Inseparable (10 page)

Something hard twisted his gut as he visualized it. This wasn’t just any woman he was having lustful thoughts about. This was Kenna—his best friend. She was the one woman in the whole entire world he admired, trusted and respected. What kind of Kool-Aid had he been drinking lately, and whatever the flavor it had to have been spiked. A shudder rippled through him at the thought of how his mind had gotten warped ever since she
had arrived on his doorstep a few days ago and he hadn’t come to his senses since.

“Do you have a problem with my shoes, Reese?”

He blinked and shifted his gaze upward toward her eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re staring at them.”

She thought the reason he was staring was because of her shoes. She had no idea he hadn’t made it past her thighs. Besides, he had checked out her shoes earlier, and quickly came to the conclusion that on her feet they made her legs lethal. “No, I don’t have a problem with your shoes,” he said, deciding to leave well enough alone.

He walked to the other side of the car and slid inside.

“Then why were you staring at them?” she said.

He shrugged as he buckled his seat belt. “You usually don’t wear heels that high,” he said.

“Yes, I know,” she said, giving him a conspiratorial wink. “Tonight I plan to enjoy myself.”

“And those shoes are going to help make that possible?” he asked as he backed out the driveway.

“For what I have in mind, yes.”

The words were spoken with determination, in a voice belonging to someone who had her mind made up. He struggled not to stiffen.
Just what were her plans for tonight?

For the time being he was better off not knowing. He tried to concentrate on his driving as he maneuvered over mostly barren roads as he drove toward the interstate. The distance from his home to the hub of Houston was about twenty minutes. Usually, he enjoyed the ride, but tonight he was feeling tense, and all because of the woman sitting in the seat next to him.

She was wearing a different perfume,
he thought. He had picked up on it. His gaze narrowed on the road. What the hell was going on with him? But the bigger question was what was
going on with Kenna? He glanced over at her when he came to a stop sign. “Nice perfume.”

A smile spread across what he thought was a pair of incredible-looking glossed lips when she glanced over at him. “You noticed?”

How could he not, when he wanted to inhale her right there?
“Yes, I noticed.”

Her smile widened. “Good.”

He lifted a brow. “And why is that good?”

She chuckled. “Because when it comes to women you can be slow about noticing some things, Reese. That means if
you
of all people noticed my perfume, there’s still hope.”

Hope for what?
It took all he could do not to swear under his breath. He decided to change the subject and not dwell on the party. “You haven’t forgotten about Luke’s grand opening next weekend, have you?”

She shifted in her seat and he heard silk rub against skin again. The sound made those lustful fantasies return to his head. He quickly shoved them aside.

“No, I haven’t forgotten,” she said in what he thought was a sexy and husky voice.

“I’ll take care of our plane tickets.”

He heard the swishing of silk against skin again. “Ours? Like yours and mine?”

He detected surprise in her tone and wondered why. “Yes, ours. Like yours and mine.”

“What about Alyson?”

He glanced over at her as he exited the interstate. “What about her?”

“Isn’t she going?”

“As far as I know, she wasn’t invited,” he said, coming to a traffic light.

“B…but I thought she would be going with you.”

He cocked his head. “I don’t know why you would assume
that when I told you a couple of months ago that Alyson and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

“Yes, but you’re seeing her tonight.”

“Because she’s giving you a party. Um, let me rephrase that.
I’m
giving you the party. Only thing is that it’s at her place and she’s acting as hostess.”

“And I’m sure you know the real reason why.”

He couldn’t help but smile. Evidently she thought he might be slow in some things but not in others. Instead of responding to her comment he concentrated on the road. Yes, he knew the real reason, and as far as he was concerned it was a wasted effort on Alyson’s part.

They heard the boisterous partiers the moment the car pulled into Alyson’s driveway. Kenna couldn’t help glancing around at the many cars parked just about everywhere when Reese’s car came to a stop. He glanced over at her. “Sounds like the party started without you.”

