Chapter Three

 

Kendra

 

God. Sex with him was so intense. I’d tried to convince myself it only felt that way last time because I’d been inexperienced and had nothing to compare it to, but I’d had other partners since then and the way he made me feel… there was no comparison.

“Thanks,” I said, reaching for the bottle of water he’d brought back with him when he went out to the living room to lock the doors and turn out the lights.

He’d invited me to spend the night, but I was suddenly questioning that plan. Sure, I’d love to go another round or two with him, but I didn’t want an awkward morning after where we talked about maybe getting together again if we had time before I left town.

He’d made me promise I was his, but I’d heard that before. He’d said the same thing the last time we had sex. I had to assume he got off on it. He was a typical alpha, always had to be in control, to possess anything he wanted for as long as he wanted it.

Drake laid himself down, rolling on his side so he could face me. “Talk to me. Tell me all about school. Your plans. It’s been forever since we really talked.”

The last thing I expected was for him to take an interest in my plans, especially if they included Africa, which they most definitely did.

I sat up, putting the bottle back on the nightstand before I settled in next to him. I was surprised when he tugged me closer, settling his arm around me. “Well, school was everything I thought it would be. It was a great experience, but I’m glad it’s over. I’m so ready to start teaching.” I’d been assisting in the classroom the past year and I couldn’t wait to get out there and put all I’d learned into practice.

He kissed my shoulder as he pulled me snug against his body. Yeah, I could definitely see another round or two in our future.

“I’m sure you’ll be an amazing teacher. But Nigeria, babe. You can’t be serious.”

“Not up for debate.” I didn’t want to leave his comfortable bed, but if he pressed this issue, I would.

He sighed. “We’ll circle back to it then. I’ve got a whole week to convince you this is where you belong, right?”

I laughed. “And how do you plan to do that?”

His hand slipped under the sheet and glided down my body. “I have my ways.”

Did he ever. I spread my legs just a little when his hand cupped my mound possessively. I wanted to seem willing, not desperate. He’d already been more than generous tonight. I didn’t feel like I had the right to expect more without a little quid pro quo.

I wiggled my ass into his swelling erection, but he grabbed my hip.

“Hold up, we were supposed to be talking,” he said.

I looked at him over my shoulder. “Since when would you rather talk than get busy?”

“This isn’t some random hookup for me, Kendra. You need to know that.”

His words sounded hollow, the kind of promises I’d heard a dozen times before. It’s not that I had a lot of experience with men, but over the past five years I’d gained enough to know when I was being played.

Before I went away to school, I’d held on to some silly fantasy about me and Drake being a couple someday, but those dreams were shattered the night he took my virginity. He taught me a hard, but valuable lesson that day. Never give something until you know what you’re getting.

If that makes me a cynical bitch, so be it. At least I’m not stupid enough to fall for the same guy twice.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said, linking his hand through mine.

“Just thinking about…” That night. “What things were like between us before I went away to school.” We’d been flirting relentlessly for months. I was certain my brother would figure out there was something between us, but either he was clueless or chose to ignore it.

“Yeah, we should probably talk about that.”

“Not necessary,” I said, wishing I’d never brought it up. “It’s ancient history.”

“That may be, but it’s important. Especially if you and I are going to have a future together.”

A future? Maybe that epic orgasm left him oxygen-deprived. “Uh, if by ‘future’ you’re talking about breakfast tomorrow—”

“Don’t be a smart-ass,” he said, smacking my butt. “This is serious.”

“Uh, no it’s not.” I was glad I couldn’t see his face. I suddenly didn’t want to. “This is fun. A reprieve from real life and all I have to do to get ready to go to Africa next week.” I wasn’t trying to be mean, I was just trying to be real with him.

After we had sex the last time, I started talking about the possibility of a long-distance relationship and he shut me down, claiming it would never work. He said I had too much living to do, or some shit like that, and he wouldn’t be the one to stand in my way. Ironic, since that’s exactly what he seemed intent on doing now.

“Keep telling yourself that, baby doll.”

