Page 14 of Wrecked
Not because of the pain in my hand—which was a bit swollen and purple—but because of the crippling ache in my chest. Not being able to sleep, I'd made the mistake of going into the shop early. The sooner we got her car fixed, the sooner she could leave.
Unfortunately, even after a night of tossing and turning and trying to keep memories at bay, I wasn't prepared for the weight that settled inside me when I climbed into her car. As soon as I got a whiff of Kenzie's perfume still lingering in the air, I'd been bombarded with visions of the past.
"Holy hell, look at the legs on that one."
I turned from where I was trying to figure out what on earth I was looking at, to see what my friend Axil was on about. He'd been dragging me to these pop-up art galleries for weeks. Now, despite being an art student like me, he didn't attend them to get inspiration.
He only went to get laid.
I shook my head and followed his lusty gaze to two girls who were examining a painting called 'Sunburst.' Oranges and yellows formed abstract rays; it'd been one of my favorites of the day.
With her mini skirt barely covering her ass, I was certain Axil was referring to the blonde. However, it was the girl next to her that had me standing up straighter. Thick, caramel waves cascaded down her back. They looked so silky; my fingers immediately itched to touch.
"C'mon," Axil slapped me on the back before he started strutting toward the girls. Usually, I'd just leave him and be on my way. Not that day though. Without taking my eyes off the brunette, I started moving.
I'd never experienced such a pull before. It was like every cell in my body became more alive the closer I got to her. When we reached them, both girls turned around, and the breath got knocked right out of me. Eyes so blue, they just about saw through me, connected with mine and I was lost to whatever spell I was under.
I was vaguely aware of Axil using one of his pick-up lines on the blonde, but other than that, the whole world seemed to melt away. Discreetly, I wiped my palm on my jeans before holding out my hand. "Brett."
Her gaze dropped to the floor, and she pushed her hair behind her ear. When she looked up again, the shy smile playing on her lips had my heart doing funny things.
"Kenzie," she slipped her hand in mine and time completely stilled. Tiny pinpricks of electricity traveled up my arm and settled at the base of my skull. I wasn't unfamiliar with female company, but no other girl had me reacting the way I was responding to Kenzie.
Still holding her hand, I glanced over at Axil and the blonde flirting with each other. "You wanna get out of here?" I asked when I locked eyes with her again.
Hesitancy flashed over her features; I was sure she was going to turn me down. Her gaze flitted to her friend before returning to mine. "I'd love to."
Afraid she'd change her mind, I placed my hand on her back and led her toward the exit. Outside, the midday sun was almost blinding. With my cupped hand, I formed a shield above my eyes and scanned the immediate area.
"Where to now?" Kenzie's question drew my attention back to her. Man, she was gorgeous. I didn't know a thing about this girl, but that didn't stop me from wondering how her lips tasted or how her skin would feel beneath my fingertips.
I pointed to the small café across the street. "Coffee?"
Coffee turned into lunch which turned into dinner. I learned that Kenzie was a business major, at her father's behest, but she was still uncertain where her interests were. She loved blue butterflies, rainy days and sharing desserts. I discovered she had the most infectious laugh, and I wanted to hear a lot more of it. She also had this adorable thing where she'd avert her gaze and tuck her hair behind her ear whenever I complimented her. In a few short hours this girl had me falling for her so hard, I had no hopes of getting up again.
"I hate to break up your date, but it's closing time." I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Kenzie and found our waitress standing beside the table, bill in hand. That was the first time I noticed that the café was totally empty.
We apologized, paid our bill and headed out. The sun had made way for the moon, and still, I wasn't ready to let her go. I tugged her arm and pulled her to me. Swallowing hard, I scanned her face. The way she was looking at me with those big, blue eyes made my chest ache. "I have to see you again."
Kenzie curled her fingers around mine before she lifted onto her toes and pressed her lips to my cheek. I couldn't stop my lids from closing at the contact. When she pulled away, she pushed something into my palm and smiled sweetly. "Call me," she said before she turned and sauntered off.
Mouth agape I stared at the tiny piece of paper in my hand, and I knew without a doubt that this girl was going to change my life forever.
"Earth to Brett."
I blinked a couple of times and frowned when I saw Logan's face come into focus. "Ya know," he said. "Usually we fix the cars by working on their engines, not by sitting in them."
My frown deepened as I scanned my surroundings and realized I was still sitting in Kenzie's car. Feeling embarrassed, I shoved the door open and climbed out of the car hoping the memories would stay behind too. "Yeah, whatever," I muttered under my breath while I moved toward the front of the vehicle.
"So, we ran into Miss. Mazda at the diner," Logan declared. "She seems eager to get out of town."
I bet she does.There was no doubt in my mind that things between Kenzie and I needed to be resolved. For years and years, I'd wondered why she'd just abandoned me. No one knew this, but I'd gone looking for her a few years ago—what I found had me coming back to Willow Creek without so much as a backward glance.
"It's good to see at least one of you working." I had never been so happy to see Eli. I didn't want to hear about my friend's run-in with the woman I was desperately trying to forget. Eli let out a low whistle, "Nice wheels."
He wasn't wrong. The blood-red Mazda was low and sleek packed with features that any car aficionado would drool over. I didn't want to go there, but I bet Kenzie looked sexy as sin sitting behind the wheel, too.
I ground my teeth together and stifled a grunt.
