Oh, who the hell was she kidding? She’d have to actually have sex to have a preference.
Not that she was a virgin. She’d lost that card years ago. After all, it was one thing to have been a twenty-two-year-old virgin, but it would be something entirely different if she was still a virgin at thirty-three. Then again, she had dated the same guy for just under five years, so . . . yeah . . . no longer a virgin.
“I went to work this mornin’,” Sawyer told her. “Not much to do today.”
“No? Not much sex takin’ place on a Saturday?” she asked, feeling her face heat from her words.
Good Lord, this guy made the filter on her mouth disintegrate.
He chuckled again, holding his fork over his food. “I’m sure there’s plenty of sex goin’ on at the resort today. Anytime you want a tour, I’ll be glad to show you.”
“I’ve already been there, thank you very much.”
Sawyer’s eyebrow cocked and she saw the curiosity in his blue-gray eyes.
“Zane’s reception, remember?” she asked, unable to keep a straight face, her laugh bubbling up from inside.
“That doesn’t count,” Sawyer replied, pointing at her with his fork. “That night was contained to the club. There was nothing else going on because we closed off the other areas until it was over.”
“Well, in that case, no thank you,” Kennedy said, digging into the meat loaf he’d brought her. It happened to be one of her favorites. She wondered if he knew that or if it was just a strange coincidence.
“Why? Scared?”
Kennedy heard the challenge in his tone. She ignored it.
Sort of.
“No, I’m not scared. Just not interested.”
“How do you know that?” he asked. “You don’t know what goes on if you don’t bother to go and check it out.”
“I’ve heard enough,” she said.
“From?”
“My father.” Before he thought that her father had gone and given her details, she clarified. “Not like that. He didn’t tell me what happened while he was there, but he warned me.”
“About?”
Kennedy did not want to continue on the subject, so once again, she avoided his question. “I don’t have any interest, Sawyer,” she replied, keeping her eyes on her food.
“No?”
“No.”
“Huh.”
Kennedy peered up at Sawyer, wondering just what that meant. Huh? He simply cast a sideways glance her way, along with a wickedly delicious grin, before turning his attention back to his food.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t just leave well enough alone. She had to go and ask.
“What does that mean?”
“What does what mean?” he asked, meeting her gaze once again.
“You said ‘huh.’ What did you mean by that?”
“It means I don’t really believe you.”
“Why? What have I ever done to make you believe I’d be interested in a sex resort?”
“You’re curious. That alone is enough,” he said simply, briefly looking at her.
“I am not,” she said, although she figured it probably sounded very much like a lie. Truth was, she was kind of curious. A little.
A teeny, tiny bit.
Ugghh.
Sawyer smiled and her insides melted. She hated when he smiled. He was handsome as it was, but when he smiled, the guy bordered on otherworldly.
“See, I told you. You’re curious.”
“Fine. I’m curious.”
“Like I said,” Sawyer held his fork above his food once again, his full attention on her. “Anytime you wanna check it out, I’ll take you.”
“I still don’t want to go.”
Sawyer went back to eating as though he hadn’t just piqued her curiosity and made her want to do something incredibly stupid. Like go to the resort. With him.
Where the naughty people went.
The idea made her laugh.
She was not naughty. Not by a long shot.
Or was she?
“Tonight,” Sawyer finally said, pushing his empty carton away from him.
Kennedy glanced down at her food to realize she’d hardly eaten a single thing. Crap.
“I . . .” Kennedy tried to think of an excuse, but he had caught her off-guard and now anything she tried to tell him would sound like a lie. Then again, she was getting pretty good at lying to him. Hell, she’d been doing it since she’d come back from college, starting when she told him she wasn’t interested in him in any way.
“You what? You’ve got to wash your hair? Paint your toenails? Bathe your dog?”
“I don’t have a dog.”
Sawyer’s sexy dark eyebrow lifted into his hairline, the very corners of his perfect lips tipping upward, and she knew she would give in, even before the words formed in her mouth. But she held on to them for as long as she could.
“One night. I’ll show you. I promise, I won’t even jump you.”
Kennedy prayed her disappointment didn’t show. That was the last thing she needed. If Sawyer realized she was lusting after him, even though she had every reason not to, she’d never live it down.
“Unless, of course, you want me to,” Sawyer tacked on.
Kennedy frowned. “Fine.” Although she heard the word, knew it came out of her mouth, she still couldn’t believe it.
“You want me to jump you?” Sawyer questioned, his eyebrows lifting flirtatiously.
“No!” she exclaimed. “I meant fine, I’ll go to the resort with you.” And again, she couldn’t believe she’d agreed.
Apparently neither could Sawyer, because he simply stared at her. Right before that stupid sexy grin formed on his lips and her insides turned to mush.
chapter TWELVE
Sawyer wasn’t quite sure just what he’d done to warrant Kennedy taking him up on his dare, but he wasn’t going to argue. Maybe he’d been good in a former life or something, because he knew he sure hadn’t been good in this one.
Well, at least not all the time.
