Delicate Promises (Southern Bride 2)

He gave me a sexy grin. “I’m not trying to trick you into anything, but I will say I wouldn’t mind slipping into your bed, Kynslee. It’s been a long time since we’ve done that kind of date and I have to tell ya, my bed will be much better than the one in the barn.”

My eyes widened in shock.

The way he looked over my body made me shiver with the thought of an orgasm from this man. Damn my traitorous body.

I tilted my head and let my own gaze drift over his body before my eyes met his. “I don’t want in your bed, Miles. I simply was stating you’ve never been a gentleman and asked me out on a proper date.”

“Fair enough. I agree. Now, will you please go out with me this evening. I’d really like to spend some time with you, and I would prefer it if we weren’t yelling at each other, or you weren’t punching me and kneeing me in my cock.”

His use of the word cock did something to me. I hated that word. Still, it made my mind go hazy. All rational thought left me, and I heard myself say, “Fine. I’ll go out with you.”

Oh my God, what have I done? No, no, no. Oh, fuck a duck.

The way his face lit up made my lower stomach tighten, and there went the hazy drunken feeling again.

“Great. I’ll pick you up at four at your place.”

I lifted my chin. “Make it four-fifteen.”

Ugh. I wanted to roll my eyes at myself. Sure, Kynslee, argue about the time because that makes it seem like you have control of this insane situation. You don’t have any control. Miles won this round, and he knew it.

I turned and started down the steps. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I walked back to my car. Once I got inside and sat down, I glanced over to the house to see Miles leaning against the porch, a huge smile on his face. His knowing look said that it was only a matter of time before I’d be walking down the aisle instead of walking down his steps.

Asshole.

“Well, shit. That didn’t go at all how I planned,” I mumbled to myself.

Miles

“YOU’RE DOING WHAT?” My sister Lana stood across from me, a look of horror on her face.

“I’m taking Kynslee on a penny date.”

“Are you asking for a death warrant?”

I chuckled. “No. She wants to go on a date, so I’m giving her the date she wants.”

Staring like I’d lost my mind, Lana sighed. “Miles, I’m pretty sure the girl meant she wanted to go out to dinner. A movie. Bowling. The normal things couples do when they start to date. Have you been out in too many deserts in the intense heat and fried your brain?”

“Bowling? Who the hell goes bowling anymore?”

She waved her hand around. “Whatever. A date. Not a fly by the seat of your pants and see where the penny toss takes you kind of night.”

“I think it will be fun.”

“Have you ever even asked a girl on a date before, Miles Warner? At least between the ages of eighteen and thirty? Or do they just appear in your arms and you have your way with them? You don’t even bother seducing them, do you? Have the Marines made you forget how things work in the real world?”

“Of course, I have asked a woman on a date before. However, I’ve never had a woman demand a date from me before.”

She sat on a stool at the counter and glanced toward the door. Her hand rested on her very pregnant stomach.

“Miles, Momma wouldn’t be happy if she knew you showed up and called in on your promise to Kynslee. She’s not stupid, she knows how much Kynslee means to you. Y’all have been the best of friends, and it’s pretty clear from you keeping in touch with her all these years that you care about her.”

I swallowed hard. I was in love with Kynslee and had been for as long as I could remember. “Of course, I care about her. She’s my best friend.”

“Your best friend? Is that all she is to you? At one point, when you thought you were getting out you told Momma you were going to ask Kynslee to marry you. You never said you’d make her marry you because of some silly high school promise.”

“It wasn’t a silly promise.”

She shook her head and looked down at the floor again. “Why didn’t you ask her five years ago?”

Why did everyone keep asking me that? They could not understand the pressures I was under, and it was starting to piss me off. I didn’t answer her but looked out the back window. The blue sky was dotted with white clouds, and I couldn’t help but think back to me, Lana, and Rich, lying on a blanket telling our mother what shapes we saw. We’d fight like cats and dogs and argue about what the clouds looked like, but our mother always sat there, patient as a saint while our daddy fished. That was before he met the woman he would leave us all for. He never once thought about how we would survive without him. How hard it would be on our mom. How hard it would be on us not having him in our lives.