Chapter 9
Kennedy
“Am I now going to have to knock before I enter a room?” Harrison huffed. “Make sure I don’t interrupt another make-out session?”
Gran smacked the back of Harrison’s head as she passed him. “Knock it off.”
I slid back down to the floor, thankful Jack hadn’t moved yet. I hid my face and a snort of laughter in his chest.
Gran set her mug on the counter. “You will be in the same situation one day. Do you want your sister making such a fuss about it?”
“No, ma’am,” Harrison said and hung his head. “Let me know when lunch is ready.” He turned and left the kitchen.
I peeked over Jack’s shoulder and yelled at Harrison, “Fifteen minutes!”
“Now kiss the boy and flip your sandwiches before they burn.” Gran leaned against the counter and nodded at the oven timer. Two minutes remained. I checked them and decided they could be flipped now. I reset the timer for five more minutes.
“Can’t say no to Gran, now can we?” Jack framed my face with his hands and leaned in.
I eagerly met him halfway, hungry for his lips and the feelings they drew from me. His tongue skimmed mine, and I opened greedily for him.
My hands found their way to his chest and then up to clasp behind his neck. The oven timer’s beep filtered through the haze of lust clouding all reason. Jack pulled back, panting as hard as I was. My body had revved back up, and I could feel his head too, by the bulge pushing against my stomach.
“Why don’t you finish lunch?” He stepped back, adjusting himself. “I need to go grab a shower.” He brushed his dick against my thigh as he leaned in and kissed my cheek before turning and heading up to his room.
Gran gave a little whistle as I pulled the pan out. “Whew, now that’s what I call a hot kiss.”
I flipped the sandwiches, smiling when I saw the perfect golden-brown crust on each of them. I pulled the pan out and set it to cool on the counter, then placed a second pan of sandwiches in, set the timer, and wiped my hands.
I turned toward Gran. My face was on fire, so I knew my blush ran deep.
“Gran, as much as I appreciate your support and enthusiasm about Jack and me, could you tone it down a bit?” I busied myself with getting spoons and bowls out.
“I don’t know what it is yet, and neither does he.
Added pressure from family to define it is just stressful. ”
She came up and pulled me into a hug. “My darling girl.” She held on until I fully relaxed and squeezed her back.
Gran’s hugs had always been able to fix almost anything.
“I never intended to embarrass you.” She pulled back and held my hands as she stared into my eyes.
“This exploration is good for both of you. Yes, I would love to see it develop into something more. An old woman wants to see her family happy and have more babies crawling around.” She laughed as I rolled my eyes.
“I know, Gran, but it’s only been a few days. He’s going home after the holiday. A long-distance relationship is hard, and I’m not sure I want that.” I squeezed her hands once more and let go.
“Don’t worry about what if. Enjoy each day you are together. Once the holiday is over, then you can face it. Kennedy Lee, you deserve happiness in your life.” Gran patted my cheek. “And a good shagging or two.”
“Gran!”
Her laugh echoed down the hall as she left the kitchen, heading toward her room.
The oven beeped, and I flipped the sandwiches before putting them back in. Five minutes later, I pulled the second pan out. I piled the sandwiches on a plate and set them just past the pot of tomato soup.
“Lunch is ready!” I yelled into the void of the house.
After the special coffees this morning, the two mimosas, all the flirting, and the roller coaster of emotions, my stomach was in knots.
I couldn’t eat anything if I wanted to. I dried my hands and headed toward the stairs.
Gran emerged from her room at the same time Harrison bounded down the steps, barely missing knocking me down at the bottom.
“Harrison Maxwell, slow down! The food will be there whether you run or walk,” Gran scolded him.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry,” he said as he slowed his steps at the entrance of the kitchen.
I reached up to massage my temple as the thumping beat in time with my pulse. Gran stepped up to me and laid her hand on my arm. “Did I give you one too many splashes of my flask this morning?”
“Maybe. I’ve got a headache coming on, but it’s not just because of the whiskey or the champagne.” I dropped my hand.
“You really should eat something.” Gran rubbed my arm. “Harrison, put a sandwich on a plate and bring it to Kennedy,” she called to my brother.
“She can get her own food,” he said.
“Harrison Maxwell, do as I ask you.” Gran’s stern voice brooked no backtalk.
He stomped over with a grilled cheese on a small plate. “Here,” he said, shoving it at me.
“Thanks, Happy.”
“Dammit, Kennedy,” he grumbled as he walked away.
“Go on up, eat, and rest for a while. We don’t need to leave for the lodge until five o’clock. I’ve got the hors d’oeuvres already prepared. You’ve got time to take a nap and still get ready for tonight.” She opened her arms in invitation.
I leaned down and hugged her. “Thanks,” I whispered. I glanced at my watch when I pulled away and saw it was just past 12:30 p.m.
“I’ve got your food at the table, Gran,” Harrison called.
I snorted. “Brownnoser,” I muttered under my breath as I took the steps one at a time to the second floor.
