Page 43 of Finding Kenna
“Hey, I love this shirt,” Aleck told her.
She smiled up at him and patted his chest. “I do too. But I’m thinking the people around here wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Come on, we’ve got this.”
It was obvious Kenna was amped up and totally excited about the possibility of getting onto the private beach. Aleck wasn’t all that happy about how she constantly seemed to put down the residents, though. Yes, most people who lived here probably had very comfortable bank accounts, but that didn’t mean they were assholes. He might not hang out with many of his neighbors, but he’d met a lot of them, and they seemed like perfectly nice people.
Not wanting to be a downer when Kenna was so excited, he took her hand in his and they headed for the entrance. If they really were trying to slip onto the property without being noticed, Aleck knew they’d fail. The security here was top-notch and no one got past the front desk without being recognized or without showing ID and letting them know who they were visiting.
But he went along with Kenna’s plan. The idea of sneaking in clearly thrilled her. The time to admit he lived here had definitely passed, and an uneasy feeling churned in his gut. He should’ve said something immediately, when he’d found out what beach she wanted to visit.
He’d already put his foot in his mouth about her job and didn’t want to say or do anything else that would give her a reason to decide they weren’t compatible—and it was abundantly obvious she thought she had nothing in common with rich people.
Now he’d have to find a way to tell her another time.
Funny thing, remember the other day when we went to the beach at that condo complex? Well, I live there.
Shit, that wouldn’t work. He’d have to come up with something much better, and if she couldn’t forgive him for not fessing up sooner, well…at least he could give her this adventure.
“Marshall, pay attention,” Kenna scolded. “We’ve only got one shot at this and I really want to check out this beach.”
“What happens if we get caught?” he asked.
Kenna scrunched her nose adorably. “I’ve got another beach in mind as a fallback. But it’s not as nice as this one.”
“I don’t care where we go or what we do,” Aleck told her. “I’m just thrilled to get to spend time with you.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Wow, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“It’s true. Fancy private beach, hanging out in that amazing beanbag of yours, or sitting in a dive restaurant eating peanut butter and jelly. I just like being with you. You make me feel…happy.”
Aleck regretted the words the second they left his lips because they were so sappy.
But he changed his mind when Kenna stopped walking and leaned into him. Aleck put his arm around her waist to hold her close.
“You make me happy too. I could be in the worst mood, but then I get a text from you and it’s like whatever upset me is completely forgotten. I don’t recognize myself lately.”
Aleck couldn’t have stopped himself from leaning down and kissing her if his life depended on it. Cognizant of where they were, he kept the kiss light, but it was still intense.
Kenna reached up and put her hand on his cheek, but she didn’t say anything.
A loud honking made both of them jerk in surprise, and Aleck chuckled as he hustled them out of the middle of the road. He waved at the man behind the wheel of the large SUV in apology and saw the man laughing as he continued on.
Kenna took a deep breath. “Okay, this is it. Act natural.”
Aleck didn’t know if she was telling him or herself, but he nodded anyway.
As they neared the front doors to the complex, she started babbling about what they needed to buy at the grocery store later.
Aleck knew she’d picked a topic that would make it seem as if they lived here, and he couldn’t help but hope for a time when they’d be shopping together for real, or leaving each other notes about what they needed at the store. It was somewhat surprising, as he’d never considered living with a woman before, but with Kenna, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.
The automatic doors opened and they walked into the lobby of the condo complex. Just as Kenna had ordered, he gave the security guard a chin lift as they approached the desk. Of course, he knew Robert fairly well. He’d come home from a mission very early in the morning a few months ago and they’d gotten to talking. Robert had a brother in the Army, and he wanted to make sure Aleck knew he appreciated his service.
Kenna had a death grip on his hand and she started talking even faster. Aleck wanted to end this farce right now. He didn’t like seeing her all worked up, but now definitely wasn’t the time. She’d be embarrassed if he told her he lived here after she’d tried so hard to look like they belonged.
They passed Robert, who looked back down at the papers on the desk in front of him. They headed toward the doors at the back of the large hotel-lobby-like space, which led out to a grassy area where Aleck and his team had barbequed often.
The second the doors shut behind them, Kenna turned to him with a huge smile on her face. “We did it!” she half-whispered, half-screeched. Then she hugged him once more.
Now it was Aleck who was too embarrassed to tell her they’d made it past Robert because the man knew him—because he was a resident.
