Chapter 11

 

"There was a time when I used to look at Harper like that, and I distinctly remember you giving me shit for it."

I didn't have to look to know that Logan was wearing a way-too-smug grin on his face. "If memory serves, you told me to piss off."

A hearty laugh filled the air before his palm connected with my back. "Why don't you just go talk to her instead of ogling her like a pervert?"

That was an excellent question, I thought to myself while I toyed with the label on the beer bottle. After Eli and Chase had called it a night, over an hour ago, I'd moved to the bar with the intent of heading home. I could get the same buzz there without having to look at Kenzie the whole damn time. Having her so close to me filled my mind with visions I didn't want there.

Her body pressed against mine; my fingers tangled in her hair, my lips on her skin, my—

I clenched my jaw in irritation. This was her fault. Why did she have to come to my town looking all sorts of sexy when my heart hadn't even begun to recover?

"Brett?" Logan's voice interrupted my musings. The slight edge to his tone had me wondering if he'd been talking to me for a while.

With a lot of effort, I tore my eyes away from where Kenzie was chatting with Harper and Lizzy. "What?"

The smug bastard laughed again before he shook his head, "There is no hope for you, man. No hope." His shaking shoulders disappeared into the crowd, and even though I knew he couldn't see it, I still glared at him.

My gaze flitted back to the girls just in time to see Lizzy select a new song on the jukebox. A familiar rock-and-roll tune filtered through the wall mounted speakers, and I just hoped Kenzie would keep her ass planted on the chair.

The last time I'd seen her move, we hadn't even made it home before I'd had her out of her clothes and under me—or rather on top of me...in the front seat of my car. My lips twitched at the memory.

Kenzie pushed to her feet, I swallowed hard. A smile filled with pure happiness or maybe alcohol spread across her lips, and she nodded furiously. Oh, boy. It started out as a subtle sway of her hips as she made her way to Lizzy and Harper. The three women formed a little circle, and the hip-swaying kicked up a notch.

I couldn't tear my eyes off of Kenzie even if I tried. Both her arms reached for the sky while her swaying hips looked more sensual by the minute. Transferring my weight from one foot to the other, I swallowed down what was left of my drink.

Images of us moving like that together flashed in my mind. I imagined sliding in behind her and splaying my fingers across her abdomen, pressing her back to my front. Not even space for a breath between us. My hand on her hip and my mouth nipping at her neck. I could already hear the needy moans blowing over her lips.

I licked my lips and…something was wrong. Kenzie wobbled and spread her arms wide, like someone trying to regain their balance. Lizzy grabbed one of her arms and said something to which Kenzie shook her head. The concerned look on Lizzy and Harper's faces caused me to stand up straighter.

Harper motioned to Logan who was seated at the table, he pushed to his feet. I frowned, I hadn't meant to, but I'd kept track of Kenzie's drinks. I could be wrong, but I didn't think three drinks were enough to render someone drunk. And yet as she stumbled off to the ladies, she looked exactly that.

"Looks like the city girl can't handle her drink." The cheeriness in Lola's tone gave me pause. We'd had a misunderstanding earlier in the evening when I'd told her that I didn't think we should sleep together anymore. I was afraid that Logan was right and that she'd eventually want more. I didn't have anything to offer a woman.

The 'No Vacancy' sign above my heart was lit up in bright flashing lights.

She didn't seem like the petty kind, but then again, the only thing I knew about her was how she looked without clothes. Lizzy came to Kenzie's side, and once they disappeared into the bathroom, I turned to Lola.

"What did you do?"

"Me?" She batted her eyelashes in a very over the top way. "I simply showed her some Southern hospitality."

I clenched my jaw so tight, pain shot to my ears. Instead of fantasizing about all the things I'd wanted to do to Kenzie, I should've noticed something was off when Lola kept bringing drinks. Biting my tongue, I gave the woman in front of me a hard stare when what I really wanted to do was shake her and ask what the hell was wrong with her.

Angry with myself and disappointed in Lola, I pushed off the bar and headed to the back. Logan already stood beside the ladies' room door. "Harper in there, too?" I propped my shoulder against the wall.

He nodded, "The girls are tending to her, she doesn't look too good, man."

My glare automatically snapped to Lola who was serving a customer. "Lola's been spiking her drinks," I aimed my stare at Logan. "And before you say 'I told you so' or some shit like that, I'm telling you, now is not the time."

Logan shook his head, "What can we do?"

A sigh blew over my lips, and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, the door was my sole focus. "I'm not taking her to the guesthouse tonight. She can sleep it off at my place."

"You sure?"

It probably wasn't the best idea, but it didn't matter how angry I was with Kenzie, there was no way I would leave her in that state by herself. "Positive."

