Mistaken Identity (13 page)

“Hmm, that’s
a secret no one’s shared.”

He chuckled.
“I’m ready to be inside you, Kansas.”

“I want that,
too.”

She stepped
back, and he followed her in an impromptu game of follow the leader.

“Less clothes,”
she whispered.

He shrugged
out of his shirt, tossed it aside, and his pants followed. Bared they sank to
the bed together. Caressing hair from her face he cupped her cheek.

“I want to be
the only man to do this, Kansas.” Sliding along her slick entrance without
penetrating he watched her squirm.

“You are.”

“Ever,
Sas
.”
He interlocked their fingers, held her
hands over her head and surged forward.

“Shit, Jett!”
She brought her legs up to wrap around his lower back, rocking with him as he
swiveled his hips, hitting the right spot and retreating.
 

“Say it,
Kansas.”
 
He went deep, bottomed out as
she arched.

“Fuck!”

He repeated
the move.

“Say what?”
Her lips trembled, and her eyes were round and wild. The slap of skin on skin
made him growl.
 

“It’s you and
me.”
 
He ground the words out, forced the
orgasm that wanted to break over him to wait. Willing her to feel the truth of
his emotions he increased his speed and stared into her eyes.

“Oh
God!”
Her pussy tightened.

“Tell me I’m
the only man who will ever touch you like this again.”
 

“Y-yes, damn
you!”
 
She made him possessive, made him
want to scream from the top of the rafters she was his. She spiraled into a
fierce wave of pleasure that took him with her.

Sticky,
sweaty, and worn out, Jett glanced over at the woman beside him on her back.
“Did you mean it?”

“How could I
not?” She moved her head to face him. “From the minute I met you my days of
being single were numbered. I’m scared shitless, but I’ve never lacked bravery,
and I want to try. Not just for you but for her.” She placed a hand on her
belly.

“Her
huh?”
He covered her smaller hand and smiled.

“I figure we
have a fifty-fifty chance.”

“Smart
ass.”
He bent over and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you,
too. You broke through all my defenses.”
 
She sniffed, struggled to fight back tears, and lost the battle.
 
Warm droplets rain down her face. He sipped
them like a rare wine, kissed her heated cheeks, and nuzzled her neck. “
It’s
okay,
Sas
. I will always be
there to dry your tears.”

“You can’t
know that.”

“Have I let
you down yet?”

“No,
but what about filming?”

“
It’s
a few hours away. I’ll commute. We can work this out.
I’m not taking you away from your support system. This town will protect its
own. You won’t be hounded like we would be in L.A.”

“You’d stay
here for me?”

“Don’t you
know by now there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Kansas Karri Collins? Are
you going to stop sabotaging us now?”

“Yes.” The
emotion in her voice made his heart race, and his stomach churn like choppy
waters.
 

Now was the time.

“Will you
marry me?” Silence fell.
All that’s
missing is the chirp of crickets.
Fresh beads of sweat formed on his brow
as he held his breath. Each second that ticked by felt like a decade.
Shit, too soon!
 
I knew it was too soon.
He studied her
face, but found no cues for what was going on in the steel trap of her
mind.
 
It was like she’d become carved
from ice. He was afraid to touch her or speak, and his anxiety grew like a
storm coming in over the sea.

As she turned
to look at him, their gazes merged, and an almost physical link came to life.
Lifting her hand to his face, she smiled.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”
Did she just agree?

“Yes. Did you
expect me to say no?”

“The first
fifty times, yes.”
 
He turned his head in
a circle before he gave a nod.
Dazed.
 
“What changed?”

“Honestly? I
could never live with myself if I let fear ruin us.
 
Then she’d win.”

“Your
mother?”
 

“
Mmmhmm
.
My whole life I’ve never been good
enough for one reason enough, too heavy, too masculine, too interested in
school instead of pageants. Watching her belittle, berate, and ignore my father
and me sent me out of the house at eighteen and running from anything too
emotional. Then you came and showed me how full of shit I was. Things weren’t
hard with you or uncomfortable. I didn’t have to change a thing, and as much as
I waited for it, the caged feeling never hit. Before all I had to do was go on
a second date and I was stumbling over my words, making excuses as I headed for
the door. I’d be insane to let that go when I know how rare it is, and.” She
rested her hand on her belly. “There’s more at stake then my Mommy issues. I’m
not selfish.”

“Hey, if
you’re not ready I don’t want to rush you.”

“Is anyone
every really ready for any of this?” She snickered. “No, this is right for us.”
Taking his hands she placed them over her bell.
“For all
three of us.”

Her words
moved him, washed away the uncertainty and stress he’d been under since he found
out about the baby. Tears blurred his vision.

“What do we
do next?” she asked.

“Get
married.”

“What about
the show, and your family?”

“It’s okay.
Give me some time, and I’ll work out a plan.”

Chapter Seven

Texas is hot.
 
Kansas shaded her eyes against the brilliant
rays as they surfaced from the airport.
Or
maybe it’s just me.
 
He’d spent the
whole flight talking about his home town, and his family. The pride and love he
had for both evident in every word were like another pound of pressure sitting
on her chest. If she didn’t get the thumbs-up of approval Jett would be
devastated.

