Page 48 of Reckless
15
Gage
The photos hadn’t hit by evening, but I was sure to hear from Ron as soon as they did. After stopping by the hospital to visit my mom and sliding by George’s, we’d returned to Kelly’s house.
Her stark, almost unlived in looking house.
“I can’t believe you’ve never hung a single picture on the wall.”
Kelly shrugged as she plated the waffles and chicken, and eyed the chocolate-covered strawberries her friend had tossed in. “I can’t believe in a few hours I’m going to be on the cover of every tabloid.”
I searched for a way to reassure her as I pet Prince Charming. I couldn’t stop what was about to happen, but I could help her deal with it. “If you weren’t so beautiful, they wouldn’t bother. My fans are going to be insanely jealous.”
She shot me a smile. “Mom’s going to love it if it actually hits the papers.” Her smile faded, but after a split second, she had her grin back again. “You’ll never be able to forget me now. Sorry about that.”
Her words were like a quick stab, and mine came out without thinking. “I can’t forget you, Kelly. I’ve never been able to forget you.”
Her eyes widened but stayed on the plates.
It wouldn’t be easy to convince Kelly to leave the life she’d built—or not built—behind to be with me. I had the suspicion she’d gotten herself stuck on the belief that she couldn’t abandon her mother to live her own life. She thought shehadto be here, to help and support her mother, but from the conversation I’d had with her, Mrs. Cavendish didn’t want that. She wanted her daughter to be as happy as any other parent would. Maybe even more so after everything that had happened.
I just wasn’t sure it’d be easy to make Kelly see that.
I knew I wanted to keep Kelly by my side. I wanted her to be mine. But did she want the same thing?
Reminiscing about our teen years, even if we hadn’t directly talked about our relationship, had stirred up all kinds of emotions. Being with her had reminded me even more of how incredible things used to be. It was hard to picture how we could mesh our lives together, but I wanted it enough to try to make it happen.
“Do you want a drink?” Kelly changed the subject, going to a cabinet where she took down two wine glasses. “I have some fairly good red that’ll go perfectly.”
“Sounds great.” Maybe I’d give her a break after the run-in with the photographer. I’d seen her hands shaking and knew she had to have been jangled.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and carried our drinks to the coffee table as I followed with the plates. We settled into our meal in silence.
The atmosphere had been a little odd between us ever since we left the Amish farm. I needed to make her see I was worth all the hassle that came with my life. But even I sometimes wondered if it was worth it when all the damn hassle gave thehighestbenefits. I couldn’t risk losing her to the downsides of the business.
“I’ve been thinking about writing a song for you,” I said on impulse. “I’m sure the fans will want to know who the raven-haired beauty is and what she means to me.”
Her eyes sharpened on me. “Your mom suggest that?”
I almost choked on a bite of chicken. “Yeah, actually. She told you, I’m guessing.” I shook my head.
She held up her hand to silence me. “I’m going to stop you there. Ihavebeen in to see your mom this week, and she’s informed me that your songwriting skills are a bit sappy.”
My mouth hung open for a second before she laughed, and I could just hear Mom describing the song I’d written for her just that way.
I tossed my head back, a laugh booming from my throat. “Yeah, okay, I’ll try to keep it descriptive, not veer off into mushy.” I slapped my forehead. “Oh wait, I’m sorry, but the sappy lyrics are already brewing in my brain, and when that happens, I have to sing them.”
“Spare me!” Kelly popped up to take her plate to the kitchen, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to sit on my lap. She pivoted, straddling me, and hooked her arms around the back of my neck. There was a cheeky glint in her eyes, which immediately sent a message to my cock as to what could happen next, and he reacted violently, leaping forward as I dragged my hands up her naked legs.
“You know, you’ve been driving me crazy all day long.” I buried my face in her neck and kissed her soft flesh, inhaling the fresh scent of her that reminded me of cucumbers and daisies. “It’s been really hard to keep my hands off you. Especially when you kissed me earlier at the farm. I damn near dragged you into the barn right there.”
Her silky hair flipped over my arm as her head tilted sideways. When her eyes met mine, the pupils were dilated. “Really? In public?”
“When I’m with you, I don’t care where I am,” I growled almost angrily. “I’d strip you down and have my wicked way with you if I thought you’d let me.”
She ground against me, rubbing my rock-hard cock with her already heated core. My heels dug into the floor as I yanked her to me and took her lips. She kissed me hungrily, her needy tongue exploring the recesses of my mouth, her nails clawing at my back.
God, I loved seeing Kelly unhinged. I loved it when she was wild and free. Even years ago, she didn’t let loose often enough, but I was damned determined that she would do it more.
