Because He's Perfect

by Anna Edwards

  I know where she lives. I should have just come over the next day or the day after, but I was afraid she'd reject me. I don't want to be denied, not by her, which is why I’m about to demand she come to my brother's engagement party with me. I will not take no for an answer.

  I know for a fact Tiffany will line up single women by the dozen to win me over, and all I want to do is see Kenzie. Claim her lips again, look into those pretty blue eyes. I raise my hand and knock when I am brave enough. I tried the doorbell, but there was no answer. I slam my fist on the door and am about to walk away when she appears in the doorway, clad in only a white fluffy towel. A frown creases her forehead, and she stares daggers at me.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  "I thought no one was home," I growl, running my hands through my hair. "Why didn't you answer?"

  "I was in the goddamn shower," she yells. "What do you want, Kace?"

  “I want to take you somewhere, this thing I need to go to.”

  Her eyes rake over me, and I want to smirk at the appreciation evident in her eyes.

  "Who knew what dress pants and a shirt could achieve?"

  “What? Come out with me. Please.”

  Her shoulders drop, and I know she's caving. "I can't." She lets out a breath. "I have plans."

  "Undo them." I take a step forward, and she swallows, stepping back. "Please."

  “I cannot just cancel plans I made weeks in advance because you decide to show up here a week after you left me with no explanation.”

  I stand above her, catching her floral scent, and closing my eyes for a second. I reach out and grip her waist, pulling her to me. She gasps and gapes at me. Her silver hair dripping down her shoulders.

  “You’re exquisite, Kenzie. Unlike any woman I have ever met.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere, Kace.”

  I lean in and brush my lips against her shoulder, instantly hardening. She rests her head on my chest. I know she feels my reaction to her, and I don't care. "It got me here, inside this apartment, holding you in nothing but a towel, and I bet if I wanted to, I could let it slip, and you'd let me." Her breathing quickens as I trail a few kisses till I reach her neck. "Come with me."

  She slips her hands under my arms and tickles me, causing me to let her go. When she stops her assault, she places a hand on my cheek. "I really can't, but I can see you later. I promised someone, and I can't just go back on that."

  I pretend to be stabbed in the heart, causing her to giggle. I pull her close again.

  “I’ll let you off this time.” I place a soft kiss on her lips and let her go. “I should go.”

  I turn around and place my hand on the door handle.

  “And Kace.”

  “Yeah?” I respond, turning toward her.

  “Don’t you dare leave me the way you did the other night.”

  I nod. I can’t promise her I won’t be an asshole, but I sure will try.

  I hate these stiff parties my brother and Tiffany put together. What happened to the old Jax, the metal head and party animal? Now he's in a penguin suit laughing through the side of his mouth. Pretentious prick. Love makes you a turd. When I eventually do fall in love, I will be sure to kick my own ass if I behave like that. But man, do I love my brother. He's always been my best friend. It's why I'm here, about to be pulled into awkward conversations and Tiffany's matchmaking endeavors. I see her wiggling an eyebrow towards a blonde in the corner of the room, and I shake my head. She proceeds to tilt her head conspiratorially to a busty brunette, and I flip her off. She flushes and whispers to Jax who gives me a warning glare.

  Now if my little silver-haired minx were in this room, it'd be a whole other story. My reaction to her earlier was just the beginning. I can’t get her off my mind. The things I want to do to her. I see Tiffany approaching, and on instinct, I back away, but she catches up to me.

  “Kace, my darling brother-in-law, I’d like you to meet my very good friend, Kenzie.”

  She looks over my shoulder, and as I turn, I'm speechless, because there in front of me is my Kenzie in a knee-length, lilac, low-neck dress that fits her like a glove and compliments her porcelain skin. Her silver heels match her hair perfectly.

  “Kenz, this is Kace.”

  Both Kenzie and I burst into laughter. “We know each other,” we say in unison.

  “You do?” Tiff is undoubtedly surprised.

  “Long story. I’ll fill you in later,” Kenzie offers.

