10. Kennedy
10
KENNEDY
M y brain glitches, trying to process what just happened. I just rushed through the opened door, so why am I running into a brick wall?
I look up and blue jeans and an unbuttoned white dress shirt come into focus, showcasing hard-packed muscles and a hint of a toned, inked chest behind the shirt. My eyes drift up to confirm my worst fear.
It’s him .
He’s right here, standing too close, in all the right and wrong ways, his strong arms circling my hips. Dear god. My hands and breasts are pressed firmly against his sinfully sculpted pecs, sending flaming signals to my core and wetness between my legs.
The part of me that’s been in hibernation since the ice age is doing cartwheels at the mere thought of my hands squeezing his pecs, gliding across and down his manly arms, grabbing his firm ass… and as for the rational part of my brain? It’s sunbathing in Bali.
Strands of hair fall across his forehead, triggering my memories of Cade from way back when. I can’t help staring at him. I lose my train of thought, and I’m unable to tear my eyes away from his supremely virile facial features. His cheeks, all stubbly, that mouth, soft and inviting, those cheekbones, impossibly high. Everything, right there, up close.
Our eyes meet, and it’s like a lightning bolt hits me. Every inch of me is tingling.
Is my mouth hanging open? Dang it, yes, it is.
I’m practically suffocating from the heat emanating from his body, especially after I just unleashed those naughty words about him on the phone. I can feel the temperature rising and my throat closing.
Oh, and wait, is that his bulge? Is he getting hard?
My whole body clenches at the thought, but then, right in the middle of this excruciatingly long standoff where we’re both practically glued to our spots, a dreadful realization creeps in: Could he have heard me in the bathroom?
Panic sets in. His brown eyes bore into mine and my nipples tighten, but even if my mind wasn’t utterly distracted, I wouldn’t be able to read the expression on his face.
Running into Cade like this is bad.
Being too close for comfort is practically torture.
Sensing that he might have heard what I said? An utter catastrophe.
I step back in a hurry, and his big hands release my hips. Like a crazy person, I find myself missing the closeness we shared for just those few seconds.
“Oh, hey, it’s you,” I say, mustering the most innocent voice imaginable, while I try to ignore the fire scorching my cheeks.
“Hey, Kennedy,” he says.
“Hey. Uh—you know this is the ladies’ room, right?”
He points past my head. “They took down the signs. I’ve never used these bathrooms before. So, no. I didn’t realize it was the ladies’ room.”
“But you haven’t gone in yet? Or… have you?” I ask, as he reaches for the helmet. Oh, crap. Those arms are as ripped as that chest I just slammed into. “I mean… how long have you been standing here?” I say a silent prayer. I can’t flat-out ask if he heard me. Then he’d know something’s up.
He casually tucks his helmet under his arm before his eyes find mine. A wicked eyebrow rises, telling me everything I need to know.
He did hear. Shit.
Nothing else would inspire that satisfied expression on his face.
“I was just talking to my roommate about this guy I’m seeing,” I lie, trying to shrug it off. “Or, this guy I was seeing,” I correct myself. “Or… might see again. I don’t know yet. Well. You know how dating is.”
Oh, my god. I must sound incoherent. Way to make it obvious, Kennedy .
Cade lets out a sort of chuckle. “Sounds like a great catch, that guy of yours. Maybe you should keep seeing him, with a review like that.”
He winks at me.
My embarrassment fades into anger.
That’s how it is with Cade. Emotions run high and they’re ever-changing. One minute you feel on top of the world, the next you want to be under him… I mean, anywhere but near him. He’s always been that way, at least with me. He can ping-pong feelings back and forth like they’re nothing, leaving heads spinning, unable to return the volley. Or much less, predict the next serve.
Not only did he hear me, but he’s convinced I was talking about him. I did say his name, after all. I talked about my clit and how much I hated knowing I’d never sleep with Cade again. And he’s eating it right up. I might as well have been feeding his ego straight from the palm of my hand.
“ His name is Cade too, so don’t go getting any wrong ideas,” I say, giving it one more shot.
“Sure it is,” he says and runs his hand through his hair, the strands shifting to the right. Based on the look in his eyes, he isn’t buying any of it. “That guy devoured your clit?”
Whoa.
There’s no need to keep denying it. He knows I wasn’t talking about anyone but him.
I know. It’s a disaster. I’m going to die.
Just like Harper will die laughing when I tell her. All I can do now is at least try to keep my composure and not let anything get to me. Especially not his casual mention of my clit. It’s not a topic I’m eager to entertain at the moment.
I cross my arms, adding another layer to the barricade between us.
“So, I guess you heard what I said about your big ego?” I ask.
“Loud and clear. But hey, you’re welcome to repeat it. I wouldn’t argue with you.”
“Well, I’ll have you know I wasn’t serious. You wish I still thought about you in that way after all this time, but sorry, a lot of time has gone by. You can’t expect me to really remember much of anything that might have happened between us so long ago.”
“You’re right. I don’t expect it. And frankly, I don’t wish it either.”
I want to keep cool. To shrug lightly. To brush it off.
Instead, I settle for pushing past him and storming down the hall, unable to maintain any semblance of dignity.
“Oh, come on, Kennedy,” he calls after me. “You have to toughen up if you’re going to keep working in the law.”
Spinning on my heels like a viper ready to strike, I pounce, pointing my finger at him. “Don’t you pretend to know how tough I may or may not be. I assure you, plenty has happened in life to thicken my skin, boss .”
I stop myself from saying he’s one of those things that happened, but it feels painfully obvious, hanging between us as it does. Nothing gets by him. If anyone is good at sensing when someone’s got something on their mind and exactly what it is, it’s Cade. That’s what makes him so effective and brilliant as a lawyer—you can’t fool him.
“And don’t get any crazy ideas about what effect you might have had on me,” I add, trying to save myself in this last-ditch attempt. “Aside from that trivial detail you just overheard, I barely remember anything good about you from back in the day.”
With that, and with his penetrating gaze fixed on me, I finally turn and rush off.