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“She’s adorable, Declan.”
“Thank you. She’s a handful, but I wouldn’t trade her for anything.” I glance over, and she holds up my phone. “You can just shove it back in my pocket.” I angle toward her, and she once again lifts my shirt and slides my phone into my back pocket as I ask. When she lowers my shirt I feel her fingers ghost across my back, and my fucking cock is ready to go yet again. What is it about this woman?
“Done.” Her voice is low and husky, and damn it all to hell it takes more effort than I knew that I possessed not to lift her onto the counter and kiss the breath from her lungs.
I clear my throat. “Okay, I think this one is ready.” I put one of the freezer buckets in the second of the three areas of the industrial sink, and she gets to work rinsing and drying it while I wash the other. The sexual tension cackles between us, but we both choose to ignore it.
“I think we should go ahead and fill these up.” Kennedy pulls her phone out of her pocket and checks the time. “The caterers will be here soon.” She grabs one of the two buckets and carries it to the ice machine. She scoops ice until it’s full, and I slide the other one next to her, placing the lid on the first.
Once she’s finished with the second, I take them both and nod for her to lead the way to the banquet room.
“Let me have one of those.” She reaches for one, but my grip is firm. Her soft hands land over mine, and it takes every ounce of self-control that I can muster not to toss the buckets and beg her to put those soft hands all over me.
“Kennedy?” She stops, and her eyes find mine. “Show me where you want me.”
“What?” she asks, swallowing hard. Damn, I wish my words meant how they sounded. It’s been way too long since I’ve enjoyed the company of a woman. Way. Too. Damn. Long. I raise the buckets full of ice. “Where do you want me to put them?”
“Oh, yeah, um, that.” She places her hand on her chest over her heart. I wonder if it’s racing like mine is just from being near her. “I can take one to the women’s side, and you can take one to the men’s side.”
“I’ve got them, Kens.” The nickname rolls off my tongue with ease.
A slow smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “No one has ever called me that before.”
“Good. That can be just for me.” Why does the thought of having something with her no man before me ever has excite me so much?
She gives me a slow nod. “I think I like that.”
“Show me where you want me.”
“This way.” She turns and walks back toward the banquet room, and I force myself not to stare at her ass the entire way. Not that I could see it with her long sweater, but I can imagine it, and that’s enough for me. I can’t get involved. She doesn’t even live here, and I have a daughter to think about.
“I thought you got lost,” Archer says when we step back into the room.
The caterers are setting up, and all my brothers and all of the ladies are already here. I ignore my little brother and follow Kennedy like a puppy to where she wants the bucket placed.
“Thank you.”
I nod. “I’ll take this one to the other side.”
She places her hand on my arm. “I appreciate your help, Declan.” I nod and walk away, trying to commit to memory the heat of her touch.
I keep my head down as I make my way to the opposite side of the banquet hall and place the ice bucket in the same place on this side. The food smells incredible, and I realize it’s been a while since I’ve eaten. I had a longtime customer call for a quick fix, and I rushed to get Blakely ready for Archer to pick her up and take her to our parents’ place, back to the shop, and then back home again to shower and get ready for tonight.
“I don’t know why we need this damn divider,” Brooks grumbles from behind me.
I turn to look at him, and he’s scowling at the partition that makes the large room into two. “It’s your bachelor party.”
“I don’t need a damn bachelor party. What I need is to be with Palmer.”
“She’s in the same damn building as you,” I remind him.
“It’s not the same.” He crosses his arms over his chest and scowls.
“How’s she been feeling?”
His scowl is instantly gone and replaced with a smile. “Good. Little nauseous but other than that, she’s been a fucking rock star. She’s tired a lot, but I’ve been keeping up with the house, and laundry, and groceries and all that shit on my days off so she doesn’t have to worry about it.” He looks to the right at the room divider.
