Her Kind of Man (22 page)

“I get it,” he said. “There's a lot to consider. We don't have to rush.”

That eased her mind a little.

“But I do want to make something clear.”

Frowning, she peered up at him. “What's that?”

“I want to be sure you know that you're my girl.” He smiled, his white teeth on display. “Because I'm sure that's what you really want to know.”

She laughed. “You do know me well. I did wonder if we would have an official title change.”

“Exactly. So will you go steady with me?”

Caressing his face, she pulled him to her, kissing him deeply. “Does that answer your question?” she muttered against his mouth.

He cupped her cheek and slid his other hand around her neck. “Sure does.” Then he kissed her soundly. “Now get some sleep,” he ordered with a light smack on her butt. She leaned into him and finally let herself drift off to sleep.

A
llina studied her reflection in the mirror—in Kent's master bathroom, in nothing but her tank and panties. Tilting her head to the side, she brushed her unruly curls from her face. She
felt
like another person, like she was finally let in on a secret that she hadn't been privy to for a long time.

Twisting, she looked at her back, her shoulders, and her neck. Every part of her had been thoroughly loved. Not just sexually, but emotionally and spiritually. Kent had made sure that her first time was a memorable experience. Her fingertips grazed her swollen lips and she smiled.

“Are you coming back to bed?” Kent asked from the doorway.

She glanced at him over her shoulder and smirked. Tearing her eyes away from his bare chest, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand—brushing her teeth. She'd snuck into the bathroom before he woke up to take a hot shower. “In a minute. I didn't know you were up.”

“I called out today. So I'm all yours. All day,” he added with a wink.

She gripped the edge of the countertop as he neared her. When he wrapped his arms around her from the back, she leaned into him, grinning when he brushed his lips against her temple.

“You didn't have to do that. I know you have a project.” Allina was deliriously happy that they would be able to spend the day together.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and gazed at her through the mirror. “I want to. Besides, we have a lot to do.”

Frowning, she asked, “What do we have to do?”

He kissed her shoulder, then her neck. “I'm not done with you.” He turned her around and perched her up on the bathroom counter.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she arched a brow. “And what exactly do you plan on doing to me?”

He pressed his lips to hers in a fervent kiss, and she opened for him without hesitation. Kissing him used to be a dream, something unattainable but thought about often. Now she knew what it was like and it was still all she could think of. Kent Smith was too sexy, too hot for his own good.
No, for my own good
.

Soon, her thin tank and underwear were tossed behind them. His talented fingers skimmed her slit and she winced in pain, letting out a muffled grunt. But she squeezed his hips, hoping he wouldn't pull away. She could handle a little pain.
Right?

When he finally broke the kiss, she groaned and cradled his face in her hands. “You caught that, huh?” she whispered.

He chuckled. “Absolutely.” He kissed her forehead, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her back to the bed. Once they were settled under the covers, he wrapped his strong arm around her waist and nuzzled against her from behind. “You need a break.”

“I guess,” she mumbled, twisting her neck and giving him a quick kiss, before relaxing against him. Small gestures like this, the way he seemed to always know how to take care of her, only made her want to be with him more. He was her perfect angel, like heaven on earth. She didn't think she'd ever get enough of him. Her heart skipped a beat whenever he was near.

That's why she knew she loved him, would go anywhere with him. They hadn't said the words to each other, but she didn't need to hear them. His love shined on her like the hot sun, enveloping her in a warm cocoon.

“We're good just like this,” he said, nipping at her earlobe. “We can chill here for a little while, maybe go out to dinner later, someplace intimate.”

She smiled. “You're so good to me. I don't know what I would've have done if I hadn't shown up at your door.”

“You would have been just fine.”

“Eventually,” she said, tracing his fingers. “I didn't know that at the time. I was scared, distraught. For the first time in a long time, I thought about giving up on myself. But you took care of me, encouraged me. It means a lot to me.”

He turned his palms up and intertwined her fingers with his. “That's what we do for each other.”

Allina wished she would have listened to Kent when he'd warned her about Isaac. Instead, she'd been blind and defensive, intent on proving something. What she had to prove, she didn't really know. Maybe it had been about some warped need to show that she could get the guy—the good and handsome guy. Only Isaac wasn't as good as he let on. That was her fault, too, for not paying that close attention to the signs. Now she could see them clear as a bright, sunny day. The way he'd always try to control her, tell her what to wear and how to style her hair. It'd started as a seemingly innocent request to straighten her hair when she preferred to rock a natural style. She'd complied because she wanted to please him. Then he'd insisted she wear certain skirts because they were appropriate for a minister's future wife. Before she knew it, she barely recognized herself in the mirror.

But she realized that everything happened for a reason. If she hadn't turned into the runaway bride, she would have never ended up with Kent. Although the road traveled was full of winding roads and rough terrain, she couldn't regret it. It had brought her there—to Kent. In a sense, she had Isaac to thank. Not that she would ever do that.

“What are you thinking about?” Kent asked.

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she shifted in his arms. “Just thinking about how I can't bring myself to regret the last several months.”

“Even the worst parts?”

“Yep. Things would be very different if I hadn't gone through what I did.”

As much as she had hoped they would turn into more than friends at some point, the chances of that happening had been slim to none. Kent was too noble and she was too shy. She would have just settled for hanging out with him every weekend, chatting about work and the drama within the crew. They never would have kissed and she never would have been invited to his home after eleven o'clock.

“We certainly wouldn't be here,” she added. “You were there for me, even when I couldn't recognize it for what it was.”

