Chapter 17
Kenzie
We need to talk about your list. It wasn’t worry or dread forming in my gut—it rivaled intrigue. What could he want to talk about? Adding more? Adding fewer times? That could be it. Nineteen is a lot of hook-ups.
Yeah, of course I edited the numbers each time we did it. I was an organized freak.
It stung, thinking about not getting to enjoy him again, but it made sense.
He didn’t have time for anything but baseball and I understood that.
What I didn’t understand was the fact we weren’t talking about why we were continuing this.
I didn’t need affirmations from him, declarations that didn’t matter, or promises.
There were no expectations beyond hooking up nineteen more times, and that was the truth.
I swept the foyer and let my gaze wander to the remaining players.
They showed dedication beyond anything most could comprehend outside of the sports world. I knew it—hell, I’d grown up with it.
Zade had his arm around Callie and toasted his beer to another kid on the team.
Aaron looked on, the natural leadership in him making players flock to him with or without his permission.
Tanner fitted in there too, with his silent style of leading and his intentionality of how he lived his life.
He was intense, loyal, purposeful and, damn…
I appreciated that about him. It showed in the bedroom and in all his friendships. Tanner is a hell of a guy.
“Looking a little flustered there, girl. Did Felix get the nerve to ask you out?” Greta knocked her hip into mine and spoke a little too loudly for my liking. She knew two volumes, excessive and obnoxious. Literally the only person to deal with my brother.
I laughed and shook her off. “Nope. Just sweeping and thinking. That’s all.”
“Your brother will fuck this up, but he wanted to talk to you about staying with us a couple of nights when they’re gone for the week.” She made a concerned face and I chose to understand her words as kindness, not as though I couldn’t take care of myself.
“They’re gone six days, huh? Long time.”
“I know, it sucks. It’s gunna be worse when they sign with a team next year, but…” Her voice trailed off and a deeply rooted sadness escaped. “No need to worry about it now.”
I changed the subject, hoping to erase the look on her face. “I’m supposed to talk to Clyde about setting a schedule and, after I get mine, I’d love to hang with you gals for a couple days.”
Her expression shifted from sadness to joy really quickly and she pulled me into a half-hug. “I’m so glad. We like you, Kenz, for real. I know we’re a lot to take but you’re kinda sorta in our tribe and once you’re in…you don’t escape. We’re like a friendship cult.”
“I’ve always wanted a friendship cult!” I joked, getting a loud laugh from her. “Thank you for inviting me and getting me this job. It’s been so wild and fun. I prefer to keep busy and, well, yeah, I love it.”
“I knew it’d be a good fit. Fuck those idiot ballplayers.
They don’t know everything all the time.
” She gave me a coy smile before walking to greet the latest customers.
It was still early afternoon and the crowd wasn’t busy for a weekday.
Clyde had told me that it could be packed at any given time during the school year, but the summer months were chill. Fine by me.
I finished sweeping and mopping the tiles and checked all the condiments at each booth. I was finishing up the final one when Aaron plowed into the empty bench across from me and I paused. “Yes, brother?”
“You’ll be okay at the house alone? It’s a big house.”
“If I said no, would you stay home from your tournament?” I felt a little bolder and sat taller. “Forgive me, but, how many nights since I moved in have the three of you left me alone?”
“Shit. I’m doing it again, huh?”
“Being a bit of a twat? Yeah.” I threw a packet of sugar at him and he caught it with ease. “Don’t worry, Greta talked to me. I’ll hang out with them a couple nights.”
“Good. That makes me feel better. You don’t have to be alone so much once you live in the dorms. You’re fucking surrounded by people then and not left to fend for yourself in a massive empty house.” He smiled, as if the thought of being alone was horrible. It didn’t sit well with me.
“I don’t mind being alone. Mom and Dad left me to watch the house for days at a time when all this started and I had a lot of time to deal with it.
I’m not an extrovert like you, bro. Really, you don’t need to worry.
I like silence sometimes.” I gave him a pointed look, daring him to contradict me, and he didn’t. Aaron can learn.
“You’ll let me know you’re okay?”
