Everything to me, page 15
“I’m flattered. This is a lot to process.” Needing to do something with her hands, she picked up her water bottle and took a sip. “I’m not saying no, but can I take a few days to think about it?”
“Of course. What I’d like to do is to have you go back there next week. But go in with an eye to running the place rather than going in to fix a few problems. I think if you take a couple weeks working there it will help you get a feel for whether you want the job or not. If you decide it isn’t the right fit for you, then no hard feelings, things will stay the same. But if you decide you want it, then we’d like to make the move as soon as possible so you can start putting your mark on the place.”
Either way, she’d be back in San Diego next week. She could see Pete in person and figure out just where the hell things stood between them.
“I will definitely consider it, and I’d be happy to go to San Diego next week and take a look at things.” She stood up and shook her boss’s hand. “I’m honored to have been considered for this position.”
“You aren’t being considered Kendall. You’re who we want. No one could do a better job than you. Of that I’m sure.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
Sandra walked out of the room and Kendall dropped down into her seat. Holy shit.
She shimmied in her chair in a little celebratory dance. Whether or not she took the job, she felt like that Sally Field Oscar meme. You like me, you really like me. They wanted her to run the entire San Diego office. Oh, my god. This was amazing. She sat staring out her office window for several minutes as she processed the information. What would moving look like? Did she want the job? It was significantly more responsibility. She’d be living in the same city as Pete, not just visiting. Would he want to pursue something with her?
Grabbing her phone, she pulled up Pete’s name. The phone rang several times before he finally picked up.
“Hey, what are you doing calling me in the middle of the day?” he asked.
“My boss just left. They need me back in San Diego next week.”
“Really?”
“Yep. So I was thinking we could maybe have some in-person sex rather than doing the Facetime thing while I was there.”
“Would you be able to swing that since Ryan’s in town and there’s no way he’s not making you stay with him?”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t need to know my work schedule. I could have late meetings, or maybe I’ll just stay in a hotel this time.”
Pete made a strange sound. “Yeah, there’s no way you can get away with staying in a hotel when he’s home after you stayed with me last time.”
She wrinkled her nose. “True, but like I said, I could have work dinners and meetings. We could figure something out if you wanted.” Why did he seem so hesitant? “Do you not want to see me?”
“What? No, it’s not that at all. I’m just trying to figure out the logistics of seeing you with Ryan around.”
“It won’t be that bad, trust me.” She looked at the calendar on her desk. “What if I fly in Friday and tell Ryan I’m coming in on Sunday night? That would give us most of the weekend together, and then we can play the rest of the week by ear.”
Pete cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to have to lie to your brother.”
“Oh my god, Pete, seriously, get over it. I am a grown ass woman. If I want to spend the weekend with you, I will. The only reason I would fudge things with my brother is to keep you happy. I couldn’t care less if he knows where I am.”
He coughed. “He definitely can’t know where you are.” Silence hung on the line as she waited for him to speak again. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Ken? I mean…”
“Do you want to see me?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he groaned.
“Perfect, then. I’ll fly in Friday and go to Ryan’s on Sunday. End of discussion.”
“Okay. You’re a bad influence on me, you know,” he complained, making her laugh. No one had ever said she was a bad influence before. She was a rule follower. A good girl. She smiled to herself. She kind of liked the idea that Pete found her so enticing he was willing to break a few rules to be with her.
“I’ll make it worth your while, baby,” she said suggestively.
“Of that, I have no doubt. That’s the problem. I’m kind of blindly following you to hell,” he muttered.
“But what a way to go,” she teased.
“No fucking kidding.”
“It’ll be fine Pete, don’t worry so much. Ryan will be none the wiser and we can enjoy some face-to-face time, which I think we both really want.”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I’d like more than to see you in person.”
“Why’s that unfortunate? It seems like a good thing.”
“Because I shouldn’t want you this much.” He sighed. “You can do so much better than a guy like me.”
“I like how much you want me.” Her stomach fluttered at the heat in his voice. She’d never felt so desirable in her life. The way Pete looked at her, the way he made her body feel. It was intoxicating. She was going to do everything she could to convince him that what they had was worth holding onto. Despite what her brother might think.
“I better get back to work. I’ll talk to you later,” she said and hung up the phone.
Kendall eyed the clock on the dashboard and bit back a groan. She’d caught the earliest direct flight she could, but with delays and traffic to Pete’s place, it was already 12:30 and he had to be at the stadium before 3:00. At this rate, they’d be lucky to get any time together before he had to head to the game. She eyed the bumper-to-bumper traffic in front of her. Enough of this madness. She scooped up her phone and fired up the GPS for an alternate route. Great, now she just needed to get to that exit 300 meters ahead.
Fifteen minutes later, she was still no further forward in the line. Screw it. She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw no other vehicles. She hated to be that guy, but desperate times. She swung the car onto the shoulder of the road and zipped up the line of traffic to the turnoff. As she rounded the corner onto the turnoff, she saw several cars had followed behind her. Okay, she didn’t feel quite so bad about being a dick now since they’d followed suit.
