There was a skirmish going on behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Reed standing next to Cole, his finger in his face. Cole didn’t seem to care. He just kept that really excited looked on his face. Cole’s over-the-top personality loved to find people’s weaknesses and then tease them mercilessly, but surely they weren’t still the maturity level of fourteen-year-olds. Besides, moments like these with women like Kenzie didn’t happen often. He could take whatever Cole dished out.
“Kenzie. That’s an unusual name,” he said.
“It’s short for McKenzie,” she said, not furthering the conversation.
“Want a beer?” he asked, moving around her once they got to the kitchen.
“No. Not really a beer drinker,” she said and cutely crinkled her nose.
“I’m not sure what we have outside of that,” Ty said, going for the refrigerator, making a mental note to get some things she liked just in case he ever got this opportunity again.
“Water’s good. I’m not a big drinker anyway.”
“I have some water bottles. Not much else, but they’re Voss. Is that okay?” Ty asked, grabbing a bottle of water.
“I’m not even sure the difference,” she said, taking what he offered.
“Yeah, me either, except the cost. Come outside. We were just getting ready to start the steaks,” Ty said, pointing toward the back door.
“Can I make a quick bathroom break?” she asked, placing the water bottle on the table. She was skittish as hell, still standing on the other side of the kitchen as far away from him as she could get. He had to do better at making her feel comfortable.
“Sure. Bathroom’s down this way.” As silly as this felt, he tried for no sudden moves. He went around the opposite side of the table toward the hall. When he was certain she followed, he began counting off the doors, trying to remember which one was the guest bathroom. He opened one door and saw it was a bedroom. “Sorry, it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I think it’s this one then.”
“It’s a beautiful house. We always wondered about the people who’d bought it.”
“It took me about ten seconds to place an offer when I saw the listing. Here, this one. There should be everything you need. I had someone come out and get it ready for us,” he said, making sure the little things like toilet paper, soap, and hand towels were available.
“Yeah, that was my mom. She does this on the side,” she said, standing in the doorframe.
“I think she mentioned that today at the store. I forgot.” There was a pause when he was farther inside the bathroom than her. Their awkwardness was nothing new, so he just moved around her out to the hall. “We’ll be out on the patio when you’re finished.”
~~~
Kenzie stared at herself in the mirror. There was little question in her mind that she was scared to death. Not even two years ago, she’d sworn off all men for the remainder of her entire life, and the first real test to that declaration had her acting like a star-struck teenage girl.
“God, he’s just too good-looking,” she whispered and bent her head dramatically, dropping to her folded arms on top of the sink counter. The best she could hope was that she didn’t make too big a fool of herself until she could break free of this evening.
A spark of fire steeled her spine, and she bounced her body back up, her eyes blazing. Her mom had set this whole thing in motion on purpose, and she’d fallen hook, line, and sinker for her mother’s latest attempt to find her a good guy to date. She rolled her eyes at how many times over the last few weeks her mother had introduced her to men. How had she not realize this when she walked out to see them loading the truck tonight? Again, she dropped her head back down dramatically, remembering the bait and tackle shop guy from this morning.
She pulled in a deep breath, stood straight, and pointed at herself in the mirror. “Get it together,” she whispered.
An unknown amount of time passed as she warred with the crazy woman in the mirror. Honestly, the panic did make Kenzie consider just staying inside the bathroom until it was time for her to leave, but the embarrassment of that might be worse than how humiliated she was at being here in the first place. With effort, she forced herself to calm down. A second later, she tested the mask she’d used over the last few months—the fake smile plastered firmly on her face. There was comfort in hiding, so she kept the look there and brushed at her hair with her fingers before running the top of her forefinger under her eyes, straightening the little bit of eyeliner she’d applied. On a deep breath, she turned to the door. She could do this. She’d gotten through worse before. If she could do that, she should have no problem with this.
With a hand on the doorknob, she paused and then went quickly to the commode, flushing the handle. She’d been in here too long; she had to cover her tracks. On that thought, she turned on the water at the sink and washed then dried her hands. After a second more, she stiffened her spine, squared her shoulders, and turned the knob.
Walking down the hall, she went around the corner to the kitchen and stopped short. Ty stood at the counter, his head bent, with his feet and arms crossed. He looked over at her, a sweet smile spreading across his handsome face when he saw her.
“We’re on the back porch,” he said, pointing to a door on the other side of the room.
“You said that before. Were you waiting on me?” she asked. Please say no, please say no. That’s too sweet a gesture to ignore…
“Yeah. The door’s back here,” he said, and her heart tripped in her chest. He was waiting on her to go outside. How sweet.
“I’m sorry it took so long,” she said, not really moving from where she stood.
“It didn’t take long. Here’s your water.” He picked up the water bottle on the table and extended a hand in her direction. She gave only a slight pause before she reached out.
“You aren’t drinking?”
“Nah, I’ve got precious cargo to get home,” he said, and his smile grew as he moved his arm, extending a hand to let her walk in front of him toward the door.
Oh God, he was a gentleman, too. Crap.
