Sebrina eyed her speculatively. “And you’re sure about that?”
“Positive.”
“Hmm, so if this much older, drop-dead gorgeous security expert calls and asks you out, you’d go?”
“In a heartbeat. Why else would I have given him my number? Rivers doesn’t have a fraternization policy about employees dating. And even if they did, I’m only there for four more weeks.”
“How did Larry Matthews handle your resignation?”
Kennedy shrugged. “He asked if I could extend my time and I told him no. Then he asked where I’d be working.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t tell him.”
“Good for you.”
Kennedy was pretty sure she’d done the right thing. Her horoscope that morning had said ‘Get ready to expand your horizons’. She took it as a sign that today was the perfect day to submit her resignation. However, now she wondered if it had anything to do with Haddison.
But she didn’t have any time to worry about that possibility since Victoria and Monica were returning to the table.
Later that night, after Kennedy had gone to bed, she stared up at the ceiling, thinking. It had been a wonderful evening. She’d enjoyed dining with her cousins as they celebrated Victoria’s birthday. And no one brought up the subject of her and Haddison again, for which she was glad.
After dinner, with the help of Skype and her laptop, they’d connected Victoria with various members of the family who’d wanted to join in when they sang happy birthday. Kennedy was glad they’d reserved a private room so the noise wouldn’t bother the other restaurant guests.
Although it was getting late, Kennedy wasn’t sleepy and was about to grab her e-reader off the nightstand when her phone rang. She had a feeling it was Haddison. She had a special ring tone for anyone in her family who might call her after nine o’clock at night. It wasn’t one of those.
She grabbed the phone off the night-stand. “Hello?”
“Hello, Kennedy. I hope I’m not calling too late. How was dinner tonight with your cousins?”
She had told him about her plans for the evening on their walk back to the office. “It’s not too late. I was just about to read for a while.” She thought he had a nice phone voice. It was just as sexy as the rest of him.
“And…how was the birthday celebration?”
“Great. Everyone had a nice time.”
“Glad to hear it.” Then, without missing a beat, he asked, “Would you go out to dinner with me on Saturday?”
And without missing a beat, she replied, “Yes. I’d enjoy that.”
“Does seven o’clock sound okay?”
“Yes, seven is fine.”
“Good. I’ll make reservations at Ramone’s.”
Ramone’s? “Good luck on getting reservations. I’ve heard it’s booked months in advance.”
“Yes, it usually is. But I have inside connections.”
“Lucky you,” she said, though really, it was ‘lucky her’. That restaurant had been on her list of places to try since it opened last year. It never failed to receive rave reviews on the food and service.
“I am looking forward to Saturday, Kennedy.”
She loved the way he said her name. “So am I, Haddison.”
“I’ll let you get back to your reading. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” When she hung up the phone, she couldn’t stop smiling.
After hanging up the phone, Haddison rubbed an agitated hand down his face. He’d just done the one thing he’d promised himself he wouldn’t — ask Kennedy Bennett out on a date. She wasn’t just any woman, she was a woman connected to his past life as an undercover agent.
Granted, she hadn’t put two and two together, and chances were she never would, but still, why take a chance? An undercover agent never knew when something he said or did would give him away. So why was he risking so much, especially since the Bureau had gone to great lengths to make sure his true identity was never compromised?
The only reason he could come up with was that this woman was temptation personified. He’d known why Vince had wanted her taken as a hostage. He wasn’t stupid. Haddison doubted she’d ever known just what kind of danger she’d truly been in, or how sick of a mind Vince had.
Frustrated at the thought that he had no willpower where Kennedy was concerned, Haddison stood up from the table and crushed the beer can in his hand before tossing it in the recycle bin. A part of him realized that she’d never actually been in his life. She had been in Addison Bracey’s life. And in his mind, they were two different men.
Kennedy had just shy of a month left to work at Rivers. What he should have done was ignore her during her remaining days, and then when she left, accept the fact that she was gone. It would have been for the best. But it was too late now, he’d asked her out. And he could tell from the sound of her voice that she was excited about going to dinner with him at Ramone’s.
That reminded him…he needed to make reservations if he intended to take her there on Saturday.
He clicked on his phone to call Ramone Gaskins, the man who’d been his father’s partner and best friend. Ramone had taken Bracen Wolf’s death hard, and for years, he’d blamed himself. His wife Marie had chosen that particular night to go into labor, and Ramone had gone to the hospital with her. The force had replaced Ramone with a rookie cop as Bracen’s partner that night. And both of them had been gunned down by a couple of punks as part of a gang initiation. Both teens had been arrested, thanks to a tip the authorities received, and were later convicted. Justice had been served, but it hadn’t brought back Bracen Wolf, the father Haddison had adored.
“Hello.”
“Uncle Ramone, this is—”
“Hell, I know who you are. And I hope this call means you’re living a normal life and are finally coming to see us.”