“You're not exactly the person you were when you moved back to Ohio. You're different, but the same—if that makes any sense.”

“It does,” she agreed. Allina recalled a conversation she'd had with Syd a while ago. Her friend had implored her to try to see the different sides in a situation, the grays or the occasional burst of color in her black or white world. Allina couldn't fathom it at the time because she'd always believed in right or wrong, cut and dry.

She'd let herself believe the persona Isaac presented to her because he was everything she'd fooled herself into thinking she needed. But it wasn't what she actually wanted.

“I've learned a lot,” Allina told him, kissing his palm. “I don't want to take anything for granted. I want to live my life with the people I…care about.” She stopped short of admitting she loved him, although she suspected he already knew.

“Good,” he told her, running a finger across her shoulder. “I'd say you're on your way. You really took me by surprise.”

She'd wanted to ask him the night before, after the first time they made love, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. “About that,” she grumbled.

He perched himself up on an elbow and peered down at her. “What?”

Covering her face, she said. “Do you…did I…Was it good for you?”

His eyes widened and a whisper of a smirk spread across his face. “Did it seem like it wasn't?” he asked, a glimmer in his dark eyes.

“I don't know!” she shouted, pulling the sheet above her face. She felt the rumble of his body as he laughed. “It wasn't like I knew what I was doing.”

“You caught on quickly,” he told her, tugging at the sheet. “But this conversation is pretty awkward with your face covered up.”

Kent finally won the tug-of-war they had going on with the sheet and he yanked it off her. She slowly opened her eyes and he was smiling down at her.

“It was very good for me,” he told her, kissing her deeply. “Very good.”

Now, if only I can get you to stop being so nice and do it again
. When his eyes widened and he barked out a laugh, her mouth fell open. “Oops. I said that out loud, didn't I?”

“Wow, you just…” He scratched his head. “You really just said that.”

Allina felt her ears burn and she buried her face in his chest. “I'm so embarrassed.”

“Don't be,” he said, smoothing a hand up and down her back. “And I'm not that nice. But you do need some time. You're sore. Making love to someone who is writhing in pain and not pleasure isn't my idea of a fun time.” He tipped her chin up and locked eyes with hers. Leaning down, he took her bottom lip in his mouth, kissing her long and hard. “But we have time, baby. No worries.”

“Whatever you say,” she grumbled, turning around so that her back was to his. They spooned for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and each other.

Long-term happiness had always seemed to evade her, but she'd decided to enjoy the time she did have with him and hope to have more. After all, there was still her past and Isaac to contend with.

“I love you,” he murmured against her neck.

Allina sucked in a deep breath and turned around to face him. Gazing into his eyes, her own filled with tears.

“I should have said it before we…” he whispered. “I'm sure you always imagined your first time being with someone who loves you, and I wanted you to know that I did…I do. I won't ever intentionally hurt you, or try to change you into something you're not. I don't want you to be anyone but yourself. I love your big hair, your wild and unruly curls, your face, your eyes—everything about you. And it's not because you gave me a part of yourself that I probably didn't deserve. It's because you're you. My Allina, my baby.”

“I can't…” Allina was overcome with emotion. In her wildest dreams, she never thought he'd declare his love for her the way he just had. It was so pure, so real, so sincere. “What you said…just confirmed what I already knew. But I'm glad you said it because I love you, too. And I've waited for this moment for a long time. Longer than you'll ever really know.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I never thought it would feel this good to hear you say that.” Then he kissed her.

Maybe it was the words, the emotions, or the love hangover? But Allina was helpless to deny what was in her heart. She wanted Kent; she loved him. And she would show him every day of her life just how much he meant to her.

Later on, Allina stared at Kent while he slept. She grazed her fingers over the bare expanse of his chest and ran a finger over one of his nipples. His skin was so smooth, his muscles so firm.

She froze when he shifted, grumbling something incoherent. When his soft snores filled the room again, she continued her journey. Softly, she feathered her fingers down his stomach to the edge of the sheet draped low on his hips.

Lifting up the sheet, she looked back at him before she slipped her hand under it. When her hands closed around him, his eyes opened.

His eyes glazed over with desire as she stroked him. Feeling bold, she brushed her lips over his, sweeping her tongue over his lips. He opened for her then, letting her take control of the kiss. She tightened her hands around his erection, satisfied when he groaned into her mouth.

Breaking the kiss, she met his gaze and kissed him again before trailing her lips down his neck, then his chest, then his stomach. Giving him one last look, she took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip.

Kent's hips bucked off the bed when she took him deeper into her mouth, applying a little suction before she grazed the underside with her tongue. She repeated the motion again.

She giggled when she heard him mutter a curse. And she groaned herself when his hands tangled in her hair. He breathed out her name as she slid her mouth down and then back up again. Pulling away to catch her breath, she went back in for more.

“Allina,” he murmured. “You have to stop.”

But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Surprisingly, she liked it. And she continued exploring every inch of him with her tongue. Using her other hand, she cupped his balls and squeezed.

When she applied more pressure, Kent growled, hooked his hands under her arms, and pulled her up until she was lying on top of him. Flipping them over, he kissed her.

“What?” she asked.

“You're killing me,” he said, chuckling. “I'm not sure you're ready for what was about to come next.”

Allina knew what he was talking about. She hadn't really thought about it until he said it out loud. “Kent, why don't you let me please you for a change?”

“What are you talking about? You're good.”

She pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Stop. I'm serious.”

“I am, too.” He brushed his lips across her collarbone. “Very serious. You're good.” He glanced at her, and his eyes softened. “Okay,” he said. “I have an idea.”