“You mean ‘weren’t.’ ”
Did she? Could they be considered friends now? Rather than dwell on the answer to that question, Kennedy moved back to the original topic. “Well, it isn’t somethin’ I usually tell people. My father adopted me when I was a little over a year old. I don’t remember my mother. She was the daughter of Jeff’s next-door neighbor, before he moved to Coyote Ridge. She got pregnant with me when she was fifteen and decided she couldn’t take care of me. She tried. For a little while. Based on what my father told me, she decided to give me up for adoption, but didn’t want me to go to someone she didn’t know.”
“So Jeff adopted you?”
“Yeah,” she said, thinking about her father. “He wanted kids, but he knew he’d never have any of his own.”
Sawyer’s penetrating gaze encouraged her to keep talking, so she did.
“As you’re well aware, my father’s gay.” Kennedy wasn’t sure why she was so comfortable telling him something so personal, something her father didn’t want people to know. Even though Sawyer already knew, thanks to the incident that happened a few weeks back, Kennedy still would’ve told him if he hadn’t. Maybe it was because Sawyer’s brothers—both Travis and Ethan—were gay—or bisexual, in Travis’s case. She’d seen how defensive Sawyer got about his brothers, and despite her father’s insistence that Sawyer was a guy she needed to stay far away from, Kennedy didn’t truly believe he’d ever do something as heinous as out someone.
“He never married?” Sawyer asked, curiosity lighting up his beautiful eyes.
“It’s not actually legal here in Texas,” Kennedy said, unnecessarily.
“No, but there are ways around that. If you love someone, there are plenty of ways to make it work.”
True. She’d heard the stories of how Travis had made it work with Gage and Kylie. Ethan and Beau had done the same, so she couldn’t very well argue.
“He’s never really dated anyone. Well, not officially. At least not that I knew of. I tend to believe he hasn’t spent the last thirty-some-odd years without dating, but he’s kept his relationships secret until now.”
“Until Mack?”
“Yes,” she answered, not intending to say any more.
“So, they’re workin’ things out?” Sawyer asked simply.
Kennedy stared at him, eyes wide, mouth partially open. She knew she looked silly, but she was trying to figure out how he could’ve known that. “It seems so, yes.”
Sawyer chuckled, leaning forward. “When you live in a town this size, there are some things you notice. But I swear to you, Kennedy, I’ve never said anything to anyone. It’s their business and if they want to keep the secret, then it’s their secret to keep.”
“I believe you,” she replied instantly.
“Your father doesn’t,” Sawyer said.
“I think he does,” she said softly. “He’s just worried. He doesn’t want word to get out. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want people to know. I respect that, even if I don’t understand it.”
“I understand it,” Sawyer said, meeting her eyes. “He’s worried about the reaction. He’s a public figure. Highly respected in this town. After what Ethan went through, I don’t question someone’s reason for wantin’ to keep their sexuality a secret.”
Kennedy was a little shocked by Sawyer’s straightforwardness, but she was also relieved that he did seem to understand. More so than even she did. Oddly enough, it felt good to finally have someone to talk to about her father, which was why Kennedy found herself saying more. “They’re good together. I had dinner with them last night. They’ve invited me a few times now, actually.”
“They’re good men,” Sawyer said, matter-of-factly.
“They are,” Kennedy agreed, seeing Sawyer in an entirely different light. “I heard about what happened to Ethan.”
Sawyer’s gaze strayed to the far side of the room as though he was thinking back to that time so long ago. “He’s lucky,” Sawyer said softly.
Kennedy got the distinct impression Sawyer wasn’t talking about his brother based on the menace in his tone. She waited for him to continue and she wasn’t disappointed.
“I could’ve killed Jimmy,” Sawyer admitted. “I could’ve ripped him apart and then set him on fire for what he did to my brother.”
“Which was why you didn’t tell anyone about what happened?”
