Page 10 of Deception (Deranged Drifters MC #22)

Chapter Ten

Griffin’s Beach Gracie

I f I lose him as a friend, I lose the only other person outside of my family I can count on. He’s the biggest part of my support network, and he’s kept me sane. Plus, he loves Nolan. What if this is a big mistake?

“Do you like sitting in the front, middle, or back?” Kent asks, pulling Gracie from her internal panic.

Dinner was easy. The conversation never lulled. It was never awkward. It was as perfect as a date could be. That she could imagine, anyway.

He paid for dinner and this movie. It feels as though she’s living her own movie, but it’s yet to be determined whether it’s a romantic comedy or a horror film where she loses everything.

“Um, I don’t really go to the movies. Do you have a preference?”

“Well, I tend to go for the back. One, because I’m taller than most, and B, I like to make out with my dates.”

The easy smile makes her melt a little inside, and his shift from numerals to letters makes her smirk. Then it hits her. He wants to make out with me.

“Um… Sure. The back is fine.”

“Are you sure? You’re kind of short, so maybe we should move more towards the middle. As long as we stick to the aisle or side, it shouldn’t be an issue if someone sits behind us.”

Shaking her head, she forces a smile as her stomach bounces. “No, the back is fine.”

“Okay, but if you can’t see, you can’t blame me.”

He chuckles at his rhyme and leads them to the back row. Her nerves kick up a notch, and she wishes she wasn’t wearing a skirt. Pants. She needs pants. Not that it did much for her last time.

Kent sits and drapes his arms over her shoulders so effortlessly, and Gracie feels like a giant freak.

How is it that she had a baby after having sex with a guy she only met that night, but this type of affection has her feeling like a rubber ball bouncing down a hallway, hitting the walls and breaking pictures?

“Kent?”

“Yeah?”

Taking a deep breath, she turns to watch him shove a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “I think you should know something.”

He turns and looks just as serious as assumes she does. “You’re in love with the boy waiting for you at home?”

His constant jokes should be annoying, but it comforts her. Loosens her up a bit. “Well, yeah, but I don’t think that’s anything new.”

“Oh,” he says and smacks his palm against his forehead. “Stupid me. I did know that.”

“I should’ve maybe said something sooner, but this is kind of… my first date.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve gone on a date, too. Although, you did have one last night,” he says, popping another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Shaking her head, she swallows. Why is her mouth so dry? “I don’t count last night, but I actually have never been on a date before. It’s… I don’t really know what to do.” The last few words come out as only a whisper.

“The asshat who left you to raise a baby on your own didn’t even take you on a date first?”

“Um, no. Everything happened at a party. We started talking, and then went to a room to get away from all the noise. Then, suddenly, we were naked. Then it was over. Painfully and not like the movies at all, and then he left. I don’t think it counts as a date.”

Kent’s jaw drops, and she worries he’s regretting taking her out. Instead, his fist clenches hard enough to spill popcorn onto the floor. “He left?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you can’t tell me the name of this motherfucker? Because I would really benefit from getting the chance to kick his ass.”

Gracie snorts and relaxes. It’s the closest she’s ever seen Kent come to angry. Normally, he’s so chill she wonders if he’s just perpetually stoned. “No, I can’t. As much as I’d love you to do that, telling you means it would get out. And then I would hurt someone I care about.”

“For the record,” he says, his voice quiet as the lights dim around them, “a guy should never leave a woman after sleeping with her. Especially if it’s her first time.”

“Is that what you did?” she whispers, even though no one else sits in the theater with them. Benefit of going out on a Wednesday.

His thumb rubs her bicep as he dips his head so his mouth is right by her ear. “When I sleep with someone for the first time?”

“I assume you’ve taken at least one person’s virginity.”

“I’ve taken a few,” he says with a small smile. “But it’s not about how experienced a woman is. The goal is to make her feel good. Cared for. That it’s not just about me.”

The words shoot heat and need straight to her core, and she crosses her legs as she aches in an unfamiliar way. “Really?’