Finally, on the new road, she zipped toward Pete’s house. At 1:15, she pulled up to Pete’s loft. She had barely put the car in park when her door was pulled open and Pete loomed over her.
“Thank god you’re here.” He reached across her and unhooked her seatbelt. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her out of the car and into his arms. His mouth was on her the second she stood upright.
“Fuck, Kendall.” He breathed into her mouth. His firm hands wrapped around her waist, picking her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him to carry her into his house.
His teeth scraped down the side of her neck. “Sorry, I know I’m being a bit of an asshole here.”
She tilted her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck and moaned. “Don’t apologize. I like it.”
He kicked the door closed behind him and pressed her up against the door. “Why do you always smell so fucking good?” he growled. He pushed her shirt off her shoulder and licked his way towards her chest.
Her brain was on overload. She could barely compute what was happening. She’d gone from anxious and stressed to wanton in a heartbeat and her mind could barely keep up.
Kendall threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his head back so she could look at his face. Chests heaving as they both sucked in a breath. His nostrils flared and he licked his lips as he stared back at her. His eyes were cloudy and turbulent with lust and something else she’d never seen before. Her heart raced. My god, the way he looked at her. It had to mean something. There was no way he could look at her like that and not feel the same way she did. She arched her hips and pressed her core against his hard cock. “Take me to bed, Pete.”
His lips crashed against hers. His hand tightened around her ass and kneaded the flesh as he stalked towards the stairs.
“Put me down and I’ll walk up the stairs,” she grumbled.
“We’ve had this conversation before. I like carrying you. If you want to be helpful, you could ditch the shirt.”
Kendall grabbed the hem of her sweater and peeled it over her head, and dropped it on the stairs as they ascended towards Pete’s room.
A low groan rumbled from Pete’s chest, and she followed his stare down to her chest. Her nipples beaded tightly against the lace of her bra, clearly visible beneath the sheer fabric.
She reached behind her back to get the clasp.
“No, leave it,” Pete grunted.
“Really?”
“Definitely.” He stopped on the step and pressed her against the wall. Dipping his head, he sucked her nipple into his mouth and dragged his teeth against it. As her nipple tightened, the lace scratched against her sensitive skin. “Holy shit,” she groaned. Maybe he was onto something with leaving the bra on. The lace had felt so soft before, now it rubbed roughly against her nipple, making it hypersensitive. The contrast between Pete’s hot mouth and the slightly raw feeling created by the lace felt amazing.
Pete spun her off the wall and quickly carried her up the final steps. In his bedroom, he set her down and followed her onto the mattress.
Needing to feel his weight on her, she dug her heels into his ass and pulled him tightly against her. Pete groaned and ground his hips into her. They had far too many clothes on. She reached down and pushed his track pants down and over his ass. Thank god he was dressed casually and not in jeans.
Pete pushed back, reaching down with one arm, he shoved his pants down further. The muscles in his arms flexed as he held himself above her. She ran her fingers down the ridges of his forearm. Loving the way the muscles quivered beneath her touch, she continued to stroke his arm.
He pulled her pants off and stared down at her body clad only in the lacy bra. “This first time is going to be fast. I promise to make it up to you after the game,” he told her.
“Fast is good.” She arched her back, and he grabbed her hips and pressed his cock against her heated core. “Fast is perfect,” she moaned.
Pete bit back a groan. “Hold that thought.” He leaned over and grabbed a condom from the bedside table and quickly sheathed himself. “Okay, where were we?”
Kendall reached down and grabbed his cock. She slid her hand up the shaft once, twice, loving the way Pete grit his teeth as he watched her hand slowly stroking his shaft. She pressed him to her entrance and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. “I think we were about here,” she murmured.
Pete grabbed her hips and pressed deeply in one firm thrust, causing them both to moan. Even as turned on as she was, it took a second to adjust to his size and she held him in place for a moment. Threading her hands into his hair, she pulled his mouth down to hers. His tongue dipped into her mouth and she sucked it inside. Pete’s hands gripped her hips firmly. His fingers dug into her flesh as he fought to hold on to his control. She swiveled her hips and clenched her inner muscles, and Pete’s head dropped back. “Jesus, Ken, you gotta stop or I’m not going to last at all.”
“Good. I don’t want you to last. I want you to fuck me hard like you want to.”
His eyes whipped open and he stared down at her, hungry and wild. “Be careful what you ask for,” he growled.
She squeezed her inner muscles again. “I know exactly what I’m asking for.”
His mouth crashed down on hers. His tongue mimicked the motion of his cock as he thrust into her. Hard, fast. All she could do was hold on for the ride as he took what he wanted.
This was what she’d asked for, Pete undone, out of control because he needed her just as much as she needed him.