  Tiff winks. "In that case, I'll let Kace give you the grand tour, and I'll make sure his brother is easing up on the canapés.” She laughs, tapping Kenzie on the arm.

  Once alone, I look down at the ravishing beauty beside me and offer her my arm. "Shall we?"

  “Coincidence,” she says as I lead her up the staircase to the first floor.

  “I was thinking more along the lines of fate.” I laugh at myself.

  “Is Kace getting all philosophical on me? I don’t even know your last name. I should know that before we go to the next base.”

  I laugh. “Briggs.”

  "Nice," she smirks.

  “How about you?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  "Now I really do." I grin down at her. I know that it couldn't be worse than her and her sister's names.

  “Mackenzie,” she says.

  I looked at her blankly. “You’re serious?” I laugh so hard I snort.

  "I told you my parents had a sense of humor," she says dryly.

  “Well, I think Kenzie Mackenzie has a ring to it.”

  We walk past a guest room, and I pull her in and close the door, backing her against it, my hands above her head. "What are you doing? There's a whole house full of people."

  “I know, but I’ve been dying to do this since I laid eyes on you.”

  I catch her chin in my fingers, tilting it upwards until those pretty blue eyes meet mine. She is so beautiful, so incredibly perfect, she makes me lose my inhibitions. I press my lips to hers in a hungry kiss. She responds to me immediately, her hands reaching around my waist, pulling me closer. I want to claim her, my tongue pushing past her soft lips to capture hers with mine. She grips my head firmly as if to keep me from slipping through her fingers. I work my mouth against hers. I want to kiss her like no man has ever kissed her, make my mark on her soul. I pull back, reeling from the intensity of not just my feelings but my thoughts.

  Her lips are beautifully swollen as her fingers touch them. I brush my lips against hers again, and she smiles.

  “We should join the party. Tiff will send out a search party.” I chuckle.

  We walk down the staircase, our hands laced together. I smile down at her, glad she is at my side and not some other woman Tiff thought would be great for me.

  I look toward where my brother and Tiffany stand and freeze. His back is to me, but I would know him anywhere. Elaine stands next to him, holding on to her mother's arm. My father.

  “We should get out of here,” I lean down and whisper to Kenzie.

  She frowns. "Seriously, that's so kinky, but I have to show my face a bit longer."

  “Kenzie, I . . .”

  “Kenzie!” Tiffany shouts, waving us over, and I find myself being led down the stairs by Kenzie. I suck in a breath. I am so livid, I have to focus to hide the tremble in my hands. My whole body feels warm. I should let go of this and Kenzie and get the fuck out of here.

  I don’t give a shit about what Jax or Tiffany thinks about me, but why do I care what Kenzie thinks?

  "Kace." My father looks about as surprised at my presence as I am at his. I grit my teeth and hold my tongue. I will not acknowledge this man. Instead, I look to Jax who looks down at his feet. That fucking traitor. Trying to be the perfect husband-to-be by playing the ideal son.

  “It’s so great to have the family together,” Emma pipes up. “So wonderful to see you again, Kace, and who is this lovely woman?” She holds her hand out to Kenzie.

  I glare a
t Emma. How dare this whore refer to herself as family? My family.

  “I’m Kenzie,” Kenzie offers. “Wonderful to meet you . . .?”

  "Emma. I'm Kace's stepmother," she says, smiling brightly.

  “The fuck you are,” I hiss.

  “Kace,” Jax tries to subdue me.

  "What, too fucking real for you, bro?" I stare at him dead-on, and he shifts his gaze.

  I feel an arm on my shoulder, and I look down to see Kenzie's pleading eyes. I shrugged her off. "Forget it. Let's just get this over with."

  I walk away from everyone, grab the fancy French champagne bottle from a waiter's tray, and step out of the room onto the porch. People litter around, and I receive a good many stares.

  “Fuck off!” I shout and tip the bottle to my lips as I sit on the stairs.

  "Kace." Her voice is small and unwelcome. Not now, not when I feel like this. When my chest is tight, and my emotions are unstable.

