on the other hand, didn’t even bother showing up after his fiancée, Parker, told him they needed to talk about something important. I laughed slightly at the memory of his pale face when she called. He was head over heels for that girl, and his worry that she was about to break up with him was evident. That left me, staring across a busy party, as Kennedy wore a dress that would sure as shit look better decorating my bedroom floor than her body.
“Screw it.”
The crowd parted like the sea when I pushed my way through, heading directly for Kennedy. Less than a minute later, I was standing in front of the woman of my dreams. She was every inch a woman, pushing me beyond my limits. Watching her there, barely able to keep my hands to myself, a few things I’d been denying became very clear.
She wasn’t just my best friend’s little sister. She wasn’t the little girl that used to wear her hair in pigtails. She wasn’t the girl I tried my best to ignore, telling myself she was off limits.
Nope. Not at all.
Kennedy was everything to me. Always had been, and always would be. It was time that I claimed what was mine. Not just for one night either. No, I would never kid myself like that. One night would never be enough. I’d need every night, every kiss, from now until the end. I’d just have to convince her that whatever had happened to her didn’t mean anything—not to me.
“Linc?”
I blinked and found myself looking directly into her seeking gray eyes.
“Is everything okay?” Her voice wrecked me, leaving me breathless and unable to answer her directly. No, nothing was okay. It wouldn’t be either, not until I had her in my arms, pressed up against my body, asking me for more.
I held out a hand, not even caring that she could see the way I trembled slightly. I needed to touch her, to make sure that she understood.
“Let’s go.”
She didn’t flinch at the harsh way I spoke. She didn’t even blanch, not my Kennedy. Instead, she turned and said goodbye to the girls at her side. I couldn’t hear a word, though. The blood was rushing through my brain, heading south in anticipation of what was to come. Then, she placed one small hand in mine, and I led her away.
“Finally.”
I wasn’t sure which one of us had spoken, but it was clear. She wanted me. Just as much as I wanted her. This time I was finally going to get her.
“Let’s go to my house,” she said quietly once we were away from everyone else. “So, I don’t have to do the walk of shame in the morning.”
I struggled to hold onto the little bit of control that I had left and nodded once. I’d take her to the moon if it meant that I’d get to be with her. Kennedy led the way to my truck, and I opened the passenger door like a gentleman. When she went to step up, though, I knew there would be issues. Her brother had a massively lifted truck, yeah, but his beast had nothing on mine. During the summer, I went mudding. That meant big wheels, and a lift kit to bring my Dodge Ram up to snuff. Kennedy took one look at the seat and looked at me over her shoulder, catching me staring at her ass.
“You’re gonna have to help me.”
Her words were the invitation I needed to put my hands on her body again. I did in my next breath, lifting her up by the hips and helping her get in. I even averted my eyes, mostly. Even though there was nothing that could erase the wisp of hot pink that I saw from under that dress.
She didn’t say a single word to me after that until we were sitting in the driveway outside her house. The silence between us was charged with our growing need and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted this. Still, that didn’t stop me from asking, though.
“Kennedy.” My voice broke on her name. All I could do was cough to hide it. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She turned to face me then, with tears in her eyes that broke my heart.
“Of course, I want this.” Her words were worse than any blade to my skin could be. “I wore this dress, in front of those people, didn’t I?” She waved one