“Sounds like a nice setup. You need to tell me all about it when I see you later.”
The hammering in her chest increased and she was convinced her heart skipped a beat. “You’re getting off early?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m getting off on time. Dex’s back. Like us, he and Caitlin are headed to Oklahoma City tomorrow for the festivities this weekend.”
Kenna couldn’t help but get excited at the thought of going away with Reese for the weekend, even if they would be doing so only as friends. She liked his family, felt like she was a part of them, and they always treated her with warmth and kindness.
“I’m looking forward to it. In fact, I’m going shopping again.”
“With Christy?” he asked.
“No, Christy and Alex have already left for Oklahoma,” she said. “A group of us are hitting the malls. The excursion is being led by your cousin Traci.”
She laughed out loud when he moaned before muttering a word that all but burned her ears. She understood. Traci was one of his older cousins who everyone knew was a bona fide shopaholic. “Relax, you don’t have to worry about me going on a spending spree and not being able to move out at the end of the month.”
“That’s the last thing I’m worried about. You know you can stay with me for as long as you want, baby. I’ll see you later.”
She tilted her head to the side. Why did the sound of his voice have to be so sexually charged? And he’d called her baby. Had he ever done that before? “Okay. I’ll see you later,” she managed to say before hanging up.
By the time she got off the phone she wasn’t sure which thing had made her day. The thought that he wouldn’t be working late and she would see him today, or the fact that he’d told her she could stay with him as long as she needed to or that he had called her baby. Although she was sure he didn’t mean anything by it, it warmed her heart nonetheless.
Reese parked his truck at the side of his house. He had so easily become used to Kenna staying with him, and for someone who was a loner that said a lot.
Before leaving that morning he had scribbled a note asking that she meet him for lunch, but had tossed it in the trash before walking out the door. He’d missed seeing her over the past few days, but the strange thing about it was that when she’d lived in Austin he would sometimes go without seeing her for weeks, although he would often talk to her. What made this time so different? The only difference was that he had always been involved with someone. Did that mean that he was only turning his attention to Kenna because he was unattached?
He rubbed his fingers along his forehead. Attached or unattached, he had no right to be thinking of Kenna in the way he’d been thinking of her lately, and that wasn’t good. Instead it seemed like everything Alyson accused him of was true. More than anything he was determined that no matter how much his body wanted to react whenever she was around, it was nothing more than a passing infatuation. Nothing had changed between them and nothing ever would.
As he opened the door to get out of the truck, what he’d told his cousins at lunch played in his mind. He knew that sooner or later some man would see Kenna for the kind, warm, loving person that she was. He didn’t expect her to remain single for the rest of her life. She deserved marriage, and to have all the children he knew she wanted. She was entitled to all the happiness a woman could have with a man, and deep down he knew that. Still, the thought of her building a life with someone else, establishing a closer relationship with someone other than with him, drove him into panic mode. It was something he needed to figure out, and quick.
They had talked about it before, the possibility of meeting other people—like Alyson and Lamont—who didn’t understand the closeness of their relationship. They had agreed not to become involved with anyone who couldn’t accept the kind of friendship they had. He hadn’t told her, but Alyson hadn’t been the only one. Over the years there had been others. Most weren’t important enough for him to care about. And he was sure there had been men who’d accused her of the same thing. He didn’t question her every time she’d broken up with someone. Mainly because he felt it was best for her to handle her business like it was best for him to handle his. But Alyson had brought it all out in the open. She had made accusations, and they were the kind that couldn’t be ignored.
Did he care?
Yes, he cared, more for Kenna’s sake than his own. He wasn’t interested in starting a new relationship with a woman right now. No telling when he would be. He liked being single and was in no rush to settle down. But Kenna might feel differently. Some women liked having a man around, and in the years that he’d known her, she had been in a steady relationship most of the time. He shouldn’t expect anything to be different now that she had moved to Houston. He should feel comfortable with it if she met someone. Of course, after he checked him out.
He paused. Did he even have the right to check out Kenna’s dates? Shouldn’t he respect her judgment enough to let her choose the kind of man she wanted? Hell, she was twenty-nine years old. But the thought of another man breaking her heart didn’t sit well with him. The thought of another man with her period gave him pause. What had Alyson accused him of? Being territorial and not protective? Could there be some truth to her claim?
He was thinking way too hard, way too much, and giving Alyson far too much credit. He opened the door and entered his house. A feeling of excitement coursed through his body just knowing Kenna was living under his roof. It was a feeling of warmth, the familiar presence of a woman who meant a lot to him.
He stepped into the foyer and glanced around. He didn’t see her, but he certainly smelled her. The entire house was filled with her scent—vanilla and jasmine. He liked it. He’d always liked it.
Since she was probably in the kitchen he moved in that direction, only to take a few steps when he heard someone behind him. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the staircase above and saw her as she came rushing down the stairs. He turned around. “Reese! You’re home.”