For the most part, Sawyer tried to walk the straight and narrow, but sometimes he tended to deviate from the path. Hence, his reputation for standing on the street, bare-chested, holding a sign. In his defense, the town had grown accustomed to him doing that. Most of the time, he did it just to see if he could get a rise out of someone. The fact that the ladies pulled over to chat him up was just a bonus.
Not that he had any intention of standing on the side of the road today or any day in the near future. No, his focus was solely on what the hell was going to happen tonight.
He still couldn’t believe Kennedy had agreed to go to AI with him. She was giving him a second chance. And that in itself was hard for him to comprehend. He didn’t believe in second chances.
Well, technically he did. But only because of recent events. For instance, the fact that Travis and Kylie managed to reconcile after a decade of being apart. And then there was Ethan, who’d been through hell but still managed to open himself up enough to love someone again, and let them love him.
So, maybe he did believe. Just a little.
Then again, she could very well stand him up.
He’d find out whether that was the case in about two minutes when he made it to her front door. He had just pulled into her driveway, right behind the practical little black Camry she drove, and was trying to get up the nerve to get out of his car.
Truth was, it had been a long damn time since he’d been on an official date. A long damn time. Generally, his late-night rendezvous were merely hookups, most of them occurring when he would go to the club. He would meet some chick, sometimes with Greyson along, sometimes without, but never did he go out with the intention of not getting laid. However, those interactions had ceased long ago as well.
Tonight was different.
As much as he wished he could take Kennedy to bed, he wasn’t banking on that happening.
As much as he’d like to consider tonight a date, he wasn’
t sure Kennedy and he were on the same page. Nor did he think her definition of a date was the same as his. Meaning he didn’t think sex factored into the evening when Kennedy thought about what their nightly activities might entail.
Kennedy wasn’t that kind of girl.
Or at least she didn’t want to be. He got the sense that beneath that cool, professional exterior was a wildcat just waiting to be let loose. As long as he was the only one she was letting loose with, he was more than willing to help her lose some of those inhibitions that kept her so uptight.
He looked forward to it actually.
Rapping his knuckles on the door and then poking the doorbell with his finger, Sawyer wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. Boy, his brothers would have a field day if they knew he was sweating because of a girl.
The door opened after a long minute and there before him stood the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. He had to smile when he took in her outfit. She was wearing skinny jeans tucked into black suede boots and an oversized white sweater that accented her rich red hair and made her look good enough to eat.
Yeah, it was safe to say she probably wasn’t planning to get naked tonight.
He liked the outfit anyway.
“You look nice,” he told her.
Kennedy flashed him a grin before glancing down at herself. “Thanks.”
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, looking behind her then stepping out onto the porch and closing the door before locking it.
Sawyer didn’t take her hand, but he stayed beside her as they walked to his car. He opened the passenger door, took a step back, and waited for her to get in. Once inside, he shut it and then circled behind the car to the driver’s side, once again wiping his palms on his jeans.
Holy fuck. What was he? Fifteen?
Climbing into the car, Sawyer didn’t waste time before he started the engine, listened to it purr. The smell of Kennedy’s sweet perfume drifted toward him and he inhaled deeper, hoping like hell she didn’t noticed. He liked the sweet, subtle scent. It didn’t overpower him or smack him upside the head as though to say, “I’m here. Smell me.”
“Did you just . . . sniff me?” Kennedy asked, shooting him a sideways look with a smile tacked on.
“What? No,” he said quickly.
“Okay,” she replied, laughing, which made him chuckle.
She was way too perceptive.
They drove in silence for the few minutes it took to get to the resort. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable silence, but Sawyer wasn’t really sure what to say. He’d never been nervous before when taking a woman out. Although it was rare for him to go on an actual date, he still usually didn’t have trouble finding something to talk about. With Kennedy, he was nervous.
He just prayed his brothers never got wind of that. If they did, he’d never live it down.
When they arrived at the hotel, Sawyer pulled up to the front, and one of the valets took the car. After helping Kennedy out, he took her hand, earning him a strange look from her, and led her through the main doors. The front reception area was quiet, only one guest at the check-in desk while another couple sat off to the side, talking quietly.
“So this is where the magic happens, huh?” Kennedy asked as they strode across the lobby.
“If by magic you mean guests get checked in, then yeah, I guess it does,” Sawyer said flippantly, shooting Kennedy a smile.
“Funny man.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“For food?” Kennedy countered.
Sawyer laughed—he couldn’t hold it in. “Honey, you’re gonna have to be careful what you ask me. Or at least make sure that you wanna hear the answer before you do.”
Kennedy’s cheeks turned pink, sending an electric current flooding through Sawyer’s veins.
He didn’t falter though, continuing to lead her to the restaurant. He purposely bypassed the main area where he knew there would be guests congregating—some possibly naked and in compromising positions. Instead of going through the double doors that led to the clubs, Sawyer took her through the hotel.
“I . . . uh . . .” Kennedy seemed at a loss for words when they stepped into the restaurant.
