Page 20 of Son of a Preacher Man
Kodiak lifted his chest, and sitting between her parted thighs, he gazed down at her. Fingers stroked her hair, and then he kissed her softly, before righting her rucked-up shirt.
“I don’t understand. Don’t you want…” Kelly stopped mid-sentence.
There was no need to ask. If Kodiak truly wanted her, which apparently, he didn’t, she wouldn’t have to. She wasn’t desperate for his dick—okay, maybe a little—but she wasn’t about to humiliate herself any further.
He took her hand and kissed it, then held it to his chest. “Oh, yeah, I definitely want you.”
“Why’d you stop then?”
“We’re friends, right?” His fingers laced with hers.
Fighting to keep her emotions from showing, she nodded.
Kodiak closed his eyes for a moment. “Well then, Kelly, there’s a lot you don’t know about me yet, and before you go letting me stick my dick into you, you should.”
“Like what? You got herpes or something?”
“No, nothing like that. I’m clean.” He softly chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. His expression turning serious, Kodiak shrugged. “It’s just…I’m fucked up.”
That’s okay. I am too.
“And?” She smiled, then tugging on the ends of his hair, pulled him back down to her, and kissed him.
“And…” Kodiak whispered, his breath tickling her ear, “…I’m really looking forward to winning that bet.”
“What bet?”
He winked. “Night, Kelly.”
Maybe he was an ass.
Nope, there were no maybes about it.
Kodiak plopped onto his bed. He definitely was an ass. Instead of lying here alone, in the room his sister used to sleep in, he could still be there with Kelly. Tearing the clothes from her body. Sinking himself deep inside her. But no, he let his conscience get the better of him.
Anybody else, Kodiak wouldn’t give two shits. You wanna fuck? Let’s go. But this was Kelly, not another nameless face at the club. And she deserved to know him first. Really know him. Few actually did.
Let her see the ugly parts. Perhaps she’d find beauty in there somewhere. It was a risk, and a huge one at that, but if Kelly still wanted him afterward, it would be well worth it. Never mind his past, his upbringing, his transgressions, his flaws—and there were many. To be desired despite it all. Deemed worthy. Accepted. Isn’t that what everyone secretly craves?
He was no different.
It was a tall order, though, and Kodiak knew it. He snickered to himself. There was just so much to unpack here. What should he start off with? His father? His sister?
The whole truth, asshole.
All of it. Every dark and dirty, nasty, twisted bit. Much the same as he’d told it to Babs. If he turned out to be the villain in Kelly’s story, and he likely would, then so be it. Shame he couldn’t just fuck her and not give a shit. Withhold the truth or tell her lies. It would sure be a helluva lot easier. But he couldn’t.
Kodiak picked up his phone. Debating, he smacked it against his palm a few times before he gave in to the urge and called her. “I want a raincheck on that movie, Snicks.”
He was met with silence, but he could feel her smiling on the other end of the line.
“And dinner,” he added for good measure. “I want to take you to dinner. You ever give yourself a night off?”
“Um, sometimes,” she stammered. “But I have to work them in around Kevin’s football schedule. Katie’s classes. Brendan wants her home in the evenings, and of course, Leo comes in early to do the baking every morning…”
“When?” Taking advantage of the pause, Kodiak tried to pin her down. “When is sometimes?”
“Thursday.”
