy Dearest, so he definitely inherited some of his DNA.

  I like to believe there’s more of Mom in me.

  Drew rubs a tense-looking spot between his brows. “He’s on edge because of this upcoming trip.”

  The guys are leaving next weekend for Parkhurst, some bullshit elite training camp they attend a few times a year. Although the guys will go on to college after graduating high school next May, they will each assume some official responsibility within their family business, fulfilling more public obligations, and this month-long camp trip is part of their preparation.

  “Don’t make excuses for him,” I say, turning around and holding my hair up.

  Drew unzips my dress, casting his warm brown eyes to the floor as I slip it off and pull on my silk nightdress. “I’m not. You don’t understand the pressure that’s on our shoulders.”

  I whirl around on him, my eyes blazing. “Don’t talk to me about pressure! At least you get to have a career and a life! What choices do I have?” I flap my hands about.

  “You’ve got college to look forward to, and Christian Montgomery has agreed you can wait until you get your degree before producing an heir.”

  “Am I supposed to be grateful?” I shout even though I’m venting at the wrong person.

  “You’ll want for nothing, Abby.” He tenderly cups my face. “And you and Trent will make beautiful babies together.”

  I push him away, disgusted at the turn in our conversation. “Go away, Drew. I can’t hear this tonight.”

  His features pull into a tight grimace. “Stop being such a whiny bitch,” he snaps. “You know how important the alliance with the Montgomerys is. We’ve both got parts to play.”

  I pull back the silk covers on my large four-poster bed, crawling inside, needing this day to be over. “I know, Drew. I’ve heard this my entire life. I don’t need you to constantly reinforce it.”

  “Sure, I do,” he says, perching on the side of my bed, losing his fleeting anger. “Because you’ve got too much of Mom in you, and I see how badly you want to rebel.” He tucks me in under the covers, like he used to do after Mom died when I’d have regular nightmares. Except back then, he’d usually crawl into bed alongside me. “But you can’t, Abby. Stop fighting Trent. Give him what he wants, and he’ll change. He just wants you to love him.”

  “He just wants to fuck me,” I retort.

  “Is that such a bad thing?”

  “His dick is rotten to the core, and his touch makes my skin crawl, so that’d be a yes.” Drew sighs. “Maybe if he wasn’t so aggressive with me all the time. Maybe if he respected me as you do with Jane, things would be different, but he doesn’t, and they aren’t.”

  While the Ford family isn’t one of the founding families, they are respected within the upper echelons of elite society, known as the inner circle, and our father was keen to secure a formal alliance.

  Marriage between both families will ensure that.

  Jane’s father insisted on a virginity clause too, but Drew and Jane are hot for one another, and they couldn’t wait. Unlike me, Jane adores her father, and she doesn’t want to disappoint him, so, even though she’s already sleeping with my brother, her father doesn’t know.

  Any time Jane sleeps over, her parents assume she’s staying with me, but she usually sleeps in Drew’s bed. My father actively encourages it, because he loves getting one over on Mr. Ford and he’s a sexual deviant. The private sex room in our basement attests to that.

  When I see my brother and Jane together, all loved up and mooning at one another as if no one else exists on the planet but them, I feel the odd stab of envy. If Trent and I were in love, I’d be happy to let him into my bed. But I fucking loathe Trent with the heat of a thousand suns, and I’d never willingly sleep with him.

  “Just don’t do anything stupid, sis.” Drew presses a kiss to my forehead. “We already lost Mom, and I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”

  “I won’t,” I lie, sitting up and hugging him. “But I won’t be Trent’s punching bag either.”

  “Let him in, Abby,” Drew beseeches. “It’ll make for an easier life.”

  And as my brother pulls the door closed behind him, I wonder if there’s some wisdom in his words and if I should make some alterations to my plan.

  ***

  End of Sample.

  Download here or check out your local Amazon store.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  So, that’s a wrap on The Kennedy Boys series, and I hope you enjoyed Reforming Kent as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wanted to end the series with a bang, and I hope I delivered that. This book was so emotional for me to write because the subject matter was harrowing in parts and it’s the last Kennedy Boys book! Gah! I’m not ready to say goodbye to this crazy family even if I know it’s time to let them go.

  Ending any series is always bittersweet for me, but especially this one as I have spent four years writing about this fictional family who seems so real to me at this point. Although, I had only initially planned on writing Kyler and Faye’s story, all the Kennedy men were speaking to me from early in the series. All their stories have been crystal clear to me from the outset. I always knew something this traumatic had happened to Kent, and his pain and his inner turmoil has hurt me so much throughout the other books in this series.

  If you have been reading my books, you will know that I like to tackle topics that don’t often make their way into romance books. While my books, especially within this series, are often deliberately dramatic and angsty, I try to inject authenticity and real life through the subjects I choose to write about.

  The statistics Kent shared during his press conference are real statistics my critique partner unearthed for me. There is such little real data about male rape available, which is disappointing but not shocking. There is still such a stigma about rape in general, although the MeToo movement has done a lot to help undo that, but male rape is particularly taboo, although it happens a lot more frequently than you might think.