He didn’t seem concerned. He sounded smug. Which pissed me off, but I got it. He was sexy as sin with the goods to back up all that swagger. But that didn’t mean I’d be willing to put all my plans on hold, or cancel them altogether, just because he wanted me to. I was my own person, and the sooner he realized that, the better for both of us.

“You keep telling yourself that you get a say in what I do.”

“I thought we already established that tonight.”

I huffed before pushing him away and scooting to the other side of the bed. “If you’re referring to that… that… coercion earlier, you can’t possibly think that holds true outside of this room. I said it under duress!”

He chuckled as he tucked his arm under his head. “Duress, huh?”

I willed my eyes to stay off his bulging bicep, but yeah, that wasn’t happening. Thank God he had the decency to cover most of his body with a sheet or I’d be a babbling idiot by now. Or more of a babbling idiot.

“You may be able to use your… talents, to get what you want with other women, but that’s not going to work with me.”

His smile faded and his eyes were cold when he said, “Let’s make a deal. We don’t talk about other people we’ve been with. That doesn’t work for me.”

I’d like to say I didn’t know he had a jealous streak, but I got an inkling when he threatened to punch out the guy who took me to senior prom if he stepped out of line with me. My heart fluttered at the time because I’d been stupid enough to believe he didn’t want anyone else to have me because he wanted me for himself. I’d been way off base on that one.

“Just because we don’t talk about them doesn’t mean it never happened.” I didn’t want to know about the other women he’d been with either, but that didn’t mean I was naïve enough to believe he’d forgotten them all.

I glanced up at one of his bedposts. “Huh, no notches. That surprises me. You have another way of keeping track?”

He glared at me. “Not. Funny.”

We’d always given each other a hard time. That was our thing. So I didn’t know why he was suddenly so sensitive about being a man-whore. It’s not like it was a well-guarded secret. “Oh, come on,” I said, slapping his chest. “Where’s your sense of humor?”

“Maybe I don’t want the girl I’m into to think I’ll fuck anything in a skirt.”

I could tell he was getting angry, but I refused to back down. If our situations were reversed he’d be letting me have it too. “You can’t tell me you haven’t been with a lot of women since the last time we were together.”

“Shit,” he said, running a hand over his head. “Why does any of this even matter? I told you I’m not with anyone now and haven’t been for six months.”

I heard him, but I wasn’t sure I believed him. Six months of celibacy for Drake would be like six years for most guys. “I don’t know why you refrained, but it couldn’t have been on my account.” It had been months since I’d spoken to him, and even then, it had only been small talk.

“Why couldn’t it have been because of you?” he asked, looking annoyed. “I knew you were coming back and I didn’t want you to hear any bullshit stories about me hooking up with other girls.”

I was surprised… and touched that my opinion would have mattered so much, but it had been a wasted effort on his part. I honestly didn’t care how many women he had or hadn’t slept with in the past six months. I was over it. And him. Or so I told myself. Because if I wasn’t, my plans could be in serious jeopardy, especially if he meant the things he said.

 

***

 

Drake

 

With Kendra wrapped in my arms I had the best sleep I’d had in years, maybe ever. But when I woke up to the sound of the shower in the en suite bathroom, I knew she needed time to regroup. As much as I wanted to pick the lock and invite myself in to pick up where we left off, I knew coming on too strong now would only backfire. She needed time to get used to the idea of us as a couple. And I was prepared to give her that time. Seven days, at least.

I tugged a pair of athletic shorts on and made my way to the kitchen, planning to make my girl breakfast, but I cursed when the doorbell rang, stopping me in my tracks. I glanced at the digital clock on the TV box. It was 8:32 on a Sunday morning. Who the hell could that be?

“Hey, dude,” Danny said, pushing past me. “My car won’t start. I don’t know what the hell’s up with it. It was purring like a kitten yesterday. You heard it.”

“Uh, yeah.”

I raked a hand through my hair, groaning inwardly when I heard Kendra’s footsteps in the bedroom. Shit. This was about to get real. I knew I’d have to come clean with my best friend about my feelings for his sister, but I didn’t want it to go down like this. With me half-dressed and her just down the hall. In my bedroom.

