“I can never be the almighty Harrison Maloney. I don’t want to be my father. I don’t want to be my grandfather. I want to be me.” He wanted to be happy in whatever he decided to do with his life.
“You’re not your father,” Kinsley said. He waited for the punchline, the ways she was going to tell him how he failed like everyone else liked to do, but she didn’t. “And you shouldn’t try to be. Jarred, you should find something that you are really good at, something that makes you happy and stick with it. Screw your father or whomever else tells you that you are a nobody.”
Jarred watched the passion flare in Kinsley’s eyes as she gave him a pep talk, the warmth spreading over him as well. She was quite a surprise. How had he not noticed her before now?
She looked away then, her cheeks flushing red and Jarred realized he was staring, making her uncomfortable. “That’s good advice,” he told her, not wanting to make her feel awkward. Maybe he needed to hear that from someone else, someone that barely knew him.
He watched as Kinsley finished her glass and reached for the other bottle, breaking open the seal before pouring another full glass. “So,” she said as she sat the bottle on the counter. “What’s going to be our story for your father?”
The real reason he was here. Jarred had forgotten all about it. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, sipping his wine. “Can’t you just throw one of those fits about wanting to plan your own wedding?”
She laughed, a warmth in her eyes from the wine. “Do you really think that will work?”
Jarred shrugged, a grin on his face. “Hell, I don’t know but it’s worth a shot.”
Kinsley giggled, cocking her head to the side. “You know, I would have never expected you to be so …”
“So what?” Jarred asked, finding himself wanting her to finish the sentence. What did she see him like?
“So likeable,” she said with a blush, drinking her wine nervously. “You’re not the rich playboy I expected.”
Jarred set his glass down, glad that she didn’t think he was a snob or something. He never had been. If he had, then maybe he and his father would have gotten along better. Maybe he and Susan would be married now. A shudder went through his body at the thought of being married to someone like Susan. She had shown her true colors last night and Jarred couldn’t help but be glad he’d dodged that bullet.
Kinsley took a few steps forward, until she was directly in front of him. He looked down at her, taking in her natural beauty without all of the makeup and shit that women liked to pile on. It was nice to see what was underneath. “I want to kiss you,” she said suddenly, her tongue darting out to wet her pink lips.
Yes. Hell yes. Surprised at her boldness, Jarred forced himself to put on an easy grin, his thoughts scattering. Kiss him? She could kiss him whenever the hell she wanted to. “You can do whatever you want to me Kinsley.” His cock twitched as if to say, “Yes, please.”
She gave him a slight smile before reaching up, pressing her lips to his. Jarred felt the warmth of her skin touching his, the way her lips nibbled on his lips and felt the sudden rush of want enter his body, igniting him from the inside out. He wanted her, there was no doubt about that. Hell, his pants had never felt so tight before.
She deepened the kiss, her hands reaching out to touch his shoulders and Jarred took the opportunity to put his hands on her waist, drawing her until they were flush. She let out a small gasp and he swept in, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Her taste was intoxicating and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get enough of it. Her hands clenched into his shoulders as he ravaged her mouth with his, his own grip tightening on her waist, waiting for the opportunity to move. Would she allow him to do that? When had he held back on what he did with a woman? But this was Kinsley, the woman that was saving his ass. She wasn’t just any woman, not to him.
She pulled back and he allowed her to, seeing the dull flush of her cheeks, the redness of her lips from his kiss. “I think, I mean I want,” she started, her words not coming out in complete sentences.
Jarred leaned down, his hands roaming up her back. “What do you want Kinsley?”
Her breath was warm against his cheek, rapid puffs of air that told him she was excited at what was transpiring between them. He sure was. He had the hard on to prove it. “I-I think I want you,” she said softly, her words barely above a whisper.
Jarred chuckled, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders as he pulled back to look at her face. “You think or do you know?”
Kinsley chewed on her lower lip, refusing to meet his gaze. “I know,” she said finally.
Thank the heavens above. Jarred grabbed her hand and pulled her to the couch, falling on it before pulling her down with him. Before she could even grasp what he was doing, he had her pinned under him, his upper torso covering hers. “I fucking want you,” he said, emboldened by her own bold words. After their near fucking session last night, he was ready to get this party started with her. He would be good to her.
Her eyes widened and he covered her mouth with his, feeling her arms encircle his neck. She kissed him with abandon, her own tongue seeking out his and surprising the hell out of him. This was the woman he wasn’t expecting. With his own hands, he slid under her shirt and cupped her breasts, still encased in a lacy bra. She arched against his touch as he found her erect nipples, rolling the points between his fingers. He was hard as a rock, the thought of having Kinsley naked under him nearly breaking him.
She pushed on his shoulders and he broke the kiss. “I-I-let me slip into something more comfortable,” she said, killing the mood instantly. “I’m sorry.”
“No worries,” Jarred said, sliding off of her and standing. If she saw the tent that was in his pants, she said nothing, sliding off of the couch to a standing position and stumbling slightly as she walked down the hall. Jarred ran a hand through his hair roughly. Jesus, what was she doing to him? This was worse than when he was a teenager. Because he knew just how good she’d feel around him. He needed to take it slow. He didn’t want to give Kinsley any reason to call this off. Hell, he might explode if she did.
He waited a few minutes before starting down the hall himself. Maybe she had decided to go ahead and climb in the bed. “Kinsley?” he asked as he located the bathroom, finding it empty. There was no way she could have escaped without him noticing. Walking into the bedroom, Jarred drew up short of the bed, finding Kinsley sprawled out on one side, still in her clothes. Bloody hell.
Had she really had that much wine? She’d had what? Two glasses? Maybe she didn’t drink much. But either way, nothing was happening with them right now. He walked over to her and was relieved to see the rise and fall of her chest. She was going to have a devil of a headache in the morning.
Jarred looked at her, smiling as a soft snore escaped. He hated that their night had ended so abruptly. For one of the first times in his life, he’d actually been enjoying himself. Turner would be shocked that he, Jarred Maloney, party animal and drunkard, was stone cold sober and watching a woman sleep.
Walking out of the bedroom, he went into the kitchen and cleaned up their mess before turning off all the lights. What the hell was he doing? It was like, well, he was domesticated. Cutting off lights? Cleaning up messes? That wasn’t him, yet it felt normal. Jarred looked back toward the bedroom, knowing that he should leave but he couldn’t make his feet actually move to the door. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to go back to his sterile flat and sit in the dark by himself. He didn’t want to go out to the club only to think about her the entire time he was there. Jarred knew all he wanted to do really was climb in that bed with Kinsley.