A minute later, the women emerged; Kenzie looked a little worse for wear. Her skin was pale and her long strands stuck to her cheeks. I stepped forward and took over for Lizzy and Harper who were holding her upright.

I threw her limp arm over my shoulder and wrapped mine around her waist. "Wh-what are you doing?" she mumbled.

"I'm taking ya home."

Kenzie tried to pull away from me but ended up stumbling forward; I caught her with my other arm and pulled her to my chest. I had to take a steadying breath; I wasn't prepared for how good it would feel to hold her again. But that wasn't the place nor the time to be reveling in the feel of all her softness pressed against me. Her head lolled back, and a lazy smile spread across her face. "Oh! Hi, Brett." She accentuated the last letters of my name and then giggled to herself. Man, she was so freaking out of it.

"Can you walk?"

She didn't answer me. Instead, she curled her fingers around my biceps and squeezed. "Have you been working out?" The question slurred from her lips. "Your muscles are so huge and so hard." Another giggle fit erupted from her. I turned my attention to the ceiling, and after I let out a long, slow breath, I bent down and hauled Kenzie into my arms.

"She only had like three cocktails." Lizzy mused.

Kenzie mumbled something and snuggled into my neck. Big, loud warning bells rang in my ears. This is a stupid idea. I locked eyes with my friend and found the same concern etched on his face.

Cocking his head to the side, Logan asked, "You good?"

"Yeah." A lie, of course. Hiking Kenzie higher in my arms, I headed for the exit.

I caught sight of Lola watching us as I walked out of Joe's with my friends close behind me. A string of curses fell from my lips, but to my surprise, no one uttered a word. My emotions were all over the place as we put her in my truck and I headed toward my cabin. The anger that'd wrapped itself around my heart for so many years slowly made way for… I didn't even know what. All I knew was something in me was softening, and when I looked at Kenzie curled up on my passenger seat, everything in me screamed to protect her.

Slowing the truck to a roll, I eased into my parking spot when we reached the cabin. I'd barely stopped before I jumped out and hurried around the truck. I didn't think it was possible, but Kenzie looked even paler than when we'd left Joe's a few minutes ago.

She moaned when I lifted her out of the truck and walked to the door. It was only when the moans became more urgent that I realized she was going to be sick. Unfortunately, by then it was too late.

Before we'd even made it into the house, Kenzie's stomach had rid itself of its contents. I looked at her shirt and then at mine and let out a groan. That she threw up on me didn't bother me half as much as needing to clean her up did.

Removing her clothes was the last thing on my mind—okay, that's a lie, but when I'd imagined it, it was under very different circumstances. I pushed through the door and with Kenzie still in my arms; headed straight to my bathroom.

I dropped the toilet seat and lowered Kenzie onto it. "Can you sit, sweetheart?" She mumbled incoherently but attempted to stay seated. Tapping her cheek gently, I waited until she opened her eyes. They were so glazed over; I doubted she'd even hear me. "I'll be right back, okay?"

As I moved to my bedroom, I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it on the floor. I grabbed the first clean tee I could find and rushed back to the bathroom. Kenzie was still sitting on the closed toilet seat, her head resting on the tank.

While I waited for the water to get warm, memories of another time Kenzie and I were in this exact same situation tried to break free. I purposefully pushed them back; I didn't want to remember. I lathered up the cloth and then froze.

I had to undress her.

Panic danced its way down my spine. I didn't think of myself as a pervert, but I also knew how this woman affected me when she was still fully clothed. I drew strength from somewhere and focused on the task at hand.

With the hem of her shirt gripped between my fingers, I lifted the fabric up and over her head and immediately swallowed hard. I shifted her so the tank could support her back. My fingers trembled as I swiped the cloth over her chest.

I dropped to my haunches and slipped the brown leather from her feet then I proceeded to drag her jeans down her body. Now, as much as I would have liked to say that I didn't even peek at the half-naked woman sitting in my bathroom, I couldn't.

All of that creamy skin on display had me wishing she was sober just so I could taste her lips and love on her body until she was drunk from ecstasy. I let out an audible groan at the direction my thoughts were taking. I felt so conflicted. Just a few hours ago I was so mad at this woman that my vision had turned red, and now all I could think about was having her.

Maybe Kenzie wasn't the only intoxicated one?

When she was as clean as I was going to get her, I pulled my shirt over her head and gathered her up in my arms. It was only when I placed her on my bed that I noticed the butterfly tattoo on her outer thigh. She must've had it done after we broke up. I sank onto the mattress beside her to closer inspect the art.

My breath left my body in a big whoosh.

A blue butterfly with wings sprawled sat proudly on her skin. But it was the pointed edges of the wings that caused my breath to hitch. Each pointed edge curled and swirled out; one forming a K and the other a B.

When Kenzie and I had still been together, I'd drawn that butterfly for her. It was my design sitting on her skin, permanently branding her.

