This was my out. I could agree, and walk away like it had never happened. But who was I kidding? I’d spent most of my teen years thinking about what it would have been like to physically be with Kennedy, and after it finally happened I had no clue which way was up. I’d tried to exorcise the memory of us from my head in every way possible, and when I’d tried to sleep with someone else I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want anyone else damnit. I wanted the stubborn, full of shit girl staring at me outside in the middle of a semi empty parking lot, the one who turned my anger into lust and still saw more in me with one look, than I’d ever seen in myself.

So I made a choice, and stopped giving a fuck about how it would end.

“No. We don’t have a deal.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s the only deal I’m offering. I’m not going to be one of many.”

How many times was I going to have to point out that she wasn’t one of many before she fucking listened?

Then it hit me. I hadn’t actually said it to her. My actions only proved that she was right about me, that all I’d wanted was to get her into bed for a night, and move on.

I needed to show her how wrong she was.

“You aren’t one of many,” I said, my voice low, and hard. It reflected the fury I felt towards myself. “In fact, you’re quite the opposite. I have been going out of my fucking mind trying to avoid you because I knew, Goddamnit, I knew one night with you wouldn’t be enough. All I could fucking see was you, all I wanted was you, Kennedy.”

Her eyes had widened at some point while I was talking, but then they narrowed, and she pursed her lips.

“You’re just saying that because you want to get into my panties again. I hate to break it to you but that shit doesn’t work on me, and our brief romp was a never-to-be-repeated performance.”

I held my gaze steady, but leaned into her and wrapped my hands around her biceps. “You sure about that?”

“Don’t touch me,” she said through gritted teeth. I looked at her mouth, and instinctively licked my bottom lip. She tried like hell to break free from my hold, but I only pulled her closer. Her mouth parted with a soft gasp when our chests collided, and I took that small opening to press my lips to hers. She remained stiff, and her pigheaded behavior stoked the fire inside me.

I pulled away, and glared. “You’re being difficult, Kennedy. And you know how much I like a challenge.”

“Just because I refuse to kiss you back, and spread my legs doesn’t mean I’m challenging you. Maybe I just don’t want to? Maybe you sucked so badly the first time that I don’t want it to happen again? Have you ever thought of that?”

This was what we did – she pushed, and I pulled, and then we did it all over again in reverse.

It.

Made.

Me.

Wild.

“You say you don’t want it, but your body tells me otherwise.”

“Please,” she huffed out, “Don’t talk about my body like you can read it. You have no idea what I’m feeling.”

I smirked. “That’s where you’re wrong.” My hands slid down her arms, around her hips, and moved to cup her butt. I lifted her slightly, so that she stood on the tips of her toes, and aligned our hips as best as the position would allow. Judging by her startled inhalation, and the death grip she had on my arms, I got it right.

Lowering my head, I ran my nose up her neck, and to the shell of her ear, inhaling the smell of her skin. “For starters,” I continued, my mouth against her ear, “your breathing is shallower, and you’re starting to pant, and your mouth is open, waiting to allow a moan to escape. Your nails are piercing my skin because you’re gripping me so tight, and I can feel your nipples hardening through your dress. And if I do this,” – I pressed my hands down, and pushed our hips together with a grunt – “your pussy clenches, and your clit starts to throb. I’m willing to bet you’re wet, and that’s for me, no one else.”

She swallowed. Hard.

I lifted my head to look at her, and gave her a smug smile. “How’d I do?”

“Not bad, but you forgot one crucial thing,” she replied breathlessly.

“What’s that?”

Her hands let go of my arms, and I felt one slip between us. Kennedy grabbed my cock through my jeans, and rubbed a little too hard. The air from my lungs blew out, and I swayed into her palm. I was already hard, but the feel of her hand made it worse.

“My body reacts to yours,” she whispered into my ear, “but it doesn’t mean I want you, Dane. I think we both know that how you feel about me is reason enough to end this before it begins.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, my mind swimming as a result of her touch. The haze cleared just enough for me to hear what she’d said.

Her face was resolute, but her eyes held a different truth. She was fighting this thing between us as much as I was; yet I was the one caving. Hearing her say ‘how you feel about me’ made me see things in a different light, and I hated to admit that she could never know how I really felt. She thought I resented her, and most of the time she’d been intolerable, but the physical need pulling on my insides drove me to shove everything else aside.

I had to know she didn’t want this before I showed her how intensely her body called to mine. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll walk way. Tell me to leave you alone, and I will never lay another hand on you, I swear.”

Something in my voice made her hesitate, as if she’d been surprised by my honesty. Or maybe it was the candidness of my statement that she hadn’t been expecting. Either way, when she didn’t respond, I had my answer.

I let my arms fall from around her body, and took a step back to give us both some breathing room. I missed her heat instantly, and berated my body for that foolish and misplaced sentiment.

“For the record, I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

I wasn’t sure why I’d admitted that to her, but I didn’t want her to think any of the rumors doing the rounds had any truth to them. I was tempted to tell her that anyone else after her would fall short, but thought better of it. It would only confuse her, and make our predicament murkier than it already was.

She nodded once, and turned on her bare heel. This time I watched her walk away, clenching my fists to stop them from stopping her again. This game – was it really a game? – was fucking with my head, and it bothered me how easily I lost any form of rational thinking when it came to Kennedy. She was going to become a drug, and when that happened I would be totally screwed.

CHAPTER TWE NTY

Dane

I’D CRAWLED INTO bed an hour ago, and tossed and turned under the sheets trying to fall asleep. When that failed, I fell onto my back, and started staring at my ceiling. I was restless, and knowing Kennedy was on the other side of this wall wasn’t helping my sleeplessness in the slightest.

I lifted my head when I heard the front door open, and waited for the sound of heavy footsteps. Reid hadn’t come home yet, but it had only just gone midnight, and that was too early for him to be home. I had a feeling Jade was keeping him busy anyway.

No other sounds came, and I grew nervous. I slipped a pair of boxer briefs on, and grabbed my baseball bat from under my bed. If there was an intruder, however unlikely, I’d be able to scare the fucker off or at least beat him unconscious and call the cops. My doorknob twisted in the palm of my hand, and I stepped into the short hallway that lead into our open-plan living room, and kitchen. There was a shadow, moving across the floor, and when the figure appeared in the living room I lifted the bat.

“Whoever you are, you have five minutes to leave before I start swinging.”