“Y’all disgust me,” I said when he left.

Kinlee looked at me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Well, he sure doesn’t disgust me.”

“Oh, my God! We’re done talking about this. Mexican food. Margaritas. Movie. No more thinking about you and Jace.”

She shrugged as we walked toward the kitchen. “You could always join us.”

I stopped walking and my jaw dropped. “Kinlee!”

“Oh, my God, you need to see your face!” she somehow managed to say between hard laughs. “Aw, Kace, you know I’m joking. But that was too perfect an opportunity to pass up—I had to say it. And your expression just shows me it was so worth it.”

I gagged and thought about anything other than Kinlee and Jace’s sex life. “Just make the freaking margaritas.”

Hours later, we had eaten way too much, were already well into being drunk, had finished one movie, and for whatever reason had thought it would be amazing to make our own choreography to songs.

“I need to sit! I need water, and I need to sit.” When I realized I was already on the couch, I laughed. “Okay, maybe just water.”

Kinlee flopped onto the couch and laid her head on my lap. “We’re amazing at that, don’t you think? I think we’re amazing. No one can dance like we can. We’re amazing.”

“Say ‘amazing’ again.”

“Amazing!” she yelled and attempted what I think was the running man . . . while lying down.

“I can’t move! I have never in my life been so tired.”

Kinlee quickly rolled onto her stomach and then up on her knees. “Kace! Where in the mother effing world are you from?”

I laughed and fell back into the cushions. “Why?”

She flipped her hair back and grabbed the glasses off my face before putting them on her own. “I have naverrrr, in mah lahfe . . . been so tard.”

Grabbing my glasses, I put them back on my face. “I don’t sound like that!”

“Yes, you do!” she yelled out, still trying to give herself a southern drawl. “I’ve known you almost a year—it’s about time you tell me.”

My laughter slowly died down as I took in Kinlee’s expectant expression, her eyes the most sober I’d seen them since our first margarita that night. I wanted to tell her, I wanted to tell her everything. Who I was, about Brody and me . . . all of it. But I couldn’t yet. Sitting back up, I grabbed on to her arm and looked her in the eye. “Lee, what if I told you I’m not ready for people to know about my life before I moved here?”

She pouted, but not because she wasn’t getting her way. “Was it really that bad, KC?”

“It might not have been as bad as you’re thinking it was. But it was something I hated, something I wanted so badly to get far away from. And now that I am away from it, I’m so happy. Happy to not have to be that girl or think about her anymore, if that makes sense. And I guess I’m not ready yet for anyone to even get a glimpse of who I was. I’m sorry if that hurts you, I want to tell you, Kinlee. I really do. I swear, when I’m ready to think about that girl again, you’ll be the first to know.”

A slow smile crossed her face, and she nodded hard once. “Now that is something I can deal with. As long as I know that someday I’ll know, then I’ll stop bugging you to tell me. But I’m never gonna stop bugging you about the way you talk.”

All expression left my face. “I really don’t talk weird.”

“Oh, yes, yes you do!” She stood, then had to steady herself for a few seconds. “Come on! One more margarita, and then I want to dance until Jace picks me up!” The bell rang, and she glared at the door. “No! Go home!”

“It’s open!” I yelled and waved at Jace when he walked into the living room.

“Hide me!” Kinlee whispered as she pushed me back and lay down on top of me.

“That is the exact opposite of hiding,” I said back to her and patted her back.

“Come on, drunkie. Time to go.” Jace lifted her off me and cradled her in his arms. “Looks like the two of you had fun tonight,” he said to me.

“Always.”

Kinlee smiled widely at me and waved as Jace carried her away. “Don’t forget, KC, you can always join in on the fun with Jace and me!”

Jace raised an eyebrow, and a horrified expression crossed my face. “Kinlee, go home and go to bed!”

“Do I want to know?” Jace asked.

“No. No, you don’t,” I assured him as I opened the front door.

With a nod, he turned and walked out the door with Kinlee still grinning in his arms.

Shutting the door, I went to the kitchen and began cleaning everything up from our girls’ night in, and just as I was finishing my phone chimed. I ran to get it, hope building in my chest as I pulled up the text.

B:

I can’t call tonight. I’m sorry. I miss you.

The hope that had been building quickly faded, and in its place was a feeling I felt myself drowning in, as I had so many nights before. One day, Kamryn, I chanted to myself. One day.

10

Kamryn

June 15, 2015

A LOW MOAN sounded in the back of my throat, and my head tilted back so it was resting against Brody’s shoulder as his lips and teeth tortured the sensitive spots on my neck. Pushing my bottom against him, my body heated as I felt his erection pressing against me.

“You need to go,” I said halfheartedly. It’d been a week and a half since we’d seen each other at the hotel. Now that I finally had him near me, I didn’t want him going anywhere. “What if Kinlee comes in and catches you?”

“She won’t.” He spoke against my neck. Goose bumps covered my arms as his lips softly brushed against my skin.

“You can’t know that. What if she sees your car?”

“Black Expeditions are everywhere. She isn’t going to see one and automatically think it’s mine.”

I started to speak again, but was quickly spun around, and then Brody’s mouth was on mine, effectively silencing me.

He parted my mouth, and I wrapped my arms around his neck when his tongue met mine. Never breaking the kiss, he searched blindly behind me until he hit the bowls I’d set down to wash and pushed them back before lifting me so I was on the counter. One of his hands stayed at the small of my back, the other traveled up and brushed against my breast.

