CHAPTER TWO #2
Kinsley gets me out of my head. “Is that your boy’s name? Booker?” I nod, “Yeah. He’s eight, though he will tell you he’s only three months away from being nine. He’s a riot and a bit of a genius at remembering things, which I know is gonna bite me in the ass one of these days.”
She giggles. “Kids are always so much more observant than we adults give them credit for.”
I pull up to the spot, back the truck up so we can sit on the tailgate, and put the truck in park.
Before I can comment on how right she is, Kinsley hops out of the truck and hurries to the back to check out the view.
She and I are gonna have to have a talk about her opening her own door.
I get out and walk to the back of the truck.
I let the tailgate down, turn back toward the view, and lean against the truck.
If I said that the view of the lake and trees is what took my breath away this morning, you’d know I was full of shit.
Today, nature’s beauty is secondary to the gorgeous woman with the amazing ass who’s standing in front of me.
I speak without thinking. “You know I almost always come up here with Murphy. He likes to show me his ass too, but yours is so much better to look at.” Laughter rings out, and I realize what I just said.
Fuck me. I cover my face and let out a groan.
I think I’ve been spending too much time with Cash.
I can’t blame Way for this one since he’s way too damn shy around women to say shit like that.
I must be lost in my embarrassment because I don’t hear Kinsley rush over to me until I feel her soft hand on my hand, pulling it from my face.
I let her, and watch her with a full smile.
Her eyes sparkle. “I know you didn’t mean to say that out loud, but I’m delighted you did because I tend to do that.
Around you, I think it’s gonna happen a lot.
You make my brain misfire. It’s ‘cause you’re a freaking tree. ”
It’s my turn to full-on laugh. I set my coffee down on the tailgate so I can put both my hands on her waist. “I’m a tree? If you think I’m tall, I don’t know what you’re going to think when you meet my brother Waylon. He’s half a foot taller than me!”
Kinsley shakes her head. “It’s not just your height. It’s your broad shoulders, your build, and the fact that I want to climb you when I see you.” She drops her head on my chest. “See? My mouth opens, and everything I’m thinking rambles out of me.” I tap my hands on her waist.
“Well, I like it. I find it refreshing, and it keeps me on my toes.” I lean my head down close to hers. “And for what it’s worth, you can climb me anytime you want, baby.”
Kinsley’s head moves so fast that she almost nails my nose in the process.
Thankfully, it’s a near miss. She looks at me, eyes wide open in surprise.
“Wait, what?” I lean forward and kiss her.
I deepen it for a moment before breaking it and kissing down her jawline till I get close to her ear.
I repeat myself. “You can climb me like a tree anytime you want.” I move back to her lips and kiss her again, needing her lips.
She breaks the kiss a few moments later, takes a deep breath, and makes a little mewling sound that goes straight to my cock as if I wasn’t hard already from that kiss. I need to pump the brakes a bit. That whole Rome was not built in one day thing again.
My hands haven’t left her hips. If I’m honest, I’d love to keep them right where they are, but the sun is going to come up in just a minute.
“As much as I want to continue this, the sun is about to come up, and you don’t want to miss it.
” Kinsley nods and turns around to face the lake.
I reach over and lift her up to sit on the tailgate, and then hop up and sit next to her.
She looks almost like a fish for a moment, her mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out. She looks back at the lake and finds her voice. “I’m going to just move past the part where you lifted me up like I weighed nothing because I’ve got a question to ask you. Who is Murphy?”
I answer her question, “Murphy is my spoiled but lovable dog. He was supposed to be my K-9 on the force but he flunked out of K-9 school. He’s not the brightest dog, but I love him and Booker adores him.”
We spend the next hour or so watching the sunrise and getting to know each other better.
She tells me about her schooling, how she’s planning to move back here when she’s finished at the end of the semester, and that she can’t wait to be done with it all.
She’s only a couple of hours away, and I might have to go visit her on my next free day.
We share about our families, and I think it bodes well that both of us are family-focused. She lets me ramble on about everything and nothing all at the same time while asking questions that tell me she’s actually paying attention.
I look at my watch and realize that I’ve only got a couple of hours left till I have to be at Booker’s game.
“What do you say to us heading back and grabbing that breakfast? I’ve got to be at Booker’s game in a couple of hours.
” Kinsley nods. I hop off the tailgate and turn to help her off when she looks at me while biting her bottom lip like she’s got something to say.
I lift her off the tailgate and set her down, but when I go to move away from her, she squeezes my arms and stops me.
“I do have a question that I’ve wanted to ask you since the moment we met.
Who did your tattoos? I only ask because the urge to trace them with my tongue is almost overwhelming, but if my dad did them, I’m gonna have to pass ‘cause that’s just…ewww.”
How can a man laugh and get hard at the same time? “I got most of my tattoos when I was working in Clark County, so I went to a shop down there. Since I’ve been back up here, I’ve only gotten two done and they were done by a guy named…I think his name was Mick.”
Kinsley gives a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. He’s the one who is taking over my dad’s shop, but it doesn’t give me the ick.
” She moves toward the passenger side of the truck, completely oblivious to the image she left me with and how that has my jeans feeling too tight.
I adjust myself before I round the truck, silently replaying the last game summary of the Seahawks and how many yards they ran.
I get to the door right before Kinsley opens it, and I grab her hand.
“When I’m with you, you wait for me. I open your door.
Whether it’s getting into the truck, out of the truck or a building, you wait for me.
It’s not about you not being able to do that.
It’s about me doing something for you.” Honestly, she surprises me by just nodding and stepping to the side so I can open the door.
I get her in, go around the front of the truck, get in, and start it.
I drive for a few minutes before I speak up.
“I was expecting you to argue with me about the door thing.” She turns in her seat to look at me as I drive.
“No, I won’t argue about that. Have I had a guy do that for me before, other than my dad and the guys in my family?
No, but I was raised with some strong female role models, and each of them has not opened a door when their guy has been around for decades.
Hell, I don’t think Anna has opened her own door but once or twice in that time.
She’s got two men, two sons, and a son-in-law. ”
Kinsley
His facial expression when I said Anna had two men was one of confusion.
He takes my hand in his, lifts it up, and gives it a kiss.
“You said two men and—” I squeeze his hand and chuckle.
“Oh, that’s just the tip of the iceberg in my family.
” I spend the rest of the drive back to the diner explaining the unique relationships in my family.
We get to the diner and Emmett parks and turns off the engine, but doesn’t move to get out of the truck.
I look over at him, and he’s got a look on his face that I can’t place.
I start to get worried that he’s prejudiced or can’t deal with different types of relationships.
I don’t want one, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be with someone who looks down on my family.
I won’t stay and have breakfast with him if that’s the case.
Emmett speaks before I can. “I have no problem with any of what you told me. I feel people should be allowed to love who they love no matter what it looks like. Hell, my ex-wife is now married to a woman. Consenting adults should be free to do so.” I can tell there’s a but in there.
“But?” He looks over at me. “But, I don’t think I can live that lifestyle.
I have no problems with it, but I don’t think I could share you with anyone.
” Oh. Ooohhh. I shake my hand and my head at the same time.
“No, no, no. I don’t want that. I’m a one-man woman.
I have no problems with it. My dad is bi and has dated both men and women.
I have no problems with that, but I just want one man. Seeing you is more than enough.”
Watching him physically relax and get out of the truck reminds me we have a lot to learn about each other.
He opens my door and helps me out. “Let’s go get some grub and keep getting to know each other.
I don’t know about you, but I’m wanting to see where this leads.
” I take his hand and squeeze it. “I want that too. That and some really crispy hash browns.” Time to get to know this tree some more.