Chapter 42 Jordan
jordan
“Thanks for taking me with you today,” Kennedy says as I look for a parking space outside her apartment. “I really didn’t know what to expect when we got there, but everyone was amazing. Especially Kellsie.”
“Yeah, she’s a pretty cool kid,” I say, shifting the car into park. “I’m glad you got to meet her.”
“Same. And we got her approval of our relationship, so it’s a good day all around.”
“Oh, for sure. If only this weren’t fake.”
Her smile fades as she looks down at her hands clasped in her lap, nervously picking at her nails.
“Right. That’s what I meant. At least our fake relationship is cool with her.”
My leg shakes against the floorboard. There’s something she’s not saying. The way her eyes don’t meet mine. The way she’s fidgeting. She’s hiding something.
“Is it okay to park here?”
“Oh, Jordan. It’s okay. It’s been a long day; you can just drop me off and head home…” Her voice trails off, her shoulders flinching as she catches a sensitive part of her nail.
“Kennedy.” I turn to face her, grabbing her hand as her gaze drops to where our palms meet.
I don’t know where the hell this boldness blossoming inside me is coming from—it all started that damn night in that hotel bar when my feet took off like a racecar toward her—but it’s here. And I’m leaning into it.
“I’m staying here tonight. After all the weird texts, especially now that you’re getting them too, and the damn bear I’m going to have nightmares about for the rest of my life, you’re not staying here by yourself.
In fact,” —my leg is now shaking at ludicrous speed, but I have to do this.
For me. For her. For us— “I’m moving in. ”
She jerks her head toward me, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. “You’re what?”
“I’m moving in and staying here with you until we can figure out what the hell is going on with all this stalker shit. Unless you’d rather let me hire a security detail for you. You said you didn’t want that, and I want to respect it, so I figured this was the better option.”
“You’re moving? Into my apartment? When?”
“Now. I packed up some stuff this morning, and I’m going to stay here tonight.”
I can see her breathing pick up, her gorgeous chest rising and falling with every word I speak. I rub my thumb across hers, easing the tension or whatever the hell this is, and trying to calm myself down as the silence stretches between us. My heart drops. She may say no.
“You think you can keep me safe, pretty-boy?” Her eyes dance. “You do remember that you hid behind me when that damn bear started talking?”
I snort. “That’s fair. But I also thought maybe your badass self could keep me safe, too.”
“From evil stuffed animals?”
“It’s an epidemic,” I say as we both chuckle, my thumb still brushing hers.
“Listen, obviously I can’t force you to let me move in, but with everyone thinking we’re dating, no one will question me being here all the time.
It keeps you from having security, keeps us both safer, and around each other most of the time, and we’ll be together when we need to travel with the team.
” I bite the inside of my cheek. “Now that I’m saying this out loud, that is a lot of togetherness. ”
She smirks, her eyes reflecting a glimmer of something mischievous behind them. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Do you want to spend more time with me?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, instantly reverting back to my shy, awkward, ‘I don’t know how to talk to women’ self.
“I uh…Yeah. Yes. I do.”
“Good.” She points to a garage door ahead. “You can park in the guest area in the underground parking.”
I pull out from the curb and quickly find an open spot in the garage. I grab my bags out of the trunk, my heart pounding as we hop in the elevator up to her floor. As we get to her apartment, she hesitates.
“Do you need help with the key again?” I ask, giving her my signature smartass smile.
She looks back over her shoulder as she struggles, but finally pops open the lock.
“No,” she gloats, motioning for me to walk in behind her. “However, I do have one condition for you staying here.”
“One condition? What’s that?”
“You’re not sleeping on the couch.” She closes the door and locks the deadbolt behind her. “You’re sleeping with me.”