Keeping Kennedy (14 page)

He held out his hand then and it felt only
natural to place her own there. The smile on his handsome face drew
her into his arms with a promise of things to come. This was where
she belonged, if just for this one night. Whatever was happening
between them, Drake felt it too. She could see it in the silvery
depths of his eyes as surely as she felt it deep inside. No matter
what happened when they left Friendly Corners, this one moment
would forever hold a special place in her heart. Kennedy closed her
eyes then and pressed her cheek to his chest. She felt his heart
beating strongly there. This was bliss. Whether they had a future
together or not, their being together tonight was absolutely
right.

All thought ceased then, and Kennedy allowed
herself only to feel.

When the final notes of the music drifted
from the band’s instruments, Drake ended the dance. He drew back
slightly, his gaze never leaving hers. “Thank you,” he
murmured.

“For the dance?” Kennedy managed a shaky
smile.

His eyes softened to match his tone. “For
being here with me tonight.”

Before Kennedy could respond to his
unexpected admission, gasps and whispers rushed like a tidal wave
through the crowd around them. Even the band remained silent. The
crowd suddenly parted, and Kennedy’s mouth gaped when Zorro strode
through the provided path. Everyone seemed to move forward in
unison behind him. The well-built man was dressed all in black. His
flowing cape was flung over one broad shoulder. Kennedy caught a
glimpse of a bit of gray hair beneath the dark hat.

“Get ready for a hell of a surprise,” Drake
said close to her ear.

Kennedy glanced briefly at him, curious as to
what he meant, but not curious enough to drag her attention away
from Zorro for long. The masked man suddenly stopped in front of a
woman dressed in a Roaring Twenties getup.

Celia
.

One gloved hand snaked out and pulled an
unsuspecting Celia into his arms. She resisted at first, but soon
surrendered. Nobody moved. Absolute silence reigned. Zorro’s kiss
was long and deep. When he finally drew back, he stared into the
eyes of the woman he held and said something for her ears only. He
tossed his hat into the air. A collective gasp filled the silence,
and then Zorro ripped the mask from his face, revealing himself to
one and all. It was…

“Uncle Martin?” Kennedy cried.

Drake grinned. “I warned you.”

Kennedy stared at Drake in disbelief. “You
knew about this?”

Drake shrugged. “What can I say? We
bonded.”

“It was him all along?”

Drake nodded.

“I don’t believe it.” Kennedy watched the
excited commotion her uncle—the mayor—had caused. “No wonder he
never kissed my mother.”

Drake offered his arm. “Come along, wench,
I’m in need of some ale.”

Kennedy looped her arm in Drake’s as the band
roared back into action. She waved to her parents who were barely
recognizable dressed up as John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Uncle Martin
shot her a thumbs-up as he twirled Celia around, then with a wicked
wink he leaned her into a fancy dip. Another wide smile lit up
Kennedy’s face. That, too, was right, she realized. Martin and
Celia were perfect for each other. But Kennedy had a feeling there
was more to this then she knew. She’d have to get the rest of the
story out of Drake later.

When she and Drake got to the bar, he ordered
their ale, which was punch. No alcoholic beverages could be served
at a school function.

She sipped her punch and watched the couples,
young and old, twist and shimmy in their own version of dance.

“Are you glad you came?”

Kennedy thought about for that a moment, but
a moment was all it took. “Yes,” she said unconditionally. “I am.”
She lifted her cup to his. “A toast. To success.”

Drake touched his cup to hers and took a sip
of his punch, then fell silent a moment. “Your family and friends
are good people, Kennedy.”

“Thank you.” She stared at her cup, then
lifted her gaze back to his. “I’m glad you came with me,” she
admitted. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Drake smiled one of those killer smiles that
melted her, as usual. “Oh, you would have done fine on your own.”
He took another sip. “But I’m glad you invited me.”

Remembering his words at the end of their
dance, Kennedy laughed nervously. “Well, I didn’t exactly invite
you.” She adopted an exaggerated expression of contrition. “I kind
of bullied you into it.”

