by Tess Oliver
"Fuck." I marched through the house, grabbed my keys and flew out the front door.
30
I realized as I pulled into the parking lot of the Motel 6 that I had no idea what room Kenzie would be in. Knocking on doors seemed like my only option. I braced myself for some pissed off reactions. But as I climbed out of my truck, I caught a glimpse of Kenzie entering a room at the end of the row.
It gave me a second to collect my thoughts, only that was impossible. I had no rational thoughts when it came to Kenzie. I could easily say that, for years, she made me into an irrational, lovesick fool. And I didn't fucking mind. I wanted to be with her far more than I wanted to consider myself a rational being.
I marched across the parking lot and straight to the door I'd seen her walk through. It took me longer than I expected to find the courage to knock. Once I did, the door popped right open. Kenzie stood on the other side, with her short hair tucked behind her ears and her sparkling green eyes that glittered even more when she saw me.
"King," she said softly.
I stepped inside and swung shut the door. I pulled her against me for a long, deep kiss. She melted into my arms. All I could think was how the hell had I been living without her all these years?
Our mouths parted and she gazed up at me. How many times I had dreamt that I'd be holding her just like this, and she'd be gazing up at me with that incredible face.
"What changed your mind?" she asked.
"I should give some credit to Bronx, but that guy doesn't need a bigger head. The truth is, I don't think I had to change it. I was always going to want you. Ego was bruised but then it wouldn't be the first time. All these years, I've never stopped thinking about you. It was almost as if I knew you were still alive, that you were still with me on this planet."
"Here's a little confession," she said.
I dropped my arms. "Not sure how many more of those I can take."
She grabbed my hands and held them tightly. "No, it's not a big one—like—well you know. After I saw you in the coffee shop, I was plenty freaked out. That's why I ran. But so badly, I wanted to turn back and just—just—" She pressed herself against me again. "This. I just wanted to do this." She pressed her cheek against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her again. "After about ten minutes of hiding out in the local drugstore, I raced back out, deciding I had to see you. But you were gone. I cried. I tromped to the bus bench, sat down and sobbed. I was sure I'd never see you again. I couldn't believe it when you showed up at the band contest. But then I freaked out again. I reminded myself I needed to stay away from my past. I'm glad you came out to find me."
"That makes two of us. Guess that just shows we were meant to be together. I used to tell Bronx, I'm going to marry Kenzie Jensen, and if I can't, then I'm never going to get hitched."
"Hmm," she said teasingly, "guess that means I can expect a ring soon."
I laughed. It had a slightly nervous edge. "I'm pretty settled in bachelorhood, so we'll need to take this slow."
She reached up and took hold of my face. "Only kidding. Talk about a freak out." She laughed and kissed me.
My mouth pressed harder over hers. Again, we dissolved into one long kiss until voices outside yelled something about the ice machine being broken.
"Good thing I got mine." She looked pointedly at the filled ice bucket.
I glanced around the shabby room with its last century decor and lumpy looking bed. "Did you know that the best place for really hot sex is inside a crummy motel room?"
"I did not know that," she said, "but I think I'm about to find out."
Western Smokejumpers #3
ANGUS
About the Author
Tess Oliver is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of sexy romances. She’s always working on new and exciting projects. You can stay up to date, and get a free book by visiting her website and subscribing to her newsletter.
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