Kendall knew that being kissed by this man, no matter how much it didn’t fit into her long-range plan, was exactly what she wanted. She flashed a smile. “What are you waiting for, an invitation?”
When he finally lowered his mouth to hers, she realized her delusions of being the one in control had been just that. He commanded her lips with a delicious sensuality she had no desire to resist. The temperature in the room jumped several degrees as he slid his tongue to mingle with hers. She lost herself in the kiss, all of her doubts melting away under the intensity of his intoxicating warmth.
His hand slid from her face to trace the curve of her body. When he brushed the swell of her breast, she was sure she would spontaneously combust from the heat generated by his touch.
He broke the kiss and settled his lips against the sensitive column of her throat. She was too turned on to be embarrassed when a moan escaped her lips.
She felt him smile against her throat. “That’s perfect,” he murmured. The vibration of his lips touching her skin made her shudder.
She turned her head to one side to give him better access to her neck and noticed that the muted television set was still on. One of CNN’s female anchors gave a rundown on the day’s headlines. Reality slammed into Kendall like a bucket of ice water. She was sprawled on her sofa with a man she barely knew who made her body feel things she hadn’t even known were possible.
It felt so good when he sucked on the soft flesh of her earlobe. So right for his hands to be cupping the curve of her hip, pressing her body against his until she could feel his erection straining against the fabric of his worn jeans.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
The words echoed in her lust-fogged brain. But why was it so wrong? They were both adults. And there was an undeniable chemistry between them. They could enjoy each other without any strings attached. As long as they both understood that was what was happening.
“Ty?”
His tongue traced hot patterns on her neck. “Mmmm . . .” he said, moving to the base of her throat.
“What we’re doing here, whatever this is,” she mumbled, having difficulty forming a coherent thought.
“I think what I’m currently doing could best be described as necking,” he told her. “What about it?”
“It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Ok,” he said, sounding uninterested in the conversation as he moved on to a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear.
She unwrapped her hands from behind his neck and pushed against his shoulders until he lifted his head back enough to meet her gaze. “Ok?” she repeated.
He heaved a sigh and rested his forehead against hers. “I told you before, you think too much. We are two consenting adults, giving each other some major-league pleasure. It doesn’t mean you have to wear my ring on a chain around your neck for everyone who watches the news to see. This is between us.”
She’d made a plan for her life. “You won’t have a problem if this is all I can give you? No public declarations or long-term commitment or anything.”
He lifted his head. “Have you ever heard of the word spontaneous?”
“I don’t do spontaneous very well.”
“Shocker,” he said with a smile. “How about casual? Fun?”
“Casual?” She ran her hand over the muscled wall of his chest, watching his eyes darken at her touch. “Casual is good.”
“Some things you can’t deny,” he whispered. “This kind of chemistry is one of them.”
He remained still as her hand continued to explore his body. Her fingers curled under the hem of his shirt, running up his soft skin and then scratching softly with her nails.
Ty sucked in a breath.
“We can manage the chemistry,” she told him.
He smiled but didn’t answer.
“Control ourselves.” She shifted closer and he tightened his hold on her hips. She cupped his face between her hands, leaning forward to nip at one edge of his mouth.
“I like when you’re in control,” he told her, his words gruff. “You can trust me, Kendall. I’m not going to pressure you for anything you’re not comfortable doing or giving.”
She looked deep into his brilliant blue eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. “No pressure,” she echoed.
He flashed her a suggestive smile and moved against her. “None that you don’t ask for.”
That he could make her laugh made her want him all the more. His hands slid into her hair and he took her mouth, suddenly rough and possessive as if he was done entertaining her worries. This is what she wanted, she realized. Needed. To let go, even for a few minutes. Their kiss deepened, and she lost herself in the force of it.
CHAPTER SIX
He hadn’t expected to have his world rocked by a simple kiss. But he should have known nothing with Kendall would be simple. With her plastered against his body, her hands all over him, he wasn’t too worried about complicated. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, growing impossibly hard when she moaned. He cupped her breast through her T-shirt, flicking his thumb over the nipple.
He wanted to see her, touch her, taste her. All of her.
Then the doorbell rang.
Kendall’s eyes flew open. She looked as affected by the kiss as he felt.
He thought about covering her mouth again and kissing her until she forgot about whoever was at her door, but since he’d moments ago promised to keep any involvement between them casual, he eased away from her.
She scrambled up next to him, and they sat side by side, both trying to catch their breath and regain their balance.
The doorbell rang again.
“Are you expecting someone?”
Kendall blinked several times, and then her eyes widened in horror. “It’s Sam and Chloe,” she said, as if that should mean something to him. “My two best friends,” she explained at his blank look. “Act normal. I don’t want to explain you to them.”
“You better fasten your bra,” he suggested. “The way it looks now you might have some ’splainin’ to do, Lucy.”
She bent her head to look at the front of her shirt, where her bra clearly hung loose under the wrinkled fabric. She shot him an accusatory glare.
