“Look around,” Molly offered. “I haven’t been this busy…ever. Note the clientele — mostly men.”
“Ahhh, geez. That stripper reference Evelyn made, eh?” Jace dropped his comment in such a nonchalant manner, he may as well have been commenting on the weather.
“Uh, yeah…that,” Molly replied.
“So, check any tonsils, Doc?” Brady was an asshole without a filter. She was also the town badass and pot stirrer who enjoyed the misery of others more than what was probably socially acceptable.
“Charming…” Jace replied, his tone dripping in sarcasm. Brady was anything but charming. A pain in the ass was more like it. “And no, I didn’t even put it all together until now. What am I saying? I would never…oh, forget it.”
“So, you’re only interested in Kinley’s tonsils?” Sadie, Kinley’s sister, chimed in, sipping her coffee as if this were just a regular conversation. Her sly grin hiding behind her coffee cup wasn’t lost on him, or the rest of the ladies as they each followed suit with a giggle.
“No…I mean…yes…I mean…” Jace ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, this shouldn’t even be on here. It’s an invasion of privacy and was blown completely out of proportion.”
“Blown isn’t the word I would have used, but I see where you are heading with that one, Doc,” Brady chuckled.
“Look, dear. Why is this such a bad thing?” Cady was calm, cool, and calculated. He knew where she was going with this, given their prior conversation and her known history of relationship manipulation. “I think you make a fine couple, and if you want to…check her tonsils, go for it!”
“She isn’t interested in a relationship. I don’t want to force the issue — look, we don’t even really know each other!” Jace defended.
“Uh, Doc Detweiler, the picture kind of suggests otherwise,” Libby jumped in with her two-cents, joining the team of heckling meddlers.
Brady tossed one finger in the air, as if an idea had suddenly sparked and needed to be voiced. “And…you didn’t say you didn’t want a relationship, Doc…just that she didn’t.”
“Why, yes,” Cady added, with a bit of enthusiasm, “and it’s usually the words we don’t say that speak louder than those that we do.”
The masses were forming and creating an alliance with their philosophical BS as they dug through Jace’s words, or lack thereof, to use against him. Cady seemed to have new recruits, of the younger variety, to add to her meddlesome mob of matchmakers. Sadie seemed far too eager to get her sister’s match made, obviously finding him adequate. Was that a compliment?
As endearing as that could be, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anxiety drift through him. He didn’t stand a chance against this group of women. Not with Cady at the helm. They’d have Jace and Kinley headed down the aisle by supper if he didn’t cut it off. He was screwed. Then again, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Chapter 6
As the day retired and the sun began to set, Kinley closed up Twinkle Toes for the night and made her way around the building to her upstairs apartment. She tossed her bag by the door and collapsed on the couch, ready to put the awful day behind her. No evening classes were on the schedule, so she could cuddle up with a tub of ice cream for dinner and sappy movies and drown herself in the tears that had been threatening all day.
To her surprise, classes were pretty much in full attendance throughout the day, despite the town notice Evelyn sent out via Facebook. She did, however, notice a few stink eyes from the mom bench, even some from the married ones. What was that all about? This was just several shakes of salt on the proverbial wound. New York over, love life over, stuck in a dead-end small town, and now the talk of said town. Awesome. She was going to need a bigger spoon. And more ice cream.
Snack in hand, she wandered back to the living room where she planned to hug a blanket and pretend she was anywhere else in the world. As soon as her ass hit the couch, a knock at the door startled her right back to her feet. She wasn’t expecting anyone. The only one who ever stopped to visit was Sadie, and she had just said goodnight to her moments before at the dance studio.
A second knock convinced her it was someone she knew, so she answered — instantly regretting that she did. Jace Detweiler was standing on the other side of the door, take out bags in one hand and flowers in the other. What the hell was this? She aggressively grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him inside before poking her head out the door, looking around for looky-loos — namely Evelyn Shirley.