Haddison chuckled. Ramone and Maceo were the only ones who knew of his undercover activities with the FBI. Unlike his mother and uncle, Ramone never tried talking Haddison out of becoming a cop. “I came to see you, Aunt Marie, and Bracen when I first got to town.”
Ramone, who’d lost his partner the same night his first son was born, had named his son Bracen Ramone Gaskins, in memory of the close friendship he’d shared with Haddison’s father. Less than a year later, Ramone had resigned as a cop to become a partner in Marie’s father’s restaurant business in St. Louis. Over the years, Ramone had taken over, renamed the restaurant and made it into the place to go for the best in soul food. Celebrities would fly into St. Louis just to dine at his restaurant.
Maceo had talked Ramone into opening a second restaurant in St. Paul, which had kick-started twenty-six-year-old Bracen Ramone’s career in the business. The restaurant had quickly earned a reputation for serving the best food around, and reservations had to be made months in advance.
“But you haven’t visited us at the restaurant.”
Haddison smiled. “I will. In fact, that’s the reason I’m calling. I need a table for two on Saturday night.”
“What time?”
“Seven.”
“You got it. Is she pretty?”
Haddison chuckled. “You’ll see for yourself.”
“I HEARD A CAR pull up. I think your guy’s here,” Monica said, sticking her head in the open bedroom door. “Wow! You look good, Ken.”
“Thanks,” Kennedy said, smiling, as she glanced around for her purse. She hadn’t run into Haddison in the office since he’d asked her out three days ago. But then, his office was on the fourth floor, which was the junior executives’ floor. The only reason she’d run into him that particular day was because she’d been leaving Larry’s office.
“I hear he’s taking you to Ramone’s. Aren’t you lucky,” Monica said, grinning all over the place.
“Yes, he said he has an inside connection.”
“Cool!”
The doorbell sounded and Monica rushed out of the room. “I’m opening the door. I’ve got to see the guy who’s making you lose your mind,”
she laughed over her shoulder as she rushed down the stairs.
Kennedy shook her head as she glanced in the mirror one last time. She understood Monica’s excitement. As the youngest cousin, she often got excited by stuff that wouldn’t faze others. Although Kennedy was excited about this date because she’d enjoyed Haddison’s company at lunch the other day, she wasn’t as overwhelmed as Monica seemed to be. At least, she didn’t think she was. But what was that Monica had said about wanting to meet the man who was making Kennedy lose her mind?
When Kennedy was halfway down the stairs, she heard Haddison’s deep, rich baritone, and the three feminine voices belonging to her cousins. All three were making it a point to check out Haddison. And in a way, Kennedy understand. Sebrina, Victoria, and Monica all knew how much Charles’s betrayal had hurt her. They’d been there for her and helped her move past the pain. Now they were making sure that Haddison was worthy of her.
“I’m ready.”
All eyes turned to her, but it was only one pair holding her hostage. She blew out a slow breath, suddenly feeling hot. If she’d thought Haddison was handsome before, then tonight, he was doubly so. It wasn’t the suit that did it — she’d long ago decided the man could wear suits better than anyone she knew — it was the entire package. Tonight, he was the epitome of sexiness, and from the looks in her cousins’ eyes, the three of them concurred.
But then there was more to a person than looks, although his bedroom brown eyes and strong jaw covered with that sexy beard were making it hard to think of anything else at the moment.
When she looked in his eyes, she saw male appreciation in their dark depths. Now she was glad she had spent the day at the spa and hair salon. She’d wanted to look good for him, and from the way he was smiling at her, it appeared she did.
“I take it you’ve met my cousins,” she said, coming down the remaining steps on shaky legs. The man was having an effect on her already.
“I have,” he said, finally breaking eye contact with her to gaze down at the three women around him, offering them a smile, as well. “We were having a nice conversation while I waited.” He glanced back up and met her gaze. “And seeing you now, I know it was worth the wait. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
She’d walked up to him and was standing almost in front of him now. And she slowly drew in a breath, trying to act calm, even as his dark eyes burned into hers. She thought of the last few days when she hadn’t seen him, and how she’d convinced herself this date wasn’t a big deal. But she’d been lying to herself. She was glad to see him. Way too glad.
What had happened to that “be sensible” talk she’d given herself at the spa? The one where she’d swore she wouldn’t let Haddison get to her tonight, no matter how he turned on the charm. Well, she’d already lost that battle. Haddison unsettled her in ways she’d never experienced before. Just looking at him was making it difficult for her to breathe. Charles had never had this kind of effect on her.
Breaking eye contact with him, she glanced at her cousins. “I will see you guys later.”
“Enjoy.”
“Have fun.”
“Eat enough for us.”
Then they were on their way. Haddison bid her cousins goodnight, telling them it had been nice meeting them before opening the door.
When he took her hand in his, Kennedy immediately felt the sizzle. She drew in a deep breath. Here goes nothing…
“Nice car, Haddison.”
He glanced up after opening the car door for her. “Thanks. I think owning a Corvette at some point is every man’s dream.”
She smiled as she slid into the seat and he buckled her seatbelt. “So I heard.”