He dropped a set of keys in my hand. “Can you get it towed to your shop later? See what’s wrong with it?”

“Yeah, sure.” Maybe I’d be able to get him out of here before we got busted. “I’ll take care of it. No worries. You gotta work today?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a couple of crews out. We had rain a few days this week, so gotta make up for lost time.” He glanced down the hall. “You hooked up last night? After you left my parents place? I thought you said you had to go into the shop?”

“I did go to the shop.” At least I wasn’t lying about that. “But, uh, she stopped by later.” There was no point trying to pretend I was alone. He wasn’t deaf.

“Who is it? Anyone I know?”

You know her too well, bro. Before I could decide how to respond, Kendra stepped out in the hall wearing nothing but my T-shirt, and I’ll be damned if my dick didn’t stand up and salute her. Damn. The last thing I wanted was to try and block Danny’s punches with a raging hard-on.

“What the fuck is this?” Danny’s glare cut from me to Kendra and back again.

Kendra blushed from her curly roots to the exposed skin peeking out of the deep V-neck T-shirt. “Danny. What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” he shouted. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Dan, relax.” I put a hand on his shoulder, but he pushed me away.

“You fuck off, asshole!”

“Would you calm down,” Kendra said, shifting a nervous glance in my direction. “It’s not like I’m fifteen and you caught me having sex with one of your older friends. I’m a grown woman now, and hardly a virgin.” She blushed again, probably thinking about how she’d lost her virginity.

“How long has this been going on?” Danny demanded, turning on me. “And when were you going to tell me?”

“It’s nothing,” Kendra said, stepping from the hallway into the room. “It was a one-time thing, nothing for you to get so worked up about.”

A one-time thing? Fuck that. “Dan, you need to know that I have feelings for your sister.” My eyes traveled to Kendra. Her lips were parted and… damn, she wasn’t wearing a bra under my white T-shirt. “This wasn’t some random hookup for me. In fact, you asked me why I haven’t been, uh, dating lately. Kendra’s the reason.”

Danny’s jaw dropped as he raised his hand. “Hold up. Are you telling me that you guys have been seeing each other while she was in school?”

“No,” Kendra said, quickly. “Nothing like that. I don’t know why he’s trying to make this seem like a bigger deal than it is,” she said, getting flustered. “But don’t pay any attention to him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He and I are not a thing! I’m still going to Africa next week, as planned.”

I grunted, crossing my arms. “We’ll see about that, baby doll.”

“I don’t get this,” Danny said, pulling his hands through his hair as he took a deep breath. “You guys weren’t together, but you weren’t dating because of Kendra? How does that make sense?”

I had to tell him everything, make him understand that I’d had a thing for his sister for a hell of a long time. “Here’s the deal,” I said, taking a step back in case he decided to take a swing at me. Laying my best friend out would suck, but I knew I could if it came down to it. “Kendra and I kind of had a thing before she went away to college.”

“We did not!” Kendra screeched. “We had one night. One lousy night!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Lousy?”

“I swear to God,” Danny said, seething. “If you start talking about how good it was, I’m going to lose my shit right now.” He turned to Kendra. “You slept with him before you went away to school?”

She nodded, looking like a little girl who’d just been reprimanded for lying.

“But we talked, like a week before you left, and you told me that you were still a…” He sighed, obviously wishing he didn’t have to have this conversation at all. “That you were saving yourself for that right guy. So you two didn’t…” He gestured between me and Kendra. “Hook up then?”

Kendra and I shared a look before I decided it was time to man up. “I guess she was saving herself for me then… because, yeah, we did—”

“You son of a bitch!” Danny hurled himself at me, slamming me against the wall.

I should have seen it coming and been able to brace for impact, but he caught me off guard.

He forced his forearm against my neck, trying to cut off my air supply, but I curled my hand around his throat with enough force to push him off.

“Stop it!” Kendra screamed. “Are you two crazy? You can’t throw your friendship away over this.” She grabbed her brother’s arm, gripping his shoulders when he turned to face her. “Danny, please listen to me. I love that you want to protect me. But you don’t have to worry about me, I swear. Drake’s not using me. He’s not going to break my heart. He can’t because I feel nothing for him.”

