Page 17 of Redeemed (Redeemed #1)
I’ve spent the past two hours at dinner with the most beautiful woman talking about anything and everything.
We’re under a spell that neither one of us wants to break.
I want nothing more than to spend more time with Kennedy, getting to know all the pieces of her.
I want to climb past the walls she’s created to keep lesser men out.
Our waitress let us know moments ago that the restaurant was closing. The instinct to offer money so we can sit here longer is strong. I don’t know when we will be able to see each other again, and this time didn’t feel like enough.
Kennedy fluffs her curls, grabbing my attention, and before I lose my nerve I speak up. “How would you feel about coming back to my place for a drink?”
I watch the hesitation pass across her face as she confers with the piece of her that keeps others at a distance. Then, a shy smile graces her lips and warmth spreads through me.
“I would love to,” she says softly.
We don’t waste any time getting out of the restaurant and back into my car with Patrick at the wheel. The look in those hazel eyes is disbelief that any of this is happening. Tonight, we both discovered that we are out of our element when it comes to personal relationships.
Kennedy makes me want more. The almost two weeks that we were apart felt like ages.
The phone conversations only made me want to spend more time with her.
Through our video calls I’ve witnessed a softer side to the person I don’t think she allows the world to see.
After hearing her say she could be open to something more, I want to do what it takes to be that person she wants more with.
She’s tucked into my side in the back seat, humming along to the music playing in the car. My suit coat is wrapped around her arms, protecting her from the chill of this late fall weather. The Kennedy in my arms right now doesn’t match the energy of that feisty woman I met in the alleyway.
The car turns onto my property, and I hear Kennedy let out a low whistle. The wrought-iron gates swing open, welcoming us, and I give Kennedy’s hand a small squeeze. Her eyes swing up to me.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll take you back home, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”
Her head tilts and a wide smile appears. “Thank you for the reassurance. I’m happy to know you aren’t going to hold me captive.”
I smile at her playfulness. “Maybe not yet.”
Patrick pulls the car up the long driveway and parks on the roundabout directly in front of the entrance to the house. I hop out of the car and make my way around to open Kennedy’s door. We make it to the top of the steps when I feel a slight hesitation in her step.
“Everything good?” Her eyes seem to focus on something far from this moment. I gently place my hand on her cheek, encouraging her attention back to me. “Is being here too much? We can go.”
Kennedy looks around before taking a deep breath. Her shoulders relax and, as she examines my face, she reaches up and softly runs her thumb between my eyebrows, smoothing the skin. That small action forces a smile to my lips, which she returns.
“This is just different. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
“You’ll always be safe with me, Kennedy. Let’s go out back and sit by the fire.”
We walk through the main areas of my home, and I give a brief tour of the open floorplan on the way to the glass wall that leads to my backyard setup. I grab the remote that controls the door panels, setting it to open to the width of a door, instead of retracting the entire wall.
“Not much privacy with this much exposure.”
“Well, my property sits on a couple acres, so the only visitors I get are wildlife.”
My back patio is a large entertainment space, with oversized cushioned chairs and a circular fire pit that looks like it grew directly out of the stone.
Kennedy steps further into the space, and I take in the back of the killer dress that hugs her ass perfectly. The color contrast on her dark complexion makes her look otherworldly. She turns back to me, fully catching me checking her out.
Kennedy saunters over to me as I let my eyes trail down her body, giving equal attention to the front of her as I did her backside. She stops in front of me, leaving a breath of distance between us, tilting her head back to look at me.
“I would love to have a tour of your full property someday.”
I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her into me. “It would be my pleasure.”
Her body leans into mine as she stretches up to ghost her luscious lips across mine. Every kiss tonight has been a gift and I’ve been a selfish bastard wanting more. This time is no different as I pull her even closer and deepen this kiss. When we pull away, she’s breathless and blushing.
“I’ve decided I’m willing to rearrange my schedule for more date nights if you are,” she says with her lips a whisper from mine.
“Anything you want, Kitten.”
She laughs at the nickname I’ve given her before leaning in to kiss me again. My hands move down her back to squeeze the ass that’s been taunting me all night.
“I’ve also decided that I want us to date. I’ve never experienced anything serious, but I want to know where this goes,” she says, eyes scanning my face.
“You’re making a lot of decisions tonight, but so far, I’m in favor of them.”
She giggles as I pepper kisses down her neck.
A throat clearing behind us has Kennedy startling in my arms and I tighten my grip around her.
“Alex, the security team just informed me that we were followed from the restaurant.”
My immediate reaction is the need to keep the woman in my arms safe. We know The Reapers are in town, but all reports say they have been keeping to themselves. It can’t be possible that one of my fears is already coming true.
I glance down at Kennedy and her face is a blank stare of no emotions. It’s the same look I saw on her face the night she was attacked outside of my business. There isn’t fear—more like determination to eliminate the threat.
“My team will find out if we were truly followed, or if we’re just being paranoid.” I look to Patrick, but his eyes are on Kennedy, witnessing the same reaction I am.
She looks up to me, her brows drawn in. “Hopefully, everything is okay.”
Then her phone starts going off.