Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
S alem
Kellen leaves me sitting out on the patio feeling like shit. I knew what he’d think when I told Micah we’d switch cars here. We could have done that right off the highway, but I wanted to have Kellen see him with me.
It sounded like such a great idea. Make him jealous by bringing a guy to the house. So much for great ideas. Now I just feel bad. So he got jealous. Great. We still aren’t any further along toward getting back together than we were before he saw Micah.
A scratching noise that sounds like it’s coming from the bushes at the back of the yard tears me out of my self-loathing, and I strain my vision to see what’s there. A sudden burst of fireworks off in the distance frightens me, making my heart race.
“Great time for a Fourth of July celebration,” I mumble as I continue to stare at the area right behind the old swing set.
For a few seconds, all I hear is silence, but then more scratching sounds make me worried a wild animal might jump out at any moment, so I tear off toward the house, nearly running into Kellen as I race through the door.
“Whoa! What’s up? Why are you running?” he asks as I back up from him.
Breathless, I manage to get out, “Animal. Something back there. I ran all the way.”
Kellen smiles and pulls me into him in a hug that makes all the fear I just felt coursing through me instantly disappear. “Well, you’re safe now. I guess I should have mentioned there might be animals out there when it gets dark. Sorry about that.”
God, he feels so good next to me. I didn’t realize how much I missed his body against mine until right now.
I close my eyes and let myself enjoy this moment. After all the anger between us and roadblocks I’ve been running into with my job, being in his arms is pure relief.
Against the top of my head, he whispers, “Are you okay? That really freaked you out, didn’t it?”
I nod but don’t let go of him. Not yet. For just a minute, all I want is to remember how I felt with him down in the islands.
“Things can get pretty wild out here in the suburbs,” he says in a low voice that resonates against my cheek.
Finally, I lift my head off his chest and look up to see him wearing a big smile. “Are you making fun of me? I’m a city girl. We don’t see wild animals very often.”
Kellen shakes his head. “No, I’m not making fun of you. If you don’t mind me saying so, this is nice.”
“Me being scared out of my wits?”
Rolling his eyes, he answers, “The two of us like this. I’ve wished we could be like this for weeks.”
“We have had a hard time dealing with one another, haven’t we?” I admit sheepishly. “It’s not entirely you. I know that.”
Kellen’s eyes light up, and he says, “What do you say we do the old fashioned thing and try a date? Tonight, I mean. We can go out or stay in. Ladies’ choice.”
Is he serious? A date? “We’ve already slept together, Kellen. I think we blew by the dating phase at about warp two.”
Undeterred, he shakes his head. “So we did things a little out of order? So what? That doesn’t mean we can’t start fresh now. Come on. We can hang out and talk and do whatever else we want. We have this whole house to ourselves. Well, basically. I haven’t seen the giant for a while, but that doesn’t matter. Let’s do it!”
I can’t resist joking about what could definitely be considered a double entendre. “Let’s do it? What’s this it you’re talking about?” I ask with a big smile.
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t be against that it, but I’m talking about having a date. Tonight. Stay in or go out?”
I think about it and figure why not? Whatever Kellen and I were before, tonight we’re two people who just want to spend time with one another. “In. We’ve got good food. I think I saw a bottle of wine somewhere in the kitchen the other day. You’ve got beer if you want it. What else do we need?”
“Great! Let me go change, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen in ten,” he says excitedly.
He hurries off but quickly returns to kiss me. “I forgot. I’ve wanted to do that for a few weeks too.”
I watch him run up the stairs to his room and can’t deny Kellen King has something about him I love being around. Maybe it’s how playful he can be. Maybe it’s that he’s sexy as all hell. I don’t know. All I do know is I like him.
Who am I kidding? It’s more than like. It has been from the first time he kissed me that night in his suite at the resort.
I hurry to my room to put on the nicest dress I have here, my navy blue sun dress. I hadn’t planned on doing much socializing while I was working, so I didn’t bring many of my best clothes.
The blue dress will have to do.
As I pass by the mirror, I can’t believe how pale I look. God, I need to get outside more. I’m starting to look like some sickly Victorian woman everyone thinks has consumption.
