Page 38

STARTING OVER WITH YOU

Dean

Nineteen years ago…

“But, Dean! We need you!”

I swear they all three yell the same thing because they know I can’t say no.

Or better yet, I can’t say no to a certain person.

Now, I’m an hour from home, picking up my drunk sister and her two best friends from some field frat party. Why in God’s name did they think it was a good idea to bring Kenni out here? She doesn’t even turn eighteen until Sunday. She shouldn’t be anywhere near this kind of stuff. She should be getting ready to leave for college. Not getting blackout drunk with her two boneheaded best friends.

And I shouldn’t be picking them up. I should be letting them sleep in the field. Serves them right…but now that I know Kenni is here, there is no way I can leave her here.

Thankful for my size, I move through the many bodies that are dancing and copping feels of each other. The scent of sweat, stale beer, awful vodka, and really bad skunk weed assaults me as I move through the people. The night is bright with stars and the moon is full, but I can’t make out faces. Not when I’m looking solely for the three girls who drive me up a damn wall. Being the younger brother, shouldn’t my sister be the one to take care of me? I don’t know why, but I’ve been the one catering to her. Each time, I say it’s the last time, but here I am.

I almost feel like she knows I’ve got a thing for Kenni Colburn and that as long as she’s with them, I’ll do whatever they want.

I’m a fool, for sure.

It takes me longer than it should to find them, mostly because they didn’t tell me the right spot.

And the sight before me has me wishing I were anywhere but here.

Sadie and Missy are wearing bright-orange bikini tops with short jean shorts and matching UT boots. On top of someone’s jacked-up UT truck, they are shaking their asses to the bass of “Dance” by Big Sean. Guys are throwing dollars at my sister and her friend, and shit, is that a twenty stuck to Sadie’s ass?

Fuck me.

I am seeing entirely too much of my sister and her best friend, so I look away, on the prowl for the third part of Shenanigans Inc. I started calling the trio that after a week of pure mayhem caused by only the three of them. They’ve run with the name, making shirts and living up to the title.

Just my plan…not.

I scan my eyes over the crowd, looking for Kenni, but I hear her before I see her.

“You can kick rocks, motherfucker.”

I look up to the sky for patience, but when I glance over to where she is, my mouth goes dry. She is fucking stunning with her dark black hair up in a high pony while her bright blue eyes shine even in the dark. Her big bubble butt is hanging out the back of her jean shorts, and her full breasts are barely contained in a bit of orange fabric. I’m surprised she isn’t covering her belly; she can be a bit self-conscious about it, which is beyond me since I have spent many a night wishing I could nuzzle it, but maybe she isn’t thinking of it now.

Because her finger is in some guy’s chest, her face red with rage and tears in her eyes.

Fucking great.

Before I can reach her, she swings her arm that is holding her own pair of UT boots, connecting with his face before he falls to the ground. Dust flies up from where he lands since I found them not in the field where they told me they’d be, but in the baseball field parking lot that’s more by the main road and farther than I’d like from my truck.

These girls are going to be the death of me.

I’m closing the distance between us as the guy jumps to his feet, calling her names his momma would be ashamed of. He goes to grab her, but I’m there, looking down at him with my shoulders back and ready to fight. “Back the fuck up.”

The guy laughs. His orange polo is all wrinkled, covered with dirt and beer as he sways toward me. “Move, dude. That bitch is mine.”

“Watch your mouth before I make it bleed.”

A couple of guys ooh and laugh around us as polo guy bristles. He looks me up and down. Surely he doesn’t think he can take me. I’m over 6’4”, I’m pushing two hundred pounds, and my thighs are the size of his head. Just in case, though, I dig my Ariat boots into the dirt for leverage and send up a prayer to my granddad, who bought me these boots, not to let them let me down.

“That’s right. He’ll make you bleed with no problem at all.” Kenni leans over me, waving her arm in the air at him. “Teach you to keep your opinions of a woman’s body to yourself!”

My jaw ticks. “What the fuck did you say?”

The guy laughs, tipping his chin to her. “Told her to cover her fat ass up.”

