Recklessly Ever After Page 3

  “Hey, baby girl.” I waved, and Collin set her on the floor. She raced to the couch and crawled onto my lap. Her tiny arms went around my neck, and I held her close, finally comfortable holding her now that she was mobile. She smelled like baby lotion, Collin’s aftershave, and Addie’s perfume. A combination that reminded me of family.

  Collin sat on the coffee table and frowned. “I’m about ready to take her to my parents’ house. She wanted to stop by and see you first.” He leaned over to tug on her tiny, curly pigtails—Addie’s work, no doubt.

  I nodded and kissed the top of her head, only for her to pull back and cup my cheeks with her hands. She jabbered something I couldn’t understand, eyes like her dad’s, wide and filled with happiness. My heart twisted in my chest at the view. Something about this girl always melted me like butter.

  “Max says you don’t want to go,” Collin said, kicking his feet out in front of him.

  I shrugged. “I’m tired.”

  “You’re always tired, Gav.” Max sat down next to me again and poked Chloe in the stomach. She giggled, and all three of us smiled, the sound an instant mood-lifter.

  “It’s just one night. We all want you there for Lia’s sake. Something is up with her, and I need you guys’ help to figure it out.” Collin let out a tired sigh.

  On cue, Max cleared his throat and stood, his eyes flashing to the back of Collin’s head, then widening with guilt when they met mine. I frowned. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was the reason Lia had gotten all weird lately.

  “Not happening. Tell her I said hi though,” I said.

  “Fine. Beaner, let’s roll. Uncle Gavin’s got brooding to do.” Max reached for Chloe, but she shook her head and tugged me closer. Her cheek was on my shoulder, and her fingers tickled my neck.

  I flipped Max off from over Chloe’s shoulder.

  Collin scowled at me, like always. I loved the guy, but he and I had some underlying issues. He used to think I wanted Addie—which I did. But it’d been brief and passed the second I realized how serious the two of them were. Still, Collin had trouble trusting. I did too, another reason why relationships weren’t my strong suit. Deep down, though, I wanted what he had with Addison.

  “Come on, Chloe.” This time Collin reached for his daughter, and she bolted from my lap, only to latch her arms around his neck. He smiled as he patted her back.

  “Beaner, I’m hurt,” Max piped in. “You go to your daddy, stick to Uncle Gavvy like glue, but you ignore me?” He made a goofy face at her, and she instantly reached for him, a sucker for us all.

  The kid didn’t stand a chance growing up with three weirdos like us.

  When they reached the door, Collin was the first to turn my way. “Tomorrow. We can all hang out. Go to O’Paddy’s or something. Maybe watch the Cubs next preseason game together. How’s that—”

  “Maxwell, Collin, good to see you, boys.”

  I froze at the sound of McKenna’s voice from the porch. Collin might’ve said goodbye, or see you later, but my ears were buzzing with the sound of her voice.

  “You gonna save me a dance tonight, Maxwell?” she asked.

  I balled my hands into fists.

  “Now, Kenna. You know you’re too good for me.” Max—always the ladies’ man.

  She giggled, then said something under her breath that I couldn’t hear. But it didn’t matter. My feelings and emotions were changing the longer she stood outside my door. Something inside me flashed like lighting striking through my body.

  Damn. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, even if it was the last thing I needed. But if I didn’t do it, I’d never be able to get over her.

  A minute later, Max poked his head back into my apartment, giving me the all clear.

  “I’m in,” I said.

  His eyebrows rose in question, while a half smile quirked his lips.

  Ignoring his knowing look, I finished with, “I’m gonna take a shower. I’ll be ready in fifteen.”

  Fuck it. It was time to be McKenna Brewer’s food.

  Chapter 4

  McKenna

  Five shots—that’s what it took for me to lose my inhibitions. Now I was on the dance floor, grinding all over the hottie known as Maxwell Martinez—a safe bet. A safe guy. The type of man I wouldn’t need to grow attached to because I knew he wouldn’t grow attached to me. In a way, Max was a masculine version of the person I’d grown to be. Free to find and screw whomever we wanted. No worries about commitment.

