Please let Mom be making something edible.The second I pushed open the front door, I knew we were safe. The mouthwatering fatty scent of bacon and cheese danced through the air and made me check for drool.
Behind me, KC moaned, a sound that sent goose bumps racing down my spine. Would it be wrong for me to lie on the floor and spread my legs for him? I was hooked and needed to hear that low note again. Now.
My cheeks burned as I tossed my sketchbook on an end table.
KC was sweet, nothing like that asshole Ren. Would he even take advantage of the situation if I threw myself at him? Heat rushed to my cheeks. I bet Ren would.
There was a hint of curiosity in KC’s expression when he glanced at me as I stopped in the middle of the living room to spin with my hands out.
“The place isn’t much. There’s this, the kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.” I tried not to feel embarrassed as I faced him because this was a big step up from all the other slumswe’d lived in. It was difficult not to feel prickly, though, when I knew he’d grown up in a mansion by comparison.
“It’s nice.” If he was lying and secretly thought I was beneath him, nothing on his face gave it away. He patted my back, and I wasn’t ready for the sensation of his hand on me. Heat twisted up in my gut and my dick felt as if he’d stroked it. My lungs wouldn’t suck in a full breath. He might as well have punched me.
Shit, what Ren had done to me felt every bit as good as this. I bit the inside of my cheek.
“W-we painted when we moved in. And we also replaced a few bricks in the fireplace. Mom always has a fire going during the winter. She loves it.” I couldn’t meet his gaze as I rambled, and instead, I scuffed the toe of my sneaker on the spotless hardwood floor. The green couch and armchair matched the soft natural colors of the room. The walls were an orangey-yellow that reminded me of a sunset, the trim a sand-speckled red. There was no TV because Mom preferred to read when she had downtime. Mom loved this place and kept it nice. I tried to help, but I was always busy.
“Hello? Do I hear people? Come out to the kitchen!” Mom called cheerfully.
KC headed in the direction of her voice, and I jolted into action, following him. God, his ass was tantalizing. I felt high as his bouncing glutes cast a spell on me.
“Oh! Hello!” Mom walking closer with her hand out tore my attention away from KC’s award-worthy butt. She looked nice tonight, with a blue apron thrown over the mauve skirt suit she’d worn to the office. Her wavy brown hair with a streak of gray at the front brushed her shoulders, not a strand out of place. I loved that she wasn’t wearing a uniform. She’d gotten a job manning the front desk at our local assistance office two years ago, which had been amazing for us. She’d finally been able torent a house. For my entire childhood, she’d worked an endless stream of retail jobs, which never seemed to have steady hours or cash.
“Hi! I’m KC.” They both grinned, two extroverts extroverting at each other and enjoying the heck out of it.
“Darlene! Call me Darla.”
“I, uh, asked him to stay for dinner, Mom. Hope that’s okay.”
Her eyes widened, then took on a mischievous sparkle that instantly had me on alert.
“Great! I’m making bacon mac and cheese from scratch, and I only do it about twice a year, so you’re in luck.” She rested her other hand on KC’s much bigger one, essentially trapping him.
“Mom . . . .”
She smiled at me, but that only made me more suspicious of what was about to come out of her mouth. “So, are you the KC that Oli talks about all the time?”
My heart leapt to the back of my throat and my brain fizzled, about as useful as a wet firework. My feet became rooted to the spot. It was like watching a speeding train headed directly toward me while my foot was caught in the tracks. I waved at her, trying to tell her to stop. She didn’t seem to notice, but KC sure did.
“That depends.” KC cut me an amused glance. “What does he say about me?”
“Oh, only that you walk on w?—”
“My art!” I grabbed Mom’s hands and ripped them away from KC’s, replacing them with mine. My heart beat so hard I was sure they could both hear it. “You wanted to see something I drew. I have some stuff I cleaned up that you can look at. In my room. Out the archway, down the hall to the right.”
“Oli!” Mom laughed and swatted my arm.
“No, I wanted to hear what you’ve been saying about me.” KC smirked and crossed his arms. Guess the asshole jock in himwas finally rearing its head. I didn’t think it existed before this second. Hedidenjoy torturing other people.
“All good things!” Mom chirped.
I was terrified she would start talking again, so I got behind KC and literally pushed him toward the archway. He fought me for half a second, which left me going nowhere, before he abruptly started walking with a chuckle.
My mouth went dry as the panic receded, and I had to snatch my hands away from his crazily defined lats or risk running them down to his rounded ass. He grinned over his shoulder at me.
“Keep going to the end of the hall.”
We were almost in my room when Mom stuck her head around the archway to smirk at us. “Dinner’s in half an hour. That’s plenty of time to get to know each other.”
