Finding Kyle(35)

What the hell does that mean?

“I’ll walk you up,” he says as his gaze rests on my front porch. “You didn’t leave your light on.”

Oh, okay. Safety. He’s being a gentleman. A good friend, so to speak.

I don’t respond, just open the door and hop out of his truck. My hands go into my purse for my keys. By the time I have them, I’ve rounded the front of his truck and we head to the porch steps in silence.

Kyle follows behind me, and even though I know he’s merely being polite, my skin starts to tingle over the memories of our first kiss that occurred right here five days ago.

I don’t have a screen porch door the way Kyle does, so I’m able to quickly unlock it and push the door open a few inches. With my hand still on the knob, I turn to Kyle with a hammering heart because if he’s going to do something, now is the time.

“Well, hope you had some fun today,” I say with a cheerful smile, but I’m sure with undisguised hope in my eyes.

Kyle’s own gaze is soft, and I know he sees what I feel. He nods and gentles his voice for my benefit. “Yeah, I did. Thanks for inviting me.”

I wait, because if he’s going to kiss me, it should be now. But he only stares at me a moment more before tipping his head. “Good night, Jane.”

My heart sinks in disappointment, because those words ring with finality. Still, I put on my bravest smile. “Good night, Kyle. See you around.”

I get a long, thoughtful look before he gives me a small return smile. “Yeah, see you around.”

Kyle turns and jogs down my porch steps. I step inside, close the door, and lean my back against it. Shutting my eyes, I let out a long-suffering sigh. I am all kinds of stupid to let myself get caught up with him. I reason to myself that it’s only because he’s intriguing, incredibly hot, and he’d be a great summer diversion, knowing those are all legitimate reasons to crush on someone. But if I’m honest with myself, I know it’s because there’s something about him that speaks to me on a deeper level. While he’s still as much a mystery as he was the day I met him, I realized something about him today as I tried to unobtrusively observe him.

As I watched him loosen up, start to unwind, laugh a little more easily, I realized that Kyle was like a sponge, soaking up the goodness of a simple, yet ordinary day. We didn’t do anything more than visit a few shops, eat some food, and drive around to look at scenery. It was low pressure and spontaneous, but it was just ordinary living. And as I watched Kyle soak it up… no, savor it… I realized that he’s not had this in a very long time. Hell, maybe he never had it.

But I could see it written all over him.

He wanted it and he wanted it badly.

I open my eyes. With another sigh, I start to push away from the door.

Only to be really “pushed” away from the door as it opens up on me, some unknown force propelling me gently into my living room.

I spin around and see Kyle standing in my doorway, his hand on the knob. “You didn’t lock your door,” he says while staring at me with veiled eyes.

“I was just getting ready to—”

“You didn’t invite me in,” he says gruffly, and then steps inside my house.

My jaw drops open, because he knows damn well why I didn’t invite him in. Because we’re friends only, that’s why.

Kyle shuts the door behind him, and then completely confuses me when he says, “Didn’t even give me a chance to kiss you goodnight.”

My head spins one full loop before I orient myself. Placing my hands on my hips, I narrow my eyes at him. “You know damn well why you weren’t invited in.”

He gives me a sage nod. Without taking his eyes off me, he says, “You’re talking about that whole friends thing, right?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah… that whole friends thing. You were pretty clear about it.”

Kyle doesn’t say anything, but he never takes his eyes off me as he flips the lock on my door. Something about that snicking sound makes my legs feel rubbery. “Yeah, well, I changed my mind about that.”

“What—”

But I don’t get another word out because in one long stride, he’s got both of his palms against my face, pulling me halfway up to meet his mouth as he tilts his head down. He strikes fast and hot, immediately seeking a deep, wet connection with our lips and tongues. And I know he likes it because he gives a half-groan of appreciation with a half-snarl of need for something more.

My brain starts to question whether or not this is a good idea, but my body already made the decision. My arms go tight around his neck, and I plaster myself to his frame. My tongue duels with his, greedy for more.

As if he’s satisfied with my hold on him, he drops his hands and they go to my ass. His palms are huge and his fingers dig in against that crease that separates my butt from my leg. With an effortless heave, he picks me up. My legs automatically wrap around his waist, and then Kyle is spinning me toward the small hallway that leads to my bedroom.

To. My. Bedroom.

I tear my mouth from his and pant, “Wait.”

Kyle immediately stops, but his hands grip my butt tighter. He peers down at me… eyes darkened with need and frustration.

“What are we doing?” I breathe out softly.

“We’re going to fuck,” he growls impatiently.