Living in a small town, it didn’t take long for stories to travel far and wide. Surprisingly, when the incident had happened, Kennedy hadn’t heard about it. No one had, from what she knew. Somehow Sawyer had managed to keep it under wraps until recently. From what she recalled, the story didn’t rear its ugly head until Jimmy took to tormenting Ethan again more than a year ago. At that point, she heard from her father that all of the Walkers had gotten involved, including Curtis.
Now that Kennedy thought about it, she wondered whether that was when her father decided to be a little more open about his lifestyle. Maybe knowing that there was support in their otherwise bigoted little town gave him the strength he needed to look for what he’d been missing all his life.
“I couldn’t tell anyone,” Sawyer continued. “If Travis had found out, he’d probably be in prison right about now. Hell, sometimes I wonder how I managed to contain my rage. I think it was more because I didn’t want something to happen to Travis or my father that I kept it a secret.”
Kennedy swallowed hard, her emotions getting the best of her as she stared back at this handsome man. He wasn’t the same guy he was in high school. He’d grown up, just like she had. Although he had his flaws, there was something innately good about him. Something down deep, where it couldn’t be faked.
And it was then that Kennedy faced her worst fear of all.
She was pretty sure she’d just fallen a little bit in love with the man.
chapter THIRTEEN
After dinner, which had been one of the best meals he could remember—more because of the company than the food, although he had been rather impressed with the steak—Sawyer took Kennedy on a tour of the hotel. He kept to the safer areas first, giving her a chance to acclimate. He liked that she seemed interested, because honestly, he was proud of what they’d built. He didn’t want her only impression to be of the scenes she would likely see. The resort had earned a reputation—a good one until recently, although nothing had been resolved just yet—because they managed to keep a tight grip on security, only allowing a certain type of person in. Probably because of that, the town had dubbed AI as the sex resort.
It was.
There was no doubt about that. That had been Travis’s vision, especially after he spent so much time up in Dallas at Club Destiny, before Luke had broken it off and formed Devotion. But, aside from the various kinks that went on—all consensual and safe—Sawyer was still proud of what they’d worked hard to establish.
“Well, I have to give you a little credit,” Kennedy said as they made their way from the hotel to the landing that would lead down to the play area and the clubs.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Yeah. This is . . . rather impressive.”
“Not what you expected?”
“Not really, no.” Kennedy blushed. “I guess I thought I’d see people going at it in dark corners at every turn.”
“You haven’t seen all of it,” Sawyer told her, stopping.
Kennedy’s eyes widened, her lips parting ever so slightly. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so damn bad, he could hardly stand it. His memory of that night at the hospital had begun to fade over time and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, just to prove it was as incredible as what he did remember. Unable to resist the overwhelming urge to plant his lips on her sweet mouth, Sawyer backed her against a column, pressing his body against hers intimately, his eyes locked with hers.
They stared at one another briefly and when Kennedy’s eyes darted down to his mouth, it took every ounce of control Sawyer had not to lean in and press his lips to thos
e luscious pink lips. He still remembered just how it felt that first time in the hospital parking lot. He’d been dying to get his mouth on her again, but he knew he had to take it slow. When it came to Kennedy, slow was key.
When her hands came up to rest on his chest, Sawyer inhaled sharply. “I need you to be sure you want to see this,” he told her softly.
“What is it that I’m gonna see?” she asked, her voice just as low as his.
“I don’t know. It could be tame, it could be wild. There are no rules when it comes to the play area.”
“Play area? That’s really what you call it?” she asked, a glimmer of humor in her eyes.
“Yeah,” he said, his eyes roaming her face.
“Not very creative.”
Maybe not, but at the moment, Sawyer didn’t give a shit what they called it. He needed to know that she was okay with this. “Are you sure, Kennedy?”
She didn’t answer for the longest time. So long that Sawyer’s tight grip on his control slipped just a little. He cupped her face, his eyes exploring hers as he waited for a signal. What he saw reflecting back at him was a heat that spurred him on.