He held his palms up and shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
She groaned and marched toward the front door, her fingers working at the clasp of her bra. Ty got a quick view of the creamy skin of her back before she righted her shirt. He straightened his own shirt and concentrated on thinking thoughts that would ease the monumental stiffness in his pants. He’d make an interesting impression on her friends flying more half-mast.
He heard the sound of female voices and turned to see Kendall return to the living room, flanked by two women. One was tall, blond, and gorgeous. The other was shorter, curvy, and cute in a girl-next-door sort of way.
The trio stopped and stared when Ty came into view.
“And what do we have here?” the knockout drawled, with a sly glance at Kendall. Something about the tall beauty struck Ty as familiar. “Is this an in-person audition?” she asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Sam,” Kendall said. “This is Ty. Dr. Tyler Bishop,” she amended, slipping into her TV reporter tone.
Ty realized that Kendall adopted her on-air persona when she felt uncomfortable. Evidently, her friends knew this, too. The curvy woman joined the other one in a sideways glance.
“We’re working together on the wildfire story I told you about.”
The bombshell sidled toward him before Kendall could say any more. “Hey, there, hot stuff,” she purred, giving him a slow onceover. “I can believe you’re the fire expert.”
The model’s identity clicked into place. “I miss seeing you on the newsstand,” Ty replied. “I was a fan.”
She flashed him the seductive smile that had sold a mil
lion magazines. “We need to do something about your use of the past tense.”
“We’ll see.” He turned from the former supermodel to where Kendall stood, a look of shock on her face. He didn’t understand her friend’s blatant flirtation any more than she seemed to.
He smiled and held out his hand to the curly-haired woman who stood at her side. “I’m Ty Bishop.”
“Chloe Daniels,” she said, and placed her small hand in his. “It’s nice to meet you. I know Kendall feels strongly about keeping the community’s attention on the burn areas.”
“I do, too. But I’ll get out of your way.” He gestured to the bottle of wine Chloe held in her hand, along with a large bag of chips. “Looks like you’re ready for some serious work.”
“Brain food.” Chloe grinned.
“Of course,” he agreed. He looked at Kendall. “I’ll see you Monday morning at the station?”
“Yes.” Her tone was all business. “We’ll take one of the news vans down to the burn site in case there’s any initial footage Steve wants,” she replied, referring to the cameraman who would accompany them. “Thanks for bringing everything by. I’ll show you out.”
He shook his head. “No need. I won’t get lost.” The urge to lean forward and kiss the frown off her lips was strong, but Ty walked past Kendall without touching her. “Nice to meet you ladies,” he called over his shoulder to her two friends. “Enjoy your night.”
Kendall watched him turn down the hall toward her front door, wondering why it was so difficult to see him leave. When the door clicked shut, she whirled on Sam, but Chloe was already speaking.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Chloe admonished Sam quietly. “It isn’t right.”
“Isn’t right?” Kendall bit out. “Sam, you put the moves on a man I work with. What were you thinking?”
Sam looked genuinely hurt at Kendall’s outrage. “I was just trying to help. I don’t want you to end up with another weasel like Greg.”
“And how is coming on to one of my coworkers supposed to help me?”
Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but Sam held a hand in the air to silence her. “Wait a minute.” Her eyes pierced Kendall with a dubious gaze. “Are you saying the gorgeous hunk of man who just left was only here in a professional capacity?”
Kendall laughed, although it sounded more like a nervous squeak. “I told you, we’re working together on the wildfire story. He’s a soil scientist.”
“Bullshit,” Sam responded evenly.
“No, really, he is. I can’t figure out why he runs a landscaping company when he has such an impressive background.” She tapped one finger against her bottom lip, which was still swollen from his kisses. “But it’s true. I called the university to verify his degree.” Her gaze shot back and forth between her two friends. “You can’t honestly think I’d get involved with someone like Ty.” She rolled her eyes. “He is so not my type.”
Chloe gave her a reassuring smile. Sam grunted. “Not involved, my butt. You’ve got a big hickey in the middle of your neck.”
Horrified, Kendall’s hand shot to her neck. “So much for being able to trust him.” She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room toward the mirror that hung in her foyer.
A few moments later she returned to the living room, hands on hips, a hard stare leveled at Sam. “There’s no hickey on my neck.”
Her friend shrugged. “No, but based on your reaction, I’d say there was a lot more going on with Hunky McDirt than you’re telling us.”
“He doesn’t fit into my master plan.”
Chloe groaned as Sam snorted. “Not the plan again.”
“The plan is important to me.” Kendall took the bottle of merlot Chloe held and led the way into the small galley kitchen. Growing up, prioritizing a life plan had been a way to feel in control and compartmentalize her insecurities. The list had been straightforward and it kept her motivated when balancing all the balls of her life got to be too much.
She opened a drawer and handed Chloe the wine opener, then pulled out three wine glasses. Chloe uncorked the bottle and poured.
Kendall took a long drink before she spoke. “New York City is the dream, marriage and kids come after that. I can’t risk being sidetracked.”
“You’re talking about your mom,” Chloe said softly.
