by R. Linda
Chapter Seven
Kenzie
I was late again. This time, it wasn’t because I was kept awake by my neighbour’s loud music echoing through the walls. No, this time was because I’d spent the night at Ryder’s with Cole and rushed home this morning to get ready for work. I hadn’t seen Jeremy for a couple of days. Not since we had pizza together, but we’d texted a few times. Mostly him just checking up on me and making sure Chace was keeping away. And we had a quick dinner again last night.
I liked Jeremy.
Who wouldn’t? He was charming, funny, sexy as hell…and that kiss? So ten out of ten. Not that I’d admit that to him.
I rushed down the stairs and out to my car, fumbling with my keys. I dropped them on the ground, and they bounced under the car.
“Dammit.” I crouched and peered under the car in search of my keys, locating them behind the tyre. I reached out and snatched them up.
I stood and dusted off my hands and knees as a voice called behind me, “Kenzie?”
I shuddered, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Maybe if I counted to ten then opened my eyes, I’d find myself at work. Because being at work was a dream compared to being stuck having to converse with Chace again. It was like talking to a brick wall. An extremely volatile and dodgy brick wall.
I turned slowly to see Chace standing there in beige pants, mint green polo shirt, and sunglasses tucked into his pocket. I had to stop myself from snorting at his appearance. He was twenty-three, for Pete’s sake. He dressed like Indie’s dad.
He smiled, a blindingly white smile, and outstretched his arm, coffee clasped in his fingers, handing it to me. “Hi.”
“What do you want, Chace?” My mouth watered at the smell of the coffee, but I held strong. I wouldn’t accept it from him. If I did, it would be like admitting defeat. I’d be giving in to him, and he’d push harder to see Cole.
“To finish our discussion from the other night,” he said, stepping forward and trying again to give me the coffee. “I got you this.”
“No, thanks. On a health kick, and coffee is banned,” I lied smoothly, clutched my keys tighter, preparing to get in my car and leave.
Chace laughed humourlessly. “And pizza and beer are allowed on your health kick?”
My heart stopped, and if it was at all possible, I felt the colour drain from my face. Pizza and beer. How did he know what Jeremy and I had for dinner the other night? He must have snooped through my rubbish while I wasn’t home. The thought alone was disconcerting.
“Look, I really I have to go. I’m going to be late for work.” I had to get out of there. His smile had turned from friendly and optimistic to sinister. I didn’t like it.
“This isn’t over, Kenzie. We will discuss this rationally.”
“You can’t keep showing up here unannounced, Chace. Just give me some time.” I opened my door and slid into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it, just in case.
He didn’t try to stop me from leaving. But he did stand on the side of the road and watch me drive away. I glanced in my rear-view mirror and watched him watch me until I turned the corner at the end of the street.
Creepy.
I got to work, and I was still rattled from Chace’s visit. Mum was at the nurses’ station when I put my bag in a cupboard under the counter. Her smile faded the minute she looked at me. “What did he do?”
She knew, without me even having to speak, that Chace was involved. I shrugged out of my jacket and hung it over the back of the chair. I hadn’t seen her for a couple of days. Even though we both worked, we hadn’t had the same shifts, so she didn’t know what happened after I picked Cole up from her place. “Nothing. He was still there after I dropped Cole at Ryder’s the other night.”
“What did he want?” Mum asked, closing the file she was looking at to talk to me.
“Same as usual, to see his son.”
“I don’t like you being there alone.”
“I was okay. Jeremy showed up with some lie to get me inside.” I sat in my chair and reached for the stack of papers on the desk, all new patient information that needed to be put into the system.
“Jeremy? Harper’s brother?”
I nodded and avoided eye contact.
“Why was he at your apartment?”
“He lives next door,” I mumbled, keeping my head down because I knew she’d see straight through my poker face. She’d know that something, sort of, kind of, maybe happened.
It was just a kiss.
A kiss didn’t have to mean anything.
Except that was a lie.
A kiss meant everything when you’d only ever kissed one boy at the age of fifteen, and he turned out to be the biggest dick on the planet.
“Really?” she said slowly, dragging out the ‘e’ with a wry smile on her face.
“Shut up.”
She held her hands up defensively. “I didn’t say anything.”
I ignored her and flicked through the paperwork again, but I couldn’t concentrate. Not when my thoughts had drifted back to Jeremy and the way his hands felt in my hair, and the way his stomach muscles tensed under my palms. And I particularly couldn’t concentrate when my mother was standing there, staring at me as I was having those thoughts.
“Urgh. Okay. Fine. Jeez, you’re so demanding all the time,” I whined. My shoulders slumped, and I took a deep breath. Mum smiled triumphantly. “We had dinner together the other night. Me and Jeremy.” I felt the need to clarify that for some reason. I wasn’t going to tell her we had dinner last night too, before I went to Ryder’s to stay with Cole. That was why I had to come home this morning and get changed. Jeremy had distracted me so much, I hadn’t thought to pack a bag for the night. “After he lied to get me away from Chace. It was…”
“What?”
