Page 112 of The Sweetest Devotion

“Keith.”

Damn she was bratty. “I’m not. Can’t risk losing the one appendage you care about.”

She scoffed on her end. “I care about you, too, you oaf!”

A corner of my mouth threatened to curl up. “Why I gotta be all that?”

“Keith… Just, drive slow, okay?”

I groaned. “You not my girl to be telling me what to do, you know.”

“If I’m fucking you, you’re mine, remember?”

Wasn’t my exact words, but whatever.“Uh-huh.”

“Please.” She was begging now, her soft tone giving way to how worried she was over me. Just like I’d been at the thought of her driving home to Hampton Hills sleepy.

I stopped being an ass and sighed. “I’ll drive slow, for you, okay?”

“Call me when you get in,” Kennedy instructed.

We hung up and I got in behind the wheel. Almost immediately I found myself yawning and squeezing my eyes shut to let the feeling pass through me. Thankfully, it was a quick five-minute trip back to my crib.

Instead of calling Kennedy back right away, I went and took a quick shower first. I didn’t have to work until noon Monday, and I was planning on enjoying every bit of sleeping in.

But I always kept my word, so as I lay back on my bed, I pressed the button on Kennedy’s contact for a FaceTime call. We’d never done this, but I was fucked enough to admit I didn’t just want to talk to her, but I wanted toseeher, too.

She answered me and I got a glimpse into her world as I spotted her sitting on her bed as well. She had a plush beige-colored headboard and cream-colored silk sheets. She herself was wearing a low-cut royal blue nightgown with a matching satin scarf on her head. The curves of her breasts were visible, and I loved the way the blue complemented her skin.

Kennedy took one look at me and smiled. “You made it in safe.”

I bobbed my head, feeling a blanket of sleep approaching. “I did.”

Kennedy went and laid on her side, propping her head up with her arm. “So, a bar instead of the strip club?”

“Maybe next time,” I said lazily.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Next time, huh?”

“Youwon’t strip for me.”

Kennedy chewed on her lip, taunting me. “Is that what you want?”

Maybe at some point, but my mind wasn’t entirely interested at the moment. “We’ll see,” I said as I rolled on my side and got more comfortable to look at her. “How was it with your boy?”

Kennedy frowned and shrugged. “It was okay. He’s kinda sad, you know? His whole life story is pretty sad. I just hope he can come to realize I can’t make anything better for him. That he deserves something real and someone better.”

There wasn’t a thing wrong with Kennedy. I couldn’t imagine this guy topping her in thebetterdepartment, but I didn’t bother voicing it. “How was your day?”

Kennedy looked up toward her ceiling as she began describing her morning and afternoon. “Well, I fell asleep at his place. This morning we had breakfast and I had lobster and eggs, which was to die for. And then I went home and did some yoga. I talked to my dad for a little, and then I spent the day browsing recipes I wanna try to make. I actually want to go out and?—”

“You look beautiful,” I cut off her rambling and let her know.

She stopped talking and blushed, a glow in her eyes as she again bit her lip. “Thank you.”

“So, when do you want to get together to learn these recipes?” I asked.

All at once Kennedy’s mood sank as she lost her smile. “Actually, I…I think we should cool it for a while.”