by Sindee Lynn
All conversation stopped as they entered the living room. Connie noticed the look of disapproval furrowing Brenda’s brow.
“I’ll just run upstairs and get some shoes,” she said, turning to Kenny.
“Constance, surely you aren’t going out. You have an early class in the morning, or did you forget,” Brenda said from the couch.
Connie, immediately wary, turned back to gaze at her sister. Brenda was not known for her overly caring nature especially towards her, so she knew something else must be driving the false tone of concern she heard. The question was what.
“I’ll be fine for class tomorrow,” she said, feeling like a child under the dark scrutiny of her sister’s gaze.
“And where you’re going obviously has no dress code. If you’re going to any decent restaurant, I think you should run upstairs and change clothes immediately.”
Her smile fell, and her face flamed with mortification. She wanted to die on the spot. Where the hell was that hole in the floor when she needed it? She heard her friends shushing Brenda. But as usual it was too late. Connie attempted to pull her hand out of Kenny’s strong grip so she could escape upstairs, but he refused to release her.
“There is no dress code in affect for where we’ll be dining tonight,” Kenny said a frown furrowing his brow. “In fact I wish I had been able to change clothes myself. But I was already running late and my main priority was getting here. To Connie.”
Connie was used to her friends defending her from Brenda’s sometimes harsh statements but to hear it coming from the man beside her left her standing with her mouth slightly ajar. Never before had any of her dates stood up on her behalf to her sister. Most of them had been too busy drooling or falling all over themselves while in Brenda’s presence to utter a single intelligent word. Glancing sideways, she noted the hard set of Kenny’s jaw and the deep frown between his brows as he continued to gaze at Brenda.
“I’ll just go get my shoes,” she said softly.
Strong fingers lifted her chin to meet sparkling hazel eyes. Connie felt herself drowning in the soft look displayed on his face.
“I’m letting you go to get shoes only. I expect to see you in the same sweats and t-shirt when you come back down those stairs. Understand?”
The intensity of his words surprised her, but she nodded her understanding. This time when she attempted to pull her hand from his gentle hold, he allowed her release. She gave him a small smile before turning to walk out of the living room. She didn’t get far before she turned back to him.
“Kenny?”
“Hmm,” he said, pausing just as he was about to take his seat in the armchair in the corner.
“Why were you late?” she asked.
She hadn't given him the opportunity to explain earlier, but found she really wanted to know now. The sheepish expression on his face caught her off guard. The lopsided grin was back.
“I ran out of gas. I had to call Roger to bring me enough to get to the gas station.”
Chapter 8
Their houses were truly only a matter of minutes from each other, and all too soon, Kenny found himself parked outside his house. Doubts over his decision to bring her here had continued during the short drive and hadn’t let up yet. Despite his late arrival, there had still been time for dinner at Angelo’s, a local Italian restaurant minutes from where they lived. It hadn’t been his first or even his second choice, but the food was excellent and the service was fast. But when he had looked up to see her standing in the doorway, he had been both overwhelmed and confused by his need to be alone with her.
Getting out of the car, Kenny walked around the front to open the passenger door. He took the opportunity to take in a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. He couldn't remember another time when he had been this nervous. It was as if this was his first date. Ever. Thinking back, he didn’t recall his stomach being tied in knots even then as it was now.
He sent a sideways glance in Connie’s direction as they headed towards the front door. Her fingers were tightly intertwined in front of her. A small sense of relief came over him. It felt good not to be the only nervous one.
Kenny allowed Connie to step inside ahead of him. He didn’t make it a habit of bringing women home. Even with Lori, he could count the number of times she had been here in the four months they had dated on one hand and be left with all five fingers. With the hectic pace of his work life, he wanted his home to remain a haven. A place where he could escape from it all, and thus far, he had been successful. But now as he stood back watching the woman beside him, he wondered if bringing her here would change that.
“You have a lovely home,” Connie said, moving into the large foyer and looking around.
Kenny moved to stand behind her. The hint of Jasmine wafted up, and he breathed deeply of her scent. Its floral fragrance had wrapped itself around him in the car. He wanted nothing more than to bury his nose in her neck to get a better smell. Instead of following through on his thoughts, he chose to put some distance between them.
“Thank you,” he said, motioning for her to follow him into the kitchen.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked, heading for the refrigerator.
He glanced over his shoulder to where she now sat at the granite kitchen countertop. Sitting there with her chin resting in the palm of her hand, she looked so young. So innocent. What the hell was he doing? He should have taken her some place loud and full of people. Lots and lots of people. Instead he had chosen to bring her here. Was he suddenly a glutton for punishment? As soon as he had seen her tonight, his thoughts had taken a turn away from dinner to figuring out how he could get a glimpse of the real woman hiding beneath those baggy clothes. It still wasn’t too late. He could say he had just needed to stop home for a change of clothes before they went out. She would never know the disturbing thoughts filling his head as he watched her.