It wasn’t just a little place to grab a bite to eat while you stayed in the hotel. It was a full-service restaurant, equipped with a maître d’ and everything. The place had an outside entrance, so it also wasn’t limited to guests of the hotel, which had been Kaleb’s idea. A good one at that.
They were seated immediately—one of the perks of owning the place—and presented with menus before being left momentarily to review them.
“This is nice,” Kennedy said in a hushed tone.
“Thanks. The restaurant was actually Zane’s idea. Kaleb’s to have it open to the public.”
“Zane’s? Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
“Well . . .” Kennedy looked sheepish as she glanced back down at her menu.
“Believe it or not, we’re not just a bunch of rowdy cowboys.”
Kennedy looked up, met his gaze, and then answered, “I choose not to believe it.”
Sawyer laughed. How could he not?
The woman was . . .
She was something else, that’s what she was.
KENNEDY WAS DOING well to hide her surprise. At least she hoped Sawyer couldn’t see how shocked she’d been to find such an upscale, classy restaurant in the middle of their sex resort. But, as she looked around at the exquisite décor, she couldn’t help but be impressed.
Sure, she’d heard of the place because, as Sawyer mentioned, it was open to the public, but honestly, she hadn’t pictured a place quite this . . . nice.
The tables were all covered with white linen cloths, and each had a single candle in the center, with a small crystal vase holding a single red rose sitting beside it. The walls were painted a deep beige, adorned with fine art and crown molding. The high ceiling was also lined with molding in large squares, and crystal chandeliers hung several feet apart. The floor was a dark hardwood, not carpet as she had expected it to be. In the center of the restaurant was a huge bar with hundreds of bottles of liquor lining the mirror-covered wall behind where the bartender stood. And the windows that lined one side of the restaurant overlooked an enormous rock water feature, currently lit up, glowing in the inky blackness.
In one word it was . . . perfect.
And certainly not something she would’ve expected from Sawyer or any of his brothers. Maybe something more like a sports bar, or even one of those steakhouses where they tossed peanuts on the floor. That definitely seemed more their style.
Since the day it’d opened, there had been quite a bit of chatter about it in town, however, Kennedy hadn’t heard that it was one of those classy places that probably required something a little dressier than what she was currently wearing. She tried to pretend not to notice that she was seriously underdressed.
“Good evening, Mr. Walker. Ms. Endsley,” the waiter greeted them.
Kennedy’s eyes snapped up to meet the handsome young man who was looking back at them as though they were the only people in the restaurant and he was there to serve their every need.
“Evenin’, Ted,” Sawyer replied.
Kennedy watched in awe as Sawyer rattled off his wine selection, as well as an appetizer. She was grateful he had decided to order because she wasn’t sure she could’ve come up with a single suggestion. She was starving, but since the moment she opened her front door to find Sawyer standing there, her tummy had been a jumble of nerves.
Seeing him on her front porch in a black button-down, dark blue Wranglers, his black Stetson, and that silver belt buckle had been enough to make her mouth water. Not that she hadn’t always been attracted to Sawyer. No, her attraction to the guy was never the issue. After all, he was a Walker and there was no doubt about it, they were a handsome bunch. The issue was that she had no interest in being the target of one of his pranks. Or a fleeti
ng guest in his bed. Not now, not ever.
Which really didn’t explain why she was sitting there, having an intimate, romantic dinner with the guy. He’d worn her down and surprisingly, the time they’d been apart hadn’t helped her to regain any of her common sense. She was still attracted to him. Maybe more so now. Then again, he had mentioned that they’d been doing this “song and dance,” as he referred to it, for quite some time. And that was very true. Longer than she cared to admit, that was for sure.
Their conversation remained light until they ordered their food, and then Sawyer looked at her. She could see a million questions burning in his hypnotic blue-gray gaze.
“What?” she asked, when he didn’t speak immediately.
“I was just thinkin’,” he said casually.
“I can see the wheels turnin’,” she told him, smiling as she lifted her wineglass and took a sip. Wow. Impressive. “What’s on your mind?”
“So, I know quite a bit about you, but there’s one thing I’ve never asked.”
“There are a million things you’ve never asked,” she told him with a smile.
“True,” he replied, glancing down at the table briefly. He looked almost . . . shy.
That couldn’t be. Sawyer didn’t have a single shy bone in his entire body.
“Where’s your mother?” he asked after a second of silence.
It was Kennedy’s turn to look down at the table. Truth was, not many people ever asked her that question. Maybe because they were worried they’d offend her, knowing that her mother wasn’t around.
Meeting Sawyer’s gaze after taking a deep breath, Kennedy said, “I’m adopted.”
“Really?”
She could see the surprise on Sawyer’s handsome face. She admired him for a moment, taking in the smooth, chiseled lines of his jaw, his sexy lips, and those hooded bedroom eyes. Even his nose was sexy and it was just a little crooked—thanks to having been broken a time or two when he was younger.
“How is it I’ve known you damn near my whole life and I never knew that?” he asked, not giving her a chance to explain.
“We aren’t exactly friends,” she reminded him.
Sawyer Page 13