  Still, any chance I could get, I found myself glancing at the angry beast of a man called Gavin. I hadn’t known he’d be here. The guy never went anywhere public. Or maybe I’d hoped he’d show, and that’s why I agreed to come out tonight.

  Truth be told, I wanted to see him again. See if what had happened in that elevator was a fluke. It scared me that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since that day, get the image of those eyes out my head, the feel and taste of his tongue from my mouth. He was incredibly addicting after a single kissing rendezvous.

  “So, who’re you trying to make jealous?” Max leaned in closer, his hot breath running over my ear as he spoke. Sweat trickled down my spine as we moved to the slow beat of “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”

  “Nobody. Just needed to get away from that table,” I said over the music, glancing again at Gavin, who sat at our table across the room. “All that Addie-Collin lovey stuff makes a girl wanna vomit.” The sight of Gavin, on the other hand? Yeah, vomiting was the last thing on my mind.

  He sat with his chin against his chest, eyes on me as they had been all night. I licked my lips, my face hot, yet I couldn’t look away. His long hair hung over his cheeks, and the muscles of his upper arms pulled against his T-shirt sleeves as he folded his arms. And that beard… Sweet Jesus, it’d grown even longer in two weeks.

  Now, more than ever, I wondered how it might feel between my thighs.

  I wasn’t trying to make him jealous. I was trying to show him that what had happened between us meant nothing. More so, I was trying to prove that to myself.

  After clearing my throat, I focused on Lia, Collin’s little sister. “Lia looks happy. I’m not sure she’s ever looked less than moody before.” I motioned toward her with my chin as she set down—surprise, surprise—more shots on our table.

  “She’s far from moody,” Max said, loosening his hold on me.

  I smirked at Max, whose eyes were fully locked on our subject. “Ah, it’s like that now, is it?”

  “Like what?” he asked, still distracted as he ogled Lia.

  “You and her.”

  His mouth opened then closed when he looked at me again, the words seemingly stuck in his throat. Before I could call him out on what was so obvious, Lia was right there with us, ramming into his shoulder with a force that was in no way accidental.

  “Lia!” Max called after her. She’d bolted down a dark hall, hands balled into fists at her sides. He pulled away and took off after her, leaving me alone on the dance floor.

  I winced, wondering if she was pissed about the two of us dancing. The guy was clearly in love with her. Anyone with eyes could see it. The next time I saw her, I’d have to clarify that Maxwell and I were strictly friends who liked to flirt. That’s all.

  Head high, I wandered around a cowboy and his girl who had been dancing next to us, nodding as he tipped his hat at me. This wasn’t just a place for country folk, but a melting pot for every breed of human. Bikers, punk rockers, the occasional hippie or college group… You name it, this tiny bar had it.

  As I made my way from the dance floor, I looked toward the bar, wondering if I’d be better off sitting there than at the table. It’s not like Addie was sober enough to have a conversation with me. And neither of the guys sitting there seemed to even like me.

  I could leave, sure, but taking an Uber or riding in a taxi always freak
ed me out when I did it alone—especially after indulging like I’d done tonight. Not only that, but I’d been hoping to find a little action. Something to curb the itch that had only intensified in the two weeks since Gavin and that damn elevator.

  Decision made, I headed toward the bar, picking the seat next to some guy who looked around the same age as my little sister, Hanna. My guess was that he was around twenty-two. Freshly graduated from college maybe? A businessman with that blazer, but an innocent smile that lit up his face. Fresh. Young. Eager. Another type that would likely love to give me the one night I needed.

  “Hiya.” I purposely rubbed my leg against his, leaving it there.

  Right away he sized me up, his eyes flashing longer than necessary at my cleavage. The girls behaved properly in my push-up bra, but the rush I normally felt from a good ole perusal wasn’t hitting me like it usually did.

  Guess I needed another drink.

  I ordered a vodka lemonade, heavy on the vodka. The guy next to me pushed my hand away when I tried to pay—a sure sign he’d noticed me noticing him.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, running the tip of my sandal over his ankle. Forward was my middle name, and this guy looked like he needed a little help with the let’s-get-laid project I was trying to initiate.