There was something in the way she’d said it, something in the way she’d looked at him when she said it that made him feel welcomed, missed and appreciated. And at that moment it made him aware of her not as a friend but as a woman he hadn’t seen in almost three days. He was also aware of what he felt upon seeing her, and that almost took his breath away.
“Yes, I’m home,” he said. Their eyes remained fixed on each other for a long, sexually charged moment. He wanted to turn away, to look at something else, start some mundane conversation, but he couldn’t. She was wearing another dress, one he’d never seen before, and she looked pretty. In reality, she looked better than just pretty. She looked radiant, gorgeous. His mind kept saying over and over, Hey man, lighten up. It’s just a dress. But he thought she was beautiful in every sense of the word. Some women worked hard at being beautiful, but with her it came naturally. Just seeing Kenna made him aware of every nerve ending in his body, of every cell and molecule. Even his skin seemed to be on fire, tingling in a way it had never done before.
What in the hell was happening? What was making his emotions stir? What was wreaking havoc with his body and his mind? And what, at that very moment, was compelling him to move in her direction with an urgency he couldn’t begin to define?
If he had been thinking rationally he might have had time to pull himself together and convince himself that he was about to make a mistake, or at least consider the consequences of his actions. Instead he kept walking and when she was within arm’s length, he reached out and pulled her into his arms and devoured her lips.
Kenna felt Reese’s mouth greedily consume hers. She could only moan in response. Not once did she think to pull away, even when she saw it coming. She had assumed until the last moment that he would stop, come to his senses and deny her the one thing she craved.
How many times had she dreamed of him kissing her this way, their tongues mating and tangling in a passionate exchange? At that moment her brain felt as weak as her knees, her brea
sts became heavy and ached against his chest. She continued to groan as the kiss, slow and steady, became more forceful, more intense and even more desperate.
Suddenly, he broke off the kiss. Disoriented and practically in a daze, she grabbed the front of his shirt to keep from falling as he pulled air into his lungs. She wasn’t sure what had happened and knew from the dark, penetrating eyes staring back at her that neither did he. The one thing she didn’t need right now, the one thing she couldn’t handle, was for him to have regrets.
In the back of her mind, she saw more than them sharing a kiss. She could see her body underneath him, naked, with her legs spread wide open, her back arched, her hips raised—ready to receive him in the most intimate way. She wanted to show him just how much he was loved.
He would have been shocked by her thoughts, but at that moment she didn’t care. After all this time she had finally gotten a taste of Reese Madaris, and fantasy paled in comparison to the reality.
“Kenna?”
Oh, no. He was looking at her with disappointment in his eyes when she’d felt only hope. But that hope was beginning to fade.
“Yes?”
Instead of answering, he covered his face with his hands and took a step back, putting distance between them. When he lowered his head she knew what he was going to say and she didn’t want to hear it.
“I had no right to do that. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me just now.”
“Yeah,” she said, raising her hand to her lips to touch them, feeling the wetness on her fingertips. “I know what you mean,” she lied. “I don’t know what got into me just now either.” A girl did have her pride, and if he regretted kissing her she wasn’t going to let him see how much it hurt her to know that.
“You’re my best friend,” he said in a low voice, like he was trying to remind himself of that fact. “The only excuse I can give for my behavior just now is because—”
“You’re horny and haven’t had a girlfriend in a while and—”
“No! That isn’t it. I—”
“No need to explain, Reese, really. Look, I promise not to bring it up again if you don’t. Come on. I fixed dinner.”
And before the tears she was trying hard to fight back could flood her eyes, she rushed into the kitchen.
Trying to hold himself in check, Reese watched her hurry off. Damn! What had he done? Then slowly, by degrees, he remembered. He had kissed Kenna with a hunger he’d been holding in for days. He’d sunk his mouth into her, tasted her, and when their tongues had tangled and mingled she had kissed him back. Her response had turned him loose and he’d tried getting his fill and then some.
She had felt good in his arms—so perfectly right. And for a moment he had been so consumed that he could barely recall what day it was. The only thing he could remember was how good she’d tasted. And that was the crux of his problem, the root of this unwanted attraction he felt for the woman who was his best friend. Guilt surfaced. She didn’t deserve to be mauled by him, although he distinctly remembered her kissing him back. But that was beside the point. He had made the first move, taken advantage of a woman who hadn’t expected such behavior from him. She certainly hadn’t anticipated it.
She was a woman who deserved more from him or any man.
He drew in a deep breath. She didn’t want his apology. In fact she didn’t want him to bring up what had happened ever again, so he had to join her in the kitchen and pretend nothing was amiss and things were as they used to be, when a part of him knew that things would never be the same again.
Kenna scurried around the kitchen as she began to set the table. She had to stay busy or else she would think about what had happened between her and Reese a few minutes ago. Oh, she knew he had kissed her. She still felt the effects down to her toes, not to mention the taste of him on her lips.
