by Sierra Hill
Donita listened with quiet interest as Kenzie shared the tale of events that occurred the night before. It was almost comical. This was the first time she’d ever been able to shut Donita up for more than five minutes. The woman was always yapping.
When she’d finished recounting the events of the previous night and got to the part about moving in with Remy, Donita looked like she was about to faint.
“Are you shitting me?” she practically yelled, her voice three octaves higher than normal. “You moved in with that sexy musician? Oh good gravy, I think I just might weep with jealousy. You are the luckiest woman I know!” She pulled Kenzie in for a hug, wrapping her arms around her small frame.
Donita was never shy about showing affection. Early on, when she had just met Donita, Kenzie would tense up or cringe when she gave her hugs, but now it felt right. She allowed the sweet feeling of friendship to creep into her heart – a wholly unfamiliar, but warm, emotion taking hold.
“You do know what this means now, don’t you?”
Kenzie pulled away, lifting her eyebrows in question, having an inkling of what Donita might very well say.
“No,” she stated hesitantly. “But I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
Donita steepled her fingers, maniacally strumming them together in an excited flurry.
“Oh Kenzie, darlin’…it means you’ll be getting some any time you want from that handsome rocker. Ooooh – there is no way you won’t be tearing it up between the sheets with that boy in a matter of days. And if you don’t, you know I won’t hesitate to invite myself over for sleepovers to get me some action if you don’t tap that.”
Donita made a smooching sound, before walking off to one of her tables singing a taunting rendition of “Kenzie and Remy, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
Kenzie shook her head letting out a small laugh. How far from the truth her friend really was. While Kenzie couldn’t deny that Remy was incredibly gorgeous, and now from the events that transpired the night before, she knew he was also generous and sweet – there was no way she’d get involved with him or do anything to ruin their newfound friendship.
She knew from experience just how easy it was to become so enamored with a guy and to fall so far under his magical spell that you couldn’t see the truth behind his lies.
And that truth could almost get you killed.
The sound of the bell clanking above the diner door had her glancing up just as Remy came sauntering in. He had quite the swagger, and after all the sexy thoughts Donita had filled her head with that morning, Kenzie’s heart sped up and her breath caught in the back of her throat as she watched Remy walk toward his regular booth.
He was wearing his usual attire of black leather jacket, white T-shirt, gray hoodie and dark skinny-jeans and looked sinfully delicious. He smiled and gave her a ‘sup?’ head nod as he slid into the plastic covered-booth, dragging his hand over his morning scruff. He carried the “just rolled out of bed” look to the extreme.
He was entirely too sexy for his own good.
“Hey, roomie,” he said, greeting her with his velvety rich voice. “When did you start this morning? I didn’t even hear you leave.”
Kenzie glanced down at her watch. “I came in at six.”
“Jesus, that’s too fucking early for me. How do you do it? You a morning person?”
She chuckled, remembering all the morning classes she skipped in high school and college because she could never drag her ass out of bed on time. And look at her now. Who would’ve thought? Certainly not her friends, or her dad, or even Kenzie herself.
But sleeping past noon wouldn’t help her earn her way in this life. And she found that she could make due on four hours of sleep as long as she had a strong cup of Joe to feed her ambitions.
“Yeah, not so much. But you gotta do what you gotta do, right?” She leaned over to plop the menu down on the table in front of him when his hand came out to pick it up at the same time. As he did, his fingertips brushed her left breast, sending a thrilled rush of blood through her body.
Her nipples hardened against the touch, shooting an immediate sense of need between her thighs. She jolted back, alarmed at how quickly her body responded with such urgency to his accidental touch.
Remy’s hand gripped the edge of the menu and his gaze traveled up her torso, starting at the pearl buttons at her middle, briefly stalling at her breasts, and then slowly and intentionally coming up to her mouth. His beautiful blues finally came to rest on her eyes.
He mumbled a soft and half-hearted “Sorry.” But the twitch of his lips suggested he wasn’t truly apologetic - more amused than anything.
God, this was not going to work. The heat and chemistry that were pulsating between them were off the charts – with an intensity she couldn’t even begin to describe. How was it possible that she was going to keep her distance when they lived together, slept twenty-feet from one another, and shared the same living space?
Kenzie knew she had to set the record straight, once and for all. There could be no blurred lines or questions about their relationship. It would be friends and roommates and nothing more.
“Remy…” she started, just as he began to say her name.
“Kenzie...I was hoping - ”
“Listen, Remy,” she quickly interrupted, not sure where he was going to go with that. “I can’t reiterate enough how grateful I am that you came to my rescue last night and have given me a place to live. But we need to keep this totally plutonic. I will be your roommate and nothing more. Not a friends-with-benefits hook-up or a booty call that’s conveniently located in the next room to you anytime you want a little something-something. I’ll be sharing chores with you, not sexual favors. Got that?”
There. It felt good to get that all out in the open. Even though a tinge of regret snaked through her belly after saying it.
Remy seemed thrown for a loop, based on the surprised expression on his face. Maybe she came across a little too forceful? Or maybe he wasn’t even thinking about her in that way.
