Playing for Kinley (Cruz Brothers Book 1) (20 page)

He sounded serious so I sat down to listen. “What’s up?”

He cleared his throat before he started, but it sounded more like a grunt. He usually only ever did that when he was mad about something. “My mom just called me. Apparently, Kinley came home early from school really upset today. She wouldn’t tell Mom the whole story, but the gist is that some little prick spread some rumors about her around school. I guess they were pretty bad.”

My entire body immediately tensed, and I could already feel my hands forming into fists. I’d always been protective of Kinley so I never liked hearing about anyone giving her a hard time.

But my feelings toward her had changed recently. And the anger I was starting to feel had nothing to do with wanting to avenge a little sister or protect her virtue or anything like that. This was about protecting what was mine. No, Kinley wasn’t my girlfriend, but she’d started to take on a new role in my life, fill a particular part of my heart. In some twisted way, it felt like she belonged to me.

And I didn’t like the thought of any horny little bastards going anywhere near her and touching what they had no right to.

“You still there?” Clay asked, breaking me out of my killing spree-related thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m here. So, who is this guy? Was she dating him or something?”

Much to Clay’s ignorance, I kept a pretty close eye on who Kinley was seeing, even from college. It was pretty stalkerish of me but it was honestly driving me insane knowing she could be letting another guy touch her, kiss her. She was seventeen now and it wasn’t like she didn’t have guys chasing her. Needless to say, I didn’t like being a college baseball player and feeling threatened by a bunch of acne-covered high schoolers.

“No, I don’t think so,” he replied. “Mom said he took her out a couple of times but they were never official or anything. Kinley apparently wasn’t very into him.”

Oh, that didn’t sound good. The picture was starting to become clearer now. Did this punk try something and when she said no, he got pissed? I was once a high school boy, so I knew how their minds worked, especially the entitled ones. The ones who felt like they could take anything they wanted because they had the money and the name to back it up.

“The school doing anything about it?” I asked, trying to temper the rage crawling up my spine.

“Not sure. At this point, I think he and his friends are just being nasty to her. Doesn’t sound like they have any proof for any kind of punishment.”

I didn’t want to ask but I had to. “Do you know what these rumors were about?”

He scoffed. “Shit, I don’t want to think about that. I’m having a hard enough time trying to not drive down there and kick this kid’s ass. Kinley wouldn’t tell Mom exactly what he was saying, but it was something in the realm of her being a tease and not putting out or some shit.”

“What the fuck,” I spat. The fury was wrapping itself around my throat and was making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak.

“I know.” He paused for a few seconds before speaking again. “Mom did tell me one thing, though.”

“What?”

“The guy’s a senior. He’s eighteen.”

Oh, hell yes.
Meaning, not a minor.

“Really…” Thoughts were starting to form, all fueled by the need to teach this kid how to properly treat a girl. And to also never go near Kinley again.

“Yep. You know, I would drive down there in a second if I didn’t have this interview.”

I smiled and even I had to admit it probably looked creepy. “Say no more, man. I’ve got some free time. I can handle this.” In fact, it would be my pleasure. I knew if he wasn’t out of town he’d be right there alongside me.

Clay laughed. “Hey, I’m not twisting your arm. Just make sure you leave some of his teeth in.”

I chuckled, a dark sound that brooked no humor. “I make no promises.”

He was quiet again for a second and then, “I appreciate this, man. Really.”

“I know, but you know this is never something you have to ask. This is Kinley.” As in, your sister who’s practically been like a sister to me all these years, but who I’ve also been suddenly having all these inappropriate thoughts about.

If I said that to him, though, I’d be the next person whose ass he wanted to kick.

“Thanks. Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do.”

I hung up and was out the door less than a minute later. I didn’t waste any time and hopped into my beat-up truck that Sam helped me buy before we left for college. I sped away from the UVA campus in a squeal of tires and headed for D.C.

I wish I could say that I used that time to calm down, organize my thoughts, and try to come to a rational solution about how to handle this situation like a mature adult.

But I didn’t.

I had too much anger in me, more than I’d ever felt in my life.

Kinley was the only girl that I’d ever felt a connection with and, for me at least, it ran deep. She was sweet and smart, adorable and funny, not to mention stunningly gorgeous. I wanted to hold and comfort her and kiss her entire body all at the same time.

And someone had hurt her.

That wasn’t going to fly with me.

That frustration inside me simmered the whole drive down there, rising to a boiling point the closer I got to the city. I’d had a lot of rage inside me for many years, ever since I was old enough to realize what was going on in my home and how wrong our father’s treatment of us was. Every time he yelled at us or hit one of us, all I ever wanted to do was unleash all of my anger onto his face. But I always held back, forcing myself to be different than him, better. To take a different path, one that didn’t lead to violence.

So far in life, I felt like I’d done a pretty good job. Most people knew me as an even-tempered person.

But again, this was Kinley. And this was different.

Before I knew it, I was whipping my truck into Sam and Diane’s driveway. I didn’t see either of their vehicles, but I did see Kinley’s little red Ford Focus. I needed her to tell me who and where this guy was so I could have a little talk with him. Plus, I just felt this overwhelming need to see her, make sure she was alright. I don’t think I could do anything else until I assured myself of that.

I let myself into the house and went straight to her room. I put my ear to the door, listening for just a second before I knocked. I couldn’t hear anything on the other side, so I carefully eased the door open, slowly peaking my head through. What I saw nearly broke my heart.

Kinley was lying on the bed, pillow tucked into her stomach with her arms wrapped tightly around it. Her back was to me so I couldn’t see her face, but I was guessing that she was crying. I never, ever liked to see Kinley cry. Next to torture, it was one of the worst things I could imagine.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she said quietly, sniffing as she spoke. “I just need to be alone, okay?”