Brushing his lips against hers ever so softly, he waited for an invitation. He didn’t want to be the one to initiate this, but he was having a hard time resisting her. When Kennedy’s hands gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him just a little closer, he gave in, pressing his mouth to hers more firmly. Coaxing her lips open with his tongue, he tasted her. Tentatively at first, keeping it slow.
But then the flames burned brighter, hotter, and he found himself engulfed by them when Kennedy jerked him forward, their mouths grinding together, her tongue meeting his, flicking confidently until he was lost in her. He pressed his hips forward, their bodies aligned from knee to chest while he explored every inch of her sweet mouth. Her lips were soft, her tongue equally so, but she wasn’t holding back and his dick, already at half-mast for most of the night, roared to life, straining against his jeans as he rubbed intimately against her.
His hands moved to her hair, tangling in the silky strands as he held her head, angling her just so before he thrust his tongue against hers, owning the kiss, possessing her mouth. She tasted like sweet sin. She was liquid fire in his arms and he knew from that moment on, he was going to have a damn hard time keeping his hands off her.
“Sawyer,” she moaned, pulling back slightly. “Oh, God.”
Exactly.
He plunged his tongue into her mouth again, unable to get enough of her. He needed more. As much as she was willing to give him. That first kiss at the hospital had been tame compared to this conflagration that was consuming them both.
Finally, he dug deep and found the strength to pull back. As much as he wanted to ravage her right there in the hallway, he knew better. Not to mention, he wasn’t interested in an audience the first time he explored her scrumptious body.
No, for the first time in his life, Sawyer wasn’t willing to share. Even the thought of another man’s eyes on her made his inner beast stand up and roar. He hadn’t realized he had a possessive bone in his body until it came to thoughts of Kennedy. She was off-limits to anyone else.
She was . . . his.
“Tell me you want to see this,” he told her, needing her to answer him.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Tell me you trust me, Kennedy.”
Her eyes raked over his face briefly and what he saw didn’t give him a warm feeling.
“Kennedy?”
“It’s just . . .”
He didn’t need her to fill in the blank. “I know you hated me in high school,” he stated. “I don’t blame you. I was an asshole. But I’m not that same guy.”
Kennedy studied him for a moment and Sawyer held his breath. When she didn’t say anything, he felt the need to continue. “If I could change the things I did, I would.”
“Sometimes I wish you could.” The honesty in Kennedy’s voice made Sawyer’s chest ache. What they’d done to her in high school had scarred her for life and he wasn’t lying when he said he would take it all back. She wasn’t the only kid they’d bullied, but Sawyer had learned from his mistakes. He’d seen firsthand with Ethan just what that type of treatment could do to a person.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I want you to trust me. Starting now, because I swear to you, Kennedy, I’m not that guy anymore.”
“I know,” she said after a lengthy pause. “I know you’re not that guy.”
The vise grip on Sawyer’s chest loosened just slightly. He continued to watch her, waiting to see if she had more to say.
He was glad he kept his mouth shut because the next words she said to him would ultimately change his entire life.
“I know that was a long time ago. And now . . . I trust you, Sawyer.”
Releasing her hair, Sawyer slid his hands down her arms and then took one of her hands in his, still watching for signs that she was rethinking her answer. She was flushed, her eyes glazed, but there wasn’t an ounce of confusion on her face, so he tugged her toward him and then led her over to the staircase that would take them down to the play area.
As soon as he could see over the railing, he surveyed the room, trying to gauge the level of play going on. Saturday nights were usually the craziest, but he wasn’t sure how many guests were staying in the hotel at the moment. Considering the holidays had come and gone, he knew the requests had multiplied tenfold. The place was crowded, bodies everywhere, some clothed, some . . . not.
