When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(21)

He pulls back and holds me at arms-length. His eyes burn into me with acceptance of where we’ve been, and where we are hopefully going. “Like I said, I’ve been here the whole time.”

A knock at the door has us both stepping away from each other. It’s like we’re keeping a secret everyone already knows.

Violet peeks through the small crack. “You guys ready to eat?”

We nod and she disappears. Graham stops me as I try to leave. With precision, he takes the drawstring from my hand and ties it tight around my waist. His knuckles graze my exposed skin, and I shiver from the tiny contact, swallowing the desire lodged in my throat.

No words are spoken as his eyes smile down at me, and he disappears out the door. I hear his bare feet fall on the steps as he makes his way down to the kitchen. I wait for a few beats before I follow behind him.

The kitchen is full of laughter when I walk in.

“I see you’ve all made good friends with each other,” Graham says over the girls’ giggles. Everyone stops the chatter and turns to where we stand side by side.

“Nice of you two to join us.” Rick’s voice echoes through the large kitchen. “We’ve spent the entire night talking shit about the both of you, so you know.”

“Go fuck yourself, Rico.” Graham walks over and pours two glasses of orange juice. He gestures to the center island where two empty stools sit.

“So, what’s the plans for today?” I ask. I follow his silent instructions and sit down beside him, taking a long sip of the juice.

I don’t know her name, but the blonde in the corner points to the large windows. “Ice skating?” She practically bounces through the ceiling at her idea. “We have an awesome outdoor rink. I’ve been trying to convince Griffin to take me since freshman year, and this will probably be the last cold weekend.”

“Babe, you have horrible balance.” Griffin pulls her onto his lap and kisses her cheek.

She smacks him on the chest and squeals with anger. “I do not.”

“You fell down the stairs at the library the other day,” Rick adds, a laugh on the tip of his tongue.

Griffin reaches back and swats at him to defend his girlfriend. A small, but sweet gesture.

“I was at the good part of my book, and I was clearly distracted. I’m not going to be reading while I ice skate,” she defends herself.

“Been there,” I whisper.

“See, she understands.” She points to me. “I’m Sandy, by the way. We didn’t get a chance to meet properly last night.” Her hand reaches out to shake mine.

“It’s nice … to meet you.” My reluctance evident, I shake her hand anyway. I’m still not sure who she is to Graham, but by the weird exchange between the two of them last night, it’s safe to assume she’s someone to him.

She nods in answer, a friendly smile offered to me. When she turns to Griffin, her eyes grow dark. “So, is it a yes?”

“If everyone else is down, I’m willing to hold you up as I skate around a chunk of freezing cold ice,” Griffin jokes, squeezing her arm in a playful way.

Rick stands over the stove, flipping an omelet onto a plate. His skill set is impressive, shocking me when he slides the plate down the island and it lands with grace in front of me. I stare down at the full plate and cut into the warm egg mixture. With a fork full, I take a large bite and moan.

“My food isn’t the only thing that makes girls moan, Kennedy,” he suggests. Rick wiggles his eyebrows at me.

“Not okay, man,” he warns. Graham crosses his arms in front of his chest.

“This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted,” I state, matter of fact. “What’s in this?”

I gesture to Violet to come take a bite. She stands from the table and accepts the forkful of food. Her eyes roll in the back of her head and she nods in satisfaction to Dan.

“Sausage, Havarti cheese, onions, and ham.” Rick slides another plate down the island.

Graham catches it before the plate finds the end of the marble countertop. He dips his fork into the fluffy mound in front of him, and his satisfied groan resembles my own. His satisfaction over a simple omelet makes me giggle.

“How is it possible you all aren’t fat when Rick’s cooking tastes this good?” Every guy in the room has trim waists and impeccable arms.

“I only cook for pretty girls.” The cook strides over and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, I’m here all the time, and you’ve never cooked for me,” Sandy argues, hurt evident in her voice.

“Again, not okay.” Graham slams his fist into the countertop. Our glasses and plates clink together. I clutch my own to give them stability.

I laugh at the outburst. Graham twirls to face me with a smile on his face, then in a snap of a finger, his eyes darken as he looks to Rick.

“I like you being here, Kennedy. He’s passionate, and this kid,” Rick leans over and squeezes Graham’s cheeks between his fingers, and shakes his head dramatically from side to side, “isn’t passionate about anything.”

Graham jerks away from him. “Anything that you know about, Rick. Heaven forbid someone’s passionate about anything other than booze and pussy.” The way Graham spits out Rick’s given name makes me believe he only likes to be called Rico by his friends.