“Yes. I’ll send a carrier pigeon with a scroll detailing my safety.”
“Such a fucking smartass.” He rolled his eyes and got up from the table. “I’ll be at Greta’s tonight, but we’ll do something fun when we get back.”
“Sounds good.”
He left and I continued my task. I’d barely finished when I was interrupted, again. Clyde poked his head over the booth ledge and gave me his typical blank look. “You’re done. Want to talk about your schedule?”
I’d gotten used to it after one day, but even with Greta’s warning, he was difficult to read. Like now, I didn’t know if he thought I’d done a great job or a horrible one.
“Yeah,” I replied, sliding out of the plastic booth and following him to his office.
It stood in the back, beyond the U-shaped bar.
He pointed to the blue plastic chair that had seen better days and chose the desk chair opposite me.
A large burgundy binder that took up the entire desk held a calendar, and my god, my heart picked up pace at how organized it was. “Is that how you schedule staff?”
“Yes, why?”
“I love it.” I leaned forward and admired his penmanship. Huh. Clyde was more my style than I’d thought. “You have great handwriting.”
“Thank you.” I swore he blushed a bit. “Now, you did good work today. Greta said you were focused and easy to work with and she didn’t lie.
I need help on weekends in the summer and, say, two weeknights.
The school year will be busier, specifically during football season.
The hours would increase then. You cannot serve behind the bar for another two years, but you can deliver to the tables, so I’ll schedule you on the floor each time. Does that sound okay?”
“Yeah, that sounds great, Clyde! Thank you.”
He gave me a semi-smile and pointed to the door. “I’ll see you Friday and Saturday, three o’clock?”
“You got it.”
“Welcome to the team, Kenzie Hill. You can leave for today.”
I fought the urge to chuckle as I left his office.
I was going to cross off get a job and get my schedule from my list the second I got back.
With a huge smile, I waved to the remaining people in the bar and Felix held up a hand.
He was sweet, almost innocent in how he flirted, and communicated in soft tones.
I didn’t get butterflies and my legs didn’t press together when he was around, but I did enjoy chatting with him.
He was the complete opposite of Tanner, who was tall, hard, extreme and delicious.
Shit. Tanner is delicious. The walk to their house was only about ten minutes and it was still light out so I headed there with more pep in my step than before.
I could lie to myself and say it was because I loved my new job and schedule, but I knew it was Tanner.
The heat in his eyes before he’d left…the almost predatory way he’d looked at me.
Yup. We would have a fun night before he left.
And knock off another number from my literal someone-to-do list.
I walked, a little breathless from my brisk pace, and found him relaxing on the couch in just a pair of loose shorts.
His hair was messy in the perfect way, his jaw hinting at a day’s beard and, god, I wanted to kiss him.
He brought his gaze to my face and smiled so big I felt it in my toes.
He spoke first, his deep voice like a siren, calling me to him.
“A guy could get used to you coming home to him.”
“Yeah?” I moved toward him, a moth to a flame, and stopped when the TV caught my attention. “Uh, what the hell?”
“Oh. This.” He chuckled and curled his fingers around my belt loop, pulling me onto his lap.
I straddled him, him bringing his hands straight to my ass and wasting no time exploring my thighs.
He dragged his nose down my neck, my body betraying any resistance I had, and he nipped at my ear. “Delicatessen.”
“Huh?” Maybe it was the lethal combination of his lips and touches, but the word didn’t make sense. “What?”
“I can’t believe you didn’t have this on your precious list, Ken. Our next film. Delicatessen. We have to write six paragraphs on how we felt with the visuals of it.”
“Fuck.” I leaned my forehead against his, grinding my hips against him before sliding down. “I forgot.”
“When pigs fly. You forgot?”
“Shut up. I blame you.” I arched up and grabbed his tousled hair, loving his throaty sounds of pleasure. “You’re distracting.”
“You’re distracting.”
We fought for control, kissing and tasting each other with a frenzy that didn’t make sense.
He’d left my bedroom less than twenty hours ago.
We shouldn’t be this crazed, but, fuck it.
“Tanner,” I breathed, biting down on his ear lobe.
