Wrap. It. Up.
Still didn’t feel strong enough.
Her molars ground together as Riya’s hand drifted again, lingering at his wrist like she was testing how far she could go before someone checked her. Rolani pulled back enough to be polite, but not enough to shut it down.
And that calm had Kennedi’s hormones acting reckless.
Before she could stop herself, she flipped to a clean page and wrote in thick, angry letters:
THIS IS AN INTERVIEW, NOT THE DAMN BACHELORETTE.
She lifted the pad and cracked it against the glass.
The sound engineer pulled his headphones down.
Riya’s smile wavered.
Then Rolani’s head turned slowly.
Their eyes locked. She held the pad with one hand and pointed at Riya with the other — one firm, deliberate finger.Wrap it up.
And instead of lowering it like a sane person, she held it there. Chin lifted. Nostrils flared. Eight seconds of eye contact that said, I will absolutely crash out in this studio. Try me.
Rolani’s smirk was instant. He knew jealousy when he saw it. His hazel eyes locked on hers, hungry, entertained. The sight alone had his dick hard under the desk.
“Well,” he said, still staring at Kennedi instead of the host, “looks like that’s all the time we got today.”
That was the smartest decision for everyone at this point. Because the truth she couldn’t say out loud was simple. He was hers. She hadn’t earned the right to claim that yet, but her body and her temper didn’t care about what she’d earned. They had her fucked up.
She’d shown her hand, and there was no coming back from it. All she could do was try to get as far away from him as she could.
“Slow down, girl, damn.”
Kennedi’s heels continued to click against the pavement, each step louder and faster than the last. She could feel Rolani behind her, but she kept moving. Her throat felt tight, and she hated that feeling. Hated that she’d let herself react like that in public. In front of him.
She reached the Escalade and grabbed the handle.
Click.
Locked.
She blinked.
Pulled it again.
Her jaw tightened. She turned halfway, not fully facing him yet. “Open the door, Rolani.”
“No, what was that about?” he asked, though he knew damn well what was wrong.
She looked at him, then away. “Nothing.”
“Ken.”
“I said nothing. Let it go.”The last thing she needed was to cry in front of both of them. She wouldn't give either of them the satisfaction.
“That wasn’t nothing. You forgot you the media or something?”
He folded his arms, studying her.
