24. Kennedy

It’s spring,and I’m home for my father’s 50th birthday party this weekend. Shane’s mother is throwing it for him. She doesn’t know anyone in our family or any of my father’s friends, but she wanted to do it anyway.

I think my aunt took pity on her and helped her with the planning. I’m not really sure. I just know that tomorrow night I’ll be sitting in a small hotel ballroom with a hundred other people toasting to my dad. I’m not looking forward to it because this will be the first time I have to publicly acknowledge alongside Shane that his mother is a part of our lives, but what could I do?

I’m sitting on my bed, surrounded by textbooks and notes, trying to focus on studying for my Applied Business Analysis midterm, but my mind keeps drifting. The soft hum of my laptop and the distant sounds of neighborhood birds outside my window are the only things breaking the silence. That is until I hear a soft knock on my door.

“Come in,” I call out, already knowing who it is. This is the first time since our parents started dating that Shane is actually staying over at my house for the weekend.

The door creaks open, and Shane steps in, a playful grin on his face. My stomach immediately does that flip-flop thing it always does whenever I see him.

“Hey, pretty girl,” he says, leaning against the doorframe. He notices the notes on my bed. “Are you actually studying or pretending to study?”

I roll my eyes but can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. “Pretending.”

He walks over and flops on my bed, making himself comfortable among my scattered papers. “Mind if I join you? I promise not to be too much of a distraction. You know, since you’re not doing much anyway.”

“You’re always a distraction, Shane.”

He reaches for one of my textbooks, flipping through the pages with exaggerated interest. “Hmm, fascinating stuff.”

“Is it?” I deadpan.

“I love how you’re so old school with your studying,” he says, lifting up one of my notebooks. “Do you need an economics tutor?”

“It’s not economics,” I scoff, grabbing the notebook from his hands and setting it aside. “And I think I’m good, thanks.”

He gives me a mock pout. “Aw, come on. I’m sure I could teach you a thing or two.”

“Like what?” I challenge, raising an eyebrow.

“Like how to take a break,” he says, leaning in closer, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You’ve been sitting up here trying to pretend tomorrow isn’t just a dress rehearsal for their wedding one day.”

“Shane!”

“You need to relax.”

He grabs my wrist and uses his thumb to rub along one of the veins gently. He’s doing it to calm me down, but it has the opposite effect. I feel my pulse quicken as it sends a thrill through me.

“And I’m sure you have a million suggestions for doing just that.”

“You’ve been a grouch since we landed.”

“I should be in Nevada. I have exams to prepare for.”

“It’s a milestone birthday for your dad.”

“I know but–”

“We’re here now. You have to make the best out of it, Kee-Kee,” he mocks.

“Shut up.”

“You never once told me that was your nickname,” he chuckles. “It’s adorable and fits my little grump perfectly.”

My little grump.

God, what are the two of us doing?

“Maybe we could start with a little fun.” He grins, his eyes locking onto mine.

“What kind of fun did you have in mind with our parents sitting several feet below us?”

“Why is your mind always in the gutter?” he laughs. Then, without warning, he grabs a pillow and playfully swats me with it. “Pillow fight!”

I cackle, grabbing a pillow of my own and swinging it at him. We tumble across the bed, laughing and dodging each other’s attacks. The room fills with the sound of our laughter, the tensions of earlier melting away.

After a few minutes, we collapse onto the bed, breathless and giggling. Shane props himself up on one elbow, looking down at me with a smile that makes my heart skip.

“See? Isn’t this more fun than studying?” he asks, his voice soft.

“Okay, you win.” I nod, still catching my breath. “This is definitely more fun.”

He reaches out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “You have the most beautiful smile, you know that?” he says, his tone suddenly serious. “I love seeing you happy.”

I look into his eyes, my heart swelling with emotions I wish weren’t there. He leans in, his lips just a breath away from mine. “Do I make you happy, Kennedy?”

“This might be an appropriate time to mention the last and final rule of our arrangement,” I say, staring uncomfortably at my bedroom door. We made a lot of noise playing around up here. My dad could walk in at any time, and there’d be no hiding what he’d see. It’s all over my face whenever I’m around Shane.

I’m falling hard for this guy.

How did I let this happen?

“You’re always running from me,” he says solemnly. “Do you want me to lock the door?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“What’s your new rule then?” he asks, clearly exasperated with me.