  His smile grew wider, showing me a perfect set of Mommy-and-Daddy-bought teeth. I looked down at his pants, expecting slacks to match his blazer, and found a pair of distressed jeans instead. He was vulnerable but willing. My favorite type.

  “I’m Bryce.”

  I smiled and held my hand out to shake his. He took it and brought it to his lips, but my shoulders fell when the tingle didn’t spark further than the back of my hand.

  Praying I was just slow to the game tonight, I continued with my introduction. “I’m McKenna.”

  “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

  Same line, different day. Still, I had one goal. It started with an O and ended with a gasm.

  “Thank you.” I moved in closer, ready to close the deal. “Wanna get out of here?”

  His eyes grew wide, but he nodded quickly before he turned to talk to the guys right next to him at the bar. The three of them high-fived while I downed the rest of my drink. Bromances between college guys really got on my nerves.

  A few minutes later, I was following him through the bar, only to be stopped short when a warm hand latched onto my upper arm.

  “Kenna.”

  That familiar, rumbly voice made my pulse spike faster than the seduction techniques of the guy’s hand I was now holding. The one whose name I couldn’t even remember.

  I smiled at my hookup and told him to wait for me by the door. He glanced at Gavin but nodded, slapping me on the rear before he went.

  Jerk.

  “Did he just smack your ass?” Gavin growled, his eyes bloodshot and that long hair sticking to his sweaty face. He looked like a surfer with that wild, windswept hair. One who’d just hit the ocean hard. Yet those eyes—so green and filled with concern—turned my stomach into knots.

  “Maybe I wanted him to.” I shrugged.

  “You’re going home with that guy?”

  “What’s it to ya?” I asked, suddenly dizzy. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure if it was his proximity making my head spin or the alcohol. Either way, I did know one thing: a single sentence from his mouth paired with the hint of jealousy in his eyes, and I was an instant ball of putty, ready to be molded by his hands.

  Eyes lit with sudden fire, Gavin backed me up against a nearby wall. With his hands at his sides, his body went flush with mine. I gasped as his erection pressed hard against my stomach. “There’s no point in going home with a boy when you can go home with a man.”

  My eyebrows shot up, and I couldn’t help but grin. At the same time, my body began to sway, leaning into his even more. “Are you a man, Gavin?” I bit my lip.

  Something flickered in his eyes. Fear? Vulnerability? I couldn’t tell. Still, he searched my face, looking for something that almost had me running, until Blazer Boy Bryce stepped back into the picture.

  “What’s up? You ready?” Ignoring Gavin, the guy focused solely on me.

  Against me, Gavin’s body grew stiff, but I managed to step around him. “Change of plans.” I shrugged one shoulder. My eyes grew heavier by the second, but my heart still raced in my chest. “I’ve found someone else for the night.” I reached back and pulled Gavin’s hand in mine, squeezing. “Sorry,” I added for good measure.

  “Whatever.” The innocence I thought I’d seen earlier in this college boy’s eyes switched to something ugly. Menacing. His lips curled. “Slut.”

  Before I could think twice, I slapped my hand against his cheek. He stumbled back and fell on his ass. Wimp. “Watch your damn mouth, Dick for Brains.”

  Gavin yanked me back toward the table. “This bar,” he mumbled. “Fucking fights…”

  I had no clue what he meant—nor did I care. Stupid, slut-shaming assholes would be the death of me.

  Palm throbbing from the hit, I tucked my hand against my side, glancing back at the guy as he stood, now surrounded by his friends. I flipped him off before stepping closer to Gavin’s side.

  With one hand splayed across the center of my spine, Gavin bent over Collin and tugged at the collar of his shirt. “We gotta go.”

  Collin leaned back, bringing Addie with him. “What happened?” My best friend’s head hung low for a second until she lurched forward over Collin’s lap and puked all over the floor.

  My eyes widened, but not at the puke all over Collin’s lap. “Oh, hell.” Blazer Boy Bryce and his buddies were on the prowl, likely looking for me.