“Yes, sounds like it,” she said, letting go of her seat belt and wishing she could let go of her nerves as well. For the past five minutes her stomach had been twisting in knots, and she’d been trying to convince herself that she would be doing the right thing by coming to this party with the intention of finding a guy. This was the first time she’d gone on a manhunt, and if it hadn’t been for some online dating advice, she’d be totally clueless now.
Rule number one: It’s okay to flirt, but don’t come across as too available.

She smiled at Reese when he opened the car door for her. “Thanks.”

He nodded as he closed the door behind her. She lifted a brow and glanced over at him as they walked toward the front door. She had been so busy trying to quell her nerves that it just dawned on her that Reese had gotten really quiet in the past few minutes.

She slowed when they reached the door and paused. “Hey, you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She cocked her head to size him up, wondering why he’d given what she perceived as a smart-aleck answer, and was about to ask when the front door opened and a gorgeous-looking Alyson threw herself in Reese’s arms and proceeded to place a huge kiss on his lips.

Jealousy ran up Kenna’s spine and she realized at that moment that no matter what Reese had said earlier, he was going to have a hard time fighting off Alyson’s advances tonight. The woman was on the prowl, and Reese was her prey.

Alyson turned to her, smiling brightly. “Kenna, you look great, girl. There are quite a few people inside dying to meet you.”

Before she could open her mouth to respond, Alyson took her hand and pulled her inside and they immediately got lost among the crowd.

Reese didn’t need anyone to tell him he was in a bad mood, because he felt his less-than-pleasant attitude all the way to his bones. By the time he got inside and made it through the crowd of people, several things became quite clear. He knew less than half of them, and eighty percent of them were men. What the hell was Alyson thinking?

He frowned because he knew damn well what she’d been thinking and he didn’t like it. He paused in the act of taking a sip of his drink and glanced across the room. Kenna was surrounded by a group of men, as she had been most of the evening.
Who in the hell did they think they were, crowded around her like that?
They were flirting, and it was obvious she was flirting back. And he wasn’t sure just how he felt about that.

He took a swig of his beer and knew it was a lie the moment the thought popped into his head. He did know how he felt about it. He didn’t like it one bit. She was beautiful, damnit—a seductress
in a blue dress. He knew it and every man in the room knew it. She looked beautiful. But it wasn’t just the dress. It was the entire package. Not surprisingly, quite a few men had latched on to her and had no intention of letting go.

He glanced at his watch. It was past midnight now and he had a mind to leave and take Kenna with him. But it was her party, and so he figured doing such a thing wouldn’t be a good idea. He glanced over at Kenna. It seemed some of her admirers had finally whittled away. And instead of being surrounded by a group of men, there was only one man who remained, determined to vie for her attention.

“Looks like you’re ready for another one of these,” Alyson said, suddenly appearing at his side. She took the almost empty beer bottle out of his hand and replaced it with a full one.

“Thanks.”

“And sorry I had to leave you for a moment. I had to make sure the caterers kept the food coming. In other words, Mr. Madaris, I intend to make sure you get your money’s worth tonight. I think the food is fantastic.”

He nodded as he took another swig of his beer, even though the catering was the last thing on his mind. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that she didn’t need to apologize for leaving him, since he’d needed the time alone. She’d remained tethered to him the entire evening, having left only briefly to deal with the caterers.

He glanced around the room but his gaze kept returning to Kenna. “Who is that guy who’s practically breathing down her neck?”

Alyson’s gaze followed his and she had the nerve to smile. “Oh, that’s Dr. Wendell Thomas, a well-respected neurologist who recently joined the staff at Park Plaza Hospital last month. Umm, look how she’s blushing. I think she likes him.”

Reese decided not to share his thoughts about that. But he
would share his thoughts on something else that bothered him. “Why are there more men here than women, Alyson?”

She stopped sipping her glass of beer and looked at him. “The purpose of the party, Reese, was for Kenna to meet people.”

He gave her a cold stare. “I’m well aware of that, Alyson. But she was supposed to meet people, not just men.”

She frowned at him. “And why do you have such a problem with it?”

He couldn’t answer that. So he denied it. “I don’t have a problem with it.”