“Brody.” I whimpered his name like a plea. What I was asking for, I still wasn’t sure of. He needed to leave before someone caught us. But I didn’t want him to stop.

“You should let your employees leave early more often.”

“They left because I closed up since I’m supposed to be finishing the cupcakes for Kinlee’s party.” Smiling against his mouth, I nipped at his bottom lip and kissed it softly as I pushed him back, only to grab his shirt so I could pull him back to me. “You’re going to make me late and cupcake-less.”

“And you’re not about to hear me apologize.”

“We can’t both show up late,” I said and pushed him away again.

“Okay, you’re right.” With a sigh, he nodded and grabbed a piece of the cupcake he’d been picking at earlier and popped it into his mouth. He grunted and went to pick another piece off. “Damn, these are good. Is this the kind you made for tonight?”

I didn’t think twice when he put the piece in front of my mouth. I was already in such an intoxicated state from his kisses after over a week of not seeing him that I just opened my mouth and let him place the sugary cake in there. My eyes fluttered shut, and I moaned my appreciation for the sweetness—too late realizing my slipup. I swallowed quickly, breaking off the noises I was making, and looked up to see him standing in front of me with an obvious hunger in his eyes.

“Oh, God. I—”

Brody quickly closed the distance between us and crushed his mouth to mine. His tongue invaded my mouth relentlessly, and I clung to him as he pulled me closer to the edge of the counter.

“We’re going to be late. I don’t give a fuck what anyone says,” he growled against my throat as he moved down to my collarbone. Moving my shirt to the side, he bit down gently and spoke again. “You can’t make noises like that and then expect me to just leave, Kamryn.”

With the way his mouth and hands were attacking me, I was forgetting the reasons to not let him take me right there. My hands pushed up under his shirt, and I lightly ran my nails over the muscles of his torso, causing him to shiver.

Simultaneously, the door chimed, Brody and I broke apart, and Kinlee’s voice filled the front of my shop. “KC,” she sang out.

Jumping off the counter, I straightened my shirt and apron and ran to the swinging doors. “Hey!” I said too brightly when I saw her.

Her eyebrows drew together, and I swear to God I stopped breathing. “Are you feeling okay? You’re really red. Do you have a fever?” She moved toward me and went to touch my forehead, but I caught her hand and laughed it off.

“I’m fine, honestly. I’m just trying to get your cupcakes done so I can go home and change before going to your house.” I hated lying to her, and yet it was all I seemed to do.

“Really? Ooh, can I see?” Her eyes brightened, and my stomach dropped.

“No, ma’am! You never accept anything I try to give you, so this is the only kind of gift I can make you take. Let me act like it’s a present until later.”

She pouted and crossed her arms under her chest. “But that’s not fair! You won’t let me buy you presents either.”

“Get over it. You can’t see them yet.”

Kinlee looked like she was going to make a run for the kitchen, but thankfully, she huffed and turned back toward the shop. “Fine, fine.” Turning her head to look at me, she winked. “I figured this was going to happen, so I won’t count your cupcakes as a gift if you won’t count this as a gift.” Bending down, she picked up a bag from her boutique from the other side of the counter and set it down.

“Kinlee! No. Besides, it’s not my birthday, so try the ‘nongift’ thing when it is.”

“But Aiden is going to be there tonight, you need to look hot for him, and we just got this in! It will look amazing on you.”

Oh, shit. There was no way Brody hadn’t heard that. The acoustics in my shop were insane. “Kinlee—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” she called behind her as she jogged to the door. “Just know you will break my heart and ruin my birthday if you don’t wear this tonight!” With a sly grin, she slipped outside and ran to her car.

She didn’t play fair.

With a deep breath in and out, I turned and went back into the kitchen. I didn’t even need to see Brody, the thick air in there was unmistakable. Chancing a glance at him, I cringed when I saw the angry expression on his handsome face.

“Brody . . .” I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

The muscles in his jaw worked a few times before he finally turned to look at me. “Do you know how much I hate that I couldn’t walk out there and tell her that you belong to me? That my sister-in-law and brother still think something might happen with you and Aiden Donnelly?”

Oh, I’m pretty sure I had an idea. He hated that they wanted me to date someone? I hated that he was married. My body temperature started rising, and it had nothing to do with the way Brody and I hadn’t been able to get enough of each other not even five minutes before. I was back to hating this situation, hating that I couldn’t claim him as mine, hating that I had to share him with another woman.

I blinked hard against the sudden tears that pooled in my eyes and moved to the cupcakes that were waiting to be filled and frosted. “I really need to finish these and go home to change into whatever outfit Kinlee picked out for me.”

A few tense moments passed before Brody let out a huff, then moved so he was behind me again. With a soft kiss to my cheek, he wrapped his strong arms around me and pinned my body to his. “I need to warn you now. If I see him touch you, then everyone will be finding out about us tonight. I won’t be able to hold myself back, Kamryn.”

Part of me wanted to lash out at him, and my body froze when I realized I felt that way. I’d never wanted to use our situation, or Brody’s marriage, against him . . . and now that I was, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. As I fought with myself over my feelings Brody whispered in my ear . . . and the agony in his three words broke me.

“I hate this.” His voice broke in the middle, and the tears that had flooded my eyes earlier rolled down my cheeks.

Three words we’d both used plenty of times over the last month and a half. But his tone, mixed with the way his grip tightened and his body trembled against mine, was breaking me. My anger faded immediately, and I turned in his arms to drop my forehead to his chest.