Pete pushed up on his knees, bringing her with him so her body was half up in the air. “Oh my god,” she cried out. The new angle hit her in an incredible way, the friction of his pelvis hitting her clit as he thrust, adding a whole new dimension. She reached above her head and held onto the headboard to hold herself in place. There was no way she was losing this angle now that he’d hit it. “Don’t stop,” she begged.
Pete threw his head back and his hips jerked as he came.
Damn. She relaxed her hand from its grasp.
“Leave your hands there,” Pete growled.
What was happening? She didn’t think guys could keep going once they were done. Clearly, she was wrong.
Holding her in place with one arm, he reached down and pinched her clit as he continued to thrust into her.
“Oh my god,” she groaned as her orgasm ripped through her. Spent, she flopped her arms onto the mattress. What a welcome.
Pete quickly went into the bathroom and returned a moment later. She pried her eyes open when he dropped onto the mattress beside her.
“I promise to do better when I get home from the game,” he said as he placed a kiss against her shoulder.
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
A slow, cocky grin spread across his face. “Just wait.” He kissed her shoulder again. “Sorry, I have to head to the stadium for warm-up. I’ll get back here as quickly as I can after the game.”
“Good luck.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him down for a kiss.
He groaned against her lips. “Damn, I have never wanted to call in sick for work before in my life.”
She knew that feeling well. Kendall giggled. “Get to work. I’ll be here when you get home.”
He stared down at her for several seconds without saying anything, then finally nodded his head. Pushing off the bed, he glanced down at her. “Get some rest. I have plans for you tonight,” he said and waggled his eyebrows.
“Promises, promises.” Kendall winked. “Now get to work.”
She watched him as he left the room. Glancing around Pete’s bedroom, she sighed. This was where she belonged, and she was going to make him see that this weekend. Enough of this secretive friends with benefits garbage. She was going to prove to him just how good they could be together if he gave them a chance.
Chapter Fourteen
Pete glanced over at Kendall as she reached into the fridge on Sunday morning. What a weekend. He never would have thought he’d enjoy having someone in his space as much as he enjoyed having Kendall there. Growing up playing ball, he’d billeted at people’s houses and roomed with teammates, and he’d always found the process somewhat painful. The communal space, the lack of privacy, it had always felt so invasive. Somehow, with Kendall, it was different.
She turned and handed him the blueberries and set the pint of raspberries on the island. “Quit slacking and get stirring that batter, mister. Those muffins aren’t going to make themselves.”
He eyed the recipe in front of him and the amount of sugar listed and raised his eyebrow as he looked at her skeptically. “How can you call them muffins? They are more like cupcakes.”
Kendall narrowed her eyes and scowled at him. “Clearly they’re muffins. They have crumble topping with oats. Everyone knows oats are breakfast food.”
Pete snorted. “Yeah, oatmeal. Not sugar laden crumble.”
“Just wait. You are going to eat your words when you taste these things.”
He scooped the batter into the muffin tins and slid the tray into the oven. Turning, he glanced at Kendall. “We have twenty minutes,” he said, and waggled his eyebrows at her.
He’d expected her to move towards him. Instead, she chewed her bottom lip nervously and then sat down on a stool at the island. “Can we maybe talk instead?”
“Uh, sure, what’s up?” His stomach tensed at the look on her face. Anxiety streamed off her in waves. What the hell was going on?
She rang her hands together and glanced at him then back down at her hands. “So, um, I haven’t really known how to bring this up.”
“Shit, you’re not pregnant, are you?” His heart pounded in his chest. Kendall was going to hate him. He’d fucked up her life just like he’d fucked up his parents.
“What? No. God.” Kendall sat up straight on her stool. “Relax, it’s nothing like that. But good to know how freaked out you would be if I was.”
“Well, come on, we’re not exactly in a position to have a baby. That’s pretty much the exact opposite of casual.”
Kendall leaned back on her stool and pinned him with a stare. “Is that still what you want?”
His shoulder muscles tensed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, is that still what you want? Just something casual with me?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “We talked about this. What else can we be?” His brain fought to come back online as he tried to process the conversation, but all he kept hearing was his dad’s voice telling him what a stupid fuckup he was.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said before, things can change.”
Where was she going here? This was exactly what he was afraid of when they’d agreed to do this casual arrangement. “Spell it out for me Ken, what are we talking about?”
She worried her bottom lip between her teeth again, then squared her shoulders and made eye contact with him. “I didn’t want to bring it up earlier because I wanted to enjoy the weekend, and I’m not sure what you are going to say when I tell you this.”
“Spit it out,” he growled.
“The reason I’m back here in San Diego is because they offered me Mark’s job. So I’m here to decide if I want it.”
“Mark’s job, like the weeny in charge? That Mark?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, that’s great. It would be a fantastic opportunity for you.”
“Yep.”
Shit, what did that mean for them if Kendall moved to the city? His gaze flashed back to her. “What are you asking?”
She stood up and walked towards him. Standing right in front of him, she placed her hands around his waist. “I guess I’m asking if I moved here, would you want to try to have a real relationship with me?”
