He huffed and rolled to his side to give me the room I needed to stand. “In the bathroom. Top drawer. There should be a couple in there. Maw stocked it in case I ever had guests, but I have never had anyone stay the whole night so they never got used.”
“No one has stayed the whole night before? But I thought…” I stopped. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. I could see the expression on Kane’s face darken before he scooted to sit on the edge of the bed.
He took my hands and pulled me between his knees. “Yes, as you know I have had girls over before, and as you also know I am not proud of my past. What I did with those girls was satisfy my needs and then send them on their way. Letting them stay the night would have complicated things and I didn’t want complicated. I wanted what I wanted and nothing more. You are the only person I have ever let spend the night. The only person I have held in my arms all night. You, Kelsey … only you.”
While the thought of him being with another girl tore me apart, and knowing that he was so cruel as to kick them out after getting what he wanted, horrified me. The fact that I could be his first in anything sent a tiny thrill through me. He would be my first of many things. I wanted him to at least have that with me too.
I leaned down and kissed his cheek—still aware of my morning breath, I wasn’t going for his lips right now.
“I know you’re not like that anymore, Kane. While I don’t approve of the person you used to be, I can’t change the past. Lord knows I would if I could. The only thing to do is move forward, and if you want, I would love for you to do so with me.”
He gave me a slight smile. “I really don’t deserve you, Kelsey Rien.”
“Yes, you do.” I smiled as I turned to leave the room to finally take care of this morning breath problem.
When I came back from the bathroom I was more than ready to pick right back up where we left off, but Kane was still sitting in the same position I had left him in. His head was slightly bent and he was looking at something in his hand. When I rounded the corner, I could see that it was my cell phone he was holding.
He looked at me with a blank expression, at first I felt my heart drop to my stomach. Did Jessi texted me? Is something wrong with her? “What’s wrong?” I blurted out.
“Your phone lit up with a text. Nate wants to know if you are still on for this morning.” His tone was so flat. I couldn’t understand what had made his mood change so quickly.
“I can’t believe I forgot about that! What time is it? I bet I am late,” I rambled. I hoped it wasn’t really late and that he hadn’t been waiting on me for long. I can’t believe I had totally forgotten like that. Okay maybe I could believe it. When I was around Kane he did have a tendency to consume my every thought.
Kane sat there still as a statue as I ran around the room looking for my clothes. Then I remembered he washed them for me. “Do you think my clothes are dry?”
His eyes finally met mine and I could see a storm swirling in that beautiful gray. It made me stop dead in my tracks.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
I thought for a second. “No? I was supposed to meet Nate to go over this project we are working on in class at nine this morning, and I completely blanked.”
I could see his shoulders slump, then he stood from the bed and made his way toward me. He held out my phone and I took it. He was acting so strange.
“I’m an ass.”
I gave him a puzzled look, “Okay?”
“First of all, I shouldn’t have looked at your phone. Second, I should not have jumped to the conclusion I did when I read that text.”
“Which was?”
“That you were leaving here to go spend time with Nate.” He hung his head for a second then brought his beautiful gray eyes back up to mine.
I smiled at him and rested my hand against his cheek. “Kane, believe me when I say this. From the second I met you, you were the only guy I have ever thought about as more than a friend. And after last night I hope that you might feel that way too?” I didn’t want to jump the gun and say I was his girlfriend. I wanted to be though. I wanted that so badly but I wouldn’t push him into it.
He lightly grabbed my cheeks and kissed me. He pulled away but still cradled my face in his hands. “Kelsey, after last night I would consider you nothing else but mine.”
I looked at him. “Do you mean...”
“I mean you are mine now. You are my girlfriend, Kelsey. I don’t want anyone but you and I hope you don’t want anyone other than me.”
Girlfriend. He had finally said it. I was Kane Riley’s girlfriend. I smiled so big I thought my jaw was going to lock in place and wrapped my arms around Kane’s neck. He lifted me off the ground where my legs were just dangling in the air and kissed me so hard the rest of the world faded away.
After some coaxing, I finally talked Kane into taking me to the library. He was more than willing to call off work and just keep me locked away in his apartment all day, but I needed to be finishing up this project and he couldn’t just be flaking on work like that because of me.
I texted Nate the minute I got in the truck to let him know I was coming and apologized to him for being as late as I was. In the beginning I thought working with a boy would be hard, that he would be the flake, but nope that would be me. I was so embarrassed.
Kane pulled his truck up in front of the library and I could see Nate leaning against one of the low walls outside. He glanced up when he noticed the truck and I gave him a quick wave through the windshield that he returned with a stiff nod.
“Well”—I turned to Kane—“I guess I will talk to you later?” I wasn’t sure what time he would be off work tonight and I needed to study for a test I would have the next day. So my plans after working with Nate included me in my dorm, in sweats with a text book in my lap, and I wasn’t going to look up until I memorized and knew that book by heart.
“I will text you when I get off tonight. It will probably be pretty late though. I’m going to help them get things stocked back up and cleaned after the rush they had last night.”
I smiled and kissed his lips. “I will wait up for you. I want to be able to tell you good night.”
I started to slide across the seat to get out, but Kane grabbed my hand and pulled me back for a long deep kiss. He took his time thoroughly kissing the outside of my mouth before sliding his tongue across my lips in a teasing manor, as if to see what I would do.