Chapter 13

Kendal

"I'm stuffed." I leaned back from the table and took note of her barely eating one piece of pizza while I'd put away four. "You don't like it?"

"No. I do. I'm just watching what I eat, you know, trying to be a little more health conscious." She picked up her half-eaten piece and took a small bite.

"Why? Do you have high blood pressure or something?" I picked up my fourth beer and drained it. The desire to get up and dance some more swelled inside of me, but I denied it attention. Dancing with a full stomach sounded about as good as fucking the pretty girl across from me against a wall with too much in my stomach. Though, I had no doubt that if she were up for it, I'd make all of it work.

"No. I just..." She glanced around and shrugged.

"Hey. Look at me." I reached across the table and ran my hand over her forearm as I let my eyes move across her in a way that she would know how beautiful I thought she was. Who the fuck told her differently.

"What?" She gave me a tight expression as if protecting herself.

"Eat the other half of this pizza and enjoy yourself. You're fucking hot and whoever told you that you weren't is a damn idiot."

"Why would you think-?"

"Did someone?" I shouldn't have pushed her. I was getting a little too comfortable and my guard was coming down. I almost felt sorry for her for having to deal with me.

"Yes, but he was right." She set the pizza down and pushed the plate away. "I'm honestly full. Two beers was past my limit."

"He wasn't right. I promise." I reached across the table and picked up her pizza. "You're going to make me eat all of this by myself and throw up later. I hate wasting food."

She reached across the table and snatched it from me. "Give me that. You're such a pain when you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk." I glanced up at the ceiling and laughed. "I feel good for the first time in weeks, but I'm not drunk. I'd be professing my undying love to you and every other woman in this place if I was wasted."

"Oh no. A lovie type drunk, hmmm?" She took a big bite and closed her eyes, moaning softly.

"Very much so." I licked the tips of my fingers and imagined her quivering beneath me. So perfect and soft. She might hate her curves, but I wanted to sink my fingers, my tongue, my dick into all of them.

Fuck. I was diving off the deep end.

"You okay?" She took another bite and dropped the crust on her plate.

"Yep. I'm just a little too relaxed." I forced a laugh and got up. "You wanna go walk down to the park at the end of the street? It's a beautiful night outside."

"Yeah, absolutely." She wiped her mouth, took a quick sip of her beer and took my hand.

I led us through the restaurant, out into the street, before releasing her hand. She moved up beside me and smiled shyly.

"What?"

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug.

"You, that's what. That day you saved me from Terri, the man-eater, I knew we would be friends." I moved us off the main path toward the grassy knoll where the park was.

"That was like a few days ago." She laughed softly.

"And? When you know, you just know." I released her and sat down in one of the two swings moving back and forth with the pressure of the wind.

"I guess you're right." She sat down beside me and pushed off. Her dress fluttered up her thighs and gave me a quick glimpse of white panties before she yelped and slapped her hand over her legs. "Sorry."

"Don't be." I pushed off and leaned back, feeling so fucking free for a few minutes. My sister was dying in a hospital, my best friend's life seemed ruined and mine was soon to follow, but for a few hours, I could just be carefree and let everything go. "Did you love him?"

"Who?" Her hair flew behind her and caught my attention.

"Cameron." I reached out and let it run past my fingers as she flew by me.

"I don't know. I wanted to, but we're so different. He's reserved and quiet, picky and likes everything in order."

"And you're messy?" I laughed as she slowed down and gave me a look.

"No, but I like to live. My mother was fine with fingerprints in the dust on the furniture. It meant we were living instead of cleaning."

"Very true. I like things put up, but I'm not anal about it, or I don't think I am." I pushed off harder. "So if he was reserved and quiet, are you outgoing and wild?"

"I wish I could tell you. After two years of being told what I'm not, it's hard to say what I am." Her voice lost the joy it held only moments before.

I slowed down and reached out, latching on to one of the chains that held her swing in place. She jerked to a stop and I pulled her toward me, causing my legs to spread as her knees pressed to my groin.

"I say you’re brave, empathetic, stunning and as wild as you wanna be."

"You think I'm stunning?" She glanced down where her knees pressed tightly against me and took a shallow breath.

"Hell yeah I do." I reached out and ran my fingers through her hair as I memorized the soft curve of her lips, the regal slope of her nose. "Beyond beautiful."

"You're just being sweet." She laughed, brushing my comment off. "It's the beer."

I gripped the side of her head as warning bells sounded deep inside of me.

"No, it's just you." I pulled her closer and pressed my lips to hers as she whimpered. Every cell in my body woke up with a raging need like I hadn't felt since Ana was trapped beneath me.

She mumbled something against my lips just before I pressed my tongue deep into her mouth and lapped at her with indecent intent. I wanted her thoughts to force her into the naughtiest places where nothing existed but her cries for more and me giving it to her.

