I’d managed to erect one of the tents while Kenna had gathered wood and made us a fire. And damn if watching her so calm and self-assured didn’t make me want to kiss the hell out of her. Made me want to do a whole lot more than just kiss her…
I strode over, perching beside her on the log she sat on, the dog sound asleep in her lap. The fire roared in front of us, warming us up after the temperature had dropped twenty degrees since sunset.
“Sorry we didn’t have time to get both tents set up. If it makes you more comfortable, I can sleep out here.”
She slid me a glance out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t be stupid.”
I huffed out a laugh, rubbing my hands together where they rested between my spread knees. “Not stupid. Just wanna make sure you’re okay with it.”
“Well, I mean…it’s not like you’re gonna steal my virtue.” She elbowed me in the ribs. “You nabbed that sucker a long time ago.”
“Actually, I think it was you who stole mine.”
Extending her legs, she pointed her toes toward the fire, no doubt trying to soak up the warmth. “Okay, buddy. Whatever you have to tell yourself.”
My smile widened, and I reached out to squeeze her knee. “There was an equal amount of virtue-stealing happenin’, I think. Although I’m pretty sure I got the better end of that bargain. Sorry ’bout that.”
She laughed under her breath and shrugged. “I think you’re in the clear since you’ve more than made up for it.”
We locked eyes, a dozen memories of our single weekend together before we’d gone our separate ways passing between us. That time with her had been pure bliss spent between her thighs, her moans a near-constant cadence in my ears.
I’d still had the crescent-moon indents from her nails in my skin when she’d driven off. I’d gotten myself off to memories of that weekend more times than I could count.
Annnnd…great, now I was hard.
Kenna’s lips parted as she stared at me, her eyes dropping to my mouth. Her tongue flicking out over her bottom lip might as well have been a red flag, daring me to come closer. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching up to cup her face, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw. With the slightest pressure of my fingers against the back of her head, I tugged her toward me, needing to feel her mouth against mine.
Just as our eyes fluttered closed, our lips a breath apart, the dog whimpered out a bark, her legs twitching and managing tokick us both. Kenna and I froze where we were, our eyes focused on the dog who settled down within moments, obviously deep in a dream, but the spell between us had been broken.
I rested my forehead against hers and breathed out a laugh. This damn dog had cockblocked me twice, but I couldn’t be mad at the tiny thing—she was too cute. And even with that cockblocker, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this…settled. This content.
I pressed a soft kiss to Kenna’s lips before pulling back. “Thanks for doin’ this with me.”
She shot me a smirk. “Yeah, well, the bet said I had to.”
“Ah, I see. The bet’s the only thing that got you out here, huh?”
Kenna sat quiet for long moments, the only sounds the crackling of the fire and the distant calls of a coyote. She ducked her head and lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Maybe not theonlything.”
It wasn’t exactly a declaration, but it felt like we were finally getting somewhere. Maybe my sister had been right, and all Kenna needed was to get away from it all. To be reminded of what we’d had at one time.
“I’m glad Will got your shifts covered,” I said. “I didn’t even ask about the town hall stuff, but I assume no one’s settin’ up meetings with the actin’ mayor on a Saturday.”
She snorted. “No one’s settin’ up meetings with me, period. I’m basically a toddler, you know. Too young to know how to do anything. Besides that, I’m agirl.” She rolled her eyes. “They’d ‘feel more comfortable waitin’ till Richard’s back,’” she mocked, affecting a deep, stiff tone. “Antiquated, misogynistic bastards.”
I blew out a breath, shaking my head. “That’s complete bullshit. And I’d like to say I’m surprised by that, but, well…it’s Havenbrook.”
Which was to say it wasn’t exactly a beacon of progressiveness, and some of the men running the town had been doing so since before either Kenna or I had been born. It was no doubt challenging for them to have someone they’d once seen in diapers suddenly in charge of the town. Didn’t make it right or fair, though, but many things weren’t when you were dealing with the delicate egos of small men.
“Yeah, me neither.” She rested her hand on the dog’s head, stroking softly. “Doesn’t make me like it any better. I’m supposed to be helpin’ with things, but I feel like I’m just gettin’ in the way more than anything. It feels like no one takes me seriously. And my mark as the black sheep of the family doesn’t help matters.”
“Black sheep? Why the hell would they think that?”
“I know, right? I figured Nat had me beat in that department, but apparently droppin’ out of college and comin’ back home with my tail between my legs is worse than leavin’ and never comin’ back at all.”
I hummed, trying to reconcile the Kenna I knew with this version of her that she—and the town, apparently—saw. “Well, you know what I say in situations like that.”
“What’s that?”
