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“You sure you don’t want me to drive tonight?” he offers. “That way, you can chill with your girl in the back?”
“I’m sure.” Part of me wants to say yes, but the bigger part of me wants to control the narrative. Like who gets dropped off first. If I drive, the decision will be up to me. That kind of thing. Alyssa talked about the girls drinking, and I want to be the one who makes sure she’s home tucked in safely to her bed tonight. Or mine, as long as I’m the one to take care of her.
I’ve never had a woman spend the night at my place. I bought it right after Cassie told me she was pregnant. I knew my life was about to change, and the tiny-ass bachelor-pad apartment I was living in was no longer going to cut it. I needed a house and a yard for my kid to play in. Life was busy after that. Moving, and planning for Blakely, then we lost Cass, and I was a single dad in the blink of an eye. I made a promise to my little girl. The house was our home, and I wouldn’t use it as a place to get my rocks off.
Kennedy is the first to be there because I wanted her to be. The rest have been family or friends of the family, like Alyssa.
Sterling starts to ask me something else, but his words are cut off when the ladies enter the kitchen. My eyes rake over Kennedy like a starving man placed in front of a steak dinner. My heart stalls in my chest as I take her in. She’s wearing a dark-burgundy dress with a design of brown and light beige around the hem, neck, and sleeves. My eyes keep going as I take in her bare legs, which disappear into a pair of brown cowboy boots.
“Look!” Alyssa sticks her cowboy-booted foot out toward Sterling. “Aren’t they cute?”
“They look great, Tink.” He chuckles at his best friend.
“Of course they do. Kennedy and I decided we wanted to go all out for the concert,” she explains.
At the sound of her name, Kennedy mimics Alyssa showing Sterling and me her boots as well. That action pulls me out of my stupor. Standing with purpose, I move around the table and slide my arm around her waist.
“Kens,” I say, my head already bending to be closer to her.
“Declan,” she whispers.
“I think I made you a promise.”
She smiles. It’s slow and sultry. “I’m waiting,” she murmurs as my lips press to hers.
I expect her to be hesitant, but she’s anything but. Her arms surround my neck, and she buries her hands in my hair. My grip on her intensifies as she opens for me, allowing my tongue to glide past her lips, finally tasting her. It’s all I’ve been able to think about.
A throat clearing brings me back to the moment. I kiss her one more time, just a soft peck, before pulling her into my chest and hugging her tight. My heart is racing, and I know she can feel it where her head rests. Good. I want her to know what she does to me.
“Damn,” Alyssa mutters. “Told you he’d love the dress,” she quips.
Kennedy’s body shakes in laughter, and just like that, the intensity of the moment is lifted. I still want her with the fire of a thousand suns, but I got my kiss and the girl. I didn’t mean to maul her in front of them, but I’ve waited what feels like a lifetime to kiss her.
“Are we ready?” Sterling asks.
Thankfully, he’s not giving me shit right now. “Ready?” I ask the beauty in my arms.
“Definitely.”
Reluctantly, I release her so she can slide into her coat, and we can hit the road. No matter what else happens tonight, it’s already been the best date I’ve been on in years. I have Kennedy’s lips to thank for that.
“Sterling!” Alyssa gasps when she sees where our seats are. “These are incredible.”
We’re sitting lower level, row one directly beside the stage. We have a clear view of anything that might happen on that stage tonight, and Alyssa is pumped about it. She throws her arms around my brother and hugs him tight. He just smiles and returns her hug with a shrug. I know him. I know what he’s not saying: that he would do anything for her.
Sterling takes his seat, Alyssa beside him, then Kennedy and me sitting in the aisle seat. Without discussing it, we make sure the ladies are between us. Not that I think anything would happen to them, but it’s how we were raised. If we were taught anything growing up, it was to respect women. They can take care of themselves, but with Sterling and me surrounding them, they can let loose and have a good time with no worries. We’ve got them.
