Chapter Eight


*Kenneth

Kenneth reached the counter and signaled the bartender; thankfully the woman from before and not the beefy pit bull who wanted to throw him out.

"Kenneth," Reese said, leaning into his side, running her fingers along his arm. His heart nearly stopped. "I'll have a strawberry margarita."

She spoke unusually loud, given their proximity. His failed date swiveled around. Their eyes locked, and there was a tiny jolt of recognition in her face.

He nodded at her, once in hello.

Sheryl swallowed and tipped a drink at him, and she studied Reese as she sipped it. He could have sworn her nose started twitching, but in the next instant she flounced off with her friends toward the dance floor.

He expelled the pent-up air in his lungs and rolled his shoulders quickly.

"That was a thing of beauty," Reese said. A smile lit her face. "Your ex-date just realized what she's missing out on. Don't ask me why, but there is nothing like not being able to have something to make it desirable. She'll be kicking her butt for letting you slip through her fingers for the rest of the evening, trust me."

The bartender cleared her throat, wiping the counter at his elbow to get his attention.

"Can we have a strawberry margarita and a Corona?" Kenneth asked.

Reese winked. "This toast will be to you. A resounding success for tonight, I'm very proud. You are facing fears and conquering them one after the next, like a grizzly bear of the mountains. You let nothing stop you."

"Grizzly bears have to face the females who reject them in bars?" he asked.

"No, not literally," she said, laughing. She reached for her tiny leather bag hanging at her hip, and he didn't hear what else she said.

The bartender set the drinks down a little behind Reese. Kenneth handed her a twenty and reached for the glasses.

Reese, who had been rifling through her purse, presumably for money she didn't need, seemed flustered. She jumped, realizing that Kenneth had already paid. "You shouldn't have—"

The beer behind her tilted dangerously. He lunged forward and caught it, bumping into Reese's shoulder. They were so close. A hairsbreadth from one another.

Their eyes met.

Their lips met. They pressed together in a furtive kiss.

Kenneth pulled back, sucking in his breath. He righted the beer before it toppled and soaked them both. "I'm sorry, I don't—"

She was staring at his mouth, then slowly placed a finger on it. His heart raced, but he didn't dare breathe. She tilted her head and leaned into him.

A brush of her lips and he was lost. He placed his hand at her nape to cup her face upwards. He needed her closer.

Her soft lips moved with his, against his, in pursuit of his. He wanted to taste her. Tongues touched, hesitant and shy, and he explored her mouth deeper.

She pitched forward half-off her chair, and he supported her, ready to carry her in a second's notice. The noise of the bar faded. The smells and sights and everything that was not her faded.

This was all that mattered and all that existed. He could do this all fucking night.

No, he couldn't do this all night. There were too many other things he wanted to do. He pulled back, taking a deep breath. Glazed eyes stared into his, then blinked and focused.

Reese sat upright with a jerk backward. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what just happened and I apologize. That is not what I usually do with my clients, I swear."

"Really?" He blinked, refocusing and coming back to reality. It was a hard landing. Her hand trembled as she reached for her drink. He had to recover the situation. Make a quip. Act nonchalant. Yeah. Fake it. "I thought since I was your first real-life client you wanted to set a dangerous precedent."

Reese laughed. She thought he was joking. Well, he was joking. He was an ass who made a joke instead of saying what he truly wanted to say.

Stay with me tonight. Nothing has to happen that you don't want, but I want to spend the night with you. Talking, cuddling, whispering, whatever you want. There was nothing difficult in those words, and yet it was impossible for him to say out loud.

Kenneth chuckled, grabbed his beer, and chugged it.

The alarm that registered on her face as he slugged back twelve ounces in one go was understandable. This was not a logical situation he could explain.

"Again, I apologize. That shouldn't have..." She trailed off and he followed her gaze across the room.

Sheryl either had her panties in a serious bunch over something or she had swallowed the lemon slice in her margarita.

Nope. She had seen them.

It was petty and he knew it, but it felt good. She was mad someone else had kissed him.

Reese put her hand on his arm. "I don't know how it happened. It won't happen again, I promise." She stood up.

Kenneth stretched his arms out, fingers interlocked to crack his knuckles; a habit from too many hours at the keyboard. He rose to accompany Reese, but she hurried off in front of him.

The kiss must have shaken her. Dammit. It had been wrong of him to presume. To keep kissing her. Despite what his body was screaming—and the budding hard-on in his pants was yelling loudest—it had not been a good idea.

If he kept his head on straight and figured out this dating jungle, then just maybe Amanda was waiting as his prize at the end. She was worth every effort. The psychology behind successful relationships laid out the facts: the chances of success was directly linked to the social and sexual compatibility of the couple.

Vinegar and oil didn't mix.

Sweet and sour didn't make for a lasting relationship.

Amanda was a better match and a better chance of success. He could really use some success in his love life at this point, and if it was only with one woman, he could deal with it.

But he needed success.

Eyes on the prize. Wasn't that what people said?

His eyes riveted on Reese's ass. She paused and twisted to face him. And his eyes went straight to the breasts filling her shirt, and his cock twitched in agony. The feel of her lips still lingered on his.

Apparently he couldn't keep his eyes off the prize, but it was the wrong target.

*** Hit the star if you enjoyed this chapter!!! Thanks for reading. ***

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