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“Yep.”
“Do you bring dates here?”
“No.”
“Why not? This is the perfect way to see how much someone sweats before having sex with them,” she says with that snarky tone I love.
“Are we complaining?”
She tosses a look over her shoulder and waves me off. “No, just wondering.”
I stop staring at her body and catch up with her in a couple of long strides. Side by side, she looks at me with an easy smile. Yes, that’s what this feels like. Easy and fun. Did it ever feel so right with Amelia?
Guilt stabs at my gut. I shouldn’t compare; it isn’t fair. She’s dead, and my relationship with Amelia was a natural result of where I was in life back then. She came from a traditional family, and I was making a name for myself apart from my parent’s wealth. At the time, marrying Amelia and creating a family felt like the right thing to do.
“Maybe you brought me here because you don’t want to be seen with the nanny in a swanky public place?” Kendall says, and my legs come to a halt. The softness in her face disappears for a moment. I watch a small bob roll down her throat before she inhales. “Oh, I was joking.”
Something in her body language says otherwise.
She’s tense now, fidgety, threading her fingers together. Does she think I would be embarrassed to be seen with her? My heart skips a beat. What a ridiculous thought. Though I can see why… maybe the sticking point behind her words is that she assumes I don’t want complications.
“I would love to be seen with you anywhere,” I say, emotion rumbling through me and leaking into my voice, which is now coarse. “You’re sexy, smart, funny. I’m not hiding you by bringing you here… I’m showing you one of my favorite places.”
She erases the distance between us and kisses my cheek. “Thank you.”
I catch a whiff of her feminine scent, swirling around me like a cloud, even when we resume walking the trail. My body is on full alert as desire stirs from top to bottom. I remind myself not to let that brief caress overpower me.
“Coming here was a good call. My sister loves hiking, but I’ve never visited this park before,” Kendall says, a hint of affection in her voice when she mentions her sister.
The trail funnels into a patch of dirt, along with a water fountain and a standing map of the place. We walk past it, and I gesture for her to keep going until we find a scenic area leading to a creek. “Tell me more about your sister.”
She basks in the view. We’re in front of a creek, the freshwater pouring down, and a formation of rocks surrounding the bank. “Sylvie is a good person. I’ve been helping her get on her feet again. She was dating this guy, and he had some alcohol issues… Long story short, she ended up emotionally and financially broke.”
I nod. “I’m sorry. How about your mom?”
Kendall lifts her shoulders. “My mom has worked hard her whole life, so whenever Sylvie and I have problems as adults, we tend to turn to each other for help. To give her a break.”
“She raised you well.”
“She did.” She smiles and looks at me. “I need a break. Unlike you, I’m not lowkey training for a bodybuilder contest.” She sits on the ground along the bank, takes off her shoes, and dips her feet in the water.
Amused, I sit beside her and remove my shoes and socks. “This is the way to do it.”
The fresh scent of water and nature enthralls me. I watch as a breeze curls the ends of her hair.
“Once I pay off my sister’s debts, I’ll start saving to open a daycare,” she says, staring at the scenery.
A daycare? I don’t know how to feel about it. I want her to be successful, but the idea of her no longer working with me throws a grenade into my chest. “You’ll be great at it. Children love you.”
“Thanks.”
Should I tell her I’ll happily invest in her vision and financially bankroll her dream? I hesitate. If I tell her, she’ll think I’m trying to control her life, not believe me, or maybe find out the truth—that I’m so obsessed with her, there’s very little I won’t do for her.
11
Kendall
I glance around me.There’s not a soul on site besides us. The sun's rays dapple on the gentle creek, and I wiggle my toes in the water.