  Side by side, they skirted the edge of the dance floor like some nineties boy band. If I hadn’t been suddenly scared to death, I’d have laughed. Thankfully, they didn’t see us, but it wouldn’t take them long if we didn’t hide—or all run away together.

  “Um, Collin?” I poked his bicep, holding my breath to avoid smelling Addie’s vomit.

  “What?” he snapped, pulling his girlfriend close as Gavin dropped a bunch of napkins on his lap. Collin tied Addie’s hair up into a ponytail and wiped her mouth with one of the napkins. Whether I was anti-relationship or not, I had to admit that puke-wiping boyfriends were incredibly sweet.

  “Um, so, I kind of smacked a guy. Now he and his friends are on their way over here.”

  Collin glared at me. “You’re a damn nurse, Kenna. Why the fuck are you going around smacking people?”

  Gavin jumped in. “It was either she smacked the fucker, or I would’ve beat him down completely.”

  A thrill shot through me at the thought of Gavin protecting my honor.

  “Besides that, I’m only a nurse on the days I work.” I grinned. Or tried to. My bullshit meter was a little off tonight.

  Gavin moved in front of me, drawing away Collin’s glare. “We need to go. Now.”

  Collin sighed, gaze locked on Addie’s face as he said, “I know.” He stroked her hair out of her eyes, his touch soft, his tone gentled. “Stay right here, you two. I’ve gotta go get Max.” Then he lifted my best friend and set her in the booth, urging me to sit across from her. Gavin shifted in next to me seconds later, his thigh brushing against mine.

  When Collin moved to walk away, Addie reached for him, only to fall face-first into the booth, passed out. I snorted at the view, which earned me another evil eye from Collin. I hadn’t seen my best friend this drunk in…well, ever. It was definitely funny.

  “Goddamn bar,” Gavin grumbled, lowering his hands to his lap. His pinkie finger grazed my bare skin in the process. I froze at the sensation, suddenly remembering the way he had pinned me against the wall by the bar.

  Holy hell, did I want this man.

  The question was, did he want me?

  I hadn’t bothered to co
nnect with him after the elevator, anxiety and fear of Addie my main reasons for keeping away. But being here with him tonight felt like fate. The unavoidable kind that there was no escaping.

  Slowly, I lifted my head and studied his brooding profile. Eyes drawn together, lips pursed, Gavin looked like he was ready to commit murder. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. I’m not sure what that said about me as a woman, but I didn’t care.

  As though sensing my stare, Gavin turned to me. One bat of his thick lashes, and all the rage he’d been carrying slipped from view. Instead, his eyes filled with that vulnerability I suddenly craved from him, accompanied by heat, curiosity, and maybe a little fear.

  Gavin had every right to be wary of me. I wasn’t the type of woman he needed. He was broken, and I hated to fix things. But I could give him what he wanted sexually, if he’d be open to it. Deciding to take a chance, I moved in closer, thanking God for the fact that Addison was too out of it to notice.

  He glanced at my mouth, waiting a beat before he lifted his hand, taking me completely by surprise. “May I?” He motioned to my ear, a total gentleman.

  I nodded, having no idea what he planned to do until I felt his fingers graze the top of my cheek. Carefully, as though I were made of glass, he tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, watching the movement, eyes laced with concentration, full bottom lip tugged between his teeth. The sensation sent goose bumps shooting up and down my arms.

  “Cold?” He smiled, almost teasing. A different sort of Gavin than I’d come to know. Relaxed and nothing like the man I’d been trapped in an elevator with. I shook my head, my lips parting, so far from cold that I couldn’t even get the words out.

  “Hmm.” He lowered his hand to my neck, trailing a line from my ear, down farther, until his fingers grazed the V of my shirt. “This okay?”

  I nodded and arched into his touch, bravery taking hold as I leaned closer. “I wanna go home with you tonight.”

  He sat for a moment, entranced, stoic. My vision was a little blurry, but I was well aware of the heat in his eyes, aware of what I was asking.