She twisted her mouth in exasperation. “Yes, you do, Reese.”

He was about to respond to Alyson’s accusation, but he looked across the room and discovered Kenna was standing alone for the first time tonight. Evidently the neck-breather had gone to fetch her another glass of wine or something. It didn’t matter where the man had gone off to. Reese refused to pass up an opportunity to snag Kenna’s attention, if only for a second.

Not giving Alyson a backward glance, “Excuse me for a moment,” he said, and then quickly walked across the room toward Kenna.

Chapter 9

K
enna glanced to her right just in time to see Reese heading across the room toward her—tall, dark and handsome, wide-chested and broad-shouldered. She couldn’t help but admire what a fine specimen of a man he was.

He was wearing a pair of dark trousers and a blue shirt, and as far as she was concerned there was no man at the party who looked better than him. No man who could make her heart jump in her chest like he could, including the very eligible Dr. Thomas, who was determined that she spend the night in his bed tonight. Fat chance! She needed a man in her life, not a
sex
partner.

“Here,” Reese said when he came to a stop in front of her. “You need this,” he said, handing her his beer bottle.

She took a couple of sips and then handed it back to him. “Thanks. And how did you know I needed that?”

He looked down at her, giving her his best grin. “Because I know you.”

She nodded. Yes, he did know her, and because he knew her it
wouldn’t be long before he figured out her problem and the part he played in it. She couldn’t let that happen. “Are you enjoying the party, Reese?”

“No.”

She glanced up at him. “Why not? I think Alyson did a fantastic job spending your money.”

“That’s not the point.”

She waited to see if he would clarify the point, but he didn’t. Instead he asked, “What happened to the good doctor?”

She lifted a brow. Was that irritation she heard in his voice? “Wendell was paged by the hospital and went out on the patio to take the call.”

“And left you alone?”

She chuckled. “Don’t pretend you’re agonizing over it, Reese.”

“But I am.”

She drew in a deep breath. Yes, he was probably agonizing over it, mainly because of that overprotective side of him. “Well, now is not the time. Wendell is returning, so put on a smile so I can introduce the two of you.”

“What if I said I didn’t want to be introduced to him?”

“Then I’d tell you to retract those protective claws. Every man I meet isn’t going to be another Terrence, Lamont or Curtis.”

She didn’t have time to say any more because at that moment Wendell returned. She smiled up at him. “Wendell, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Reese Madaris.”

Wendell raised his chin in time to see Reese tighten his jaw. “Your best friend?” he asked as he held out his hand to Reese.

“Yes, her best friend,” Reese responded, not giving Kenna a chance to do so.

Wendell studied Reese as if sizing him up. Reese did likewise. The man’s handshake was strong, and Reese respected that even if he didn’t like his obvious interest in Kenna.

“I’ve invited Kenna to go boating with me tomorrow,” the doctor said smiling. “She’s accepted.”

Reese looked at her as he took another sip of his beer. “Is that a fact?”

Kenna glanced over at Reese, and from her expression he could tell she was probably wondering what in the world was going on with him. He glared down at her and in response she glared right back.

Alyson seemed to suddenly materialize out of nowhere. “Excuse me, but Reese, may I borrow you for a second?”

He blinked and then shifted his gaze from Kenna to Alyson. “Yes, for a second.”

Kenna watched as the pair walked off toward the patio. She noticed Reese was striding powerfully, as if he was agitated. It was taking some effort for Alyson to keep up with him.

“They make a nice couple, don’t they?” Wendell said.

She glanced up at Wendell’s face. He was studying her expression as if to see what sort of reaction he would get from her. She smiled brightly, deciding not to give away the fact that her heart was slowly breaking. “Yes, Reese and Alyson make a nice couple.”

“What in the world is wrong with you, Reese?”

His eyes flickered at Alyson. She looked genuinely confused. And he was trying to refrain from saying, welcome to the club. She looked beautiful; he would be the first to admit it. And more than a number of people had remarked that the two of them looked good together. But what they lacked, which she evidently hadn’t picked up on in the ten months they’d dated exclusively, was chemistry.