“But she hasn’t seen Shawn since he came to the restaurant?” Marshall asked.
“Not that I know of, but she could be keeping it to herself if she has,” Kenna said honestly. “I just don’t understand men like him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you made it clear that we were over, that you didn’t want to see me anymore, I wouldn’t get all weird and psycho and insist that you weren’t allowed to break up with me. And I know that some women get that way too, but from what the statistics show, I don’t think it’s as prevalent as guys. Can you explain it to me?”
“No.”
Marshall’s answer was short and to the point.
Kenna sighed. “I also don’t understand why some men get off on scaring and raping women. I mean, I get that it’s a power thing, but where does that come from? Why do they think it’s okay to violate someone like that? Why does it give them pleasure? And I’m not talking about the serial killers who most likely have messed-up brains. I’m talking about the men who have friends, and secure jobs, and good families…the ones who you’d never guess could act that way. Who seem to harass and overpower women just because they can. I don’t get it.”
Marshall’s thumb brushed back and forth over the back of her hand, making Kenna feel calmer. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t imagine what goes through someone’s head when they decide to do something like that. And I’m like you, if a woman says she wants to break up, I might not be happy about it, but I’d respect it. Why would I want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me?”
“Exactly!” Kenna exclaimed. “The whole, ‘if I can’t have you, no one can,’ makes no sense to me. People aren’t possessions. And the angst and hatred that would have to be present in that relationship would be unbearable. I have such a hard time understanding why Shawn is acting the way he is toward Carly. Why isn’t he moving on? Finding a woman who does want to be with him?”
“I wish I had an answer for you. All I can do is reassure you that there are more of us in the world who respect women and would never act like that asshat.”
“I know,” Kenna said with a sigh. “I just hate that Carly is dealing with it. I just want him to go. To move on.”
“Me too,” Marshall said.
They were quiet for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. It was one more reason Kenna liked being around Marshall. They didn’t have to talk constantly. They could simply exist in the same place at the same time.
“Want to go to the store with me?” Marshall said after a while.
Kenna looked over at him. “For what?”
“Stuff to make dinner.”
She laughed. “You planned to make me dinner and you don’t have the ingredients?” she asked.
Marshall shrugged. “I had planned on shopping this morning before picking you up, but those plans changed last night when I asked if I could barge in at dawn, wanting to make sure you were all right.”
She loved that. “Sure.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
Kenna chuckled. “You don’t just sit and enjoy the world going by very often, do you?”
“No. Now get up, lazy bones. I’m trying to prevent you from actually making a nest in the corner of my balcony and not ever leaving.”
Kenna laughed and let Marshall help her up.
“What are you making me?” she asked as they headed back inside and toward the front door.
“Well, I told you that I grill a mean steak, but I was thinking about going in a different direction, if it’s okay.”
“Depends on what you want to change it to,” Kenna told him honestly.
“You like seafood, right?” he asked.
“Of course. We had sushi, remember.”
“I remember, but sushi is different from seafood in general. Anyway, I thought maybe about doing sriracha-glazed seared scallops. With a side of roasted garlic broccoli, meatless taco cups, and a skillet brownie sundae for dessert.”
Kenna knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. “Seriously?”
“Yup.”
“I was expecting hamburgers or spaghetti or something.”
“I wanted to spoil you for our first dinner date,” Marshall said simply.
“Well, consider me spoiled, even though we haven’t been shopping yet,” Kenna told him. “I do have one question.”
“Shoot.”
“What’s a taco cup?”
Marshall grinned. “You take those little nacho chips that are in the shape of a bowl, and fill it with pico, sour cream, cheese, black beans, and a jalapeno slice if you want. Then you shove the entire thing in your mouth and enjoy.”
Kenna could picture Marshall doing just that. “Sounds delicious.”
“It is. Come on, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. The only problem is that the dinner I have planned takes some prep work.”
“I’d love to cook with you,” Kenna told him.
At the door, Marshall leaned down and kissed her. It was a swift kiss, a mere brushing of their lips together.
Kenna pouted. “That’s all I get?”
“For now, yes. If I take your mouth the way I want, we’ll end up in my bed, and I won’t let you up for hours. And if I do that, I can’t feed you. So shopping, then cooking, then eating. Then I’ll take you long and hard and every way you can imagine.”
Kenna grinned. “Can we leave the windows clear?” she asked.
Marshall shook his head and opened the door. “I think I’m insulted that the windows are what you’re thinking about.”
“Oh, I’m thinking about you, have no doubt. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been keeping to yourself in your pants,” she told him.
“You want my cock, Kenna?” he growled.
“Yes,” she answered simply.
“Then you’ll get it. Later.”
She mock pouted, and Marshall laughed. She would never get sick of hearing that sound.
He closed the door behind them and once more took her hand in his. Smiling, Kenna had a feeling she could get used to being with this man on a much more substantial basis. Doing everyday things like shopping and cooking…and ending each night in his arms.
Chapter Fourteen
Dinner was amazing. Aleck couldn’t remember a time when he’d been as content as he was now. Kenna had helped him cook, and they’d both had a hard time keeping their hands off each other in the process.
He’d purposely brush up against her ass, and she’d retaliate by “accidentally” touching his cock as she passed him in the large kitchen. She was carefree, fun, sexy…and instead of his mind turning to some of the horrifying things he’d done and seen as a SEAL, as it often did in the evenings when he was alone, he was fixed in the here and now with Kenna.
He hadn’t planned on adding Kenna to his approved visitor list so soon, but while introducing her to Robert, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Some people would think he was crazy to give a woman he’d just met access to his condo, but he trusted her instinctually. He had no doubt Kenna would never betray him. They had clicked in a way he’d never experienced before, on a level that surpassed even his best relationships.