Kenton (11 page)

Kenton listened to Lewis tell him what had happened twice before he asked him

about the dragon. He could tell that Lewis thought it was funny for some reason, but all

Kenton could think about was that they now shared something. His dragon.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t want her to have a part of his dragon, he told Lewis. He

figured that she’d brought him out, so there was no reason to not share. But the fact was

he was still trying his best to figure things out, and she seemed to have a handle on it

all, whatever handle that might have been for her.

“You know that makes no sense whatsoever.” He asked Lewis what he meant.

“You just said that you didn’t care if she had a part of you, but that you were jealous

that she was better at it than you. Better at what? You think she knew what she was

doing?”

“Yes.” Lewis just shook his head. “You said that she went after those vamps like

she meant it. How the hell did she know that they’d be afraid of her? Or for that matter,

how on earth did she know to call the dragon out to scare them off?”

“I don’t think she did. I think she was as surprised at that as the vampires were. But

I would like to point out that she was there for us.” Kenton asked him how. “They were

dragging Mom through the door. And there wasn’t shit either Grady or I could do

about it. We were captured by their voice and all but Emma was hearing it.”

Kenton wondered about that for a moment. “Mom seems to think that there is

something there, something between Emma and me. I don’t think Emma cares all that

much for me.”

“She does. I think, like you, she’s not sure. Perhaps you should use some of that

charm you use on Mrs. Bishop and talk to her.” Kenton pointed out that Mrs. Bishop

was ninety-four years old and loved his flirting ways. “Yeah, well, big brother, I’m

betting that Emma will as well. If you don’t, then I’m going to ask her out. I like her.”

“Stay away from her.” He had no idea how he’d managed to get across the room

and have his brother in a head lock, but he didn’t let him go right away. Instead, he told

him that she was his. “If you so much as pretend to ask her out, I’ll cut you in ways that

your next girlfriend will laugh her ass off at you.”

“Then fucking do something about it before she decides that waiting on you is a

waste of her time.” Lewis stood up when he let him go and turned to him as he

continued. “She’s beautiful, smart, extremely funny, and has had her heart broken more

times than most. And all because of family members. She told Mom today that she has

nothing. No home, no clothing, and no job. She feels that once she moves on, changes

her name, things are going to start looking up. Especially now that her brother is dead. I

myself can’t imagine being excited that if one of you were gone, but she’s almost giddy

with it.”

Long after Lewis left for his own home, Kenton sat on his mother’s porch swing. He

had never felt so lost around a woman in his life as he did Emma. She tied him up in

knots tighter than he’d ever been since he’d realized that he could have fun with girls

that didn’t involve football or baseball.

He looked up when he heard the door open behind him. Emma was struggling to

come out with a glass of tea and a plate of cookies in one hand, and her crutches, both

of them, up under her other arm. He rushed to help her by scooping her up in his arms

and putting her on the swing he’d been sitting on.

“You could have just taken the plate, you know. You guys are going to hurt

something hefting me around all the time.” He only stared at her, not sure if she was

serious or not. “I only wanted to come out and enjoy the sun setting. I didn’t know you

were out here.”

“You don’t weigh that much. And being what we are, we’re stronger anyway.” He

knew that didn’t come out right and tried again. “We don’t heft you. You don’t weigh

enough to be considered hefting anything.”

“You are such a charmer.” Kenton flushed and looked at the driveway when she

leaned back on the seat. “Those guys that came here today, did Lewis tell you that they

ran off for some reason?”

“He did. He told me that you have my dragon with you still.” She nodded and ate

one of the chocolate chip cookies before offering him one. Taking it, he decided to try

the charm thing on her. “You’re very lovely tonight. I think perhaps you’re looking

prettier all the time.”

“Yeah? I don’t think so.” She looked at him. “I’m not much of anything. I mean, I

know that I have all the girl parts and that makes men want me, but other than that, I’m

not too much of anything.”

“Girl parts?” Kenton laughed, he just couldn’t help it. “I think you have very lovely

girl parts. In fact, I really like all the parts that make you who you are.”

“Are you hitting on me?” He told her he was trying. And he was pretty sure he was

failing. “No. Not failing. But then I’ve never really been one that men hit on. Even

before they found out what my last name was.”

They rocked for a bit longer and he took another cookie when she offered. There

were crumbs on her lip, just enough that he wanted to see if her mouth tasted like them.

Would she be as sweet, as delicious as the cookies were? Putting the last of his cookie in

his mouth, he chewed it slowly, trying to think what best way to kiss her. Then he

thought, what the hell, just ask.

“Emma, I’d really like to kiss you. I mean, I’d very much like to do more, but

kissing is a good start.” She stared at him like she didn’t believe him. Or she thought he

was nuts. “I have thought of tasting you for days now. Mostly every hour. Really, every

minute.”

Yeah, that didn’t make him sound any less crazed, he thought. When she looked

away, Kenton wanted to tell her to forget it. That he’d only been kidding. But then she

spoke, her voice soft and sad.

“I don’t have a lot of experience with men like you.” He asked her what sort of man

she thought he was. “Good looking. Nice. Gentle when you have to be. I don’t know a

lot of men that still take the trash out for their mom, clean up their room, and even

make their own bed. I usually, when I date, which isn’t often, go out with the type of

people…well, like my brother. Mean and mouthy. Hurtful and bastards. It’s mostly

why I never date. It’s safer for me. And my bank account. Men like my brother expect

me to pay for everything when they take me out. Like it’s some sort of treat for me.”