Oh God, now she was embarrassed for making an ass of herself. She felt the color creep up over her cheeks, most likely staining them bright red. Kenzie took a step back, glancing around the room to avoid eye contact.
She startled when his hand darted out and gently grasped her wrist, pulling her back toward him.
An amused smile etched across his face. “Kenzie, I was just going to ask for a triple shot today. But I think your little speech did a damn fine job of waking me up.” He chuckled and then scooted further into the booth, gently tugging her down to sit next to him. His gaze never left hers.
Letting go of her wrist, his hand landed on his jeans-covered leg, which was bent casually in a half-Indian-style pose across the seat.
“I’m glad you laid that out there. It took a lot of balls to do that. And for the record, I did not invite you to become my temporary roommate so I could get a little something-something anytime I want. I like you and I want to help you get back on your feet. I’m not doing this for ulterior motives – even though there’s no denying I think you are bangin’ hot.” Kenzie felt her cheeks burn hotter at his admission and her heart rate spiked.
“But I will respect your boundaries and won’t cross the line. You have my word. Scout’s honor.” He held up his fingers in the universal Scout’s pledge.
She sat in silence for a moment, contemplating his words and the meaning behind them. Then with a brisk nod of her head, she stuck out her hand to shake his in mutual agreement.
“All right. Friends and temporary roommates. Let’s shake on it.”
Their hands grasped one another and held for the briefest of moments, long enough for Kenzie to feel the sparks of electricity course through her veins.
Now if only she could get her body on the same page as her brain, this newly forged friendship might just possibly work.
Chapter Seven
During the four weeks since moving in together, Remy and Kenzie found an easy co
mpanionship and daily routine in their living arrangements that included companionably quality time.
As promised, Kenzie did all the grocery shopping the first month and cooked all his favorite meals, even getting him to try new Asian cuisine that he’d always shunned in the past. He’d never been one to be on the adventurous side of food but she hadn’t steered him wrong yet, enticing him with her spicy chicken curry, shrimp masala, along with cucumber kimchi and even a Thai coconut soup. Everything she made was delicious.
He’d also cut back on his morning breakfast routine in the cafe, instead finding himself getting out of bed at the butt crack of dawn most mornings to eat breakfast with Kenzie before she left for work.
Kenzie seemed surprised the first few days when he’d sauntered into the kitchen, eyes half open, wearing only a pair of basketball shorts and plunking down at the table for a cup of coffee.
The first morning he’d done that, Remy had found her at the stove wearing only a pair of tight black yoga shorts, barely covering her perfect ass cheeks, and a very revealing pink tank that she’d obviously slept in the night before.
Her hair was piled high in a loose bun, soft golden strays framing her face, and her bare feet were tapping a beat on the floor, keeping in time with the music she was listening to from her earbuds. She was completely oblivious to his presence, as he watched her with unguarded lust.
Kenzie was swinging her ass from side to side, doing a seductive dance that would tempt any hot-blooded man. It took everything he had to keep from grabbing her hips and yanking her into his straining erection, where he knew she would fit perfectly. The way she moved was fluid and erotic, self-assured and sexy. Her body was tight, small and curvaceous in all the right places.
Fuck, get a grip.
He cleared his throat and moved to the counter to pour some coffee, giving himself some time for the blood that had headed south to return north to his brain before turning back around. When he did, a myriad of thoughts ran through his head.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. Every time her gorgeous green eyes looked his way, they encased him in a longing so deep, he felt he had fallen into a lust-filled abyss.
Kenzie was also a talented musician. While she hadn’t played for him directly, Remy had come home a few nights to hear her strumming one of his guitars behind her closed bedroom door, the soft sound of her voice wafting through the apartment.
He’d recognized one of the tunes she played to be a Brandi Carlile song, Turpentine. It was hauntingly sweet and soulful, filled with pain and anguish. Remy wondered what private pain she hid under the easy-going smile she normally wore in front of him.
Even a month later, he still knew so little about her. She was a mystery to him in so many ways. Where most girls he’d known could talk his ear off and share way too much information about their past, Kenzie was quiet and secretive, divulging very little other than insignificant and trivial details about her identity, her past and what made her tick.
Remy knew that she was a recent college graduate, but he didn’t know where she’d gone to school. He knew she was an aspiring singer/songwriter and was a huge fan of alt-folk rock, including her favorite singer, Patty Griffin. He’d also learned first-hand what a terrific cook she was, but didn’t have the slightest clue how she became one.
Kenzie frustrated the shit out of him by clamming up every time he tried to get her to open up. He’d come to the conclusion that she had been in a relationship that ended badly, only by piecing together some off-handed remarks she had made in conversations about dating. Aside from that, he only knew she was currently single and wasn’t looking for a relationship.
And that had Remy flummoxed. Kenzie was young and sexy, yet she’d shot down every guy that tried to approach her the few times they’d gone out together to the bars. Not that it upset him too much to see her turning the bastards down, but it made him wonder why she wasn’t interested.
“Earth to Remy. Hello! Are you sleepwalking?”