  My heart hurt for Kent in this book, and I cried a lot while writing it. I also read some real-life
interviews with male rape victims and cried for their pain and suffering too. If you have been the victim of rape, I hope this book hasn’t upset you too much. I want to raise awareness while treating the subject sensitively yet not shying away from the harsh reality either.

  I have so many people to thank for helping me with this series. A big shout-out to my wonderful editor, Kelly Hartigan, for keeping me on the straight and narrow. To Fiona and Robin for the beautiful series cover art and graphics. To photographer Sara Eirew for the gorgeous cover photos on all the books from Loving Kalvin onward. Thanks to Tamara of The Deliberate Page for the series formatting. To my amazing critique partner Jennifer and my wonderful beta reading team—thank you for helping me to make this series shine. Thanks to my assistants, Lola and Christina, and to Sarah Ferguson and Danielle Sanchez for the series PR support.

  Huge thanks to my ARC team and to all the readers around the world who took a chance on Finding Kyler and who have stuck with the series ever since. I only wrote the other Kennedy brothers books for you, and I hope I haven’t let you down.

  Lastly, a big shout-out to my family. My husband, Trev, and my sons, Cian and Callum, make a lot of sacrifices so I can write my little heart out. They are my biggest supporters, and I couldn’t do this without them.

  I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone (always my biggest fear when writing acknowledgments) but if I did, please don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate you because I appreciate everyone who supports me. It just means I have a head like a sieve (Ask my husband; he’ll tell you all about it, lol!).

  I love connecting with my readers, so feel free to reach out to me via social media or email (siobhan@siobhandavis.com)

  Thank you so much for reading Reforming Kent, and I look forward to entertaining you for many more years to come. Big hugs from Ireland.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime!

  Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.

  Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.

  She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.

  You can connect with Siobhan in the following ways:

  Author Website: www.siobhandavis.com

  Author Blog: My YA NA Book Obsession

  Facebook: AuthorSiobhanDavis

  Twitter: @siobhandavis

  Instagram: @siobhandavisauthor

  Email: siobhan@siobhandavis.com

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  BOOKS BY SIOBHAN DAVIS

  KENNEDY BOYS SERIES

  Upper Young Adult/New Adult Contemporary Romance

  Finding Kyler

  Losing Kyler

  Keeping Kyler

  The Irish Getaway

  Loving Kalvin

  Saving Brad

  Seducing Kaden

  Forgiving Keven

  Summer in Nantucket

  Releasing Keanu

  Adoring Keaton

  Reforming Kent

  STAND-ALONES

  New Adult Contemporary Romance

  Inseparable

  Incognito

  When Forever Changes

  Only Ever You

  No Feelings Involved

  Second Chances Box Set

  Reverse Harem Contemporary Romance

  Surviving Amber Springs

  RYDEVILLE ELITE SERIES

  Dark High School Romance

  Cruel Intentions

  Twisted Betrayal

  Sweet Retribution

  Charlie

  Jackson

  Sawyer^

  Drew^

  THE SAINTHOOD (BOYS OF LOWELL HIGH)

  Dark HS Reverse Harem Romance

  Resurrection

  Rebellion

  Reign

  ALL OF ME DUET

  Angsty New Adult Romance

  Say I’m The One ^

  Let Me Love You^

  ALINTHIA SERIES

  Upper YA/NA Paranormal Romance/Reverse Harem

  The Lost Savior

  The Secret Heir

  The Warrior Princess

  The Chosen One

  The Rightful Queen*

  TRUE CALLING SERIES

  Young Adult Science Fiction/Dystopian Romance

  True Calling

  Lovestruck

  Beyond Reach

  Light of a Thousand Stars

  Destiny Rising

  Short Story Collection

  True Calling Series Collection

  SAVEN SERIES

  Young Adult Science Fiction/Paranormal Romance

  Saven Deception

  Logan

  Saven Disclosure

  Saven Denial

  Saven Defiance

  Axton

  Saven Deliverance

  Saven: The Complete Series

  *Coming 2020

  ^Release date to be confirmed

  Visit www.siobhandavis.com for all future release dates. Please note release dates are subject to change based on reader demand and the author’s schedule. Subscribing to the author’s newsletter or following her on Facebook is the best way to stay updated with planned new releases.

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © Siobhan Davis 2020. Siobhan Davis asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Conditions of Sale

  By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, shared, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Author.

  E-Book edition © October 2020

  Editor: Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb) editing.xterraweb.com

  Proof Team: Megan Smith, Lauren Lascola-Lesczynski, Brenda Parsons, Amanda Marie, Aundi Marie, and Elizabeth Clinton.

  Cover design: Robin Harper https://wickedbydesigncovers.wixsite.com/wickedbydesign

  Cover Photo: Sara Eirew Photographer

  Cover Model: Mike Chabot

  Formatting by Vellum