Page 171 of The Maxwell Brothers

"This is my brother Travis and my cousin Reese," he said, and they both waved.

"Hey, nice to meet you both," I said.

"I want to talk to you, Kendra," Tyler said without further ado, looking straight at me.

I steeled myself, rolling my shoulders. "Okay."

"Let's go somewhere quieter," he suggested. That was probably a good idea, because you could only hear someone if you were very close with all the loud music around.

"It’s rather empty over there," Reese said, pointing to the right. "The stands there closed already."

We turned and headed in that direction. I walked in front of him, acutely aware of his presence just a few inches behind me. Had he told me he was coming and I didn't see the message?

When we reached the area with the closed stands, I turned around, looking straight at him.

"I'll cut to the chase, Kendra. I only saw that picture when my brother showed it to me."

My shoulders slumped. "I saw it earlier today."

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Like what? ‘Hey, Tyler, do you have a girlfriend, and am I your dirty secret?’"

He jerked his head back. "You thought I have…? No, I don't. Damn it, Kendra, I don't. What kind of an asshole do you think I am?"

I put my hands on my hips, shifting my weight from one leg to the other. "I don't know. It was the first thing that came to my mind. And why shouldn't you have one? You're hot and a great kisser and?—"

"You think I'm a great kisser?"

I sighed. "Really?"

"You brought it up," he said, then shook his head, turning serious once more. "Kendra, no, I'm not seeing anyone." He came a bit closer, looking me straight in the eyes, and I was rooted in my spot. "I kissed you. I flirted with you. I made you mine. I want to do it all over again and again. That was just a fan who wanted me to sign her chest. I shut her down. Want to know what I was thinking about?"

"What?" I whispered.

"You."

I licked my lips, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "But you barely know me."

"And I’m going to change that.” He tilted his head, coming closer. "I want to know you. Your thoughts. Wishes. Desires. Everything.” His voice was decadent now. Somehow the energy between us changed. It was more charged.

“When is your dinner?”

"In twenty minutes."

He groaned, looking around. Then he shook his head as if having a conversation with himself.

“Come on, let’s get back to the group.”

Hmm… this is suspicious.

He put his hand at the small of my back, and I straightened up as if a current went through me. Energy zipped through my whole body. I felt so connected to him that it was surreal.

His passionate confession of the incident was real; could I hope that Tyler was as into me as I was into him? I felt on cloud nine right now and very thankful I wasn’t an unwitting cheater. I would never do that to someone knowingly.

Emma, Reese, and Travis were in front of a booth, enjoying drinks, laughing their asses off. My sister had a talent for making friends quickly, but this was a record even for her.

She glanced straight at me, and I knew what that look meant. She was silently asking: Is he an asshole, or was it a misunderstanding? I smiled to indicate that everything was fine. She instantly lit up.