“What the hell, Jace? What are you doing here?” Kinley asked, her tone a little harsher than intended.
“I, uh…saw the Facebook thing this afternoon. I wanted to see if you were okay and apologize.” Jace was nervous, she could hear it in his voice.
“Why would you need to apologize? You had nothing to do with….” Kinley paused, and her eyes narrowed. “Wait, or did you?”
“No, no…promise. I was as surprised as you,” Jace defended. “Besides, how could I take the pic if I was…you know…in the pic?”
“Good point. So, what’s all this?” she questioned, pointing to his hands full of stuff.
“Oh! Well, I thought maybe we should talk. I wanted to make sure you were okay, and thought maybe food would help?” A sheepish grin crossed his face. Jace’s sincerity was working overtime on her hard edges.
“And the flowers? We going to eat those too?” Crossing her arms, Kinley’s eyes narrowed even more as she waited to see just how far Dr. Jace was going to take this.
“Oh, those are just because. They were bright…and pretty…made me think of…you. I mean…who doesn’t like flowers?” Jace handed her the flowers. His eyes were locked on hers, and his words felt sentimental.
“Good point. I mean about liking flowers, not the other part.” Against her better judgement, Kinley was beginning to soften. Something about this man was trumping her newly adopted anti-man and relationship convictions.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I stopped at Savory Sweets and got a little of everything.” He started sifting through the two bags hanging from his other arm. “I have veggie soup, a panini, some pasta salad thing, and of course dessert.”
“Dessert?” Kinley asked, looking at the tub of ice cream she was still holding. “What kind of…dessert?”
“Cheesecake, brownies, and these stuffed croissant things Libby insisted on.”
Kinley grabbed the bag he was digging through, hopeful it was the dessert bag. “Sit. I’ll grab another spoon, and some forks.”
“Spoons and forks?” he questioned in amusement.
“Well, yeah. You have some spoon food and fork food. We need both,” Kinley reasoned.
Jace chuckled, appreciating the sassy sway she added to her hips as she walked to the kitchen.
When she returned with utensils, it was sans the ice cream. Nodding to the couch, Jace took her cue and sat. Though the silence between them probably should have felt awkward, it didn’t. She helped him pull each container from the bags and set every one up on the coffee table before them like their own little indoor picnic.
“So…” Jace said, in between bites, “should we talk about this?”
“About what?” Kinley’s elusiveness was just deflection — Jace took a psych class in med school, she knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Evelyn…what she said. I don’t know about you, but it definitely had an impact on my day. I wanted to be sure it didn’t interfere with yours. Evelyn had no right…” Jace’s words trailed off as he tried to gauge Kinley’s position and what he should say next.
“You’re right, she didn’t, but she did, so…it really wasn’t a big deal. I got a few side-eye glances and glares from dance moms, but that’s about it. Didn’t bother me.” Giving up on the real food, Kinley shifted her focus to the dessert boxes — a clear sign it did indeed bother her.
“And that’s why you just crumbled brownie all over your cheesecake?” Jace pointed out. “Because it didn’t bo
ther you?”
Kinley looked at the mess she had made in the cheesecake container, then Jace. “Sorry, it’s just better this way.”
He laughed at the innocence in her tone after being busted for hijacking both desserts and destroying them. Kinley was completely unapologetic and one hundred percent okay with making such an asshole move. Oddly, he was okay with it too.
Responding to his raised eyebrow, Kinley scooted closer to him on the couch and stretched the container out in front of her. “Here, you eat out of this side. We’ll come back to that salad later.”
Jace indulged, taking a bite and immediately letting out a satisfied sigh. She was right, it was better, but he couldn’t be certain if it was the brownie or her company that made it so. They sat in silence, taking turns with the dessert, each glancing occasionally at the other. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t.
There was something sweet between them. No conversation to engage in, but still pleasant and natural. Jace wondered what, if anything, that meant. It was easy, enjoyable, even satisfying. Either Kinley was as easy going as they came, or she was just really hungry. Perhaps both.