“It’s more about her than me. Let’s be honest. I’m easy.” He chuckles and bites his lower lip, making her quiver. “It doesn’t take much to get me off, but women are like expensive cars. They’re all built differently, and you have to drive them according to their specifications, not yours.”

“Did you really just compare women to cars?”

“Expensive ones.”

The ease of his attitude makes her relax even further. Being around Kent just calms Gracie. “Glad to know we’re seen as expensive, at least.”

“And something you long for. When you finally get it, you appreciate it and enjoy the ride.”

“Oh jeez,” she says and shakes her head.

As much as Gracie comes off as though he’s being ridiculous, she can’t stop the image of riding him from playing in her mind.

She hasn’t had a normal sexual experience, but she’s seen enough movies and looked on the internet to know what could happen.

And it excites her as much as it scares her to want Kent this way.

His hand reaches over to take hers, and he brings it up to his lips to kiss. “I’m not in any hurry. You’re my best friend, Gracie. Believe it or not, I have nerves kicking up when it comes to the idea that things could possibly go further, too.”

“You do?”

“I’m terrified that things could go south because Nolan’s in the picture, too. I love that little dude, and I would be devastated if I lost my best friend and my best bud. But I’m not sure I can pretend I don’t want you as just my friend unless you don’t have any interest in me as more.”

The way he cares about her son makes Gracie want Kent in a way she’s never wanted anyone before, and she kisses him. Their lips tangle, and she doesn’t care about the movie or the snacks.

She wants to forget, for a little while at least, that she’s a mom. Right now, she wants to focus on the man who makes her feel alive in a way she never thought possible.

Kent keeps his hands in the safe zones, and she appreciates his respectful boundaries, but he tests the waters by slipping a hand up her stomach, his fingers skirting the bottom of her bra over her shirt.

In truth, she wants him to touch her. She wants to experience how good he can make her feel, and she doesn’t push his hand away.

His hand moves away from her chest and slowly moves underneath her shirt to feel her bare stomach.

Her tongue slides into his mouth, and she moves to straddle his lap.

The height difference makes her neck ache at the angle of being side by side, and he takes the opportunity to slide his hand up and free her left breast from the cup of her bra.

A sly smile appears on his face when her breath hitches as he toys with her nipple, and he moves to kiss along her neck. It feels amazing and better than she expected.

Kissing him makes her lightheaded, and she wants more. He tastes like popcorn, and she wants another hit of the buttery flavor. Guiding his head back upright, she claims his lips and feels like a normal woman for the first time in two years. Since she saw that positive pregnancy test.

“Oops,” Kent whispers, and she feels the wetness.

Gracie stopped breastfeeding a couple of weeks ago, but she forgot about the periodic leakage she still has. And just like that, she’s a mom again. Not normal. Not normal and humiliated as she pulls away to sit back in her seat.

“I should have expected that.”

Great, I just ruined the whole night. Damn it!

Small wet stains on her shirt bring tears to her eyes, and she wants to run away crying. There’s no way to hide this, and it’s just one more reminder that she isn’t living out a movie. Unless it’s a teen comedy based around embarrassment.

“Hey,” Kent says and gently cups her chin, forcing her to look at him. “No tears.”

They slide down her cheeks involuntarily when she blinks, and she closes her eyes. “This is humiliating.”

“Why?”

“Are you serious?”

“You’re a mom, kid. Shit happens.”

Licking her lips, she nods, pulling her chin from his hand and opens her eyes to look at the screen. “I suppose so.”

“Do you want to go home?”

She sniffles and nods again, unable to look at him. “Kind of.”

“We can go home.”

“I ruined our date.”

Forcing her to look at him again, Kent smirks. “How’d you ruin it? I got to make out with you for… what? Half the movie? And I got to play with your fun bags and give you those little moans I don’t think you realized you were making. In my book, this was a great date.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Stay so chill all the time. I’m a frenzy in my own head pretty much all the time, and you’re just… present.”