Her fingers ran through my hair, and it was my turn to groan.

I broke the kiss, but gave her another one quickly as she panted softly against my mouth.

"Kendal," she whispered. "I'm not like those other girls."

"I know. I'm counting on that." I kissed her again, taking my time to explore her soft lips, wet tongue. The strong pulls on my tongue as she sucked me deeper into her mouth left my body close to exploding. I pulled back and reached down to grip her thighs.

"Shit. It's been so damn long." I let my head drop as I tried to catch my breath. My body had gone beyond betraying me as cool and collected. My erection was thick and solid, stretched down my thigh like something from a porn movie. I reached down and tried to adjust myself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it this far."

"Stop." She reached out and gripped my hands. "I don't want anyone but the carefree guy who's letting himself breathe tonight. So what if you're turned on. I am too."

I pulled her in for one more kiss before standing and bringing her with me. It was hard as fuck not to let my hands explore, gripping and squeezing her hips and the top of her ass, but I held back. Public displays of affection had never been my thing, and I wasn't planning on changing that anytime soon.

"Come on, we should get you home." I touched her lips, brushing my finger across them softly. "Before I take our friendship to a place that would destroy any hopes of return."

She laughed and moved back, saving me from myself.

I was grateful.

"The pizza was great, by the way. You were right. Best place in the whole damn city." She walked toward the parking lot, pausing only briefly as I caught up with her.

"I'm usually right, but don't tell anyone about it. They'll expect me to start acting right too, and that's just out." I reached for her hand. "I'm sorry if I took that too far back there. I haven't been with anyone in two years." No fucking way was I telling her that Terri was the last girl I'd boned in an effort to shut the girl up from asking and getting a bit of release in the process. Women were strange, but I couldn't fault them too much for the offer of pleasure. Maybe I was just a bastard for taking them up on it.

"What?" She stopped. "Like haven't had a girlfriend?"

"No, that's been six years." I ran my fingers through my hair and scanned the parking lot. A group of nerdy-looking fuckers were standing near the door to the pizza parlor, being loud and rambunctious. It was almost comical. Almost.

"So you haven't slept with anyone in two years?" The tone of her voice caused me to turn my attention back to her.

"No, why?" I tried not to smile, but it was a waste. Looking at her in the moonlight left my heart pounding harder than it should have been. So pretty and delicate.

"I don't know. That just seems crazy to me." She turned as one of the guys yelled something else. "Oh no. That's Cameron. What's he doing here?"

Ice water raced through my veins as we moved into the parking lot and the tallest of the guys turned to face us. I'd let go of Dana's hand a few seconds before, but I honestly contemplated reaching out and taking it back. The bastard needed to be taught a lesson about how to treat a woman.

Yeah, cause you're the asshole to teach it.

"Dana? What the fuck are you... who's this douche?" The guy walked toward us and kept his eyes on Dana, not acknowledging me at all. What a mistake.

"He's a friend, and you-"

He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Whatever. You're coming home with-"

"Hey. Let her go, mother fucker." I gripped his wrist and squeezed hard. I could take all four of them out without blinking an eye. Being raised on the poor side of town taught me more than I would ever need to know.

"Are you kidding me? Go find a blond bombshell to fuck tonight, frat-cock. This woman isn't at all your kind of girl. She puts out once a-"

She slapped him hard in the face as I increased the pressure on his wrist.

"How dare you. How many times did I hit you up for sex only to have you fall asleep with your hand in your pants? Fuck you for being lame." She slapped him again, and I took advantage of the situation as he shifted.

It took a second to kick his feet out from under him, roll his lanky ass over and put my knee in his back. I almost felt sorry for the kid. He couldn't have been twenty-four years old. My six years on him wasn't much from a number perspective, but from living life? I was a man and he was a boy.

"Touch the girl again and you'll lose a few of your teeth, pretty boy." I pressed my hand against his head as he screamed out.

"My face. The rocks are digging into my face." He pushed against the ground. "Aren't you a professor at UT?"

"Go get in the car, Dana." I reached into my pocket with my free hand and tossed her the keys as tears dripped down her pretty face.

"I'm your worst nightmare, asshole. That's what I am." I leaned over and pressed harder as he cried out again. "Don't come near the girl again. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Shit. Please. Don't hurt me."

"I didn't plan to." I smacked him in the back of the head and got up, giving the other three goons with him a stern look. "That's what you get for being a pussy and trying to muscle a woman around."

"Not me man," they muttered and lifted their hands.

"Right. Not you either, asshole." I pushed on his side with my foot.

"You won't see me again. She won't either."

"Good answer." I turned and ran my fingers through my hair as I walked to my car. What a fucked up end to our night. The bastard knew I was a professor at UT. If one thing wasn't going to bust me, another was.