Kendall nodded. “She could have done so much more. She had her own dream but sacrificed everything for our family. My dad had to work through a lot of demons before he could be the man she deserved. She paid a steep price for loving him, and I always felt like she was a shell of the woman she could have been. They’re in a good place now, but was it worth all the sacrifices she made to get there?”
“Have you asked her?”
“She’d tell me I was worth everything, but that only makes me feel more guilty. If she hadn’t gotten pregnant—”
“If the life she chose makes her happy,” Sam said, “it isn’t a sacrifice. It’s a decision.”
Kendall blinked away tears. “But it always seemed like the wrong one.”
Sam squeezed her hand. “Not for her.”
“Focusing on my career is the right decision,” Kendall said, swallowing back the emotion that clogged her throat. “I can’t lose focus now, and Ty would only be a distraction.” She studied her friend over the rim of her wine glass. “But if you suspected something was going on between the two of us, why were you flirting with him?”
Sam and Chloe exchanged a look.
“What?” Kendall asked, exasperated to be the only one not in on the secret. “What is it I don’t know?”
Sam sat cross-legged on one of the barstools tucked underneath the counter. Even in her battered cargo shorts and utilitarian Birkenstocks, her legs were long and graceful. Kendall couldn’t imagine any man saying no to the prospect of having those legs sprawled across his bed.
“There’s no easy way to say this,” Sam told her, shifting in her seat, “so I’ll cut to the chase. While you were dating Greg, he made a pass at me.”
Kendall’s hand jerked. Burgundy-colored liquid splashed out of her glass and ran down her arm. Chloe pulled paper towels off the roll and handed several to her. Kendall wiped at the spill, her eyes never leaving Sam’s.
A broad sweep of emotions left her numb for a moment before a rush of questions, denials, and accusations leapt to the forefront of her mind. “Explain,” she said succinctly, not trusting herself to say anything more.
“Nothing happened,” Sam said quickly, with none of her typical flippancy. “Swear to God, Ken, I would never do that to you.”
Kendall nodded. She could see the remorse in her friend’s amber brown eyes.
Sam brushed a hand through her tumble of thick blond hair. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. At first, I thought I was imagining it. When we’d all go out, he’d give me a look or brush up against me. Nothing overt, mind you. Then he started helping me with the bookkeeping software.”
Kendall’s mouth tightened into a thin line. She had been the one to suggest that Greg use his accounting skills to help Sam set up the books for her nonprofit summer camp.
“I don’t know what it was,” Sam said, shaking her head. “He still didn’t make any direct advances. But I know when a guy is giving me ‘come on’ signs and Greg Davies was lit up like a neon marker.”
Kendall didn’t think for a minute that Sam might have misread Greg’s intentions. With her looks and background, Kendall knew Sam had been a target for men’s advances since she was a preteen. She could spot a sexual advance a mile away.
“Did you confront him?”
“I needed to be certain I wasn’t overreacting and that I had a witness in case the tables were turned on me,” Sam continued. “I asked Chloe to come over and hide in one of the bedrooms before Greg arrived one night.”
“I wasn’t as blunt as ‘take me to bed
or lose me forever,’” she said, borrowing a popular movie line, “but there was no mistaking my intent. I’ll spare you the nitty-gritty. Let’s just say he showed a fair bit of interest in the prospect.”
Kendall glanced at Chloe.
“I heard the whole thing.” Chloe nodded. “He was all over her like white rice.”
“White on rice,” Kendall and Sam corrected in unison.
“Why didn’t you tell me what had happened?” Kendall asked Sam. “If I’d known he was such a slime ball, I could have dumped him before he went after my realtor.”
Sam sighed. “The guy should have been an actor,” she told Kendall. “When he realized he’d been set up, he started crying like a baby. Went on about how much he loved you and didn’t want to lose you. Blubbering about me being some sort of teenage crush for him and he’d never acted like this before.” She gave a bitter snort. “He must have been laughing his cheating butt off all the way home. Chloe and I bought his sob story hook, line, and sinker.”
“He just seemed like a good guy,” Chloe added. “You know how men react to Sam. We thought he was telling the truth.”
“You still should have told me,” Kendall said quietly.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said.
“Me, too,” Chloe echoed.
“So that’s the reason for the Mae West routine tonight?” asked Kendall.
Sam looked sheepish. “Not my brightest idea. But the sparks flying between the two of you could have set fire to wet logs. I wanted to get a read on the guy before things got serious.”
“Trust me, nothing is going to get serious between Ty and me,” Kendall said, with more determination than she felt. She couldn’t help asking, “What did you think of him?”
“Not too much to go on since he rushed out after my little spectacle,” Sam answered, taking a sip of wine. “He’s certainly easy on the eyes. You said he was a landscaper?”
“He has a doctorate and, according to Google, extensive experience in soil conservation, biology, and resource inventory and assessment.” When Sam gave her a blank look she added, “To answer your question, yes. He owns a landscaping company. That’s what he does for a living.”
Kissing Mr. Right Page 7