They stand and walk out of the theater. Blowing on his nails, he rubs them on his shirt with a cocky smirk. “It’s a skill. There’s not always a lot going on up here,” he says and taps his temple. “It’s the benefit of being dumb muscle.”

“I think that’s what I like about being around you,” she says as she attempts to cover the wet marks over her nipples.

“That you think I’m dumb?”

Gracie laughs. “Because you can make me relax without even trying. You defuse any tense situation, and it honestly amazes me.”

“Keep talking to me like that, and I might just let you take me to bed one of these dates, Gracie Short.”

The passenger door shuts, and she waits for him to climb in on his side before saying, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh, you have no idea. But more importantly, you’d like it, too. Promise.”

A shiver of excitement runs along her spine, and she takes his hand as they drive to her house. They don’t speak another word, and she swoons when he walks her to her door. Just like the movies.

Looking up, she expects Kent to kiss her, but he looks almost bashful. It’s endearing. “What?” Gracie asks.

“It’s going to sound stupid.”

“I doubt it.”

He bites his lip. “Any chance I can come inside and see Nolan? I know he’s probably asleep, but I just need a peek. I kind of missed him.”

Smiling, she nods and leads him inside. Hailey stands from the couch, looking surprised. “You’re early.”

“Yeah, we kind of got bored with the movie,” Kent says.

“I just put him down, but I don’t think he’s asleep yet.”

“Thanks, Hailey,” she says.

Kent hands her some money and walks into Gracie’s room without a word.

“I guess he’s paying me to babysit,” she says with a laugh. “I’m not gonna turn down the extra money. Goodnight!”

The giggle and hasty exit from her brother’s girlfriend tells Gracie that Hailey expects things to get a little friendly as soon as she’s out of sight.

“Hey, kiddo,” Kent says as he leans over the edge of the crib when Gracie walks to watch him from the doorway. “I was hoping I’d get to see you tonight.”

“Da-da-da-da-da.”

Her heart shatters knowing Nolan’s father wants nothing to do with him. Her son deserves a father. Someone who loves him like she does.

“I took your mommy out tonight, and we had a pretty good time. Once your mommy and I get a little more time to ourselves, we’ll start spending more time all together again. But I kind of need to get her alone. You’ll understand better when you’re older.”

“Is that right?” Gracie asks with a smirk.

Looking up, he gives her a wink. “Oh, yeah.”

“Mama!”

“Hey, baby,” she says and walks over to give him a kiss. “Night night.”

The affection on Kent’s face as he talked to Nolan means something to Gracie.

He really does care about her son, and it’s surprisingly sexy.

Most men, especially men Kent’s age, would be running for the hills when they found it’s not just sex with her.

Instead, he’s been one of the few constants in her life this past year.

“I’ll see you soon, buddy,” Kent says before they leave the room.

She walks him to the door, and he looks down at her. His tongue slides out to lick his lips before he bends to kiss her. She melts into him, and she wishes she’d inherited a little more of her father’s height to avoid having to crane her neck so much.

“You’re too short,” he mutters and picks her up, pressing her against the wall to kiss her again.

The way this man kisses sets Gracie on fire. She wants more, and no one else is home. It would be really easy to give Kent what she knows they both want, but she’s scared. There’s too much at stake, and rushing things made her a single mother at seventeen.

“I have to go,” he whispers as he presses his forehead to hers. “If I don’t leave soon, it’ll be impossible to peel me off of you.”

“You like me that much, huh?” she jokes.

His eyes lock with hers. “You have no idea. Go out with me again. I want to take you out for a nighttime picnic under the stars.”

“Can we take your bike?”

“Whatever you like.”

She nods and lets him set her down. “Kent?”

“Yeah?” he asks as he turns on the porch to look at her.

“I had a great time tonight.”

“Me, too, kid.”

The nickname makes her smile. He calls her that a lot. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Gracie.”

He leaves, and she pants as she rests against the door. It feels dangerous to like him as much as she does, and she worries she’ll get hurt. It would have her changing her mind, but she knows not taking this chance would be one of the biggest regrets of her life.