Mistaken Identity (7 page)

When he pulled up in the drive he was
grateful his brother’s black sedan was missing. He parked, hurried inside the
house to his guest room, stripped down and took a quick shower. Dressed in a
pair of blue boxers he collapsed onto the bed, and grabbed his cell phone off
the nightstand and dialed.

“Well aren’t you prompt, handsome.”
 

“I try. Are you still at the Con?”

“Yeah.
Had to act normal.”

“You didn’t tell your friend?” He
frowned.

“No, I wasn’t sure if I should or not.”

“Why? Is she some kind of a nutcase?” He
grimaced, picturing a crazed friend begging her for every last detail of their
night together.

Kansas laughed.
“Yes,
but not in that sense.
She’s a harmless hippie, I promise. She owns her
own new age shop, sells books about chakras and auras, that kind of thing. ”

“Oh. So what’s the problem?” His brow
furrowed.

“
You trying
to
put a label on me?”

“I like knowing where I stand.”

“Me, too … dating?”

“Yes … exclusively.” The thought of
anyone putting their hands on Kansas made him want to maim.

“All right, we’ll try it. Though starting
off long distance…”

“I can swing it if you can.”

“
Oooh
,
a challenge?”
 

“If you want it to be.”
Whatever will get you to agree, sweetheart.

“You keep appealing to the writer in
me.”
 

“As long as I appeal.”

“You sound tired. How’s the emergency
situation?”

“I’m exhausted. Better, but it’s nowhere
near solved.” He paused.
It isn’t really my
story to tell completely, but in many ways it is.

“Jett?
You still there?”

“Yeah.
I was just
thinking. I know you’re wondering what’s going on, and I want to be totally
honest with you.”

“Okay.”
 
She sounded guarded.

“
Lis
… she’s
got anorexia. She’s in the hospital right now. They have her hooked up to an IV
and a feeding tube. I think this is the worst I’ve ever seen her, and that’s
saying a lot.”

“Oh my God!
Jett.”
 
She gasped.

“It’s the reason why we broke off our
engagement. She couldn’t handle being in the public eye. She’d been refusing
treatment and not opening up to her parents or her friends, so they called me.
I was always the one who got her in gear when the lows hit.”

“Is she going to be okay?”
 
The compassion in Kansas’s voice told him
plenty about her.

“Yeah, I think so. We have a lot of
things to work out. There was major co-dependency going on. I just wanted to
help her so bad I think I overstepped my boundaries, and now we have to undo
bad behavior. That’s why I came here. We made this mess together, and that’s
how it needs to be cleaned up.”

“Okay, seriously, you’re amazing. The two
of you aren’t even together, and you’re going to help her through it?” The
almost snide tone took him by surprise.

“Of course, I mean we were together for
ten years.”

“And you’re modest. Oh,
Paranormal
boy, I think I may keep you.”

“I didn’t realize I was on the chopping
block.” He snickered.

“Hmm, I’m selective, and trust must be
earned not given.”

“Must be the reporter in
you.”

“That and the fact that men can be a little
too fly by night.
Ladies, too, for that matter.”

“Well at least you’re fair about it.” He
chuckled.
 
“Be still, my southern soul, I
think I found my country queen.”

“Ease up there, Mr.
Walker,
you’re moving at light speed.”

“I love it when you talk nerdy to me.”

Her laughter rang out in peels. “You do
know this conversation is ridiculous, right?”

“I needed a little bit of that after my
day.”

“I bet, you poor thing. You want Kansas
to come over and kiss it better?”

“Do I get to choose the spot?” He lowered
his voice.

“Dirty.”

“You love it.”

“Hmmm.”

He smiled at her coyness. She was an
incredible mixture of class, humor, sexiness, and intelligence.
Please let her stay exactly like this. Let
this be the one. I’m not getting any younger, and watching my friends settle
down, marry, and have babies is starting to kill me a little inside.
Sure,
he’d always wanted to be an actor, but even more he wanted to be a husband and
a father. He never imagined he’d be pushing mid-thirties and have neither
accomplished.
 
I spent too long hanging my hopes on
Lis
.

“How was your day?” he asked, ready to
veer on to a different train of thought.

“Fun, more fan girl screaming. They
missed you by the way.”

“Yeah, I feel bad about it, but you know,
family first.”

“You think of her …
Lis
as your family?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I mean we grew up
together, a few streets apart.”

“Are you sure there aren’t any romantic
feelings lingering between the two?”

“No, that ship sailed a little longer ago
then I’d like to admit.” He sighed.
How
could he explain to her what he didn’t understand himself?

“That’s good enough for me right now. I
don’t want you to go swimming back into the deep waters I just dragged you away
from with my scintillating conversation and dazzling wit.”

“Modesty is one of your best qualities.”
His voice was dry.

“I know, right?” Her exaggerated words
made him shake his head and grin.

“They should bottle you up and sell you.”

“You know I’m only nice to you to lure
you in, and then I’m a task-master.”

“Kinky. Ordering me around and telling me
how to please you.”

“You’d like that too much.”

“I would.” He smirked.
 
Images of Kansas in a black leather lingerie
number had his dick swelling. “Don’t get me all riled up when I’m alone.”