“I’ll take water if you got it. Thanks.”
Pulling two from the refrigerator, Kenny carried them back to the counter. He grabbed the cordless phone. But when his gaze met hers again, he couldn't hold back his question any longer.
“Connie, how old are you?”
An amused expression passed through her eyes, and her eyebrow raised in question. He swore to himself if she said anything below twenty, he would have to take her somewhere else to eat no matter what his body said and when it was over he would take her home and that would be the end of it.
“I’m twenty-one. I turn twenty-two in two months. How old are you?”
Always he’d been proud to say he had accomplished so much in his career to be so young. But gazing into her eyes he felt…. Well, he felt old. What would someone Connie's age want in a man his age? Hopefully, the same thing a dirty old man like you wants with a woman her age, his body replied.
“I just turned thirty-four,” he said, leaning against the counter.
Shock showed on her face.
“What?” he asked.
“I guess I knew you were older,” she said, the look of surprise still in her gaze as it moved over him.
He could practically feel his dick and his ego swelling in unison at the appreciative look she was giving him. Damn, it was the first sign she’d given him that she found him even remotely attractive, and he was loving it.
“But I never would have guessed you to be so old.”
The words were said so softly he almost missed them. At the sound of his deflating ego, he wished he had. Interesting how her comment hadn’t lessened his desire for her in the least, though.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” she said quickly, apparently noting his change in facial expressions.
“There’s no good way to tell a guy he’s old, Connie,” he said, taking a seat at the counter on the stool beside her.
“But you’re not that old.”
Kenny grunted his disagreement. Here was yet another reason why he should excuse himself, go change his clothes and take her to the restau
rant to eat. Afterwards, he was sure whatever crazy feeling he was having towards her would be exorcised. Hell, he was thirteen years her senior. There was no way they could possibly have anything in common.
When a warm touch landed on his hand, he glanced down to see her hand laying on his. Her fingers curled around his in a gesture he was sure was meant to comfort, but her touch was causing more havoc than comfort and she had no idea.
“What I meant is you look much younger than thirty-four. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
The sincerity of her words brought his gaze to hers. The genuine concern there touched him but also made him question his reaction. When the hell had he gotten so sensitive? Always before he had been proud to tell people his age. All because of the things he had accomplished to be so young. Young. Kenny shook his head. He had to laugh at the craziness of the situation. He grabbed her hands in his and smiled at her.
“Do you realize I’m thirteen years older than you?”
Connie’s lids lowered, effectively hiding what she was feeling and thinking from his view. He found himself wanting to know more than before how she felt about their difference in age. Did it matter to her? Maybe she liked older men.
“Yes, I know but does it really make a difference? I mean it’s only one dinner,” she said, pulling her hand out of his grip and turning away.
“It’s not like it’ll happen again,” she muttered under her breath.
He was sure the words weren’t meant for him to hear, but he had and they had him thinking. Was this just a onetime thing? The question hung in the air because he didn’t have an answer.
“So what do you like on your pizza?” he asked suddenly.
At her raised eyebrow, Kenny couldn’t help but smile. A sparkle of amusement entered her gaze. He loved how expressive her eyes were. There was never a question about what she was thinking or feeling when he looked into them.
“It’s the best I could do on such short notice,” he said, hunching his shoulders in a nonchalant manner.
“This would be plan C I take it,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
They both laughed.
*****
Over the next few hours, they ate and talked of everything. His job and her major in college and how they both came to their choices. He learned Connie’s parents had allowed her to delay college by a year to do an internship in New York with a close friend of the family. It was during this time she realized she wanted to be a journalist. It also explained why she was not a senior but a junior in college. They discussed the changes being made in the neighborhood. Kenny had been surprised to discover her family had lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years before they had opted to relocate to Arizona for her mother’s health. That had been two years ago. She talked of how torn she had been when her mother’s health had demanded a change in climate and her choice to remain in school instead of moving with them. Kenny could relate to how she felt. She seemed to be close to her parents, and he knew he would have been hard pressed to choose had the decision been his to make. He was close to his family as well. Sometimes a little too close in his opinion. Even with all he had discovered, it had been her love of jazz music that had been the shocker. It was rare to find someone her age who could truly appreciate the music. They even shared some of the same musicians as favorites. When they began discussing the many jazz clubs downtown, it hadn’t come as a surprise when she mentioned his favorite – Mr. Jazz Man’s Place. He had laughed when she told him all the good things she’d heard and wanted to go but couldn't get in due to the club’s exclusivity. Her eyes had sparkled with delight when he suggested he might be able to get her in but had left it at that. He found the fact he hadn’t wanted to impress her with who he knew almost as curious as the dimming of the shine in her eyes mere moments later. He’d thought to question her about it but hadn’t because he was too busy trying to figure out when he had decided he wanted to spend more time with her.