“Nice?” I answered, but it came out more like a question. Was nice the best way to describe it? It felt like a date. Not that I’d ever really been on a date. At fifteen, Chace and I didn’t go on dates. But it was definitely not just hanging out. After all, he kissed me. Twice.
“Nice?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why are you blushing, then?” Mum poked my cheek with a finger.
“I’m not.” I shoved her away and placed my hands over my cheeks. They were hot. I’d never blushed so much in my life. What was it about Jeremy Donovan that had my nerves alight?
“Nice is when we have dinner. I have a feeling that dinner with Harper’s brother would be a lot nicer than dinner with me,” she said.
“Okay, yes. It was very nice,” I conceded.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay to have a good time and enjoy the company of a man.”
“Thank you, Mother. For clarifying that.”
“I just want to see you happy. It’s been only you and Cole for so long. He needs a man in his life.”
“He has one. He has four, in fact. He doesn’t need anyone else.” But that was a lie. Even though my brother was incredible and would die for Cole—and the guys, Nate, Linc, and Brody had all fallen in love with my son and taken on the role of uncle as well—I wanted nothing more than a father figure for him. One who wasn’t his actual father, though.
“All I’m saying is, it’s okay to move on and be happy.” And with that, she walked away and left me alone to think.
Of course, my thoughts drifted to Jeremy. But I’d only known him a few weeks, and there wasn’t a chance in hell I was letting just any guy into Cole’s life. If I wanted to move on, I needed to make sure it was real. That it was going somewhere, and whoever I moved on with would love Cole as much as I did. I couldn’t allow Cole to get close to someone only for them to change their mind and walk away. Having a child was a huge responsibility, and whoever was going to take on the role of Cole’s father needed to be prepared for that.
But I couldn’t deny the chemistry and attraction between Jeremy and me. It was palpable. Intense. It was instant. The first time I saw him when he walked into
the diner and dropped his bags on the floor, my heart stuttered in my chest, but I pushed it aside. Then each time I saw him at the roadhouse his aunt and uncle owned, my insides turned to jelly. And now he was my goddamn freaking neighbour, hellbent on looking out for me. Dinner last night had been tense. Nothing happened, but the air was thicker than usual. There was more flirting, more of him calling me babe, more of me wondering what it felt like to scratch my nails over his skin and whether he would like it. Something told me he would.
Work kept me busy, like always. Working in a busy hospital meant there was never a dull moment. When I finished, I tracked Mum down to say goodbye. Her shifts often lasted twelve hours or more, something I could look forward to when I graduated at the end of the year. Then I headed to Ryder’s house to see Cole.
They were just sitting down to eat dinner when I walked in, so I grabbed a plate and helped myself. Cole filled me in on his day and told me how he went to the bookstore with Ryder and helped him with stocking the shelves. He said the best part was when he got to have a cup of tea and sit on the sofa in the center of the shop and read a book. He was so much like my brother it scared me sometimes.
After dinner, I helped Cole shower, because that kid wouldn’t wash himself if he was left alone to do it. He tended to sit in the bottom of the shower and play with the pile of toys that were always there. Once he was clean, dried, and in his pyjamas, Bailey put a movie on, and we curled up on the sofa together to watch it. Cole lasted about fifteen minutes before he fell asleep, so Ryder lifted him from my arms and put him in his bed while I quickly filled Bailey in on Chace.
“Do you want to stay again tonight?” she asked, a concerned frown on her face.
“Yeah, thanks.” I nodded with a yawn, giving in. I didn’t want to go home in case Chace showed up again. I was exhausted, and I also knew if I went home, I wouldn’t sleep because I’d be wondering what Jeremy was doing next door.
“I’ll make up a bed for you.” She clapped her hands on her knees and stood.
“It’s fine. I’ll just crash with Cole, like last night.” I nodded down the hall where Ryder was just exiting.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” I said good night and crept down the hall to Cole’s room. There was plenty of room for me. He wouldn’t even know I was still there until he woke in the morning. He had his own double bed and everything. No wonder he loved staying here so much. I hunted through the bottom drawers, hoping to find clothes to sleep in, because yet again, I wasn’t prepared, but came up empty.
Bailey knocked on the door quietly and poked her head inside the room. “Thought you could use these,” she whispered and handed me a pair of happy pants, the really loose fitting, garishly bright hippie style pants she loved, and a tank top.
“Thanks.”
I changed clothes and gently climbed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
Chapter Eight
Jeremy
I’d gone for another run after I’d finished work and was having a shower when I thought I heard a thumping sound. Sticking my head out of the shower, I listened for the noise again, wondering whether someone was knocking on my door. But then I remembered aside from my sister Harper and her boyfriend Nate, I didn’t really know anyone well enough for them to knock on my door.
Shutting off the water, I stepped out of the shower and dried off, then I heard the thumping again. What was that? Yanking on a pair of pants, I went in search of the banging noise, only to realise it was coming from next door. Or rather, it was someone knocking on Kenzie’s door.
I opened mine and looked down the hall. The lights in the building were terrible, nothing more than a soft glow, almost like safety lights. There was a tall, dark figure pounding on Kenzie’s door, but she didn’t appear to be home. Or she wasn’t answering the door for a reason.
