10. Kendra
KENDRA
My workshop ended on Friday morning, and I made arrangements to travel directly to the state park from the airport.
I didn’t have time to go home, so Emma met me at Arrivals to give me an extra bag with warmer clothing.
We also used the time until my train left to have another spill-it session.
We drank pumpkin spice lattes at the coffee shop in the airport.
I loved November and the whole spooky season because I could find pumpkin lattes and pies everywhere.
“What do you think will happen on the trip?” she asked after she finished telling me about her latest dating fiasco. My sister was a brave one.
I sipped my latte, considering my next words. “I’m not sure.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “What do you want to happen?”
I grinned, taking yet another sip to buy myself time. “Lots and lots of naughty things. But not during the trip. And anyway, I’m not sure that’s the smart thing to do.”
“You deserve good things in your life, Kendra. Live a little.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Sometimes I’m not sure about that,” Emma pushed.
“What do you mean?”
“That you’re used to having shitty luck.”
I shrugged, realizing that might be true. I was overly cautious. “Hey, luck is always changing. I mean, I did buy the house of my dreams.”
“I can’t wait to see it. Did you find a construction crew?”
“None I can afford. I’m going to figure out how to do some of the stuff myself.”
Her eyes bulged. “But you’re terrible at it. And I’m worse. But I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you manage to get ahold of Jared? There has to be a way to legally force him to deposit your paychecks in your bank account.”
“I’m looking into getting a lawyer to send him a letter. That asshole thinks he can push me around.”
“Or I could loan you some money until?—”
“That’s a firm no.” Emma was always there for me, as I was for her, but this was my problem to deal with.
“You only took the job at Jared’s to help me with my college loans. So it’s only fair?—”
“You don’t owe me anything, Emma. You’re my little sister, and I wanted to help out any way I could. Let’s change the subject.”
“Okay. Tyler. Tell me about him.” She grinned.
“He’s sexy and amazing, and I haven’t met anyone who can melt my defenses faster than him. And that’s so scary.”
“Good scary, right?”
“I think so. I hope so.” I finished the last sip of my latte, pondering my next words. “I know so little about him.”
But despite knowing so little, he made me feel so much.
When he showed up at my apartment after I was almost mugged, he genuinely wanted to be there for me.
His sincerity and protectiveness were something I’d longed for…
probably most of my life. But I cautioned myself to be careful.
This was probably just a fleeting moment with a wonderful man, and then it would be over. Could I handle that?
Emma pointed at me. “Awww, sis. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re smitten. Or at the very least on your merry way to being smitten with Tyler Maxwell.”
“Shush. Don’t say that out loud. You’re putting all sorts of ideas in my mind.”
“What are little sisters for?”
I laughed, stealing her cup of coffee from the table and taking a sip.
“Hey, why did you do that?” she protested.
“You snooze, you lose.”
We bickered about the coffee for about ten more minutes before it was time for me to leave.
After bidding her goodbye, I took a train directly to the state park. I was traveling separately from the group because they'd already arrived a few hours earlier. From the train station, I took a prebooked transfer to our cabin, looking out curiously on the way.
I sighed when I got out of the car in front of the huge B the property was narrow in the front, but I remembered seeing a huge yard in the back in photos.
The front door swung open when I arrived in front of it. Tyler stood before me, tall and impossibly handsome.
“Hey. How did you know I was here?”
“One of the kids saw the cab pull up. Welcome.”
Stepping closer, he brought his mouth to my cheek.
My whole body tightened up when I felt his hot breath on my skin.
And when his lips touched my cheek, every nerve ending was on edge.
Tyler was exuding even more sexy vibes than usual.
I felt them in every fiber of my body, as if he was feathering his lips all over me.
Stepping back, he pointed to my suitcase. “I’ll take that.”
I stepped to one side so he could pick it up. Yummm, that bicep flexed deliciously while he brought my bag into the house.
“This looks amazing,” I said. "You went all out."
"I told you I was going to get the best for them."
I’d only just arrived, and he was already waking up the butterflies in my stomach. I could feel my defenses melting away now that we were 150 miles away from Chicago.