“You okay?” Sawyer asked Kennedy as they approached the main floor. He had noticed her hand had tightened around his, but she hadn’t made a sound. Then again, he probably wouldn’t have heard her over the deep bass beat that was echoing through the cavernous space.
“Yeah,” she said, sounding a little breathless. He wasn’t sure if that was because of their brief make-out session or the bodies writhing in front of her.
As with the restaurant, the clubs had exterior entrances that allowed for nonguests to come in. However, they weren’t allowed into the hotel proper from the club, so those who were in the play area were actually hotel guests. And they seemed to be enjoying all that the hotel had to offer tonight.
Several people were sitting at the tall tables scattered throughout. The leather couches were occupied as well and there were quite a few bodies lining the walls. Not everyone was participating in the debauchery—some were enjoying drinks while they talked, their eyes roaming the room. They’d learned early on that it took all kinds. Some people preferred to engage in activities in public, others merely opted to watch. Of course, there were still those who enjoyed the private playrooms and the various equipment provided. But the one thing that everyone had in common was that they were all there because they wanted to be.
Sawyer remained at the edge of the room, keeping Kennedy close as they observed what was going on around them. Just as he expected, she was enthralled with the action, despite the fact that she probably didn’t want to be. It was similar to porn. Although it might not be for everyone, if it was on the television, it was difficult not to look. Even just briefly.
But Kennedy wasn’t doing just a brief scan of the room. Her eyes had widened, her fingers clenching his tightly as she looked on. Stopping in an unoccupied area, Sawyer pulled her up against him, his chest to her back. He wrapped his arms around her, releasing her hands and lacing his fingers together in front of her. He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and her perfume, hardly noticing what was going on around them.
“Is that Greyson?” Kennedy asked, drawing Sawyer’s attention to the direction she was looking.
“Yeah,” he said against her ear.
“Does he know that girl?”
“He does now,” Sawyer replied, chuckling.
Greyson was on his knees in front of a woman who was sitting on one of the tall chairs, her legs spread wide while Greyson busied himself between her thighs. The woman’s head was tossed back, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the tong
ue-fucking she was getting.
“Do you do this sort of thing?” Kennedy asked.
“Is that a question you really want me to answer?” he asked, keeping his mouth against her ear.
“No, actually, I don’t,” she finally replied.
“It won’t happen with you,” Sawyer told her. “When I get you naked and beneath me, I promise it won’t be in a room full of people. Ever.”
And that was a promise he fully intended to keep.
A SHUDDER RACED through Kennedy’s limbs at Sawyer’s statement. She noticed how he said when, not if, and that had her skin tingling.
Although she didn’t want to be cast aside by this man, she couldn’t deny the fact that she wanted to be with him. She wanted to be naked, beneath him, just as he promised.
But not here. Definitely not here.
So, okay, she had to admit she did have somewhat of a voyeuristic fascination with the place. Even though she didn’t understand how these people could be so open about their sexual exploits, she had to respect their choice. And, yes, it was hot to watch.
Her eyes drifted around the room. She noticed all different types of people in various stages of undress. Some were fully clothed in jeans and sweaters, others in more formal wear, while some were hardly clothed at all. Then, of course, there were a few who were entirely naked right there for everyone to see. But the nakedness didn’t bother her, nor did it appeal to her the way that the interactions did. And that wasn’t something she would ever admit to anyone. It still took her by surprise that she was actually enjoying herself.
To a degree.
She was still nervous, and a little uncomfortable, but since no one seemed to be paying any attention to her, it wasn’t nearly as horrific as she had imagined it would be.
There was a couple sitting on one of the leather sofas, the woman was straddling the man, grinding up and down on the guy’s cock. Slowly. What was interesting was that there was another man on the floor in front of them, his mouth between the woman’s legs, which meant he was also . . . Well, his mouth was venturing lower, to the other man’s balls, while another woman stood behind the couch, leaning over and kissing the guy who was having his cock ridden and his balls sucked.
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