And as shameless as it sounded, she would give anything for a repeat performance. Unfortunately, Reese had other ideas. He never meant to kiss her and regretted doing so. Then why had he? Deep down, she knew the reason and had called it like she saw it. He was a man, a good man. But he was a man nonetheless, and men had needs. He’d tried denying it, but it was what it was.
When Reese entered the kitchen, she refused to turn around to acknowledge him. She needed a few moments to gather herself. “You can go ahead and sit down, Reese, I’ll bring the food to you,” she said over her shoulder.
“No, I’d like to help.”
That’s what she was afraid of. Although it was a rather large kitchen, she had a feeling it wouldn’t be large enough for the two of them now. She was about to turn and tell him that she’d rather he didn’t help her when she felt the heat of his body behind her just seconds before he reached around her to grab a couple of serving bowls off the counter.
“Excuse me,” he said in a low, husky voice.
She closed her eyes for a second.
“You okay?”
How could he ask her that when she wasn’t okay? Now that he had kissed her she was more aware of him than ever. His aftershave, which had always smelled very masculine, was now an aphrodisiac. She paused for a moment to breathe in his scent.
“Anything else you want me to do, Kenna?”
Yes, kiss me passionately a few more times, she thought. “No. Nothing else,” she said, afraid to turn around and face him, especially now.
The sexual tension between them had moved from the living room into the kitchen, and she felt it. It was as thick as anything she’d ever known. Any other time she would have welcomed it with open arms, but not now, because it was for all the wrong reasons. She had dated enough to know how the male mind worked. He didn’t want her per se. He just wanted a woman to fill the sexual void. As much as she loved him, she couldn’t be that woman, because it would end up destroying their friendship. She knew it, and she felt deep down that he knew it as well. But temptation was temptation, just like hormones were hormones and testosterone was testosterone, and it seemed that all three were working against them.
Forcing a smile, she turned around and nearly wilted under Reese’s dark, penetrating stare. “This is a new recipe I tried. I hope you like it,” she said, moving away from the counter to head toward the table.
“I’m sure I will. But first I think we really do need to talk,” he said in a voice so low she had to almost strain to hear him.
She shook her head. “Not if it’s about what happened out there, Reese.”
“But I feel I owe you an explanation—the right one. Because what you’re assuming is all wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter. If you’re worried about things changing between us because of what happened, they won’t. And that’s all I’m going to say about it. Please let it go. For both our sakes, you have to.”
It was several moments before he responded. “Are you sure that’s the way you want it, Kenna?”
What other way can there be? she wanted to scream. More than anything she would love to see him look at her the way she’d seen him look at other women who’d been by his side.
She met his gaze. “Yes, that’s the way I want it.”
He nodded slowly. “All right. Then that’s how it’s going to be.”
He’d given in to her request. Reluctantly, he’d agreed to do what she’d asked. She avoided looking at him as she sat down at the table. She felt an uncomfortable silence surround them, and it nearly pierced her heart. For the first time in all the years they’d known each other, she and Reese were at an impasse, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Chapter 12
“Okay, Reese, what’s going on with you and Kenna?” Mackenzie Standfield Madaris asked gently.
She had seen Kenna and her brother-in-law together enough times to know when something wasn’t right between them. At family gatherings the pair had always been inseparable, but since they’d arrived in Oklahoma it seemed they were intentionally staying as far away from each other as they could.
Reese wasn’t sure how to respond to his
sister-in-law’s question and was certain that others in his family had noticed the strain in his relationship with Kenna as well. It was eating away at him, and all because of a kiss. A kiss he’d initiated that should never have happened.
He gave Mac a look that all but said it really wasn’t any of her business, but he was too polite to be so blunt. In response, she merely lifted a brow like she knew what he was thinking and wasn’t having any of it.
Reese couldn’t help but smile at the woman who had captured his rodeo-superstar brother Luke’s heart. In a way he could see how it had happened, since Mac was a beautiful woman who made men’s heads turn when she walked into a room. But like him, Luke had been a loner, and the rodeo was his passion and his heart. Somehow Mac had entered his life and changed all that. Now it was Mac who took top billing in Luke’s heart.
Although Luke had opened his rodeo school, everyone, including Mac, knew that eventually he would return to the rodeo circuit, if for no other reason than to make an occasional guest appearance.
“Go ahead and answer my question, Reese. I’m an attorney. I’ll cross-examine you if I have to. Don’t make me prove it.”
He laughed. “Is that a threat?”
“No, I’m married to a Madaris. And I know you don’t take threats lightly.”
We don’t take them at all, he thought, remembering some of the threats that had been made against members of his family. Mac had been threatened last year, and a few months ago Blade’s wife, Sam, had been in danger.
“No, we don’t,” he agreed, “unless the person making the threat has a beautiful face.” And she was definitely beautiful. But then so was Kenna.
He looked away from Mac and glanced across the room to where the object of his irritation was talking to some cowboy, one of Luke’s friends from the rodeo. All he had to do was to study the man’s expression and stance to know he was taken with her. Several of Luke’s friends who’d met her tonight were. No surprise there.
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