Page 95 of Help Wanted

“I thought you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow,” she said, smiling back at him. She was dressed for bed in a pair of cotton shorts and a T-shirt. He could tell there was no bra. One less thing he’d have to take off. But first they needed to talk.

“I missed you, so I came home as soon as I could.”

“Thank God,” she said as she stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to his. She took his hand and led him to her bedroom where he stopped. He almost gave in, but he knew he needed to stand his ground on this.

Instead of going inside he picked her up and carried her back to the sofa. With her on his lap he kissed her until she pulled back to look at him.

“You didn’t want to…” She nodded in the direction of her bedroom.

“I do. Very much. But I want to talk with you first. I don’t want this to just be about sex.” They’d been having a lot of sex. Part of him expected this since their relationship was new and she was making up for lost time on the sex front. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew she was also using sex to cope with what had happened. No doubt she thought if she could have sex with him she must be fine.

Fine. That goddamned word. He’d heard it so much he wanted it stricken from the English language. The worst part was that people didn’t seem to know what it really meant. All his past girlfriends had used it as a curse when he’d asked if something was wrong. They’d said they were fine, but what they meant was they were holding in their anger with plans to unleash it at a more inopportune time.

Kenley also had difficulties with the definition. She seemed to think it meant she would ignore the problem until it got easier to deal with.

“Okay. We can talk if you want.”

She pouted, which almost made him give in. But he needed to do the right thing. Brady had warned him of the dangers of letting her brush it off as nothing. He’d been there. He’d seen what happened. Zane trusted his judgment.

“I got a naughty cheerleader outfit. It took me forever to muster up the courage to take it to the counter and pay for it, but I did. Three cheers for me.”

He sat up straighter and looked at her. Was that what she thought this was about? She wasn’t just a fantasy come true. She was his reality.

“I’ll admit, maybe at first I just wanted to have sex. But now it’s about you. I want you, Kenley. The real you. Not the woman I made up in my head. I like so many other things about you.”

“Were you planning to list them now, or can I kiss you?” she asked with a grin.

“I’m planning on completely ruining the mood to talk about how you’re holding up. And if you use the word fine, I’m going to hold you down and tickle you until you hurl, and we already know how much you hate that.”

“Brady told.”

“Yes. He thought you were terrified of him. He was so happy it was just embarrassment.”

“He’s going to be terrified of me when I get hold of him.”

“He cares about you.” He kissed her hair and pulled her closer. “Not as much as me, of course.”

“He thinks I should talk to a professional.”

“I don’t want to take sides here, especially if it will wreck my chances of seeing the naughty cheerleader outfit, but I have to agree with him. Even if it’s not a miracle cure, it can’t hurt. I don’t like you being afraid. I can’t handle the guilt of leaving you alone, knowing you’re scared.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll give it a try before you stage an intervention.”

“I already ordered the banner.”

She smacked him and then kissed him in that way that melted his soul. She was done talking about it. He decided he would let it go for now.

After making out with her on the sofa for a while they talked about their day. She wanted to go to New York to visit her friend the next weekend. He was happy to see she wanted to go out. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe she would be okay after all.

“I have an idea,” she said as she bit her lip.

“I love your ideas. They make me more efficient, and in turn, make me money.” He kissed her neck, making her giggle.

“You know the app I made with all the pictures of items in the shop?”

“Yeah. I’ve been cleaning it out as I have time during layovers. I think it’s pretty up to date now.”

“There are things in there you’re not using.”