Page 36

N ASH

Kendall finally settled down after I inhaled my salad.

I’m always famished after a game, which is probably not the best time to take a woman out to dinner.

If my caveman actions of taking her car and her choice away weren’t enough to scare her off, the way I’m shoving food down my throat surely will.

“Do you want the last breadstick?” She holds the basket out to me, and I tear it in half, offering her the biggest piece.

She rolls her eyes and shoves both pieces away. “Sure. Now you’re courteous.”

“I’m always courteous.” I shove the smaller piece in my mouth, chew, swallow, and wash it down with the rest of my water. “I picked Mario’s because I thought you’d like it.”

Kendall’s evergreen eyes scan the hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. It’s partly true. I know she likes Italian, but it’s also dark and romantic, yet casual and intimate. I don’t have to worry about girls throwing themselves at me or signing a million autographs.

“I’ve never been here before,” she admits.

“Paisley and I come here in the spring for pizza and spaghetti with meatballs as big as her head. It’s her favorite place to bring me on a date.”

Kendall’s eyes warm and she gives me the first smile of the night. “She brings you on a date?”

I nod and rest my elbows on the table so I can lean closer to her. Her flowery scent—gardenia—is faint, but I can smell traces of it even over the heavy aroma of garlic in the air.

“When the season is over, we go on father-daughter dates at least once a week. She likes to dress up and picks where we go. As she gets older, she’s remembering the names of restaurants and feels extra fancy when she name drops them.

Usually, it’s a request for pizza or seafood or hot dogs.

One week we dress up, and the next week she picks an activity.

If I never go to a bounce zone again it’ll be too soon. ”

Kendall laughs and my cock hardens. “I can see you now, jumping so hard you’re catapulting all the little kids in the air.”

“Something like that.”

“I used to love jumping on my friend’s trampoline when I was a kid. We’d do backflips and cartwheels and hang out there all day.”

Fuck, I love the sound of her laugh. I could sit here all night and stare at her and listen to her talk. “Next time she requests to go to one of those stupid places, I’m dragging you with us. You can do the flips, and I’ll sit on the sidelines and watch.”

I can picture it now. Kendall’s thick, dark hair flying up and down as her tits bounce in slow motion. Her laughter carrying over the noise of a million little kids screaming and running throughout. She’s the center of my private porno.

“I don’t think Paisley would like it if you brought a woman on your father-daughter date.”

“You’re right. She wouldn’t.” Her smile fades for a moment before she forces it back on her beautiful face. “But you’re not just any woman, Kendall.”

Her cheeks turn pink and she lowers her gaze, her lashes fanning across her skin. We’re rudely interrupted by our server bringing our dinners. My stomach welcomes the intrusion, but my heart wishes we were truly alone.

When the server leaves and we start on our meals, Kendall lets out a low moan. “Oh my God. Paisley is right. The food is amazing.”

My hand holding my fork, laden with a healthy portion of lasagna, pauses in front of my mouth as I watch in pure lust as Kendall closes her eyes and enjoys her gnocchi. She pays me no attention as she dives back into her dish as if she’s the one starved and not me.

After her third bite, she blinks up at me and stills. “What? Do I have food on my face?”

“You’re damn sexy when you eat.”

Kendall tilts her head and narrows her eyes at me. “Is this some food kink you have, Nash Potato?”

“It’s a Kendall kink I have.”

“A Kendall kink?” She dips her chin in a slow nod and pierces another gnocchi. “And what exactly is a Kendall kink, do I dare ask?”

Even though my stomach growls, I set my fork down and lean forward.

“It means everything you do turns me on, Kendall. From the way you look, to the way you talk, even when you’re pissed at me.

It’s the way you walk, the way you hold yourself up strong and proud, the way you eat, the way you cheer for me at my games, and the way you are with my daughter. ”

Hell, I shouldn’t have mentioned Paisley when talking about the way she turns me on, but it’s true. Seeing her care for my daughter like she’s her own is the biggest turn on of all.

Kendall takes a sip of her wine and returns it to the table with grace as if my words have no impact on her.

“Who says I’m cheering for you? ”

I lick my lower lip and grin when her eyes track the movement of my tongue. “Because I’ve heard you scream when my tongue, my fingers, and my cock are buried deep inside you. No one else in that stadium can say the same.”

She settles back in her chair and studies me. It’s my last statement that has her shoulders relaxing. We may have started out on the rocky side, with me believing she slept around, but we’re past that now. At least, I hope I’ve proven to her I no longer believe the lies I told myself.

“Eat your dinner.” She tips her chin at my plate, still full of food, and picks up her fork. “I have plans for you and I don’t want to be interrupted by your growling stomach.