  “What?” I demand.

  She doesn’t even flinch, just sits next to me with a bottle of her own.

  I nudge her shoulders, offering her a half smile. She is so much more trouble than I anticipated. Looking into her eyes, I feel my stress dissipate. How can a woman have this effect on me?

  Chapter Ten

  Kenzie

  When I was ten years old, I found my father sitting in the garden, his head hung low, his shoulders trembling. I'd heard them shouting. I listened to what my mother said to him, and I knew there was nothing I could say that could make him feel better. But I could not stand back and do nothing. My dad needed me. I ran into the house, picked my favorite doll, Anna, and ran back outside.

  I said my silent goodbyes, thanked her for being my best friend besides Mac, and handed it to him. He looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Ken, what's this?"

  “I think you should hold onto Anna for a bit, Dad.”

  He sniffed and smiled. “But she’s your favorite.”

  “She will never be more important than you, Dad. And she makes me smile. I know she’ll do the same for you.”

  He wrapped his arms around me. “It’s you that makes me smile, Ken.”

  He took the doll anyway, and she sits still in his office now. Has a special shelf. My weirdo doll, who I’d lost too many times to count, is one of his most prized possessions.

  I walk out onto the porch, and by the way he shouted at those innocent guests, I know he is beyond reason. I have to get to him the only way I know how, by understanding that this is not something I have a clue about, but I can sit by his side anyway.

  "He used to fuck Emma, you know. While my mother was sick at home. I'd come home, and she'd have cut herself, or she'd be overmedicated. I'd lean her up, vomit and all, and make sure there were no remnants of her illness. It was nothing physical." He laughs. "Oh, no. It was all in her mind."

  It pains me to hear the sadness in his voice. I know this isn’t something he usually speaks about.

  "Anyway, one day, I decided I'd stop getting into trouble. It hurt her more when he beat me when she had to see it and couldn't do a damn thing about it. I didn't want to hurt her, Kenz. I promised myself I'd protect her . . ."

  I lace my fingers through his, and he brings our intertwined fingers to his mouth.

  "I knocked. I really did, and that's when I saw them. She was spread over her desk, his face between her legs. Emma, fancy Principal Em back then." He laughs mirthlessly.

  "I ran. All I wanted to do was get home. I was not as innocent as I should have been. Jax was a teenager, and he would let us watch some of the videos his friends snuck him. I knew what they were doing, and I knew my father should not be doing that when he was married. I don't know how long it'd been going on for, but after that, whenever he visited the school, I knew.

  “I still remember the stillness in the air and the shrill of my voice when I saw her, and how my brother held me, preventing me from pulling her down. She was blue in the face, her tongue protruding. The beautiful woman who laughed and chased me around the house was gone. Instead, she’d left me a monster.

  "I fell to my knees in front of her, and I sobbed. The last sob of my life."

  He takes a deep breath and looks down at me. “We should say goodbye. I’d like to go home, Kenz.”

  We stand and walk into the house. Everyone is seated at a long dining room table. There are several round tables surrounding it, which are more or less full. Kace drags me along, and I go willingly. I want to leave. I want to get him alone and hear everything. My heart breaks for this beautiful, imperfect man.

  “We’re off,” he informs his brother.

  Jax stands. “Come on, man. I need you here.”

  “You have all the family you need, bro. I’m not a part of that.”

  “Just like his mother. A selfish son-of-a-bitch,” his father mutters under his breath. I feel Kace’s muscles tighten under my grasp.

  “Don’t,” I warn him. “This is your brother’s moment,” I whisper.

  “Have you told her how you’re not all that okay upstairs?” He laughs at Kace.

  "That is enough, Father." Jax faces their father, and I see Tiff lay a hand on his arm.

  Kace doesn't respond, he simply looks down at me, and we exchange a truce. He grabs my hand again, and we leave the dining room, all eyes on us.

  We walk in silence to my apartment, each in our own minds about the events of the evening. When we arrive at my door, I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. His hands slip around me, holding me flush against him.

