forest of chest hair poking out of an expensive button down.
Kennedy patted my chest. “Atta boy, Wiki. You tell him.”
With our arms wrapped around each other, we wandered out of the hallway, and past Motivational Barbie with her table full of friends. Kennedy gave an enthusiastic thumb’s up and the girl rewarded her with a bright smile.
Even strangers fell in love with this woman. A brief bathroom encounter earned her cheerleaders and moral support. Her Royal Majesty, Penny Dreadful, Kennedy Reagan Monroe was something special.
And she was leaving with me.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kennedy
The second we stepped outside The Drunken Goat, I whirled on Joe. With both hands on his chest, I pushed until his back pressed against the building. “I don’t know if I want to thank you or yell at you for what you did tonight.”
A wicked grin slid into place, transforming his handsome face into sex god status. “I’m definitely digging aggressive Penny.” He cocked his head, cranking the wattage on his smile. “And for what it’s worth, I vote you thank me.”
He looked so pleased with himself, I had to bite my lip not to melt into him. “You can’t just show up out of the blue because you’re worried about me. I’m an adult and can take care of myself, even if I need to pep-talk myself into it.”
“I see you’ve chosen the yelling option.” Joe bobbed his head and sighed dramatically. “Disappointing.”
The twinkle in his eyes had my heart doing flip-flops, while the fact that I couldn’t decipher how I felt about him showing up to save me from Ramsey had me confused.
Should I be touched by his urge to protect me?
Or weirded out because he thought he’d need to?
The answer seemed to be a little of both, with a dash of turned-on added for good measure. His proximity, his scent, the way he seemed utterly in favor of being pushed against a wall by little old me…it all added up to five glowing stars from my body’s point of view.
“Do you understand how crazy this story sounds?” I asked as I fell into his eyes. Our gazes locked with an almost audible click. “How can I tell anyone what happened without them thinking the worst of you?”
Joe gripped my shoulders and flipped us, so I was the one with my back to the wall. He pinned me to The Drunken Goat, his hands resting on the brick exterior, my body trapped between his arms. I totally understood why he dug me being aggressive. The feeling was one hundred percent mutual. Was it possible for the human body to actually melt from desire? I figured we’d find out in another couple minutes.
“I recognize that everything I did tonight is two clicks off normal.” The heat in his voice sent my blood racing. “But I don’t think you understand how crazy you make me, Kennedy. I don’t do the caring about people thing. It just doesn’t work out. Not for me. But here I am. Attached. Completely. You are the only thing I think about. All day. All night. It’s just you. And that makes me really fucking nervous.”
“You don’t have anything to be nervous about,” I whispered.
Except maybe me jumping his bones in a public place. He probably could have worried about that.
“Last I checked, knowing the woman I care about is with another man is a damn good reason to be nervous.” His face softened, and if I didn’t know any better I’d say his guard was lowered. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“Last I checked, stalking someone was a good way to send them running in the opposite direction.”
“I’m…” Nerves jangled across his face. “That’s the last thing I wanted to do.”
“I’m joking, Wiki.” Though, given the way he looked at me, I regretted hiding behind humor. I cupped his cheek and met his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, but I do need you to work on the trust factor.”
Light from the streetlamp skewed across his face, casting half of it in shadow. Emotion danced beneath his surface, but he turned just enough to complete the shadow before I understood what I saw. When he met my gaze again, I saw pain layered on pain layered on pain. Sadness swam in the depths of those blues. “I’m not good at the relationship thing.”
“Who is?” I offered him a smile. “I’m sure a lot happened in your past that made it hard for you to trust people.”