“Keeping our distance from each other when we’re in my house,” I whisper.

“Then we’re going to have problems because keeping my distance from you is not one of my strengths.”

Shane gives me one of his infamous looks that makes my core tremble.

“Shane,” I warn, more for myself than him.

“Kennedy,” he whispers, his voice husky. “I don’t want to hide anymore. I want us to be together, openly.”

His words send a pang of fear through me. I pull back slightly, searching his eyes. “Shane, you know we can’t.”

He sighs, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. “I know you think we can’t, but it’s been months. We can’t keep sneaking around forever.”

“We can’t?”

“No, we can’t,” Shane’s expression hardens.

I sit up, hugging my knees to my chest. “So you’re ready to go downstairs and tell your mother all about us because I can guarantee you that my parents will never accept it. My father may even try to kill you. What will that do to her?”

Shane moves closer to me. “Come here, Kennedy.”

“What about my last rule?” I tremble.

“Fuck those rules. Come here,” he demands.

Shane’s hand slowly traces down the side of my face. “If I want to kiss you right here, right now, I should be able to.”

My eyes close from the pleasure of his touch. A touch I’ve grown to crave more every day. He leans in and gives me the sexiest, softest kiss. A kiss that makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

My reluctant response to it only makes him slide his hand down and around the base of my neck, lightly squeezing it, forcing me to open my mouth wider. When he finally ends the kiss, I’m breathless.

“Lock the door,” he commands.

When I return to bed, my apprehension morphs into excitement. This might be something I need to talk about with Dr. Torres in our next session, but there’s something exhilarating and really filthy about making out with Shane in my childhood bedroom.

“Climb up,” he tells me, and I wrap my arms and legs around him, sitting on his lap. I can feel how much he wants me through our clothes.

“Ride me.”

His dick grows harder as I grind my hips against it.

“That’s it, baby. Work that pussy for me.”

He lifts my shirt and wraps his mouth around one of my nipples, already hardened with my constant want of this man.

I lean back to give him more of me and to change the angle of my hips. We’ve done this many times before in hidden locations on campus when Shane wants to make me come but do it fast.

“If you’d let me, I’d fuck you all over this room,” he talks dirty to me. “On your hands and knees, just the way you like it, over there.”

I moan.

“In your mouth by the window.”

“Shane.”

“Then I’d let you ride me reverse cowboy on the bed and watch yourself come in the mirror.”

“Fuck!” I mutter, biting down on his shoulder as my body contracts with a violent release.

He laughs almost diabolically as the aftershocks make me shudder. “Did you like that, baby?” he whispers.

“Be quiet,” I tell him, still completely wrapped around him.

“On your knees,” he tells me. “You’re not done.”

My body is humming with pleasure as I kneel in front of Shane. His eyes are sparkling with excitement as he pulls out his thick dick and pumps himself in anticipation of my mouth.

“Give me that pretty mouth now.”

I lower my head down and take Shane in my mouth. Giving him head is one of my favorite things to do. I feel powerful when I do it, and truth be told, I like to be the one responsible for giving him pleasure.

“Yes,” he hisses. “Just like that. Now finger yourself for me, baby.”

I pump the base of his dick with my left hand, suck with my mouth, and finger fuck myself with the right. It feels so damn good that I’m not going to last very long but I know that’s the point.

I moan as my next orgasm winds along my spine, and Shane moans because of the vibrations it makes with him completely in my mouth.

“Swallow every drop, baby,” he tells me thickly. “I’m about to come so hard.”

I suck him harder with my mouth knowing it should put him over the edge and it does. I rub my clit out as his body shudders in ecstasy and then fall into my own bliss as his salty release slides down my throat.

He’s breathing heavily when he lifts me back up into his lap, peppering kisses along my neck and dangerously close to my mouth. We’ve already broken my third rule. Hell, I’ll never look at this room in the same way again, but I can’t break another, so I turn my head.

He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Kennedy, we’ve been hiding for too long. I want to fight for us, but I need you to fight for us too.”

“Don’t ruin it,” I say, my voice trembling. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Shane’s jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment, clearly trying to control his frustration. He lifts me off of him on gently onto the bed as if I don’t weigh a thing.

“My mom said dinner tonight is at six.” He stands to leave. “And be sure to act like you love whatever it is she’s cooked. You’re good at pretending.”