“Why thank you, Harrison.” Gran’s overly sweet voice made me laugh as it followed me up the stairs.
She could lay it on as thick as she could take it.
We never could get anything past her. The scent of crisp pine, wood smoke, and leather filled the air upstairs.
I remembered then that Jack had come up to shower.
I smiled at the thought. The real possibility that I’d had him so worked up that he needed to use the shower to either calm down or take himself in hand did something to me.
I slowed as I imagined him behind the steamy glass, naked with his cock in hand as he slowly stroked it.
My breath hitched at the thought, my nipples hardened, and my sex tingled in anticipation.
I shook my head, trying to remove the sinful images.
Yes, he was sexy. Yes, I was physically attracted to him.
But it was more than that. I didn’t think a weekend would be enough to get him out of my system.
Jack was the first man in years who had me thinking about more.
I ran into a half-naked Jack just outside my door.
I hadn’t heard the bathroom door open. His hands grabbed my arms to steady me as I grasped my plate and sandwich close to me.
I slowly took him in. From his disheveled wet hair to the droplets of water gliding down his neck and chest. I followed them as they forged a path down his abdomen, defined but not overmuscled, and got soaked up by the towel precariously hanging off his hips.
The ink decorating the left side of his abdomen trailed below the towel and reappeared on this thigh.
I spotted a lion’s head, some words, and intricate markings that left me salivating with the need to explore each line with my tongue.
One wrong step and I was sure to get an eyeful of what Jack was packing.
“Kennedy, are you okay?” Jack’s concern was evident in his voice and on his face when I finally raised my eyes toward it.
He was so handsome. His nose was a little crooked, and a shadow of stubble graced his jaw and upper lip.
His tongue darted out and swept across his lips.
My pussy throbbed as I imagined his head between my thighs, his tongue and fingers working me into a frenzy while the rasp of his stubble turned my skin a light red.
.. slight pain with pleasure taking me over the edge.
A sharp stabbing pain in my head shattered my dreams, pulling me back to reality and making me gasp.
Jack took the plate from my hand. “Let’s get you in your room.
” He guided me inside and to a chair. “What can I do to help?” His hand settled on my shoulder and moved to my neck, just below my hairline.
His hand was wide enough to hit both pressure points at the base of my skull. “Headache or migraine?” he whispered.
I let my head fall forward. “Just a headache, a stabby one but not a migraine.” I felt two hands on my shoulders until he found a ball of tension and worked until it released. The stabbing stopped, though the dull thud was still present. “How did you do that?” I looked over my shoulder at him.
“My mom had migraines, horrible ones. Her massage therapist taught me a few things that I could do to help her at home.” He moved back around and sat on the edge of a chair opposite me. “What else can I do?”
I picked up my sandwich and took a bite. It tasted and felt like sandpaper. “Nothing.”
“Do you want to talk about why you look so sad?”
“Not really. I want to take some ibuprofen and take a nap.” I put my sandwich back on the plate.
“Stay right there.” Jack left my room, the towel barely hanging on.
He was back in less than two minutes. Basketball shorts had replaced the towel, and he held a glass of water in one hand and a bottle of pills in the other.
“Take these.” He set the glass down, shook out an ibuprofen and offered it to me.
I popped it in my mouth and followed it with a sip of water.
He remade my bed before pulling the covers back. I stared at his outstretched hand.
“What?” I stupidly sat there, unsure of what he was doing.
“Come, let me put you to bed. A nap should help get rid of that headache for good.” His smile lit up the room.
That was the moment I stopped worrying about what if and decided to enjoy each moment like Gran had told us to.
I moved to the bed and sat on the edge, putting me at Jack’s lower abdomen. I snuck a peek farther down and saw the slight tent in his shorts. My mouth flooded with a sudden need to taste him.
“You keep looking at my dick that way and you won’t be getting any sleep this afternoon.”
My eyes darted up toward his at being caught staring. Desire blazed with something more in his eyes, and my insides flipped at the intensity burning bright.
“Lie down,” he commanded in a deep rasp.
Without a word, I did as he instructed. He pulled the covers over me, tucked a hair behind my ear, and leaned in to kiss my forehead. “Sleep well.”
I reached out and grabbed his hand before he turned away. “Stay, please?” I asked, pleading with my eyes and hoping he wouldn’t deny me. It was a more intimate request. If he accepted, it would be a turning point in our relationship. I held my breath waiting for his response.
“You really want me to?” There was a vulnerability that flashed in his eyes.
“Yes.”
The bedding rustled before he lined his warm body against my back, throwing an arm over my stomach. “Now sleep.”
I threw back the covers when I woke hot, sweaty, and confused.
I felt a weight against my stomach, and my roaming hand grazed naked skin as the cobwebs of sleep cleared.
A slow grin spread on my face, remembering who had lain down to nap with me.
I turned toward his still-sleeping form and let my hand explore.