Their dinner finished, he motioned for her to follow him into the family room. Kenny resisted the urge to touch her when her body brushed against his. It was hard when all he wanted to do was pull her close to him. All evening her scent had been tempting him. Drawing him closer to her. He found himself wanting to explore all those curves he knew to be hidden beneath her over-sized clothing.
“So do you have any siblings other than your sister?”
They were now settled in the family room. He had somehow managed to put some distance between them but not enough that he couldn't feel the heat coming off of her body or the smell of her.
“Nope, Brenda is the only one,” Connie answered, oblivious to the chaos she was causing.
“She’s older than I am by seven years. Imagine if you can, following behind the most popular, most outgoing, most everything sibling in high school. You would think that with so many years between us the hoopla would have died down by the time I got there but no such luck.”
Though she laughed, Kenny could hear the strain in her voice.
“I’m sure it couldn't have been easy,” he said, fighting the urge to smooth the frown that had appeared between her brows.
“That’s putting it mildly,” she said, staring down at her hands in her lap. “When Brenda was sixteen, she entered a local modeling contest and won a contract with a local agency. I’m sure you’ve seen her before.”
Well, that would explain the look of expectancy on her face when he had met her. No doubt she’d expected him to comment or fall down at her feet paying homage of some kind. Even though it was his first time meeting her, Kenny realized quickly enough he had known women like Brenda all his adult life. Hell, it was the type of woman he had been dating for the past several years.
“Hmm, I may have,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
The look of disbelief on Connie’s face was laughable. He wondered exactly how long she had been walking in her sister’s shadow.
“I have two younger brothers myself. With you guys being the only two, I would imagine you’re pretty close to your sister despite the age difference?” he asked, studying her out of the corner of his eyes.
She threw him a sideways glance, and an odd look flashed in her eyes. He had been curious about their relationship since meeting her sister. After all, what kind of person makes a pass at her sister’s date? He felt his earlier irritation return. It had caught him off guard at first, and he had thought he was simply imagining things, but when her hand had brushed against his knee for what must have been the fourth time, he had made the move to sit in the armchair by the fireplace. Even then the looks had continued, but he had paid her no attention at all opting to focus on conversation with Connie’s roommates until she came downstairs.
“Why?” she asked.
Suspicion laced her words. Immediately, he knew there was definitely more to her relationship with her sister than even he had thought.
“I only ask because....” Kenny paused not sure of how he should answer.
“Kenny, I’m well aware of the fact that Brenda is beautiful. I’ve heard it often enough through the years, and if you would rather be with her than me, I can understand. She’s not seeing anyone right now, and I can give you her number if you like. It’s not like it’s the first time a guy has used me to get to her.”
Kenny sat there a dumbfounded look upon his face as he watched her get up and walk through the French doors out onto the deck. The look of distrust and pain that had been clearly reflected in her gaze made his heart hurt. His first instinct was to go to her and reassure her with every part of him he was not in the least bit interested in her sister, but something held him in his seat. So many reasons why he should take the out he had just been handed on a silver platter raced through his head. The differences in age, in careers, not to mention the fact she was nothing like women he normally gravitated towards. In fact, he couldn't say for sure if he had met Brenda a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have made a move. She was the type of woman he normally went for. Beautiful on the
outside and shallow on the inside. Wait, where had that come from? Was that what his type really boiled down to? Thinking back over the last several women he had dated brought home the truth. A deep sigh left him as he realized he was every bit as shallow as the women he dated. Wow, that was a wakeup call. Was that how he wanted to continue to live his life? Did he want to continue to pick his women based on how they might potentially look on his arm?
“Hell, no,” he said aloud, pushing himself up from the coach.
This was a new week. He didn’t know when or how, but things had changed when he had walked into that gas station on Friday and seen the woman now standing on his deck behind the counter. And as much as it confused him, he hadn't been affected in the least by Brenda’s good looks or the all too obvious looks of interest she had sent his way. In fact, it had irritated him, and he had been offended. Now, there was a laugh. Kenny Jamison offended by a beautiful woman sending him "come and get me" looks. Standing in the doorway, he stared at the woman who had filled his thoughts since meeting her. His gaze slid slowly from the top of her two toned head down to the flip flops she had put on her feet. He shook his head in confusion as his body responded. Yeah, things had definitely changed.
Finally giving in to the need to be close to her, Kenny walked up behind her. He placed his arms on either side of her, effectively trapping her within his embrace. A few moments passed before she leaned back against his chest. He released the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and wrapped her in his arms. The rightness of it caught him by surprise, but he refused to fight it because whatever was going on with him and this woman was not something he could get rid of with a quick fix. Kenny realized he was treading on unfamiliar territory. Just from what he knew of her, she seemed complicated at best. But even with the doubts bombarding him, one simple fact refused to be denied, this was what he had wanted to do all evening, and he would not allow his confusion to spoil that. There would be plenty of time to think on the whys of it later when he was alone. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the feeling of finally having her in his arms.