“So, you really okay with this?” Jace asked, breaking the long silence.
“I mean, yeah. I don’t know what not being okay with it would accomplish. What’s done is done. We were caught, that’s what we get.” Her reply was matter-of-fact and to the point with an unruffled shoulder shrug.
“What we get? Like this is punishment? You know we did nothing wrong, right? We are two adults, of sound mind, capable of…adulting,” Jace went on. “Evelyn isn’t the town mom. She needs to just keep her nose out of everyone’s business.”
“Adulting? Is that what we did?” She grinned, enjoying his adorable rant. “It may be okay, but hookups aren’t typically considered endearing, so I get it.”
“Kinley…it wasn’t just a hookup.” His eyes were fixed on hers as he searched for the right words to assure her without scaring her away. “You aren’t a hookup kind of girl. You’re better than that. Deserve better than that.”
“Really? You’ve known me five minutes and you’re so sure about what kind of girl I am and what I deserve? We literally hooked up, therefore, I am a hookup girl now.” Her tone was more sarcastic than defensive, maybe even amused. “Is this another one of your attempts at a pick-up line? Because if it is, I’d have to say you’re zero for two, Doc.”
Kinley shot him a sly grin and mischievous wink before slowly licking her spoon clean in a seductive manner, followed by her full lips. Was she flirting? Was his attempt to make amends about to earn him a second act with the dancer?
“Well, is it working? Because I was trying to fix what happened, but if—” His words were cut short when Kinley quickly straddled his lap while taking his mouth hard.
Happy to indulge, Jace replied with roaming hands and gave her all she asked for, meeting her every move and stroke of her tongue with his own.
“Maybe…” she said breathless, “we should try it again. Really give the town something to talk about.”
“Is Evelyn in your closet over there?” Jace teased, leaning forward for a kiss, just to pull back before their lips could meet. “How is the town going to know…you know?”
Fed up with his teasing, Kinley said, “Shut up, Doc, and kiss me.”
So he did. He kissed her and kissed her more, among other things, eventually picking her up and carrying her to the bed at the other end of her loft apartment. Whereas the night before was edgy, primal, and raw against a cold studio wall — this night was soft, sweet, and sensual. They took their time, each giving and receiving equally.
With expert hands, Jace was sure not to miss any part of her perfect body. He traced every dip and curve, pleasuring her needy core one stroke at a time. Kinley moaned, the sound thick with desire, prompting him to continue.
Sure, they’d been together before, but it was spontaneous and unabandoned. It wasn’t soft or sensual, nor was it emotional or careful. It was reckless and ravenous, needy and direct. There was a point, and they were quick to get to it. This night, however, was different.
Jace took his time, getting know her. It was intimate, and even a bit emotional if he was being honest. There was a connection between them and he wondered if she sensed it too.
Kinley rocked her hips against Jace’s hand and he felt her begin to tighten. In a bold move, Kinley rolled Jace to his back and straddled him, positioning herself above his hard length. In a single, brazen motion, Kinley took all of him in.
It was unexpected, and it pleased him so much, the sensation prompted a guttural moan that brought even Kinley pleasure. She was in control and Jace didn’t mind. When he reached for her breasts, Kinley grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head while she rode him, taking full control.
Her head tossed back as provocative sounds escaped her. Jace was at the edge and he wasn’t ready for it to end. In a quick shift, he released himself from her grip and sat up, without interrupting Kinley in the least. It was like a smooth effort that had been rehearsed and anticipated, one in sync with the other.
Cradling his arms around her, Jace leaned Kinley back, gaining access to her perfect breasts. He took his time, taking cues from her as he pleasured each one at a time. While her breathing quickened and moans became sharper, Jace could feel Kinley’s pace grow faster as she began to tighten around him.