~~~
With his whole game plan contingent on being a gentleman, something that oddly felt a little foreign to him, Ty stayed close to her as he walked outside, extending a hand again to push the storm door open. He didn’t anticipate the door handle had shut all the way. When he pushed, at the glass of the door, it didn’t budge, which crowded them together. For him, he didn’t mind at all. She wasn’t overly tall, maybe five six or seven. He reached for the knob about the same time she did. Their hands collided, and she jerked hers away like his touch scalded her. Her body did a little spasm thing, bumping back against his.
There was a slight fear she might have registered the rigid hard-on in his shorts, but she hadn’t stayed against his body for even a second as she pitched forward, bumping her forehead against the door. Her hand went immediately to her head and he couldn’t help the chuckle. This was no coy game playing; this was a true reaction, and she was about the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
Slower than normal, he turned the handle, opened the door a little, but kept her caged right there, bending to breathe her in as he asked, “You okay?”
“Yes,” she finally said and used her palm to push the door open while she rubbed her forehead with the other. Yep, she was absolutely adorable. “That hurt a little.”
With her hand on her head, she looked back at him. All the weirdness she put off dissipated as she turned to face him and moved her hand from her forehead. A slight red mark marred her clear skin. He laughed again, taking the opportunity to touch her. He lifted her chin to angle her face in the moonlight. He gently lifted the other hand and slid a finger over her pink skin, making sure there wasn’t a bump before looking down at her upturned face.
“I think you’re okay, but head injuries are tricky. I’ll have to keep my eye on you. Make sure you’re acting normal,” he advised, keeping hold of her chin.
She chuckled and m
oved out from his hold. “Well, if I have to act normal, then we’re all in trouble.”
“Good to know. So if you act normal, I’ll rush you straight to the ER.”
She laughed solidly with that joke, her tense features settling some. He suspected this new side to her might be the normal Kenzie which now began to make her a bit of a puzzle. She turned away again, that genuine smile still in place.
“Whoa,” she whispered as she faced the back deck which had been strategically built to extend out over the mountainside. He thought that the breathtaking view held her spellbound until she angled her head toward him and spoke. “They seem to always be staring. Why is that?” He looked around to see what she was talking about, and all four guys had stopped talking and were looking their way.
Not even two minutes ago, he’d heard their constant chatter outside. They were animated, catching up on their lives. Now… He suspected they were staring at him more than anything else, wondering what the hell happened, because he never acted this way. He’d certainly never waited for anyone like he had in the kitchen.
“I’d like to say it’s because they haven’t ever seen a beautiful woman before, but I think it’s more me. Cole and I had a battle in the kitchen when I first saw you standing outside my front door tonight. I wanted the first shot to get to know you. He, being the pain in the ass he is, decided to torment me,” Ty said, putting a hand to her back guiding her the rest of the way onto the deck. Cole sat on the bench that surrounded the entire ledge, and after hearing Ty’s words, he reached down and patted the seat next to him.
“Kenzie, I saved room for you,” Cole said sweetly, his eyes on Ty the entire time.
“It’s a long drop,” Ty said, hooking a hand around her waist, moving her to the other side where Reed was lounging in a patio chair. “He’s safe. Sit over here.”
“Let me go over this again,” Kenzie said, placing her water bottle on the patio table before pointing to each man as she spoke. “You’re Reed. That’s Connor, Cole, and Bray or Braden? I’ve heard it said both ways.”
“Impressive memory. My friends call me Bray. I would bet you’re probably a teacher if you can recall names like that.”
“I did some early education in my undergrad, but no, I decided to go into social work. My case load required that I remember those little details,” she said and took the seat next to Reed before unscrewing the water bottle and taking a drink. He wouldn’t say she was necessarily comfortable, but maybe getting there. Ty grabbed the back to the free patio chair and moved it closer to her before taking a seat.
“Social work. Wow. I bet you’ve seen everything,” Bray added.
“There’re some heartbreaking situations, but I worked for the county hospital so I saw a lot of good. I like it. What do you guys do?” she asked, looking around.
“Let’s see. Reed over there, he owns the world. Braden’s an attorney in Dallas. Connor’s military, and Cole’s a bum living off his family,” Ty explained, pushing his legs out in front of him. The breeze had turned a little cooler, but someone had gotten the fire pit going to help warm the area while he’d been in the kitchen waiting on Kenzie.
“Hey!” Cole yelled, crunching up his empty beer can and throwing it in Ty’s direction.
“No, I’m just kidding. He’s in the family business. They’re farmers. Like those massive sprawling farms,” Ty explained.
“And you’re an actor?” she asked, looking over at him. She was sitting with her legs together, her hands in her lap, and her long hair fell over her shoulder when she looked over at him.
“Yep.” He nodded, not sure if it would be in his favor or not to add Sexiest Man Alive to his list of credits. If it would help win her over, he might just say it.
“I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out. I knew something about you seemed different, but I don’t watch a lot of television,” she confessed.
“That’s because you were so focused on me you couldn’t quite wrap your head around him. It’s understandable. Anybody want another beer?” Cole said, getting up, taking the long way around to the kitchen in order not to get too close to Ty.
“Steaks are almost done,” Connor called out from the grill.