Kenzie’s voice and the heat emanating from her body so close to him jarred him back to the present. She was waving a spatula in front of his face trying to get his attention.
He blinked hard. His eyes were trained straight on her chest.
Blinking again, Remy tried to refocus his gaze, but the sight of her hard nipples pointing through the thin material of her tank was far to enticing to leave. Her shirt was cut low enough so that the top swell of her breasts peeked up, begging him to ogle. Following the path his eyes took, Kenzie bent her head to look down at her chest and then glared back up at him.
“Geez, Martins. You looking to cop a feel, or what?”
He choked, nearly spitting out his coffee.
Yes, yes he was. That would start out his morning quite nicely.
“They’re just tits, for Chrissake. I’m sure you’ve seen a few pairs in your time,” she chuckled. “Now get over yourself and tell me if you want plain or blueberry pancakes.”
Holy hell. Now all he could think about was her tits. And he’d been doing such a good job keeping his distance and reminding himself of their roommate pact, tamping down his obvious attraction to every part of her.
Remy stammered a response about blueberry and sat down at the kitchen counter, hoping to avoid her attention as he quickly adjusted his pants. His dick was hard as steel and ramrod straight, and all it took was the sight of her in that tight tank and shorts to get him horny and revved up.
Okay, he’d been horny for weeks. This girl was messing with his head.
He lifted his head and caught her smirking at him. “Nice morning wood, by the way. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
He gaped at the boldness of her comment and then glanced down at his tented shorts. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked back up at Kenzie who was dishing up pancakes onto his plate.
“What can I say? He gets excited when he’s assaulted with the sight of a sexy-as-fuck, half-naked girl first thing in the morning.”
He accepted the plate she handed him, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks, before digging in. “Mmm. These are so good. Another reason I’m glad I got up so early this morning.”
Kenzie gave him an inquisitive look and he laughed. “The first reason, of course, was seeing your ass wiggle in those shorts. That was hot as fuck.”
A smile edged on the corners of her mouth before she opened her mouth to take a bite. He watched with jealousy as her lips curved around her fork, her tongue flicking out to capture a remnant of food.
God, what he’d like her to do with those lips and tongue.
“Remy…you can’t say things like that to me.”
They both reached for the bottle of syrup at the same time, their fingers briefly touching, shooting heat up his arm. She must have felt it too, as she pulled her hand back as if he’d had claws and fangs.
His head cocked sideways. “What do you mean? I’m just telling it like it is. Nothing wrong with honesty.”
She let out a soft ‘hmmph’, spearing a bite of pancake with her fork, her profile in his field of vision. Her face was washed clean, make-up free, and her skin was a delicate pale, flushing slightly. He wanted this girl so bad.
Turning to face him, her pink lips pursed in a tight line, her frustration obvious.
“You were flirting. I thought we agreed on that.”
“What? I can’t help that I notice you,” he drew his eyes up and down her body, liking how the color on her cheeks deepened. “And flirting was never outlined on your carefully crafted “No” list. You specifically stated we’d just be roommates and nothing more. And that’s exactly what we are and I haven’t done anything to cross that line.” And then under his breath, “yet”.
“Well, you still need to stop that. It makes me uncomfortable and it’s confusing.”
She was confused? About her feelings for him? Hmm, well that was interesting. He might have to delve into that a little further. Until then, he’d try to refrain from commenting on how she looked and how it made him fe
el. It would be hella hard, but he didn’t want to make things awkward between them.
“Anyway, are you working today?” Kenzie asked, filling the silence with her question and interrupting his internal conversation.
With the exception of a few evenings over the last few weeks, it was rare that they shared the same day off together. Remy’s schedules at the recording studio were dependent upon the musicians, some days longer than others. Kenzie’s shifts at the diner were a bit more predictable, six mornings a week with Sundays off.
Remy shook his head, having no plans that particular Sunday except doing laundry and working on some songs.
“Nah, I’m off today and don’t have any plans. Although Nick and I were possibly meeting up tonight to check out a band playing down at Longhorn’s Tavern. You should come hang out with us.”
Getting out of his chair he motioned to her empty plate, taking their dirty dishes to the sink to wash off. Grabbing the coffee pot, he refilled her cup and placed it in front of her.
“Thanks,” she said, adding the cream and sugar she loved. “But joining you on a guy’s night out? I don’t think so. I don’t want to be a cockblocker.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Wouldn’t want to prevent you from getting any action.”
He wanted to tell her the only action he wanted was with her, but after how she laid it out on the line for him, he wasn’t about to go there. And honestly, he hadn’t even thought about hooking up with any other girl since he’d met Kenzie. Even though she was only joking with her cockblocker comment, she couldn’t have been more right. She had unintentionally grounded him from getting laid just by her mere presence in his life.
If he couldn’t have her, he really didn’t want anyone else, either.
“You wouldn’t. You’d be the ideal wing woman. And anyway, Nick can’t be looking for anyone since he’s married, so you could keep him company.”
“Well, I’ll consider it. But in the meantime, I was wondering if you’d be interested in writing some songs with me today, if you’re not busy. I’ve heard you working on some music, and I think our writing styles are pretty similar.”