Drake cut her a look. “I think blackmail is
the word you’re looking for.”

“I was pretty tough on you, huh?”

He shrugged. “You were a little
demanding.”

Kennedy set her cup aside and drew herself up
to her full height. “Well, never let it be said that Kennedy Malone
refused to see the error of her ways.” She curtsied low and batted
her lashes at him. “How may I make it up to you, my lord?”

Drake reached for her hand and pulled her
from her low bow. “Another dance might appease me,” he suggested
huskily. “We’ll just have to see.”

Kennedy’s heart skipped a couple of beats as
she followed her sexy pirate onto the dance floor once more. As she
had anticipated, every female gaze in the place tracked his every
move. Kennedy took infinite pleasure in knowing he was hers…if only
for one night.

When Drake took her into his arms, Kennedy
knew exactly what she wanted: to know this man completely.

All she had to do was convince him to take
what she had to offer.

~*~

For the remainder of the evening, Kennedy
danced every dance with Drake. By the time the party was finally
over, he felt ready to spontaneously combust. Every nerve ending in
his body was on full alert and throbbing with sensory overload.
Every muscle was hard and growing harder by the moment. If Kennedy
touched him or simply looked at him one more time, he wasn’t sure
he could be responsible for his actions.

The clean-up committee had nearly finished
before Kennedy was ready to call it a night. When they reached the
Malones’ car, she hesitated.

“I think I’d like to walk.” She turned to
Drake. “If that’s all right with you?”

“Sure,” he agreed readily. It was only a few
blocks. Besides, a stroll in the cool night air would do him good.
The last thing he needed right now was to be in the back seat with
Kennedy. Parents or no, he wasn’t sure he could handle the
pressure.

“If you’re sure,” Chuck offered one last
time.

“We’ll walk,” Kennedy told him.

Drake followed, matching his stride to hers
as they crossed the nearly empty parking lot. After several minutes
of silence, he decided Kennedy wasn’t in the mood for idle
conversation. So he remained silent.

The sidewalk stretched out before them, the
dim glow of the street lamps lighting the way. A gentle breeze
swayed the nearly bare branches as they passed beneath the towering
oaks and maples. Few lights were on in the quiet homes of the
peaceful neighborhood. Friendly Corners was pretty much tucked in
for the night. Drake glanced up at the hunter’s moon riding low in
the sky. He had traveled far and wide, but the peace and serenity
of this small town still caught him by surprise. This was the kind
of place where a man could raise a family and feel fairly certain
of their well-being. But Drake didn’t have a family of his own, nor
did he have any prospects.

Despite his best efforts, his gaze moved to
the woman at his side. But Kennedy didn’t want those things at this
point in her life. And she sure wouldn’t want them from a wanderer
like him. He just did the work he loved, wherever it took him and
for however long. And, unfortunately, he had somehow fallen in love
with a woman he couldn’t have.

Drake breathed a sigh of relief at his silent
admission. No question. He’d fallen in love all right. He had taken
Martin’s advice and opted not to live in denial.

The only downside was that now their time
together was drawing to an end. Tomorrow they would say their final
goodbyes to Kennedy’s friends and family, then prepare to head back
to the city. Drake released a heavy breath and cursed himself for
the fool he was. He had known from the beginning that this was all
make-believe, but that didn’t seem to matter to his yearning
heart.

The silence continued as they crossed the
sidewalk leading to the front porch of Kennedy’s childhood home.
When they reached the steps she suddenly hesitated. She made a
couple of false starts before she finally managed to say what was
on her mind. Drake waited patiently, trying not to rush her though
the little time they had left.

“Can we talk for just a minute before we go
inside?”

He settled onto a step and patted the space
next to him. “What’s on your mind?” She had already thanked him.
What else was there to say?

Kennedy sat down next to him and stared at
the sidewalk for a while before she began. “Drake, I’m not sure
things will be the same when we get back to D.C.” She wrung her
hands in her lap. “I didn’t expect…some of the things that have
happened.”