  “Thank you,” he whispers.

  "You never have to thank me," I reply softly. He runs a knuckle along my cheek, and it makes me shiver in the chilly night. He brings his lips to mine, first lightly, then more urgently, igniting the fire he always seems to bring out in me. His tongue searches my mouth, and my hips instinctively tilt against him.

  "You want to come inside?" I ask breathlessly, my eyes begging him to say yes.

  "I do," he hisses in my ear, nipping at it. Shivers course through me, and I turn in his arms and open the door. Darkness meets us, and he moves me farther inside, my back to his front. He kicks the door closed with his foot.

  “I should turn the lights on.” My voice is breathy, dazed almost, and suddenly we are bathed in light. He reached for the switch.

  He runs his hands down my chest and rests them on my hips, pulling me onto his erection as I grind against him. I feel him jutting into my back, and I reach a hand up to hold onto his neck.

  “I’m no good for you,” he whispers in my ear as he takes it between his teeth. “I’ll fuck with your mind. I’ll fuck with your heart.”

  "You already have," I declare as I turn in his arms, staring up at him.

  Taking his hand, I lead him to my bedroom. I wish I’d set the bed this morning. I’m so pedantic about these things. Still, it has everything we need now, starting with that bed.

  He stands before me, looking down at me like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world, and I stand on my tiptoes, touching his face with my fingertips — his sharp nose and short beard — all the things that make him irresistible. I've never known what it was like to want someone so desperately. What it was like to throw caution to the wind and just let yourself experience life.

  I'd wanted William, but this — this was different.

  I push Kace onto the bed, and he leans on his elbow grinning, watching my every move as he licks his lips. I straddle him. He’s already hard, so ready for me. I bring my lips to his, my hair falling over our faces in a silver curtain. His hands wrap around my waist.

  "Fuck," he growls. "At this rate, I'm not going to last."

  I slip down the bed and unfasten his pants and ease them off with his boxers over his hips.

  "Get that shirt off," I demand, and he does as he's told.

  I brush the length of his cock with my hands and look down at him in all his splendid nakedness.

  He pulls me toward him and flips us, so I'm under him. I moan when I fe
el him at my entrance. I'm still fully clothed, and the heat radiates off my body. He looks down at me like he's about to feed on me, and that look alone has me combusting.

  He slips his hands under my dress.

  "I should get out of this," I suggest, my voice breathy.

  "I want this on," he hisses, and reaches under my dress to rip my panties off. It's the most erotic thing I've ever experienced.

  “I wanted this in that guestroom, to take you against that wall in this pretty dress, with those pretty blue eyes locked on mine. I can feel how wet you are for me, Kenzie. Tell me to stop and I will.”

  I groan. All I want is to feel all of him in me.

  “I want this. You.”

  He slides his hands between my thighs, positioning his fingers at my slit. He slowly slips a finger in me, making me cry out in pleasure. His eyes lock on mine. I lose myself in his touch, throwing my head back, arching my back. Wanting to feel more of him. Wanting it all. There’s nothing in the world but the two of us.

  He gets on his haunches, reaching for his pants, and pulls a condom from his pocket.

  I was about to worry about why he carried one around when he bends and places a kiss on my mouth. “I carried it from the moment I saw you in that towel. All I want is to be in you.”

  He slips it on and gently eases me onto the bed.

  "You're too good for me, Kenzie." And with that, he slips inside me. I gasp at the feel of him. I can feel his reservation about moving too fast, but I grip his ass, begging him to lose control.

  He covers my mouth with his as he thrusts deeper into me, our movements now in perfect sync.

  "Oh, I—" I yell, breaking free from his kiss, thrusting my hips in a way I know will send us both right over the edge.

  "You feel so good," he whispers. And then neither of us can hold back. He plunges deep inside me, and I moan, my hands gripping onto his back and his hair, anywhere I can reach.

  "You’re so perfect,” he hisses, and lets his head rest against mine as we come down from a high I know I never want to come down from.