I feel nothing for him. Shit. Danny may have tried to choke me, but nothing could have been more effective at taking my breath away than hearing those few words.

“Now, I’m going to get dressed,” she said, barely sparing me a glance. “You drove here, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, seeming resigned. “I’ve got my work truck.”

“Good, I need you to go now.”

“Wait a minute. Where’s your car? It wasn’t parked in the drive?”

I hadn’t even thought to consider whether she drove to my house last night. I just assumed she had. “Hey, you walked over here?” I asked, scowling at her. “At night? What the hell were you thinking?”

She rolled her eyes. “I dropped Danny off at home and went back to my parents’ place. I got restless and decided to take a walk. I ended up here. No big deal.”

“Walking by yourself at night is a big deal,” Danny said, glaring at her. “Don’t do it again.”

At least my best friend and I could still agree about something, but I didn’t think this was the time to back him up, especially since Kendra looked ready to unleash on both of us.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” She sighed and took a step back. “Look, I just need you to go, Danny. I’m going to have a quick word with Drake then be on my way.” She raised her right hand when he looked skeptical. “Ten minutes, I promise.”

“Fine.” He held his hand out. “Gimme my keys back. I’ll find someone else to work on my car.”

“Danny, don’t be an asshole. You know no one else around here will be able to get whatever parts you need.” Mine was the only shop in town that fixed classic cars like his.

“I don’t give a shit,” he said, curling his hand around the keys when I had no choice but to drop them in his hand. “I don’t trust you anymore. And if can’t trust you, you’re not working on my car.”

Danny and I didn’t just go way back, we went all the way back. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend, but I understood why he was pissed. If our situations were reversed, I’d have been too. I’d just give him a little time to cool off, get used to the idea of Kendra and I being a couple, then I’d talk to him again. Tell him how I felt about her. Assure him my intentions were honorable. ‘Cause whether she believed it or not, I was going to marry this girl someday.

“Suit yourself,” I said, shrugging. “But we both know it’ll end up in my garage if you wanna get her running again.”

He left with a grunt, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the pictures on the wall.

Kendra winced before she said, “God, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t expect him to take it well, but he totally overreacted.”

I took a few steps closer, totally invading her personal space. “What was that bullshit about you feeling nothing for me? You sure as hell felt something last night.”

“I felt satisfied,” she said, looking anywhere but at me. “You’re really good at that. Making a woman feel good. But I’m not going to make the mistake of confusing sex and lo—” She cut herself off, biting her lip.

Damn it. I didn’t want her to hold back. I wanted her to tell me the truth. That she’d been in love with me before I screwed it all up and she could be again. “Look, I know I disappointed you when you left for college. I know you wanted more than a one-night stand.” I bent my knees so I could look directly into her eyes. “And you deserved more. But come on, babe. I sure as shit couldn’t give it to you back then. It took me all this time just to build something I’m proud of, a business that can support us.”

“Us?” she echoed. “What are you even talking about? There is no us. Next week I’ll be leaving for Nigeria and—”

“Quit saying that,” I said, through clenched teeth. “You know you don’t belong there. You belong here. With me. Looking for a teaching job and—”

“Not taking any risks. Living in my perfect, safe little bubble.”

“What the hell’s so wrong with wanting to keep you safe?” I asked, throwing my arms up in the air as I took a step back. “You want to help underprivileged kids? Fine. Get a job in a shitty school district, but don’t move to another continent—”

“This is not your decision,” she said, calmly. “We’re not even a couple and you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“Really? ‘Cause I’d say what happened here last night makes us a couple.”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “If sex is all it takes to make two people a couple, I’m guessing you’ve had more girlfriends than—”

“Would you stop talking about the past?” I gripped her shoulders. “I don’t give a shit about that… or them. The only person I care about is you. Can’t you see that? I’m willing to put a twenty-year friendship on the line for a shot with you. Can’t you give me that? Just a shot?” My stomach dropped as I saw her shut me down even before she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Drake. But I’m going to have to say to you now what you said to me then… the timing’s all wrong for us.”