He pushed forward, hovering over her, so he could take over while she lay her on her back, receiving zero protest from Kinley. Gazes locked, Jace watched the fire in her eyes. The passion and intensity of their connection wasn’t lost on him and he knew she felt it too, whether she acknowledged it or not. The messaging was clear in her actions — she was in control, everything on her terms, but she didn’t mind him taking the lead so long as Jace knew that.
There was something needy between them he couldn’t quite figure out and didn’t care to in the moment. Jace wouldn’t hold her to anything more than this moment. In this moment, he knew she needed this, needed him. Jace read her like a book, her signals so clear, and he responded with every thrust and kiss just like she wanted it.
It took everything he had to hold out for her, to let her find her finish first. Kinley needed that, he sensed. She needed to be considered, thought of…first. When Kinley finally came down around him, he met her with his own wave of ecstasy. Collapsing in each other’s arms, they lay silent in a sated state.
As the early evening fell to night, Kinley and the good doctor found themselves back on the couch, where they had been a number of hours, talking about everything and nothing. Something some might consider more intimate than the deed they had done just before. It was genuine, sincere, and sweet.
“I better get going,” Jace said, checking his watch. “Early morning with the kids at the clinic. I’m sure Evelyn’s post will make for another busy day of the unsick visiting. I don’t know if I should hate Evelyn or thank her for the business.”
A shy smile greeted him as Kinley teased back, “Funny, me too. Only mine will be dancing, not coughing.”
“Are you sure about that? Given the schedule today and amount of tutus in my office, I’d say there’s an outbreak at your studio.” Jace shrugged with a laugh.
“Hey, thanks for the food. It was very thoughtful. I enjoyed…your company.” Her cheeks went crimson, as did his, her reference to company made clear.
“Of course. It was my pleasure. You’re good company to keep.” He hadn’t realized the power of those words. One word in particular — keep — until it fell from his lips. Keep seemed simple, innocent, but in this situation, it was anything but. Jace saw those walls he had been chiseling away at go right back up in an instance.
Kinley stiffened. “Uh…Jace. I had a good time, really, you’re a sweet guy, but…”
“But you aren’t available, relationships aren’t for you, and men are off limits? Did I get it all?” His chuckle was slightly sarcastic and really just a way to guard his own emotions.
<
br /> That’s right — no relationships. She’s in charge.
“I’m sorry…” Sorry was all Kinley could say.
There really weren’t any other words for what she was feeling. In a perfect world, with perfect circumstances, and perfect outcomes, Jace would be the kind of guy she would want to have dessert with…often. But her luck had been anything but good when it came to relationships, and she had learned her lesson. Hard.
“It’s fine. We talked about this already. I get it…it really was nice, though. I mean that.” He had made his way out the front door and stopped just outside on the landing at the top of the stairs to her apartment.
A quick smile and wink were tossed her way before he leaned in for a sweet kiss, and said, “Have a good night, twinkle toes.”
With her hand to her lips, feeling his kiss, she watched him walk down the steps and disappear around the corner. Twinkle toes, silly but sweet. She actually liked it coming from him. Kinley’s heart ached a bit in that moment — for him. She only wished she could throw caution to the wind, take a chance, and see where things led with the good doctor.
It was odd to her that she could feel so drawn to someone she had only just met, and that she would consider letting her guard down just one more time to see where the journey took her. As she stood there, in small town USA, alone, she was reminded why she couldn’t. Men were something she just wasn’t good at, and Pine Valley wasn’t her forever.
Good sex and cheesecake…the day didn’t end nearly as shitty as it had started.
Chapter 7
Chirping birds and early golden rays usually acted as Kinley’s morning wake up call, but today it was a loud knock at her door that pulled her from steamy dreams of Doc McSteamy. Not sure if it was truly someone at the door or just a loud noise mixing with her half slumber, she turned to the clock on her nightstand, trying to get a grip on reality as she left her dreamy state behind.
Bed Buddies Page 4
