Page 5 of Pillowtalk

“Chels?” A girl’s voice came from behind Kennedy, somewhat snapping her out of her anger. All eyes went to the teenager on the porch holding a thick landline phone in her hand.

“It’s the school,” she said, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “Grant this time.”

Chelsea blew out a long breath and turned to Kennedy and Austin. “Sorry, another two seconds.” Then she jogged up the porch steps, taking the phone on her way inside. Daniel followed after, dragging Kennedy’s luggage behind him.

The dry summer air turned icy cold as Kennedy brought her gaze back to Austin. He attempted yet another friendly, slightly confused smile at her, which she narrowed her eyes at. Her thoughts teetered on the tip of her tongue, and she pursed her lips together to keep them from tumbling off the edge.

And of course he looks even better,she grumbled to herself as she caught a glimpse of a chin dimple she hadn’t noticed earlier. His short, dark scruff covered most of it, but the glimpse she got when his smile twitched wasn’t fair.

“Did you not get the room you were hoping for or something?” he asked, causing Kennedy’s eyebrow to tilt upward. A sexy smirk curled on his lips when she didn’t answer. “You just don’t seem too happy, is all.”

The thoughts she’d been doing so well at keeping at bay started dropping out as soon as her lips parted. “Oh, so that’s how this is going to go, huh? We’re just going to fake pleasantries until everyone comes back?” She snorted. “No thanks.”

The smirk dropped from his face completely, making it look adorable and infuriating all at once. “Uh…”

Kennedy turned to face him dead on. “I know I’m a novice when it comes to flirting, but can you really blame me? It’s been alongtime, and I know it was probably weird since I was holding my ex…old…late boyfriend on my lap, but I wasn’t trying to hit on you….I was only trying to get to know someone, and you seemed polite enough. If you weren’t interested, fine, but don’t give me some excuse that you’re gay and then drive up with another woman in the same afternoon.”

“Um…I think you’re confusing—”

“I’mconfusing? No. I was pretty blunt, as were you.” Kennedy let out a frustrated sigh, now speaking more to herself than him. “I finally put myself out there and…and…ooh, I can’t stand a liar. It would’ve been fine if you’d been honest, but I swear, I allow myself to actually be attracted to someone again and the universe pulls this one on me. Of course, who wouldn’t be attracted to someone like you, right? You probably get hit on all the time, and here I am…and well, I’m sorry I’m not a fiery redhead with a gorgeous smile, but you could’ve said that you were unavailable. Using homosexuality as an excuse to say no is an insult to all legitimately gay men. Ugh, to think I wanted to spend time with you while I was here.”

Austin settled his hands on hers, which had grown more and more wild as her words spilled out of her. Kennedy wanted to ignore the jolt she felt at his touch, but she couldn’t, and it made her all the more angry.

“Hold up, will ya?” he said, his smile back on his face. She threw him a grimace and ripped her hands away. “I was saying…I think you’re confusing me with someone else.”

“Oh please.” She looked him up and down, noting all the things she’d found appealing about him earlier—now all the things she wished she hadn’t. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

He had the nerve to chuckle. “No. But I do think you ran into my brother at the train station.”

Something drooped in Kennedy’s stomach as she processed his answer. “Brother…?”

“Yeah. Austin, my twin. Who happens to be gay.”

Silence permeated the air between them. Kennedy’s lips stayed parted as if she were trying to catch flies. She studied him, refusing to believe she’d just made a fool of herself twice within a few short hours of being there. There were subtle differences between the Austin from earlier and the Austin now, but they could very well be things she overlooked.Hadto be things she overlooked.

She let out a small huff. “The twin ploy. Wow, haven’t met a man with the guts to use that one.”

He grinned. “Only works when it’s the truth.”

“Well, then. What’syourname?” she asked, hoping he’d fumble with finding one. His mouth opened and then his eyes flicked up to the porch.

“Okay…” a breathy Chelsea interrupted as she leaned against one of the patio chairs. “I think I have a second to breathe now.” She smiled and straightened, waving her hand out between the two of them. “Aaron…this is Kennedy. In case she hasn’t already told you.”

And now Kennedy’s stomach was definitely filled with something very heavy and leadlike. An involuntary grunt floated from her lips as she turned back to him, humiliation dripping down from the tip of her head. Yet the amusement she expected to see in his eyes wasn’t there—instead it was a look of shock…and a little sorrow.

“Kennedy…” He paused, eyes flicking to just past her elbow into the open passenger door of Daniel’s car.

“Yes,” Chelsea said, stepping down to join them. “Jared’s ex-girlfriend.” Her brow pulled inward as she looked to Kennedy. “Old girlfriend?”

“I’m still trying to figure out the title,” she admitted, hoping her awkward laughter eased the tension instead of making it worse. Austin’s…Aaron’ssmile started to form again, and he moved his gaze from the urn back to Kennedy.

“How long you in town for?”

“I—”

“Indefinitely,” Chelsea cut in, wrapping an arm around Kennedy’s shoulder and pulling her close. “Or at least she can be once you get the high-speed hooked up in this place.”

Aaron the tech guy—his story was starting to check out as much as Kennedy didn’t want it to. What a way to make a first impression.

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