“What? You got something against Rosy
Palm?”

He cleared his throat. “No.”

“You want me to talk you through it? I
think you need to relax more. You had a tough day.” Her voice dropped lower.
The husky whisper made him bite the inside of his cheek.

“No games, Kansas.”

“I don’t know how long
Mya
is away for…”

“I am yours to command.”

“There’s my
Paranormal
boy. What are you wearing right now?”

“A pair of blue boxers.”

“Sexy, I want you to take out that thick
cock of yours, and stroke it, nice and slow.”
 
His stomach quivered as he followed her directions.

“
Mmhmm
,
how does that feel, Jet?”

“Fucking awesome.”

“Good. Grip it nice and firm. Pretend my
tongue is licking up your dick, swirling in the slit of your head, lapping up
that cream I know is flowing.”
 
Holy shit, she goes from normal to sex kitten
in zero to sixty. A man could get used to this.

“Jesus.”

“No, Kansas. Stroke it faster for me
baby. That’s it. I can hear you. It makes me wet thinking about it. You’re so
beautiful, Jett, I can see you clearly in my head. Your golden skin stretched
over muscle and that long, hard, dick, twitching, and eager to fuck me.”

Her crude words made him moan. The
tension built at the base of his spine. Tendrils of pleasure raced through his
body. His breath came in pants.

“That’s it. Think of my hot mouth
suctioning around you.”

His heart pounded in his chest, and blood
rushed in his ears
.“
Shit,
Sas
,
I’m going to come.”

“Do it for me, baby.”

A few seconds later he did, a spurt of
white liquid that shot up onto his chest, covering his hands. His legs trembled,
and he released a giant sigh as lethargy instantly set in.

“And boom goes the dynamite.”

“It definitely did, Kansas. Hey, I don’t
know your full name.”

“You are such a weirdo.” The amusement
present in her tone told him she didn’t mind. “It’s Kansas Karri Collins.”

“That’s pretty … wait. Like ‘Carry on my
Wayward Son’?”

She sighed. “Yes.”

“Okay, hands down coolest name ever.”

“Only if you like
classic rock.”

“You’re in luck, because I do.”

“I’m glad my name pleases you.”

“You should be.”

“
Mmhmm
.
What about
your name, Messy Marvin?”

“Smart ass.
Jett
Beauregard Walker.”

“What!”

“Hey, it’s a family name!”

“Oh I bet it is. No wonder you go by Jett
B. Walker.”

“Jerk.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh. It’s
cute.
My little Beauregard.”

“Don’t you go spreading that
around.
”

“I could think of plenty of other things
to spread instead.”

“Tease.
I miss you,
Kansas.”

“I know, and I feel the same. It’s so
weird.”

“Not really. My dad said he knew with my
mom. When he met her she was it. Freshman year of college, they met in their
first class, and that was all she wrote.”

“You really believe in that stuff?”

“You don’t?”

“I’m undecided.”
 
Her whispered tone told him this went deeper
than skepticism of a logical mind.

“Guess I’ll have to convince you
otherwise.”

“It’ll be fun to watch you try.”

“Yes, it will. I could talk to you all
night, but right now I need to get back into the shower.”

“Totally understand. Talk to you soon.”

“In the next couple of days for sure.”

“Good, sweet dreams.”

“Night,
Sas
.”
The cheesy smile that lined his lips as he hung up made him shake his
head.
  
 
I am totally smitten. Fuck.

****

“So, are you going to tell me who lover
boy is yet?”
Mya
asked.

Loosened by the cocktails they’d enjoyed
at dinner Kansas figured what the hell.

“Yeah, we talked about it, and I got the
green light. First, I need you to promise you won’t freak out on me.”

 
“Why? Is he a she? I won’t judge you.” The
solemn look on
Mya’s
face tickled her.

“No, he’s a he.” Kansa paused. Once the
cat was out of the back there’d be no putting it back.

“Well.”
Mya
leaned forward in her bed.

“It’s Jett Walker.”

“Oh very funny, Kansas!
Keep your
secret.”
 
Mya
crossed her arm and pouted.

“No, I’m serious. I thought he was a
really good
Cosplayer
last night, but it turns out I
was wrong.”

“Oh my God!”
Mya
covered her mouth, stood from the bed and began to
gesture wildly. “That’s why you asked Aiden that question.” She pointed to
Kansas.

“Guilty, and before you say I lied. You
asked if it was Aiden, and it wasn’t, so, technically…”
 

“You’re in a mighty grey area.”

“I know. I’m sorry I kept it from you,
My
.”

“Why tell me now?”
Mya
frowned.

“I have my footing underneath me.”

“How so?”

“We talked, we’re dating … exclusively.”

“AAAH!”
 

A shrill high pitched screech left
Mya’s
mouth.
Kanas
pulled on her
ear lobes cringing at the nails-on-chalkboard sound.

“Okay, now I’m deaf.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Mya
pulled her into a hug. “I’m just so excited! Talk about
kismet! You barely made it to the convention, and now you’ve met your Prince
Charming. What’s he like? How did you meet? Was he good in the sack?”