My body catches on fire with rage. This isn’t the first time someone has said that to Kenni, and it really pisses me off when they do. Yeah, she’s thick, but that doesn’t define her. She’s gorgeous inside and out. She’s fucking batshit, but she’s one of the best people I know.

“Move so I can teach this cow a lesson.” He sways toward me, and I push him back.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” I demand, pushing my chest into his. “You can go fuck yourself,” I say as I reach back to make sure Kenni is there. My hand connects with her full hip, and I exhale as I nod. Good girl. I watch his moments, ready to push her back to kick his ass, but before anyone can do anything, the space fills with red and blue lights and then some idiot screaming, “Sooooooooooieeeeeeeeee!”

Then it’s pure pandemonium.

Everyone is moving, screaming, and the cops are yelling something, but my main concern is Kenni. I turn quickly, pulling her to me as people start to scramble. I’m looking for Sadie and Missy when Kenni takes my hand in hers. Her skin is so soft, while my hands are rough with calluses from playing hockey. Her blue eyes lock on mine, and she flashes me a grin that means nothing but trouble. “We gotta run!”

“What? No, we need to find Sadie and Missy.”

“They already ran. We gotta go!” Before I can even comprehend what she’s saying, she’s yanking me with her. I hold on to her as we haul ass through the tall grass and into the cornfield that I hadn’t even noticed. The leaves of the stalks of corn smack into us as we run like our asses are on fire. When I realize we’re running away from my truck, I curse loudly.

“Kenni, my truck is that way!”

She’s still running, my hand clasped tightly in hers. If we weren’t running from the cops and I weren’t scared of death because her dad is the chief of police in our small town, I could enjoy her hand in mine, but right now, I’m sweating bullets. Her ponytail whips behind her as she turns to look at me with a blinding grin that is so full of excitement, it leaves me breathless. “Missy’s car is on the other side of this field. We’ll get it and wait till everything clears out to go get your car.”

I feel a little better until we reach the end of the field and Missy’s car isn’t there. I let out another curse as she looks up at me. “I think they got here first.”

“Fuck!” I exclaim as I look around to figure out where to go. I pull out my phone to call them when a spotlight shines right on us.

“Put your hands up. You run, I’ll tase your asses.”

The cop means business, and when I look at Kenni while I raise my arms, instead of seeing fear, I see she’s grinning. “We can outrun him.”

I gawk at her and wait for her to raise her hands. “Kenni, put your hands up. I’m not getting tased. That shit hurts.”

She shrugs like it’s no damn big deal. “I’m telling you, we can get away.”

“Don’t think about it, sweetheart,” the cop calls out, his equipment jangling as he closes the distance to us. He’s holding his Taser out toward us, and I give Kenni a pointed look.

“Put your hands up.”

She waves me off, and I moan more to myself than anything. “Your daddy is going to kill me.”

Kenni rolls her eyes. “He won’t even find out.”

“Kenleigh Colburn, is that you?”

Fuck. My. Life.

Kenni grimaces as she looks back at me with a gleam in her big blues. I swear if she weren’t the girl of my dreams, I’d throttle her. She flutters her lashes before giving the cop her best church-girl pose. She crosses her arms over her body, making a steeple with her hands before angling her head to the side all shyly. With her voice sweet as sugar, she says, “It is. You must know my daddy.”

“I sure do, honey,” he says, shaking his head as he stops in front of us. He’s an older guy, gray hair in his beard, and he’s a bit overweight, but his eyes tell me he’s sharp. “Please don’t tell me you were out at that party and running from the cops?”

Kenni covers her chest with her hands, feigning innocence. “Me? Never. I was taking a stroll with my guy here.”

She flutters her lashes once more, and I can’t even enjoy the fact that she called me her guy. Instead, I just gawk at her. She thought that was the lie to go with. Even if I hadn’t been with her, I’d know she was lying. She’s not dressed for a stroll. No, she’s dressed for a damn twerk-out frat party.

I’m going to kill my sister.