I brought my hand up and brushed my fingers over the K sitting on my chest, my heart hiccupped. As desperately as I needed air, my lungs refused to work. How the hell was it possible that after all these years, I still ached so badly?

The ink on her skin was so delicate and so beautiful—just like her—I simply had to touch. My fingers glided over the design, and when the memories begged to be set free, I closed my eyes and gave in.

 

 

"Brett, I think I'm drunk."

Kenzie swayed and tightened her hold on my arm. I pulled free and just as she began to protest, I scooped her up. "Yeah, Sweetheart, you are." She'd been doing shots with her friend, Zoe, all night and I knew they'd catch up with her at some point.

A little giggle bubbled up as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Man, it felt amazing. I hugged her closer to my chest as I took the stairs to my one-bedroom apartment two at a time. I'm not going to lie; I was nervous as hell walking through my front door.

Kenzie and I had been dating for just over six months, and she had yet to spend the night at my place, or vice versa. Although, her daddy would probably shoot me dead if I ever spent the night with her under his roof. That man did not care for me at all.

Unfortunately for him, his daughter was my world. She was so different from the other girls I'd dated; I wanted to take things slow with her.

I kicked the door shut, and Kenzie snuggled deeper into my neck for a second before her head whipped up, and she announced, "I want a puppy."

Her eyes drew me in, and all I could think was how anyone could refuse this woman anything? According to her, her parents had never allowed her to have pets of any kind while she was growing up, and seeing as she still lived under their roof, she still couldn't. But, boy did her heart ache for a puppy.

My hold on her tightened, and I silently vowed that one day, in the near future, I'd get her a puppy.

"Why are we spinning?" she whined. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop my grin from spreading. My girlfriend was stupid drunk, and all I could think was how damn cute she looked with her brows pulled together and that stubborn pout on her lips.

I placed her on the couch and moved to the kitchen to get her some water. When I came back, she was sitting with her legs tucked beneath her and looking at me funny. Handing her the water, I parked my ass on the coffee table.

Kenzie gulped down the water at an alarming pace. "Slow down, Sweetheart," I warned. "You're gonna make yourself sick." Her blue eyes sparkled with mirth as she plonked the glass down and reached forward to run her fingers up my thigh.

This time, I didn't hide my smile as she bit into her lip and batted her lashes. Turned out alcohol set the seductress in Kenzie free. Unfortunately for us both, I wasn't about to go down that route. As I said, things with her were different; I didn't want the first time we made love to be in a haze of drunkenness.

Call me whatever you want, but I loved this girl, and I was determined to do right by her. She leaned in but instead of kissing me, she threw up. Her hand flew to her mouth as she jumped up and sprinted for the bathroom

Not even caring that I was covered in sick, I stripped out of my dirty shirt and dropped it in the laundry basket as I entered the bathroom where Kenzie was heaving into the toilet. Running my hand up and down her back, I gathered as much of her hair as I could in the other.

This wasn't the most romantic setting, in fact, it was as far from romantic as you could get. But for me, this was what my future looked like: Me taking care of my girl.

When her stomach was done dispelling its contents, I pushed to my feet and turned on the faucet in the shower. As soon as the water was warm enough, I pulled Kenzie in with me—clothes and all.

Her eyes were big and filled with so many emotions. With both of my hands, I pushed her wet strands out of her face before pressing my lips to her forehead. I then took part in a true test of willpower when I began to remove the fabric that clung to her body like a second skin. Piece by piece my resolve was tested.

Now, right up until the day she died, my momma raised a gentleman. But this gentleman was still a red-blooded man, and when Kenzie stood before me wearing nothing but the skin she was born in, I couldn't not look.

She was glorious and perfect; I couldn't wait to explore every inch of creamy skin. My fingers already tingled in anticipation of feeling her silkiness beneath them and my mouth longed to commit her taste to memory.

All of that would have to wait though.

I turned off the shower, stepped out and grabbed a towel from the rack. After I wrapped Kenzie up in it, I carried her to the bedroom where I pulled one of my shirts over her head. I replaced my own wet clothes with a pair of boxer shorts before I climbed onto the bed with Kenzie.

First, I propped myself up against the headboard then I gathered her into my arms, her head resting on my chest. I drifted off to sleep feeling on top of the world.

 

I rubbed my chest willing the ache inside to go away. I'd much rather endure a slap to the balls than this gnawing pain that just wouldn't let up. What I needed was breathing space and no walls caging me in. I moved to get off the bed, but Kenzie murmuring my name stopped me short.

Glancing over my shoulder, I found her eyes focused on me. The tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks, giving her blue irises so much more depth. I swallowed down the urge to lunge forward and kiss both our pain away.

"Brett," she repeated, and for some reason, I held my breath. "I'm sorry I made you hate me."