I couldn’t see the figure very well, but there was no doubt in my mind that stupid son of bitch was back. “Can I help you?”
“Just looking for Kenzie,” he said, glancing my way. He straightened, stood tall, and pushed his shoulders back, realising who I was. “You?”
“Doesn’t look like she’s home, man. So maybe lay off the door. She’s not the only apartment in this building. You’ll piss off a neighbour.”
Me. He was pissing off me.
“Where is she?”
“Don’t know.”
“Is she in there?” He pointed at my door.
“Ah…no. We’re just neighbours. She’s not here.”
He stepped toward me, and I could clearly see his features. His jaw was set, his mouth pressed in a firm line. Fists clenched.
Come on. Really?
Who did he think he was? I didn’t have to explain myself to him. I told him I hadn’t seen her. He just needed to get the hell out of there and leave Kenzie alone.
“Didn’t look like you were just neighbours the other night,” he said, moving closer still, until he was right in my space.
Anyone else would step back, but I wasn’t anyone else. I wasn’t intimidated by him. I could take him if I really wanted to, so I stood my ground. “And what the hell does that mean?”
“That means the way your hands were on each other, the way she sat on your lap like the slut she is—”
He didn’t get to finish what he was saying. I gripped his collar and shoved him across the hall into the opposite wall. The satisfying thud his head made when it connected with the plaster made me smile. Bracing one arm across his neck, cutting into his air supply, I leaned in close, until my mouth was right next to his ear. I spoke, low and slow, so the piece of shit would get it through his head. “Back off. She’s told you to leave her alone. So now I’m telling you. If I see you around here again, I’ll make you suffer so fucking much you’ll be wishing for her brother’s beating, just for a reprieve.”
He swallowed hard and grit his teeth. Pushing me away, he laughed. “You don’t scare me.” After fixing his collar and smoothing a hand through his hair, he walked away. “I’ll see you again soon, I’m sure.” His laughter echoed all the way down the hall.
There was something wrong with that guy. Seriously wrong. He was worse than I’d thought. I walked back into my apartment and slammed the door. Unsure of what to do, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and collapsed on my sofa. Did I call Kenzie, since I had her number, and tell her he was here? Or should I leave it alone and wait to see what happened next? I didn’t want to freak her out, but alarm bells were ringing in my head.
How the hell did he know what happened the other night? Was he spying on her? But how? I tried to think whether there were any windows or curtains left open that he could have been looking through, but in all honesty, I wasn’t paying any attention to the apartment or the window furnishings. I was solely focused on the feisty blonde with a cute ass instead.
I decided to send Kenzie a text. I didn’t want to alarm her, but I wanted to make sure she was prepared in case he showed up again.
Jeremy: Are you home?
I waited with my phone in my hand like a teenage girl waiting for the popular boy at school to call her.
Kenzie: Jeremy? Why are you texting my sister?
Ryder? Why was I texting his sister? Why was he texting me back and not her?
Jeremy: Ryder?
Kenzie: Obviously. Why are you texting my sister?
I typed out a text to ask him why he was replying and not his sister but figured it could go on all night. Instead, I bit the bullet and called Kenzie’s phone. Maybe she’d hear it ring and answer it herself.
“Why are you calling my sister?” Ryder answered.
“Is she there? Can I speak to her?” I walked over to my window and opened it.
“No,” he growled into the phone. I’d met the guy once or twice and knew from Harper that he was really protective of his sister and nephew, so it didn’t really surprise me that he wouldn’t let me speak to her.
“No, she’s not with you, or no, I can’t speak to her?” Sitting on the l
edge, I lit a cigarette.
“She’s with me. But you can’t speak to her.”
Figured that much.
“Why not?” I brought the beer to my lips and swallowed the cool, bitter liquid.
“How’d you get her number?” He answered my question with his own. He wasn’t going to give me anything until I told him why I called.
“I live next door. I gave her my number to call in case Chace shows up again, so she doesn’t have to call you all the time. She’s worried you’ll get locked up.” I decided to go with the truth.
Ryder grunted. “Did he show up tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit. And?”
“I got rid of him.”
“So, why are you bothering my sister with it?” I inhaled more nicotine, allowing it to soothe my nerves. I was still jittery and itching to beat Chace’s face in.
Damn it. I wasn’t stupid. There was no way I could tell him what Chace somehow managed to see the other night. But I had to tell him something. I knew he deserved to know, and if I was in his position, I wouldn’t want it to be kept from me.
“I think he’s watching her,” I said softly, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear the words coming from my mouth.
“Like spying?”
“Yeah.”
“Explain.” Man, the guy really wasn’t one for small talk.
“He just said something that made me wonder if he could see Kenzie when she was at home.”
“What?”
“What?”
“What did he say?” Ryder repeated slowly, as if I was stupid.
I pinched the bridge of nose and groaned. I wasn’t about to admit I had my hands in his sister’s hair and my tongue down her throat. I was kind of fond of having my balls attached to my body. So, I took a gulp of beer and skimmed over some details. “He called her a slut for eating pizza with me.”