“We’re eating out here. Is that good for you?” Ty asked, rising. He should have brought out all the plates and utensils while he was waiting on her to finish in the bathroom.
“Sure. But I’m probably not gonna eat. I’m a vegetarian.” And again, like every few minutes with his guys, all eyes turned toward her.
“We’ve got a pot of beans. No meat products in there, right, Connor?” Ty asked.
“Not even a hint,” Connor confirmed.
“Okay, I’ll be back. I’ve gotta get the plates and things and I’ll grab the beans,” Ty said. Kenzie started to say something, but Reed stood, cutting her off.
“I’ll help.” Reed tried to be a normal guy, but more times than not, it didn’t work for him. He just didn’t do things like help in the kitchen, not if there was any possible way out. With so many moments of stunned silence, he could tell this was turning into one of those nights they would all laugh about years from now. Ty winked at Kenzie and followed Prescott inside, passing Cole on his way back out.
The layout of the kitchen took some time to get used to every time he came. Opening and shutting cabinet doors, Ty searched for the collection of disposable plates and utensils he remembered seeing. He found the oven mitts needed for the cast-iron pot of beans still warming on the stove and tossed those toward Reed. In the last cabinet, he found the rest of what he was looking for and then reached for a roll of paper towels.
“This all I need to grab?” Reed asked, sliding each mitt on. He shoved the spoon on the stove inside the dish. Ty stuck the paper towels under one arm, and placed a box of disposable silverware on top of the paper plates. Thoughts of Kenzie kept him completely preoccupied, and he glanced out the window every few seconds to keep an eye on her. “What are you doing out there?”
“What’d you mean?” Ty asked, trying to split his thoughts between the task at hand and the beauty that seemed to steal all his reasonable thought.
“With her. What are you doing? You have a girlfriend,” Reed said. He actually set the pot back on the stove and stood there glaring at him.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Ty shot back defensively. Those incredibly confusing words coming from “use ’em and lose ’em” Reed Prescott effectively pulled all his attention to the guy standing in his kitchen staring him down. Oh yeah, he could definitely read judgement in that gaze.
“You know, this isn’t my business at all, and at first out there on the porch, I thought it was cool to see you all into her, but she’s not from your world, Bateman,” Reed countered in that same hard tone.
“Your woman wasn’t from yours either,” Ty added and dumped the items in his arms back on the counter. The guy in front of him looked very much like Reed, but seriously, there was no way his lifelong best friend would stand there and school him on the boundaries of dating.
“I didn’t date world-renowned beauties with a new one on my arm every few months. My love life came from cheap one-night stands.” There was a pause in Reed’s words that had Ty cutting his gaze back out the window.
He watched Kenzie talking to Braden. From this angle, she looked more relaxed now. Maybe some of the tension she’d held on to was slipping away.
“What are you gonna do with her?
“I’m just interested. I don’t have a long-term plan. I just met her. Why the hell do you even care?” Ty shot out, still watching her.
“She’s hiding something,” Reed said cautiously.
“What makes you say that?” Ty whipped his head toward his friend, brows snapping together. He got that she was nervous, but most women who were not in the business were anxious around him. It was his job to ease that fear, show he was just a normal guy.
“Look at her body language. Did you hear how she answered questions about herself? Everything s
he said was vague, and the first chance she got, she turned the topic off herself,” Reed said, coming closer to him and now they both looked out the window at Kenzie. He remembered the battered women’s donation and the pain crossing her face at the mention. He’d thought she might be holding herself together, but Prescott could be right. She may be hiding something.
“Huh…” he finally muttered.
“Did you think she was just overwhelmed with you?” Reed asked from right beside him, his tone a little condescending.
“No, of course not,” Ty started, before stopping mid-sentence. This was Reed, and out of all the guys, he was closer to him. They shared the commonality of both being a little fucked up from the circles they ran in. “Okay, well, I kind of did. But what you said reminded me about the money from the chairs being a donation.”
“A donation to what?”
“Abused women.”
“Well, there you go. Not rocket science there, buddy.” His words dripped with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes dramatically. “All I’m saying is you need to be careful. Once I started digging, there was a lot to find. For me, it was too late to do anything more than jump in and help.”
“What? Are you saying you bit off more that you wanna chew?” Ty asked defensively.
“Absolutely not. I love her. I wouldn’t change anything, but you aren’t as fucked up as me. I’ve got my own baggage to bring to the table. She has to accept a lot of bullshit to be with me. You’ve got some solids that I don’t have.” Reed looked at him expectantly, as though waiting for him to digest what had just been said. When Ty gave no acknowledgement that he might understand what the hell Reed meant, he finally continued, “My point is, when it’s bad, I can see how bulldozing your way in, then washing your hands of it, could make it worse. Look, keep the facts in mind. She’s a beautiful, smart woman living alone with her parents in the mountains with a public servant degree that she’s not using. Something’s not right.”
“I just met the woman, Prescott. I’m not trying to marry her. I just want to spend some time with her,” Ty said, defensively. He wasn’t trying to put a ring on her, and besides, so now that Prescott had a woman, all of a sudden he was an expert?
Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) Page 6