“You should be treated with respect and dignity. And so you know, I’m not like

those other men, I’m just me. And as for taking out the trash and making my bed, I do

that because, to be honest with you, I’m terrified of my mom.” They both laughed, and

Kenton put his arm behind her head and touched her, something that he’d been

wanting to do for days now too. “May I kiss you?”

He watched her set the plate on the table in front of them. When she looked at him,

all he could think about was not fucking this up. Kenton knew that this was going to be

their first of many, or at least he hoped so. And first impressions, he knew, were the

lasting kind. Pulling her gently to him, he touched his mouth to hers.

The kiss immediately became more. He’d not meant for it to, but hunger, for her,

seemed to explode under the first taste of her mouth. When she gave him permission to

enter, Kenton tasted more than just her sweet chocolatey breath, but all of her when he

slid his tongue against hers. He pulled her closer when she put her hands on his

shoulder. Pulling her closer still, he lifted her up and put her on his lap as he deepened

the already heady taste of her and touched his hand to her breast.

His cock hardened to the point of pain. He tried to adjust her body so that she’d not

notice that he was so hard, but she moaned when her fingers brushed over his cock.

Kenton tore his mouth from hers and turned her around so that now she straddled his

lap rather than just sitting across him. He was mindful of her wounds, but that was

about all.

“I need to taste you.” Nodding, she helped him pull at the buttons of the shirt she

had on. As soon as she was bare to him, not even the lace of a bra in his way, Kenton

lowered his head to her nipple and nibbled on the hard tip enough to have her curl her

fingers in his hair and hold him there. It wasn’t enough, he realized. He wanted all of

her.

“Kenton?” He heard the voice, and he tried to get his lust-filled mind to wrap

around who it was. When Emma nearly leapt off his lap and moved to the other side of

the swing they were on, he grabbed the pillow from the side and put it over his lap just

as his mom came out on the porch with him. “Kenton, I’ve been calling you. There is a

woman on the phone that says she’s in labor.”

He started to rise and then stopped. Labor? He didn’t have anyone even close to the

beginning stages of labor. Kenton also knew that the service was on and that no one had

this number. Looking at Emma, he could see her worry too.

“Mom, did she say who she was?” She said that she’d only said that she was his

patient. “She’s not. I don’t know how she got this number, but it’s not one of my

patients. And if she is, then there is trouble. Call Dalton for me, will you, while I talk to

her?”

“She’s trying to get you alone.” He nodded at Emma, not the least bit surprised that

she got it too. “I think you should go. I mean, we should go.”

“No, I don’t want you hurt.” She grinned at him, and Kenton thought of sharks and

other scary things that could kill without provocation. “You have a plan then?”

“I do. This person on the phone, she might be a pawn in all this, but the men who

have her think you’re stupid. Stupid enough to just drop everything and come running

to find out what she wants. It could be someone that you have as a patient, like I said,

someone that might be held as hostage to have you come to them.” He’d not thought of

that and told her that. “Yeah, living with a bunch of criminals can make you suspicious

about everything.”

“So what should we do?” She grinned bigger, and he found himself thinking of her

face when he took her to bed. Shaking that thought loose for the moment, he knew that

he’d have to finish this before he could do anything even close to what he had in mind.

“And by we, you mean all of us, right?”

“Oh yeah, all the boys, as your mom calls them. But she comes too. We don’t leave a

man behind.” He nodded and winked at his mom. No, he’d not want her hurt either.

Then Emma told him of her plans.

Yes, Kenton thought, this woman was going to be his before long. If he could

convince her that he didn’t just want her for her girl parts. Laughing, he listened to the

plan and decided not to ever piss her off. She had an evil streak a mile wide in her.

~~~

Vance wanted to listen to the plan again. Not that he didn’t get what they were

doing, but he loved the way Emma got them all organized and ready for battle. He was

sure it was going to go down just the way she’d explained too. The bad guy wasn’t

going to know what hit him.

“You ready?” He told Grady he was. “Good, because as much as I think this is

going to work, I don’t want anyone to be caught off guard with it. Where do you

suppose she got such a great plan? Oh, and I’m never playing cards or chess with her.

She’s too slick.”

“I won’t either, now that you mention it.”

He and Grady were in the room right off the examining room that Kenton had

asked the woman to come to first before he had to go to the hospital. He and Grady

were in town, and it was nothing for them to go in ahead of the family and wait them

out. He heard the car in the drive and motioned for Grady to move to the door.

The plan was to see if the woman was in on it. Her name was on Kenton’s roster of

patients, and she was pregnant but not due for another three months. When she came

by the door with a man, Vance saw the gun pointed at her back and relayed the

information to Kenton.

I see her. As soon as I can get her....
He waited for Kenton to continue but when he did,

it wasn’t a plan to get the woman free but something he’d not expected.
There are three

men in the lobby now. I’m not sure how they got in, but Emma just told me. They’re reading

months old magazines like it’s giving them all of life’s little clues, she said.

Emma, looking very pregnant herself, was sitting in the lobby too. She had a phone

and a gun. Vance wasn’t so sure she should have the last thing, but she assured them all

that she could shoot an eye out of a snake. He was sure she was making that up, but

Kenton said she’d be fine.

Vance moved into the lobby as he’d been instructed if there were more players, and

sat down on the sofa across from Emma, his back to the three men. When Emma stood