Identity Crisis(33)

‘What is it?’ she said, speaking round a mouthful of pizza before she washed it down with a huge swig of beer that would have made any biker proud. ‘What’s the matter, Garrett? I don’t mind you staring at me. I actually like that a lot or I would have put clothes on. But it’s, I don’t know, it’s the way you’re staring at me. I get a feeling it has nothing to do with my tits.’

‘Will we regret this in the morning?’ There, he’d said it. The words were out. And even though he was glad it was out in the open, he still felt stupid for saying it. Tess would have had a lot more finesse, no doubt.

Kendra sat the beer down on the coffee table and wiped her hands on one of the napkins that came with the pizza delivery. ‘It’s already morning, Garrett. Besides, I don’t have regrets. It’s a waste of time I can’t afford.’

‘What do you mean, you don’t have regrets? Everyone has regrets. How could we not?’

This time she studied him, just sitting there completely naked, looking at him as though she had just discovered a new life form.

‘I make mistakes, then I learn from them and move on. And looking back …’ For the briefest of seconds, her face darkened and her gaze drifted, as though she saw something Garrett couldn’t see, something she didn’t want him to see. Then she caught her breath and forced a smile. ‘Looking back and dwelling on what’s already past, well, it doesn’t do anyone any good, really.’

‘Can K. Ryde teach me how to do that?’ Garrett said. ‘Because I’d really like to know.’

She offered him a smile that was almost a flinch, then looked down at her hands folded in her laps. ‘K. Ryde, the Ryde Agency, doesn’t exist anymore. Well, not like it did.’ She looked up, her eyes once more unreadable. ‘I sold the company almost a year ago. It’s in competent hands and doing well, or so I hear. Don just happened to have an old email address from my Ryde days, one I’d not deactivated. And since I was already intrigued with why Tess Delaney wanted a PR person with special talents, I brought K. Ryde temporarily out of retirement.’

‘You have more secrets than Tess Delaney does.’

The smile slipped from her lips and she held his gaze. ‘You have no idea.’

A shiver ran down Garrett’s spine, but before he could think about it, before he could question her further, Kendra pushed aside her plate and moved to sit next to Garrett, settling a kiss against his sternum, between his pecs. ‘Just what part of last night are you planning to regret, Garrett? Tess won the Golden Kiss. You won. And you’ve managed to keep Tess’s true identity a secret.’ She shoved the wild fall of red hair away from her face. ‘Granted, things didn’t quite go to plan, but ultimately I think everyone came out just fine, don’t you?’ She moved to sit in his lap, legs on either side of him, and instantly he was hard. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, lingering, caressing with her tongue, with her lips, until he was once again in the happy haze being with Kendra Davis seemed to produce. Then she pulled away enough to meet his gaze. ‘Now, Garrett, tell me what it is you regret, and I’ll see what I can do to make you forget about it.’

He didn’t, of course. It all seemed pretty irrelevant with an exquisitely naked Kendra Davis wriggling down onto his lap and easing her hand inside the waistband of his shorts.





Chapter Eleven

Garrett woke up in bed alone, and a tight fist formed in his stomach. It surprised him how strongly he felt Kendra’s absence. He wasn’t ready for her to leave just yet. He threw back the comforter and shoved his way into the shorts which lay on the floor where he had dropped them not that long ago as he’d followed her in between the sheets, literally joined at the hips. It was only when he heard a clatter from the kitchen that he relaxed – well, not really. Parts of him were very tense with anticipation.

He found her in the kitchen, leaning against the counter wrapped in his terry robe. She held a Diet Pepsi in one hand, while she scooped coffee into the coffee maker with the other. Her newly red hair hung loose and mussed around her shoulders, and she had that well-slept-with look about her as she smiled up at him.

‘Morning, sleepyhead. Thought you might like some coffee.’

‘How long have you been up?’ he asked.

‘Just long enough for my morning dose.’ She lifted her soda. ‘I figured once you were up we should probably call Don. I’m really surprised he didn’t storm over here last night demanding an explanation, especially since we had our phones turned off. At least, I did, and I figure you did too.’