Then he walked around the front of the car and got in, pausing to glance over at her before starting the car. “I meant what I said, Kennedy.”
She steadied her gaze on him and he felt his body heat under her regard. “About what?”
“You were worth waiting for. You look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you.”
The last thing he needed was thanks for speaking the truth, Haddison thought. When he’d looked up to see her standing on the stairs, every male impulse he possessed went into overdrive.
“So, how did you and your three cousins come to live together?” he asked her.
“Long story.”
“I have time to hear it.” He meant it. He had a feeling when it came to Kennedy Bennett, he would have all the time in the world.
“It was something we decided to do when we were teens. Even though we wanted to go to different colleges, we’d made a pact that we would all come back home to enjoy the single life together. There was supposed to be six of us, but two of my other cousins, Lauren and Cody, got married.”
“Six women under the same roof?”
She chuckled, and the sound seemed like a sensuous caress across his skin. “We all get along, so it would not have been a problem. But now, there are only four of us. Monica is the youngest by three years.”
“And she is Sebrina’s sister, right?”
“Yes, she’s Sebrina’s sister. And in addition to being my cousins, Sebrina and Monica are also my stepsisters.”
Haddison glanced over at her, brow raised. “You want to explain that?”
He saw the smile that touched her lips and figured this was a question she’d been asked a number of times. “My dad, Michael, was adopted into the Bennett family as a baby. He didn’t find out about the adoption until years later when he was enlisting in the military. All those years, he’d assumed he was a blood Bennett. It was hard on him when he found out he wasn’t. But then, it explained some things.”
“Like what?”
“Why he’d always been attracted to his cousin Taye — Sebrina and Monica’s mother. After my mother died, we moved back south to Atlanta. He and Taye were now adults, and I guess the chemistry between them had grown. They felt that since they weren’t blood cousins, it would be okay to have a relationship. That idea didn’t go over well with some family members. They figured blood or not, my dad was still a Bennett, that for him and Taye to be together that way was pure evil.”
Haddison was intrigued by what she was sharing with him, fascinated by the dynamics of a large family, which was something he lacked. Some families had lots of drama. Some didn’t. His family had been on the latter list. There had never been any drama between his mother and her only brother. And before his father was killed, Bracen and Maceo had been good friends. In fact, Maceo was the one who introduced his parents to each other. Definitely no drama there. But Haddison had learned that in some cases, a little drama was good. Just not too much of it.
“So, did the family give in, or did Taye and Michael do what they wanted, regardless of what anyone thought?”
“Oh, Dad and Taye cared what the family thought. Luckily, there were two people who didn’t have a problem with them being together, and they were the only two who mattered — the patriarchs of the family, Grampa Ethan and Grampa Henry. An important family meeting was held, and the two Gramps pretty well told everyone else that if Taye and my dad wanted to be together, then they had their blessings. So Dad and Taye married, and the five of us became one big happy family. A year or so later, Taye gave birth to my little brother.”
“Wow, what a story.”
“Yeah, we’re not your ordinary family. But I am proud of the Bennetts, and glad I’m a part of them. Before Dad married Taye, I still had a lot of family to look after me while he was away at work. And after he married, I got Taye, Sebrina, and Monica. They showed me what a real family was like, and I will always appreciate them for it.” She paused a moment and then asked, “What about your family?”
He’d exited off the interstate and was approaching a traffic light. He turned to look at her when he brought the car to a stop. “Both my parents are deceased. My father was a cop who got killed in the line of duty when I was twelve and Mom died a few years later from cancer. I was sixteen when she passed.”
She looked at him with beautiful sad eyes. “How awful. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“It must have been difficult for you.”
“It was at the time. It would have been a lot worse had it not been for my uncle. My mother’s brother. Like you, I had to relocate to another state. I left St. Louis and moved to live with my uncle in Los Angeles. He was a bachelor with no plans to ever marry, so suddenly becoming responsible for a sixteen-year-old… Well, it took a lot of getting used to for him. But we’d always gotten along pretty well. He was there for me, treated me like his own and was a great influence in my life.”
“So you grew up in L.A.?”
“Yes, and I loved it.” That was true. He did love L.A., and couldn’t believe it when his uncle had moved to St. Paul to pursue a woman. According to his uncle, love did it to him. He’d fallen head over heels and never wanted to get up.
“I have family in L.A. It’s a great place. So, you moved to St. Paul for the job here.”
“Yes.” That much was true. Had he not decided to work for his uncle, he would still be living in Los Angeles. But Theo had decided to retire at the same time Haddison was leaving the Bureau. It had worked out in his uncle’s favor, and eventually his, too.
“So, what did you do before coming to work for Rivers?”
He pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. “After college, I went to work for the LAPD and from there, I transferred into the FBI.” Again, what he’d said was the truth. There was no reason to tell her what his activities in the FBI had been.
“I came into contact with several FBI agents a little more than six months ago,” she said.
He brought the car to a stop and went still. “You did?”
THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5) Page 7
