Chapter 27
Kennedy
“Have a good day!”
I waved to my last students of the day and moved to lock the door.
Thursday classes were over, and I was ready to pass out as soon as I got home. I was seriously considering bringing in another instructor. Students were asking for more lessons, and I was worn out just doing the ones I had now.
Add in crying myself to sleep the past six days, and I was basically a walking zombie. Dante Craig had lied to me and broken my heart, but yet, I still couldn’t get the man off my mind.
I hitched my gym bag over my shoulder and flipped off the computer.
“Kennedy.”
My head popped up, and the man who was the bane of my existence was standing at the door.
Well fuck.
“Open the door. I need to talk to you, and all you need to do it listen. Just give me five minutes,” he hollered through the glass.
I bit my lip and wondered if I could make it out the back door and to my car without him catching up to me.
“Don’t even think about it, Kennedy. Karlton is standing by your car. He’s not going to let you leave.”
Why, that asshole. He was using my own friends against me. “That’s not fair,” I called.
“I’m not interested in fair. All I want is for you to just listen to what I have to say.”
“You had four weeks to talk, and you didn’t.”
He put his hand on the door and ran his fingers through his hair. “You gonna make me say this through the door? Because if that’s what you want, that’s what I’ll do because I’m not leaving without you hearing what I have to say.”
Gah. Damn man. I stalked to the door and twisted open the lock. He shoved open the door before I could change my mind. He put a hand on my stomach and pushed me back.
I jumped away from his touch and put my hand on my stomach. “No touching.” Touching fogged my mind and made me forget everything.
Dante put up his hands. “Sorry, honey.”
I wanted to yell at him for calling me honey, but I couldn’t help but like hearing it. I could handle honey; I couldn’t do touching. “Say whatever you think you have to and go, Dante.”
“I was wrong,” he started.
“Yes,” I agreed.
He smirked and shook his head. Damn the man for being so handsome. My resolve wavered as he shoved his fingers through his hair, and I remembered how soft it was when I used to run my fingers through it while lying in bed together.
“I didn’t lie, though. I never told you I was some schmuck living on the street. You saw that I had money. You knew I drove a nice truck, and my house was in a nice neighborhood.”
“But I thought that was from karate, and well, loans.” Wasn’t that how most Americans lived? Borrowed money and a prayer?
“Does it matter where the money comes from? It’s money either way.” He sighed and shook his head. “My parents were the hardest working people I had ever met in my life. To this day, I strive to be the type of people they were. They worked from sun-up ‘til sundown to achieve the lifestyle they had. For you to act like just because someone has money that makes them a bad person not only offends me, but it hurts the image that my parents had.”
I ducked my head. “I didn’t think about it that way.”
“I know you didn’t, Kennedy. And I’m not upset at you for that. When we were at your parents, I understood why you would lump everyone into the category. We were surrounded by people who were eyeing each other up trying to figure out who had the most money in the room.”
I couldn’t hold back the giggle that climbed up my throat. “And none of them ever knew that it was you.”
“And that is how I want it to be. My money does not define me. It didn’t define my parents, and I damn sure won’t let it turn me into something that I’m not.”
I clasped my hands in front of me and bit my lip. Now I felt like a bitch.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that I should have told you. I don’t go around broadcasting who my parents were, but I should have told the woman who was sharing my bed.”
“Yes, you should have,” I agreed. “I felt like a fool when that Peter guy was talking to you, and he knew something about you that I didn’t.”
“And I’m sorry for that, Kennedy. If I could go back and tell you the instant you opened that door on our first date, I would have. I would have brought bank statements and anything you wanted. But I didn’t, because as soon as I opened that door, I stopped wanting to be your decoy, and I just wanted to be near you.”
My eyes watered and looked anywhere but at Dante. “I don’t know what to say,” I cried.
Dante took a step forward and grabbed my hand.
I gasped at the feel of his skin against mine. “Please don’t,” I pleaded.
“I can’t go that long being with you and not touching you, Kennedy.”
A tear streaked down my cheek, and I dashed it away with my other hand. “I can’t do this.” My heart hurt, and I had no idea what to do. My brain kept screaming liar at me, but my heart didn’t want Dante to ever let me go.
“Just think about what I said. I know I fucked up.”
He had, my brain screamed.
Dante pulled me into his arms and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Just one kiss, honey,” he whispered.
I gave him that because I needed it too.
He pulled out of my arms and slipped out the door. My heart broke as I watched him walk away and disappear around the building to Powerhouse.
“Lord have mercy, I don’t know how you let that man walk out that door. I would have been all over him like white on rice as soon as he said the words ‘I was wrong.’”
Damn Karlton. “I really need to get my keys back from you,” I mumbled.
“Ain’t no reason to go to all of that trouble, sugar. I made copies,” he gloated.
Of course, he did.
“So, you still gonna be a sitting in your apartment convincing yourself that man is no good, or have you finally come to your senses?”
“Did you really hear everything he said?” The man had no sense of privacy.
“I think I might have missed a few seconds since I was standing watch at the back door, but I got the majority of it. He loves you, and he’s going to fight for you.”
I scoffed and turned around. “He walked away, Karlton. I don’t really think that is fighting for me.”
“He may not be here right now, but he’s in your head. Everything he said was the truth. He’s got money, honey, hell, more money than anyone would know what to do with, but he’d give it all up just to have you.”
I closed my eyes. Would he? Would I want him to?
What kind of person would I be asking him to give up what his parents left to him?
My parents had money, but that didn’t make me a bad person.
“I’m such an idiot,” I whined.
Karlton clapped his hands. “Hallelujah, I think she’s got it.” Karlton bustled over to me and put his arm around my shoulders. “Now, let’s wander on over to the Karate Hottie Studio, and tell Silver Fox you love him.” He pushed me toward the door, but my feet didn’t budge.
“No,” I refused.
“What? Child, are you bipolar or something? I could have sworn you just had an epiphany and we were on the way to profess our love.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I did, but I’m not ready to go over there yet.” I needed to sort out one thing before I could go back to Dante.
Unfortunately, Vivian’s was where I needed to go.
Oh joy.
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