What bothered him even more than the unnatural manner of the guy? That face. Del would bet the man had always been butt ugly, but an unhealthy fixation gave him the appearance of a demon from hell.
And that goddamned smile made it all the worse.
Yeah, if they didn’t find Kennedy soon, Del would cut his losses and move on. He lit another cigarette.
No bitch was worth this much trouble.
* * *
THAT NIGHT, AFTER debating with herself for far too long, Kennedy reluctantly returned to the living room instead of staying in the guest room, as was her norm. She’d tried to stick to her plan of giving Reyes as much space as she could so her time spent at his home wouldn’t feel so invasive.
Already he’d reordered his life to accommodate her. She’d never known anyone like him. Who did that for a mere acquaintance?
Obviously, a man of Reyes’s caliber.
He might act irreverent at times, and there was no denying he had a high opinion of his ability, plus his blatant sexuality was as much a part of him as his height and good looks.
And he was so much more than that. Smart, caring, gentle, practical, efficient.
Proud.
Gorgeous.
She’d brought so much trouble to his door, and it was all amplified by Jodi’s volatility. Asking for anything more was unforgivably selfish, and yet here she was.
She found Reyes half sprawled over the couch, his head in the corner of the armrest, one muscled leg stretched along the cushions, the other braced on the floor. He had a laptop balanced on his hard abdomen and was focused on something he read.
Of course he noticed her silent approach. He missed nothing.
Glancing up, his expression went wary. “Hey.”
After dinner, she’d insisted on doing cleanup, where she’d lingered as long as she could, too unsettled to want to be alone. Finally, around eight thirty, she’d gone to the guest room. That was over an hour ago. Clearly, given her current habits, he hadn’t expected to see her again until the morning. But for every second she’d spent pacing the room, her agitation had grown. She’d been unable to calm her rioting emotions.
And she’d been unable to stop thinking about Reyes.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Jodi, because overall she did. She didn’t think Jodi would ever hurt her. As Reyes had said, Jodi was clearly obsessed with her.
But what if she hurt Reyes? He’d deny even the possibility, though people couldn’t dodge bullets. Did Jodi own a high-powered rifle?
She honestly didn’t know.
Another worry worm that had crawled into her brain was the idea that Jodi didn’t understand boundaries, and she was so single-minded about protecting Kennedy that she didn’t seem to distinguish right from wrong.
Would Jodi do something completely over-the-top that, in effect, could end up hurting her? Yes.
Now here she was, afraid for Reyes, riddled with guilt, worried for Jodi—and for the women Reyes visited.
Closing his laptop and setting it aside, Reyes sat up. “Everything okay?”
Now that she stood before him, she felt far more awkward than she’d anticipated.
She shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay.
He was on his feet instantly, his hands clasping her shoulders, drawing her close. “Jodi has you rattled?”
“Yes.” God, it felt good to let him hold her. Too good. It would be dangerous to depend on him that much, so she pressed back, robbing herself of his physical comfort. “I’ve been thinking.”
He waited, and when she couldn’t seem to vocalize the rest, he prompted her with, “Okay.”
That made her smile. Silly Reyes. Always trying to comfort her. Always succeeding. “Can we sit?”
“Sure, yeah.” He cleared a spot, then eased down with her, still keeping her close.
Such a big, badass guy, who always took care with her. Knowing she’d confused him—heck, she had herself confused, too—Kennedy leaned into his side.
So warm and strong. Resting one hand on his chest, she settled against the curve of his shoulder. “Let me get this said, okay?”
“All right.”
“If you want to visit a woman, you should.”
Arrested, he went perfectly still. But not for long. “Damn it, Kennedy—”
“Let me finish,” she urged.
Frowning down at her, his mouth flattened, he gave one firm, annoyed nod.
“I know you think you need to stay here with me, but it’s enough that you let me stay. Even if you’re not here, it’s safe, right? I promise I won’t step outside. You shouldn’t be locked down just because I am.”
“My turn, yet?”
“No.” God, this was difficult. “If you’re staying in tonight—”
“You know I am.”
Yup, that was relief turning her bones to noodles. Had she really thought he might race out the door just because she gave him permission?
Maybe she should do more than that.
Maybe she should encourage him to go...have his needs met.
God, that idea galled her, but she was determined to be fair to him. “I already knew you didn’t spend your nights at home. Jodi confirmed it, therefore there’s no reason for you to be discreet about it. You have a right to live your life.”
“Damn right I do.” He levered her up and across his lap as easily as he would have moved a throw pillow. She landed on his hard thighs with startling awareness. “No one tells me what to do or not do. Cade tries sometimes. Dad often gives it his best shot. Even Bernard has put in the effort a time or two.”
She was on Reyes’s lap. Everything he’d just said breezed in one ear and out the other.
The position was unlike anything she’d known. When was the last time anyone had held her?
So long ago that she couldn’t remember.
“Are you listening to me?”
Not really. For some reason, he was running down the list of his family members as if they had some bearing on the situation. For the life of her, she didn’t know why.
Kennedy sat stiffly, trying to give him the attention he demanded. But...
This was not at all what she’d expected when she ventured from the guest room.
His big hand came up to cradle the side of her face. “Pay attention, okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, okay.”
Showing his doubt, he slipped his thumb under her chin and tilted her face up more. “If I wanted to go out, I’d go out.”