Drake knew what she meant. He had kissed her,
almost made love to her. He stared at his own hands and wondered
how he could be so dense as not to have seen how all this would
affect her.

“Kennedy, I—”

“Let me finish,” she interrupted, “or I won’t
be able to say this. And I have to,” she said softly.

Drake gave her his full attention.

“I know you think that just because I’ve
never been…with a man like…” She shrugged self-consciously. “You
know what I mean.”

He nodded.

“I may not be experienced but I do know my
own mind. And I’ve made a decision.”

Drake listened intently to what was to come
next, but nothing could have prepared him for Kennedy’s startling
announcement.

“I want us to go upstairs and make love.” She
turned to him, her gaze steady. She held up a hand to stop him when
he would have protested. “That is not up for negotiation, Drake,”
she said firmly.

Stunned, he could only look at her.

“Of course, if you can look me in the eye and
tell me that you don’t want me, I’ll let you off the hook.”

That was a no-brainer. “You know I want
you.”

“And I want you. So what’s the big deal?”

Drake pretended to study the stars to buy
some time. “It’s a very big deal,” he said finally. He met her gaze
once more. “Making love isn’t something we should take lightly. You
obviously know that, since you’ve chosen not to share yourself with
anyone. This would be a really big step for you, Kennedy.”

She seemed to consider his words for a bit.
“Do you give all your lady friends a speech before you take them to
bed?” she asked pointedly.

Well, she had him there. Drake couldn’t
believe they were having this conversation. “No,” he admitted
reluctantly, “but then I’ve never been propositioned by a virgin
before.”

“Kiss me, Drake.”

He hesitated. “Kennedy, I—”

Before he could say more, she reached up and
pulled his head down, then pressed her lips to his, her fingers
stroking his cheek. She kissed him hard, wantonly. And Drake didn’t
want it to end. His fingers found their way to her and he pulled
her closer. Need surged through him, fueling the arousal that had
started when she’d first awoken him to the first moment he touched
her tonight.

There was no way to pretend he didn’t want
this…didn’t want her. He wanted her more than he wanted to take his
next breath.

At last, Kennedy drew back to catch her
breath. Her eyes never leaving his, she stood and offered him her
hand. “You said tonight my every wish would be your pleasure.
This
is my wish.”

And Drake knew he couldn’t deny her
anything.

Chapter Nine

Kennedy decided she was as ready as she would
ever be and prepared to walk out the bathroom door, across the hall
to the man waiting in her bedroom.

To Drake.

She tightened the sash on her robe again and
took a deep, cleansing breath. She patted her pocket and refused to
consider why her parents kept condoms in the bathroom—or anyplace
at all for that matter. It still amazed her that she could have
known these people all her life and not really have known them at
all. But she was getting off track here. Kennedy took another
fortifying breath. She had the condom; she was ready. No point in
taking a chance that Drake wasn’t prepared for…this.

Anticipation made her shiver. She closed her
eyes and summoned the image of Drake to mind. Heat simmered through
her. The idea that she was about to make love with him made her
dizzy. Kennedy clutched the knob and opened the door, she walked
out of the bathroom and to her room without further hesitation. She
wanted this one night with him. When they returned to D.C. things
would be different. He had a life and all the girlfriends he
wanted. She had her career, and …well, she would have tonight.

Though she couldn’t fully explain the
emotions that drove her, she knew in her heart that she felt
strongly for Drake. And she wanted to explore those feelings. She
wanted to know what it was like to make love with a man like him. A
man who could arouse her with just a look. A man whose touch made
her tremble.

When Kennedy entered her room, closing the
door behind her, Drake turned from the window and her breath
caught. He’d shed the belt and boots, but the snug-fitting trousers
and the open shirt seemed to display more than if he had been
completely naked.

Heat smoldered in his eyes, turning them a
deeper, gunmetal gray. Kennedy moistened her lips and summoned a
tremulous smile. She walked straight up to him and offered the
colorfully packaged condom.

“I thought we might need this.” Her voice
quaked a bit, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it? “There’s a
whole box under the bathroom sink in case...” she added lamely.
“Well, just in case.”