“I smell like fried food and beer. I’d like to shower.
Dare I ask you to join me in five minutes? ”
“Literally can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.” He held on to my hips and dug his fingers into my skin. “God, thinking about your soapy body rubbing against mine… You might kill me, woman.”
I giggled. Yup. I had a high-pitched giggle that sounded nothing like me. I hopped off him. “Five minutes.”
“I’m counting down the seconds, Kenny. You better hustle.”
I did hustle. I took the stairs two at a time, stripped out of my bar-scented clothes and threw them into the hamper in my room. I used mouthwash before turning the extremely hot water on, my body on fire with anticipation. Will he lick every part of me, slowly?
Yes, please.
I washed my hair, my face, and used my favorite floral body wash. I was still alone in the shower. Where is he? Worry took root and I second-guessed my invitation. Had I crossed a line, asking him to join me? Was that not part of our list game?
No. He wants me. I saw it.
Something must’ve happened. I’d felt how hard he was underneath me. It took me three minutes to put on shorts that flirted with an inappropriate length, a tight tank top that showcased my tits and throw my hair up into a wet messy bun. If something happened, I still wanted to drive him crazy.
My glasses were still fogged from the shower and I put them on as I stopped at the top of the stairs. Someone else was downstairs with him, talking. My fucking brother.
“This movie is about eating people?”
“Dude, I don’t know. I’m not wanting to watch this shit,” Tanner responded, his voice clearly showing how disgruntled he was. It made me bite my knuckle to not laugh.
“I can’t believe you’re taking the same class as Kenzie. You gunna watch all the movies together?”
“Obviously,” Tanner said, and I knew I was the only one to hear the hitch in his voice. “She’s heading downstairs now so we can get it over with before I leave.”
“Kenzie loves weird movies… I do, too. Something fucked up about it, I know. Mind if I invite Greta over and watch it with you? This shit sounds interesting.”
Tanner sighed. “Sure. We’ll start it in ten minutes. I’m going to grab my laptop—make some popcorn, would you?”
“Hell, yeah.”
Tanner’s familiar footsteps approached the bottom of the steps. Our gazes met, his dark brown eyes warming at me sitting there. I put my finger to my lips and pointed to my room. He followed me, careful not to make any noise until I shut my bedroom door.
He ran his hands over my shoulders and down my sides until they rested on my lower back. He pulled me into his chest and closed the distance between our mouths. He growled, kissing me senseless for another minute before he pushed me away. “Fuck. I can’t go down there with a boner.”
“You left me alone, wet and soapy, in the shower. I think a boner is just fine.” I traced his rigid cock from outside his shorts, enjoying how much I affected him. “I was so ready for you in there, wondering if you would eat me or—”
“Christ, yes. I would’ve.” He got onto his knees and bit down around my hardened nipples, over my shirt and all. “Your goddamn brother.”
“I know.” I pulled him up by his hair and brought his mouth to mine. “One more kiss, please.”
“You don’t even have to ask, Kenzie.”
His breathing hitched when our lips met.
This one wasn’t rushed or aggressive. It was tender, the way he cupped the back of my neck and kneaded his fingers into my shirt.
He explored my mouth, knowing the perfect rhythm I craved.
I melted into him and too soon, he stopped the kiss.
“You’re easy to get lost in. Put a sweatshirt on, head downstairs, and somehow we’ll survive this fucking movie. ”
“Can’t you kick him out?” I whined. I wasn’t a whiner but by god, he made me one. “I can do it.”
He chuckled, the sound magical, and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “I wish. We’ll watch the movie and as soon as it’s over, we’ll head to bed separately. Keep your door unlocked, Ken. I’ll sneak in so we can finish this.”
And have our talk? I wanted to ask, but didn’t. It was easier to go with the flow, not make promises, and he gave me one more fiery kiss, turning my thoughts into mush. Plus, this was a summer thing. Nothing big.
“See you downstairs and don’t you dare sit by me. I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
“I don’t know…it could be fun,” I said, laughing at his horrified expression. He left my room, pointing his finger at me, and I planned how I could mess with him for the next two hours. Seeing him wild was my new favorite side of him.