“Who’s
picking us up?” she asked.

“My
older sister, Sky.
It was supposed to be Scott, but he got called
in to work at the last minute.”

“That’s nice
of her.”

“Oh it was
self-serving. She’s been dying to meet you since I told them about you.”

“You told
them about me?”

“Yeah…” A bashful
expression marred his handsome face. “I was excited.”

“It’s okay.
Makes this easier on me.”
Liar.
 
“Wait … your sister is
named Sky Walker?” Spoken aloud the two names clicked.

He laughed.
“
Yeap
.
Sky Rose Walker. I’m sure
the two of you will have fun bonding over name stories.”

Honk.
 
Jett glanced over to the left. “There she is
in the green truck. Are you ready?”

“As
I’ll ever be.”
Clutching the handle of her suitcase for dear
life she followed him to the truck. A dark haired woman with shoulder length
hair, familiar green eyes, an oval shaped face, and a tall, slender build
climbed out of the cab, and walked toward them. Dressed in a pair of faded blue
jean shorts and an olive green tank top, she embraced Jett in a fierce hug.

“Hey,
little brother, good to see you.”
Sky exuded a laid-back
vibe that instantly set Kansas at ease.

“Yeah,
because a week is much too long.”
Sarcasm dripped from
every word Jett spoke.

“Smart
ass.”
They separated, and Sky turned to Kansas. “Kansas, it’s so good to finally meet
you!”
 
Kansas found herself pulled into a
welcoming hug. Shocked, she wrapped her arms around Sky and glanced at Jett who
shrugged, a large grin spread across his exuberant face.

“You, too,
Sky.”

“I’ll put the
bags in the truck.” Jett removed the suitcase from her hand and took it along
with his own. The hug ended, and Kansas shifted her weight.
I feel like a fish out of water over.
 

“Come
on,
let’s load up into the truck. I see security eye-balling
us.” Sky snorted.

Walking over
to the truck Jett had loaded they climbed into the cab, and Sky pulled away
from the curb.

“I bought you
guys some time. The ‘rents don’t expect to see you guys until dinner tonight
around six.”

“How’d you
manage to swing that?” Jett turned toward her, eyebrows raised.

“Told them
you’d need some time to settle in … and your flight came in later.”

“Smart.”

“Yeah, I’m
the oldest, so I know the tricks. How long do you
guys
plan on staying?”

“Just a few
days, I have filming coming up at the start of next week, and I wanted everyone
to meet her before the craziness starts.”

“Understandable.
Don’t worry, Kansas, we’re harmless. You’ll find we’re pretty laid back around
these parts.”

Kansas
smiled. Sky kept up a steady stream of conversation, pointing out landmarks and
telling childhood stories. As they pulled up into the driveway Kansas was
feeling a lot less nervous. They made plans to meet back up at six, and made
their way up the driveway. The candy brick house made her let out a low
whistle. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was nice.
A two-story
home with large picture windows, candy brick, and a large, well-manicured yard.

“Wow.”

“You like
it?”

The inflection
in his tone made her pause. Turning to him she arched an eyebrow.

“You don’t?”

“It’s not
what I would’ve picked for myself.” He shrugged as he unlocked the door.

“Your
ex?”

“Yeah, she
fell in love with it, and as much as I’m gone I wanted her to be comfortable.”
 
He pushed the door open and stepped back to
allow her to enter while he saw to the bags. Ever since they’d learned about
their tiny miracle he’d broken his neck to get anything even remotely heavy.
It’s going to be a long pregnancy.
 
She spun around in the marbled entry way and
took in the crisp, clean, white walls, beige sectional with matching La-Z-boy,
giant screen television and light wood end tables.
It is very bland for a man with such a huge personality.

“Interesting,
what would you have seen?”

“I’m not
sure.
Something smaller, more homey for sure?
I like
your house.”

Kansas
snorted. “Next to this place what I have is a shanty. You could fit my entire
house into your garage.”
 

“You’re
exaggerating. Plus, your home really feels like you. I see your touches
everywhere, and the minute I step inside the door the outside world fades
away.”

“And you said
Dex
Kimber
had all the
lines.”

“
Hmph
.”
The smile that twitched the corner of his mouth
upward belied his amusement.

“It’s your
place now, so you can do whatever you want with it.”

He took her
hand and led her over to the couch where they collapsed. “It’s ours.”

She squirmed
in her seat.

“You aren’t
reneging on your promise, are you?” he asked.

“No,
Crowley.”

“What?”

“Just
a deal-maker from another sitcom.”

“Did you just
compare me to a demon?”

“No … maybe.”

He snickered.

“Labels make
me ….
rashy
.”

“Why?”

“Because
they always seem to cause problems.
Dad said he and Mom
were happy until they got married, and I’ve seen the phenomenon happen a
million times. Friends who’ve dated forever get married, and a few years later,
the big D.”

“There could
be a million different reasons. They grew apart, never really knew each other
to begin with, or maybe they just didn’t make time for one another.”

“How can you
be so confident in the success of marriage when we live in a world that has
more broken homes, step-families, and single parents than ever
before.
”