I focused on my surroundings again, taking it all in. The cabin was so cozy, yet luxurious at the same time. Like the exterior, the interior was also all wood logs. It had hardwood floors and an old-style open fireplace.
How much did he spend on this place?
Five of the kids were storming about the living room, jumping on the couches and running up and down the staircase leading to the upper levels. One of the boys tried to climb the railing at the top, presumably to slide down, but Mr. Dawson stopped him just in time.
Thank God Mr. Dawson had come with us. While I could handle kids for about half an hour at a time, I wasn't qualified to keep this many safe at once—especially for two days.
“Kendra," Tim said loudly, coming up to me. "Mr. Dawson says he found a cool place where we can eat and look at all sorts of stuffed animals."
Stuffed animals? He must have been referring to mounted animals from a taxidermist. Regardless, that sounded like a nightmare to me.
"Okay," I said cautiously, wanting to be more enthusiastic, but honestly, that just gave me the creeps.
"I made reservations at six o'clock. It's called The Bear," Mr. Dawson said.
"I have a phone call at five thirty that will probably last an hour, but I can join you all afterward."
Taking out my phone, I searched for The Bear and then opened it in Google Maps, zooming in. “Okay. As long as I don't get lost on the way. How can the route be so complicated?”
It wasn’t far away, just twenty minutes on foot, but the directions were super twisty, turning this way and that.
Tyler stepped closer to me, and my entire body tightened with his presence.
“I’ll stay behind and wait for you. We’ll go together,” he offered.
I craned my head up, looking straight at him. "Why would you do that?”
“I'm good with maps." There was a dangerous twinkle in his eyes and an edge to his smile that made all my lady parts dance with joy. "We wouldn't want you to get lost, would we, Kendra?"
“Then that’s settled,” Mr. Dawson said, fortunately missing the exchange between Tyler and me.
“I’ll show you to your room, Kendra,” Tyler added.
I nodded, walking side by side with him.
“Our rooms are up in the attic. Everyone else is spread out on the floors below.”
Wait a second. Tyler and I have rooms near one another?
I licked my lips, narrowing my eyes at him. “Did you have anything to do with that arrangement?”
Tyler flashed a devastatingly sexy smile. “Not at all. Mr. Dawson decided. I might have suggested that it would be safer to have the kids on the same floor with him. Might .”
“Of course you did.” My heart was beating insanely fast. “Tyler… there will be no sexy times during this trip. I mean it.”
“We have to be role models,” he said seriously.
“Exactly.”
“Sexy time was not what I had in mind, Kendra. But glad to know you did.”
Wait, what?
As we went farther up the staircase, I felt his presence beside me so strongly it was as if we were touching the whole time. Sweet heavens .
Two minutes later, we arrived in front of my room. He brought a hand to my lower back, and that little bit of contact singed me.
“This is one of the rooms. Take a look at mine too. We can switch if you prefer. I didn’t unpack in case you wanted it.”
Such a gentleman .
He opened the door to the only other room up here. They looked identical. Only the view out the window was different. There was a huge fir tree in front of this one, whereas you could see a good distance from the other one.
“I’ll keep the other one,” I said.
He took the bag back into the first room, putting it up on a luggage rack so I could unpack. He flexed those biceps again. Yumm …
When he turned around, I schooled my features but immediately felt the heat of my skin exposing my true feelings.
“I’ll be next door,” he said. “Just knock when you’re ready.”
I nodded, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I will. Thanks for staying behind with me.”
“My pleasure.” His voice sounded huskier than before, and it sent tendrils of heat between my thighs.
“And thanks for doing all this. It’s amazing, and I’m sure the kids will treasure it forever.”
“It’s easy to make them happy.” He stepped closer until I had to crane my neck to make eye contact. “What will it take to make you happy, Kendra?”
I swallowed hard. “Ummm… not sure. I’ve never thought about it.”
No one’s ever asked me .
He gently caressed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. The touch electrified me.
“Think about it. And tell me.”
“How are you even real?” I murmured. “Who says stuff like that?”
“Someone who means what they say and wants to know you intimately, Kendra.”