I inhale as the cop looks at me, his eyes narrowing. “You taking advantage of this sweet girl?

“Absolutely not, sir. We grew up together. I came up from Thistlebrook to get her from our sisters who go to UT, and we saw the field. We only have mountains where we’re from, so we thought it’d be cool to see if there really are children in the corn.”

He blinks, and Kenni covers her mouth to keep in her laughter. I don’t blink. I don’t even move as I keep my eyes on him.

When he asks, “Y’all been drinking?” I’m already shaking my head, but my accomplice hiccups, then burps before gagging on whatever the hell came up.

My eyes fall shut as I pray for divine intervention.

The cop’s eyes narrow even more before he claps his hands together. “All right, turn around.”

Then he cuffs us and takes us to the back of his cop car.

As he calls her dad, who will definitely call mine, I lean back in the seat, cursing the three girls. I really don’t need this before I leave for college, but I shouldn’t be surprised when it comes to the trio that just can’t act right when they’re together. I’ve been getting them out of trouble for as long as they could get into it. I don’t know what they’re gonna do when I’m all the way in Minnesota, but that’s not my problem.

Who am I kidding? If she called, I’d come.

“Do you remember when Sadie made you kiss me?”

Her voice is small, surprising me as I open my eyes to turn my head to look at her. She’s leaning on the back seat too, the blue of the lights making her eyes seem even bluer. Her cheeks are full, her jaw slender and sharp. She has these dimples that can bring me to my knees and the cutest little dip in her chin. The lights give her an ethereal look, and it makes my chest hurt. I don’t know why it’s killing me to leave her when I doubt she cares that she’s leaving me.

We’ve never been anything to each other.

I’m Sadie’s brother, and that’s it.

I clear my throat as our eyes meet, and I nod. “Yeah.”

“Did you know it was my first kiss?”

I keep my face neutral as I nod once more. “I did.”

She looks away, her neck darkening a bit with color. “Was it yours?”

“It was,” I admit after a small pause. “Couldn’t you tell? I sucked.”

I laugh, but she doesn’t. She looks back at me, her lips slowly tilting up as she tells me, “You didn’t suck. It was the best first kiss.”

I smile. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not,” she throws back, her eyes narrowing in on mine. “Did you ever want to do it again?”

I raise my brows and look away, taking in a deep breath. I’m always sporting a chub when I’m around her, but when she’s bringing up the best moment of my life, I have to say the alphabet backward to keep myself from getting hard. Through gritted teeth, I ask, “What are you doing, Kenni?”

“I’m just wondering,” she says, her voice low. “I always think about it and wonder what it would feel like if it happened again.”

My heart is jackhammering in my chest as I draw in air through my nose to fill my lungs. When I look back over at her, I see her top teeth are buried deep in her bottom lip, and she’s watching me with such need in her sweet eyes. I’m lost in them, the flashing lights making the whole moment seem so much bigger.

Her eyes don’t leave mine, and I have to fight a moan when she asks, “Are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Fuck.

My heart is in my throat, and my cock is doing its best to come through the zipper of my Levi’s.

With a smirk I haven’t ever unleashed on her, I give in to every single desire I have, even though I know that makes me an idiot. We’re both leaving, but maybe I can this?

“Bring those sweet lips over here, pretty girl. Let me taste you.”

Her eyes widen just as the most stunning grin slides over her face. I don’t know who moves first, but I’m leaning toward her, ready to take her mouth with mine to show her how I’m a way better kisser now, when the door flies open and the cop yanks me out by my shirt.

He slams me into the side of the car, and one look in his eyes lets me know I’m in deep shit.

Her daddy is going to kill me, and then my dad will kill me again.

I look over my shoulder at her to see her watching me, tears in her eyes, and I wish I had moved quicker.

I never got to kiss her. We were both grounded, and I left for college a month before she did.

Then she got knocked up and married some guy her freshman year.

Talk about a hit to the gut.

I don’t know if she still thought of me after that night, but fuck, I’ve thought of her.

How could I ever forget the night I fell in love with Kenni Colburn in the back of a cop car.