Chapter 1 #3
“I’m off work for the next three days, darling.
I can sleep here.” Her breathing increased steadily as she stared at me, and she licked her lips.
Fuck. She’d likely spin our time together in an entirely different way tomorrow morning.
However, I couldn’t worry about that. No, we’d been dancing around each other like two awkward sugar plum fairies for weeks.
I wanted to hang out with her more, but something always interrupted us.
Crushing my mouth to hers, I kissed her passionately.
I could taste the alcohol, something sweet and salty on her tongue, and it was the harsh reminder I needed.
It was not the time to be making out with her, no matter how badly the two of us wanted it.
I broke our kiss and let go of her hair.
She seemed upset, reading into my actions as a negative response instead of a practical one.
“You can help me to bed, Dalton, but then you should go.”
Getting to my feet, I pulled her to stand, then scooped her against my chest. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Whatever.” She huffed, keeping her head down.
“With your tone, that word sounded a lot like ‘fuck you’. Clarify your intention or don’t use it around me.”
“You heard me correctly, Dalton.”
“You’re so lucky you’re not sober, Kendall.”
She let out a shuddering breath and then slyly shot a glance at me. Meeting her gaze, I raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not a tiny twig like Tiana, so I’m not used to people carrying me around.”
Her cousin wasn’t a twig either, in height or anything else. But in a group where most, if not all, of the men were six feet or taller and super muscled from their various physically demanding careers, I understood the comparison.
“I can carry more than double my weight, prancer. No more disparaging remarks about yourself.” I held her closer to me. “Don’t you want to be on the good list this year?”
“It’s not in the cards for me, and I don’t want to talk anymore.”
I didn’t want to leave on a bad note, but she continued on.
“My key is in the planter on the right side of the door in a slim pocket.” She gestured toward the front of her house.
“Do you want me to hang out after the fair?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I offered. I wouldn’t leave her guessing and second guessing our interactions.
“Nah, it’s fine.” She wiggled out of my arms, sliding down the front of my body before limping into her bedroom. “Goodnight.”
I would not allow her to go to sleep angry. We’d been friends for far too long to let her be upset over nothing. I probably should have left, but the look in her eyes when I’d entered Grant’s office gutted me. There was something bigger going on with her.
Leaning one hand against the wall, I braced myself for a moment.
Running my hand over the scruff on my chin, I gave myself a mental pep talk before taking a step inside her bedroom.
She stood in the doorway, as if poised to walk out, and I bumped straight into her.
Kendall gave a small cry of surprise, her huge eyes widening as she stared.
Crossing to her bed, I sat down with deliberate slowness.
Watching her watch me, I undid the laces of my sneakers and removed my socks.
My shirt came next, followed by my belt and jeans.
Wordlessly, I set my cell phone on the nightstand furthest from her, climbed under the covers, and propped up on an elbow.
“You-you’re on my side of the bed,” she stammered.
“Your water bottle is on the other nightstand, the pillows on that side are flattened, and the covers are already turned down.”
She pursed her lips but said nothing as she shimmied out of her jeans.
Kendall tugged her shirt off, leaving her in just a sexy caged-back bra and lacey panties.
She unhooked the pretty garment, sliding it off her body, and then set it on top of her hamper.
Locating a tank top, she pulled it on before joining me.
We were both wired a little differently when it came to nudity, but I caught a long look at all of her gorgeous curves from her reflection in the mirror.
“You’re absolutely gorgeous, Kendall.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Her tone was light and playful, giving me a glimpse of the woman I used to know before grief and other things bogged her down. She shut off the lamp on the nightstand and settled into bed.
“I’m sorry for the way things played out today.” I sighed. “I didn’t mean to lead you in the wrong direction at the hospital, but it’s been an awfully long time since I’ve thought about dating. My mind didn’t immediately jump there.”
“I forgive you, Dalton. I haven’t really been engaging in the sort of behavior that shows I’m in the mood to be somebody’s girlfriend, anyway.”
Reaching for her hand in the dark, I found it, lacing my fingers in hers. “Get some sleep, prancer.”
“Out of all the reindeer, couldn’t you have gone with Vixen?”
Chuckling from her sassy tone, I squeezed her hand playfully. “That would have been a little forward, don’t you think?”
“Oh, yeah? Cause yanking my hair, making me moan, and kissing me like we’ve been thrown into some romantic holiday comedy where they are stuck under the mistletoe wasn’t forward?”
“Point. I’ll bring you coffee at work tomorrow to make up for my boldness.”
“And?” She giggled.
“And we will discuss whatever the hell else you’ve been keeping inside and bottled away.”
“Pfft.” Kendall scoffed. “It’s going to take more than one coffee to get me to open up.”
“I can think of some other things that might work better.” I hoped she would pick up on my subtle hints, but it wasn’t a guarantee. She traced the fingers of her free hand over mine as we laid there.
“If we started dating, wouldn’t it be weird to see each other at the hospital, Dalton?”
“No weirder than it is now,” I assured her. “Let’s get some sleep. You’re going to need it to deal with the potential hangover in the morning. What time do you have to be up?”
“Um, I should be out of bed by seven.”
“I’ll set an alarm.” Shifting slightly, I programmed it into my phone and returned it to the nightstand. “Next time we do a sleepover, I’ll cook you a proper breakfast before I leave.”
“Don’t make promises that you can’t keep.”
“Give me a chance, darling. I just might surprise you.”
Kendall curled into a ball against me, and I let out a long breath.
Despite our strained conversation, she trusted me.
I hoped she’d believe me after we brought everything to the surface.
It still left me with Grant to figure out.
I was willing to get into a three-person relationship, thinking I’d balance it well, but I wasn’t entirely sure if he was submissive.
At the moment, I let the rest of my concerns go. I would figure all the details out, and I might even get a wonderful relationship with two sweet partners just in time for the holidays.