That was the dream she was aiming for, but then again, there was a part of her that liked the feelings Bram evoked inside her by his protectiveness. He sensed her unease and wanted to help rid her of that discomfort. And each day, she was falling harder and faster for him.
“Well, not to be an ass, but I didn’t come over for a social call.” Charlie sat at the dining room table, but it seemed Ford was content leaning against the wall. “I tried calling, but you didn’t answer, and it’s kind of urgent.”
“What’s up?” Bram kissed her on the temple and moved to sit beside his brother. Kenzie turned back around and finished cutting the toppings of the sandwiches, trying to tune out the three men and give them some privacy.
“We have a foundation issue on the Hampton project. Looks like the ground wasn’t leveled properly by Markus.”
“Well, shit.”
Kenzie glanced over her shoulder, not sure what they were talking about, but feeling out of place as they started going into more technical detail about their construction business. Besides, it was hard to tune out three fully grown male bears when they were just a few feet from her. She quickly put several sandwiches together and placed them among the men.
“I’ll leave you guys.”
“You don’t have to leave, Kenzie.”
She smiled over at Charlie but lifted her hand. “That’s all right.”
What did they expect her to do, sit there and stare dumbly? She would feel more comfortable folding her laundry anyway. She quickly headed down the hallway and into Bram’s room. Bram had refused to let her sleep in the guestroom since they became intimate, and that had been fine until she had that one nightmare.
Now, she was worried every night before she fell asleep that she would wake him up. Sitting on the edge of his bed, seeing the clothes he had bought her in town, and smelling their combined scents fill the room had Kenzie wishing things had been so different.
The bedroom door opened, and she turned around and saw Bram enter the room. He shut the door behind him, smiled at her, and sat beside her on the bed.
“I’m sorry about that. I haven’t had time to talk to my brothers about us.” He lifted his brows, and she laughed lightly at what he was implying. “I didn’t know they would just show up.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder and kissed her cheek. It was such a sweet, almost adolescent act, but she loved it nonetheless.
“Listen, baby, I have to go into town to fix this shit some newbie fucked up. How about you tag along, and afterward, I’ll take you to this little Italian restaurant right outside Sweet Water?” He nuzzled her neck, and she giggled when his day-old scruff tickled her skin. “It’ll take me a few hours to get this squared away, but you can hang out in the trailer on the site.”
“A little Italian restaurant, you say?”
“Oh yeah, Bambi.” He licked the shell of her ear, and she sighed in bliss. “They have amazing linguini.”
“It sounds like a date, our official first date.”
His deep chuckle sent sparks to her core. “Our first, but not our last. Why don’t you put on that pretty little black dress we picked up in town, you know, the one that dips low in the back and shows me those sexy little dimples right above your ass?”
Goose bumps covered her arms and legs. His question wasn’t all that sexual, but the way he phrased it was filled with eroticism. With one more kiss to her shoulder, he stood.
“I thought you told me you only want me wearing that at the house? Thought you’d get too jealous?” She smiled broadly, loving that she could tease him.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Wear a pair of my sweats and a sweater. No, wear a couple of them, in fact.” She nudged his shoulder and grinned wider. “You get ready and meet me in the living room in ten, okay, baby?”
She watched him walk out the door. God, she was so gone for that bear.28They had arrived at the construction site an hour ago, and the time seemed to be dragging. It was most likely from the fact that she couldn’t stop thinking about Bram taking her to dinner, on her first real date.
Rook had never taken her outside of his home, not unless he was on the run, and he had always insisted that other males were eyeing what was his. Rook’s jealousy had taken over a lot of his life, and hers, and because of his dominating and controlling ways, she had been isolated and depressed, never thinking she was good enough.
The sound of the men working outside had moved to the back of the building they were constructing. Kenzie couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t a little bit pleased they had moved their foul language, crude humor, and ear-piercing construction equipment being used. Bram had come to check on her a few different times, but she assured him she was fine with the three-year-old People magazine.