“Did he teach you to shoot, too?”
“Actually, that’s the one place where I’m better than him. I’m a top-notch marksman. Cade is good, better than many, but I have the edge there.”
“Your family sounds absolutely fascinating.”
He enjoyed this more than was wise. Having Kennedy curled up against him, her hand idly resting over his abs, her frowns and her smiles, her trust, felt like an amazing gift.
“What about your family?”
She ducked her face again. “There’s just my mom and dad. They’re both terrific.”
“You haven’t told them everything that’s going on now?”
“They’d just worry.” Her fingertips toyed with the buttons of his flannel shirt, stopping near his navel—and making him nuts. “They’re quiet people, very involved in their church, and they were hurt so badly when I was taken.”
Eyes narrowing, Reyes lifted her face. “Don’t tell me they blamed you.”
“No, of course not. Mom and Dad both cried for days when I returned. They’d aged so much, all from grief.” She lowered her eyes. “They love me and I love them, but I couldn’t stay in Florida. Not anymore. It was hard for them to grasp that type of evil. Mom would look at me and then suddenly crumble again. It was heartbreaking, for both of us. Dad couldn’t bear seeing my mother so upset, and he felt like he’d somehow failed me.”
“So you moved on?”
“Not the way you’re saying it. I stayed long enough to convince them I was fine, then I moved away with a lot of happy fanfare, letting them think I was on an adventure for life.” She sighed. “We talk often, and I try to get home at least once a year to see them, but I will never again deliberately worry them.”
“Hey.” He couldn’t stop himself from pressing a kiss in between her brows, where a fretful frown lingered. “You were a victim, and parents are supposed to worry for their kids. That’s not on you. It’s on the bastards who took you.”
Her gaze relaxed...then dipped down to his mouth. Yeah, much more of that and instincts would take over. He’d be kissing her hot and hungry before he had time to talk himself down.
He sat forward and, in a voice as casual as he could make it, he said, “It’s getting late.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “I can be ready for bed in twenty minutes. How about you?”
She searched his face, her expression confused, a little embarrassed, but she managed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I need thirty minutes, so don’t rush.”
Reyes watched her head to the guest room, and he knew—oh, yeah, he knew—it was going to be a very long night sleeping beside her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WELL, HE HADN’T been wrong. An hour had passed and still he stared up at the ceiling, full of conflicts and hunger, both horny and swamped with tenderness.
Seeing that look on Kennedy’s face when he’d abruptly moved away... He’d done that to her.
What should he have done instead?
He thought back to Sterling’s advice, about how he should ease into things. He’d agreed to give it a try, and then instead he’d blown it.
There wasn’t much he feared in life, but he detested the idea of pushing Kennedy, maybe making her uncomfortable with his lust.
“Reyes?”
Her voice was husky with sleep, and she shifted a little, turning to face him. “Hmm.”
“Why are you still awake?”
Because I want you so damn much, and you’re here, all sweet and soft beside me, and I can smell the scent of your shampoo and lotion, and the warmer, muskier scent of your skin, and it’s making me nuts.
Of course, he didn’t say any of that. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
And...there went his brain again, pondering all the things he wanted to do with her. He turned on his side and levered up to his forearm. “Why aren’t you sleeping? I thought you were out.”
“Close, but I keep thinking about earlier.”
“At the campsite? That’s over, babe. You’re here with me, safe.”
Smiling, she touched his cheek, then his bare shoulder. “I meant on the couch, when I made you uncomfortable.”
What the hell? “You didn’t.”
“It’s just...the way you looked at me, well, I thought you were going to kiss me.”
He’d been thinking of a hell of a lot more than mere kissing, but all he said was, “I would never take advantage of you.”
“I know.” Her fingers drifted across his chest. “But did I totally misread that? It’s been forever since I paid attention to a guy, and now I’m worried I got my signals crossed. If so, that’d be really embarrassing.” After all that, she drew a breath, and asked, “So were you thinking about it?”
Damn. He couldn’t lie to her, not when she sounded so vulnerable. With a mental shrug, he admitted, “Yeah, I was thinking about kissing you—and more. Can’t seem to help it around you. Just remember, you don’t have to worry that I’ll—”
“What if I wanted you to?” she interrupted. “Because I do. And it’s the strangest feeling, wanting something I haven’t even thought about for so long.”
Reyes swallowed heavily. What exactly did she want from him?
“If you’d rather not, I understand.”
“That’s not the problem.” God, he wished the room were lighter so he could really see her, not just the shadows and outlines of her features from the moonlight filtering through the darkened windows. “Why don’t you tell me why you’d want me to?” Once the words left his mouth, they sounded lame.
Never in his life had he asked a woman to explain desire.
She scooted closer, opening her hand over his left pectoral muscle. “Until recently, the thought of getting that close to a man was repugnant.”
“Things have changed, though?”
“With you, yes.” Stroking over him, she seemed to relish the texture of his chest hair. She explored him—and it was sexy as hell. “Now I think about it all the time. Not just kissing you, but more.”
Way to level him. “Kennedy—”
“I promise it won’t mean anything,” she rushed out. “I know it could be awkward if I got ideas, since I’m staying with you. Still... I just thought maybe you wouldn’t mind.” Her breasts pressed against his upper arm. “It doesn’t have to be more than a kiss—”