I took a step forward, keeping my voice low and steady. “It’s me, Kin.”

Her head snapped around in my direction, her wide eyes taking in my presence, before she shot up off the bed and started wiping the tears off her cheeks.

“Parker? What are you doing here?”

She stood before me, fidgeting and not wanting to meet my eyes, though I could tell hers were red and puffy, which only further incensed me. That idiot kid did this to her, caused her pain. And oh, did that ever make me want to cause him pain…a lot of it.

“Are you okay?” I asked but didn’t move forward. I was practically shaking with anger and I needed to keep my distance, lest I do something stupid. Like kiss her sorrows away.

She hesitated and then nodded her head, though it was weak. She wasn’t okay. “I’m fine. Really, it’s no big deal. Mom shouldn’t have told you or Clay.”

“You’re crying,” I pointed out, “so it’s not okay. Who is he? Where is he?”

She finally looked up at me, concern in her glassy green eyes. They were even brighter with her tears, which I didn’t think was possible. “Why?” she asked.

“So I can have a talk with him.”

She started shaking her head frantically back and forth. “No, I don’t want you to do anything to him.”

That got my hackles up. “Do you like him or something?”

Her expression showed immediate disgust, which relaxed me just a little. “Hell no. I can’t stand him. But if you do something, it’ll just make everything worse. He’ll make my life more miserable.”

I snorted. “No he won’t. Trust me, if I talk to him, he’ll never mess with you again. I’ll make sure of it. Just tell me where he is.”

Her eyes lowered to stare at the floor again. “You don’t need to do that, Parker. I can handle this myself.”

The corner of my mouth twitched in a grin, despite how my body was fuming. Always trying to be tough, that was Kinley. It made my admiration for her grow. “I’m sure you can. But this would just make Clay and I feel better. Besides, he needs to know that he can’t get away with shit like that.” I swallowed and was almost afraid to ask the next question but I had to. “Did he…” I cleared my throat. “He didn’t…touch you, did he?”

If he did, he was going to get so much worse than a black eye.

She shook her head again, another tear falling down her cheek. “No. He tried, but I stopped him. I didn’t want to. He got mad and told me I was a tease. Then, he started telling all his friends at school that he hooked up with me and now everyone thinks I slept with him.” Her voice broke on the last few words and she let out silent sobs before catching her breath again.

My lips thinned as I listened to her, my fists itching to punch something. If that little fuck had been standing in front of me, I would have broken his jaw with one swing.

I worked to hold back the fury I wanted to unleash because the last thing I wanted to do was scare her. “I want to help you, Kinley. If you tell me where he is, I promise he’ll never bother you again.”

She was quiet for a little while and I thought for a minute that she wasn’t going to tell me. Then, she finally whispered his name and where he usually hung out with his friends after school. I now had what I needed, but I also didn’t want to leave her there crying like that. I didn’t really know how to fix it, though. Punching the kid might make me feel better, and might help her in the long run, but it wasn’t going to make those tears go away now.

Then she looked up at me, looking like a broken, sad, beautiful girl and whispered, “Thank you.”

That’s when something snapped inside me.

That look she gave me—like I was her hero, like I was there to always save her and that I could do no wrong—was too much for me and I knew I couldn’t hold back any longer. Couldn’t deny myself the opportunity to touch her, try to make her feel a little better somehow, maybe even smile. Besides, holding her would make me feel better, too.

I took purposeful strides to her, stopping when I was only inches from her small form. Her eyes were just as wide as before, but now they held a different kind of fear in them, maybe a hint of nervousness. But I also sensed eagerness, which spurred my actions on.

I took her face in my hands, running my thumbs across her cheeks, wiping the tears away and marveling at how soft her skin was. My focus honed in on those lips of hers that I couldn’t stop thinking about. They were swollen from crying and were parted enough that I could feel her warm breath on my neck, sending shockwaves of desire straight through me.

“No more tears, okay? Everything will be alright.”

She nodded once and didn’t take her eyes off me. I could feel the tension rise, so many unspoken thoughts bouncing between us. All of those feelings were right there on the surface, so close I could practically taste them. Until that moment, I wasn’t sure that Kinley felt the same way as me. But there was absolutely no denying the message in her emerald eyes.

She wanted me as desperately as I wanted her.

My fingers were tingling with need; I wanted to have them all over her. And suddenly, I didn’t care that I was in college and she was still in high school. I didn’t care that she was Clay’s little sister and that we’d grown up together. I didn’t care what anyone else thought.

I brought my lips to hers without another word. It was slow and unhurried, the most sensual kiss I’d ever experienced in my life. It wasn’t a frenzied crashing together of lips and tongues, but more an exploration, a discovery, of sorts. I wasn’t sure how experienced Kinley was—certainly not something I wanted to think about—so I didn’t want to freak her out by going too fast. I had passion building up inside me that I wanted to release with the force like that of a volcanic eruption, but I held back, easing her into it.

Not that I minded. This was our first kiss and I wanted to take it slow, savor every second, every movement of our lips and swipe of our tongues.

And damn, she was sweet.

Warm and soft and perfect.

My lips moved against hers as I stepped closer, bringing our bodies flush against each other. I moved one hand down to her back, holding her tightly, eliciting a whimper from her mouth. I about lost it when her tits rubbed against my chest, making me groan into her mouth.

Things got more intense whenever she spread her lips and allowed entrance for my tongue. I immediately took advantage and sought out her tongue, massaging hers with mine as she flung her arms around my neck and went up on her tiptoes.