Pinching my cheeks, I try to get some blood flowing to them. “The man isn’t going to be into you if he thinks you look like the walking dead,” I say to my reflection.
Everything else looks good. My makeup, or what’s left of it from this morning, still looks okay, and now that I have some life in my cheeks, I think I’m ready for my date.
That makes me smile as I study myself one last time. Leave it to Kellen to ask me out on a date. Maybe we are doing things backwards, but who cares?
I take a deep breath and say to myself in the mirror, “Relax. This isn’t really a first date. It’s more like the continuation of our time together after a long break.”
Still, I feel nervous like it’s a first date. That I could be shaky after the two of us slept together more than once is silly, yet as I make my way to the kitchen, my hands are trembling and my legs feel like they’re going to give out with each step I take down the hallway.
He’s standing at the island wearing a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, and I can’t believe how good he looks. “You clean up nicely from the shorts you’ve been wearing.”
Turning to face me, he smiles and shakes his head. “You look incredible. I’m sorry I don’t have anything nicer to wear here. I didn’t think I’d be doing much dating while I was here.”
I shrug and joke, “I didn’t think you did much dating at all.”
He winces slightly, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he blushes at my teasing. “Well, now that you mention it, I guess I don’t, but since I’m all about turning over a new leaf while I’m here, it seems like a good time to start.”
Looking around the kitchen, I ask, “So what should we do on this date of ours?”
Kellen slides out one of the bar stools at the island and bows. “My lady.”
I feel my cheeks get hot from a blush. At least I don’t have to worry about him thinking I’m just days away from dying anymore.
“Thank you, sir,” I say as I sit down and he walks over to the refrigerator.
As he opens the door, he says, “Tonight we have for your dining pleasure the best lasagna in the world. It’s homemade from the best chef around, and I should know because she made my meals for the majority of my life.”
I can’t help smiling at how cute he’s being. “Lasagna sounds wonderful!”
Kellen sets the tray of lasagna on the island and pulls back the foil like he’s unveiling some secret gift he’s bought. “Notice how the pasta and the sauce blend magnificently with the various cheeses. It’s a masterpiece for the palate.”
Then he walks down the length of the island and grabs the tray of his favorite cookies. “And for dessert, another masterpiece sure to delight your tastebuds. Butterscotch cookies, made with love and care from the only woman on the planet right now who isn’t absolutely sure I’m the worst man around.”
He sets the tray down next to the lasagna, and I touch his arm softly. “She’s not the only woman who thinks you’re pretty great. Honest.”
Leaning down, he presses a soft kiss to my lips that makes my stomach flutter. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
For a moment, he stares into my eyes, and I think something magical might happen, but then he returns to his showman style and stands up, opening his arms wide. “And you will have all of these fine delicacies right here in the fabulous kitchen at Chez King.”
Just then, a loud bang outside makes the two of us jump, and for a few seconds, it’s like neither one of us knows what just happened. Then a smaller boom goes off, and both of us smile.
“Fourth of July,” he says. “I almost forgot.”
“I don’t think the people around here are going to let you forget. Does someone in the area put on a big fireworks show?” I ask.
Kellen nods and walks over to the oven to preheat it for our food. “There’s usually something at the local high school. I think it’s going to be the soundtrack of our date tonight.”
I wave off that idea like it’s no big deal. “Fireworks seem about right for us.”
Looking back at me, he smiles, and I swear he’s sexier than I’ve ever seen him. “They do, don’t they? I’m taking this as a sign.”
“Fireworks on the Fourth of July?” I ask with a chuckle.
“Yeah, why not? It’s not my Independence Day yet, so I’ll have to settle for fireworks all around my first date with you.”
A hint of disappointment lies beneath his words. I want to tell him I might have good news for him in a day or two, but I remain silent and simply smile.
Tonight isn’t about what the rest of the world thinks or what story some media outlet ran with yesterday. No, tonight is about a fresh start for both of us.
Whatever everyone outside this house thinks doesn’t matter tonight. All that matters is Kellen and me and our first date.