this hunger that suddenly burned inside her. Surely once more would satisfy her for good…
Turkey and cheese on whole grain was not exactly what Kendra would call a gourmet dinner, but at least it was decent fuel. She stood in her small kitchen, still in her shorts and sport bra, both damp from her hour-long session with dumbbells and the yoga mat. She’d worked her chest and arms today, alternating pushups with curls and triceps extensions. Right now her criteria for supper were simple. It had to have protein and it couldn’t be anything that required her to lift her arms farther than shoulder height. They were currently like jelly.
She was halfway through her sandwich and on her third glass of water when there was a knock on her door.
She looked through the Judas hole and saw Jake standing there. She hadn’t seen him since that morning…the morning they’d left things friendly but ambiguous. She didn’t think being with Jake had been a mistake, but neither was she looking for a relationship. Apparently Jake wasn’t either, because he hadn’t put up any argument. If anything, they’d parted on relaxed terms.
Only she hadn’t felt all that relaxed. Because she couldn’t escape the memory of how it had felt to be curled up in his lap, to cry on his shoulder and to wake up with him surrounding her the next morning. Those things had nothing to do with sex…and that made her uneasy.
“Kendra, open up.”
She stepped back from the door as if he could see through the peephole on the other side. What a ninny she was. Letting out a breath, she snagged her T-shirt from a chair and pulled it over her head before she opened the door.
“Jake. What brings you by?”
It was casual and cool and she gave herself a mental pat on the back. He stepped inside and held out a piece of paper. “I thought you might be interested in this. It could be fun, if you’re not on shift.”
She took the yellow paper from his hands and read the black printing. “A golf tournament?”
“It’s a benefit on the Labor Day weekend for one of my parent’s neighbors. Their kid is really sick and my dad’s a member of the club. A bunch of them got together and organized it as a fundraiser. We’ve got corporate sponsors lined up and it’s forty dollars for the day. That gives you your green fees, a cart and a steak dinner at the end of the day.”
“I don’t know, Jake.”
“Gabe and Carly are with me. But we need a fourth to make a team.”
“I don’t golf.”
“I’ll teach you. It’s Texas Scramble anyway, best ball off the tee. You’ll be fine.”
She turned away, holding the paper tightly in her fingers. The damnable thing was that she wanted to go. She liked Gabe. He was a good paramedic and Carly seemed sweet and nice. But it would look like a couple’s outing.
“I’ll have to check my schedule.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Kendra Givens, you are a liar. You know your schedule from now until the end of September.”
He was right. She did. It irked her that he already knew her so well.
“If you don’t want to go, just say so.”
“It’s not that, it’s…” She handed the paper back to him. “It’s just that Gabe and Carly are engaged, and if I go with you it’ll look like…well, like we’re together.”
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
Would it? She wondered how it would appear to her coworkers, but if she were being honest with herself none of them had a problem with Jake. Hell, it wasn’t uncommon for the guys to stop off for an after-work drink and a basket of wings.
No, the problem was hers. And lately she was having a harder time coming up with excuses as to why Jake was so very bad. Especially now that she knew about Khaterah.
“I’ll think about it,” she prevaricated. “I was just having a sandwich. You want one?”
She turned her back and went to the counter to get her plate. Jake shut the door behind him. “I ate at the pub. It was Guinness Pie night.”
The dry
Turkey and cheese on whole grain was not exactly what Kendra would call a gourmet dinner, but at least it was decent fuel. She stood in her small kitchen, still in her shorts and sport bra, both damp from her hour-long session with dumbbells and the yoga mat. She’d worked her chest and arms today, alternating pushups with curls and triceps extensions. Right now her criteria for supper were simple. It had to have protein and it couldn’t be anything that required her to lift her arms farther than shoulder height. They were currently like jelly.
She was halfway through her sandwich and on her third glass of water when there was a knock on her door.
She looked through the Judas hole and saw Jake standing there. She hadn’t seen him since that morning…the morning they’d left things friendly but ambiguous. She didn’t think being with Jake had been a mistake, but neither was she looking for a relationship. Apparently Jake wasn’t either, because he hadn’t put up any argument. If anything, they’d parted on relaxed terms.
Only she hadn’t felt all that relaxed. Because she couldn’t escape the memory of how it had felt to be curled up in his lap, to cry on his shoulder and to wake up with him surrounding her the next morning. Those things had nothing to do with sex…and that made her uneasy.
“Kendra, open up.”
She stepped back from the door as if he could see through the peephole on the other side. What a ninny she was. Letting out a breath, she snagged her T-shirt from a chair and pulled it over her head before she opened the door.
“Jake. What brings you by?”
It was casual and cool and she gave herself a mental pat on the back. He stepped inside and held out a piece of paper. “I thought you might be interested in this. It could be fun, if you’re not on shift.”
She took the yellow paper from his hands and read the black printing. “A golf tournament?”
“It’s a benefit on the Labor Day weekend for one of my parent’s neighbors. Their kid is really sick and my dad’s a member of the club. A bunch of them got together and organized it as a fundraiser. We’ve got corporate sponsors lined up and it’s forty dollars for the day. That gives you your green fees, a cart and a steak dinner at the end of the day.”
“I don’t know, Jake.”
“Gabe and Carly are with me. But we need a fourth to make a team.”
“I don’t golf.”
“I’ll teach you. It’s Texas Scramble anyway, best ball off the tee. You’ll be fine.”
She turned away, holding the paper tightly in her fingers. The damnable thing was that she wanted to go. She liked Gabe. He was a good paramedic and Carly seemed sweet and nice. But it would look like a couple’s outing.
“I’ll have to check my schedule.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Kendra Givens, you are a liar. You know your schedule from now until the end of September.”
He was right. She did. It irked her that he already knew her so well.
“If you don’t want to go, just say so.”
“It’s not that, it’s…” She handed the paper back to him. “It’s just that Gabe and Carly are engaged, and if I go with you it’ll look like…well, like we’re together.”
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
Would it? She wondered how it would appear to her coworkers, but if she were being honest with herself none of them had a problem with Jake. Hell, it wasn’t uncommon for the guys to stop off for an after-work drink and a basket of wings.
No, the problem was hers. And lately she was having a harder time coming up with excuses as to why Jake was so very bad. Especially now that she knew about Khaterah.
“I’ll think about it,” she prevaricated. “I was just having a sandwich. You want one?”
She turned her back and went to the counter to get her plate. Jake shut the door behind him. “I ate at the pub. It was Guinness Pie night.”
The dry
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