Mistaken Identity (8 page)

She gasped. “
Mya
Lynn Meyer!” Kansas swatted her arm.

“What! The man is fine. You know I’m an
Aiden girl, but those sex scenes Jett had
were
smoking
hot.”

“Can you not lust after my Beau while I’m
still in the room?”

“Umm, yes?”
Mya
wiped the pretend drool from her lips, and Kansas
laughed.

“See, you need me to lighten the mood.
How in the world did you plan on keeping this to yourself?”

“I didn’t expect anything to come up. I
figured he was slumming.” Kansas mumbled the last part.

“Why did he leave?”
Mya
moved to sit beside her.

“You promise to keep this between us?”

“Of course.”
Mya
flashed
her a
slit-eyed look
that screamed,
you had to ask.

“His ex-fiancée is in the hospital.”

“And?
Does she not
have any other family?”

“Me-
ow
.”
Kansas
curled her hand into mock claws. “She’s suffering from a severe case of
anorexia, and she’s not responding to anyone else. We’re talking life or
death.”

“
Hmmph
.
I’d watch
her if I was you.”

“I think Jett has it handled.”

“He said something?”

“He mentioned
co-dependency,
and hanging on longer than he should’ve.”

“It’s good he’s keeping the lines of
communication open.”

“I figured.” Amused, Kansas watched her
friend’s expressive face.

“You’re really calm about it …
considering.”

“That I never wanted this? If I start out
with him jealous and paranoid it’ll never work. Millions of women around the
world want him. Besides if they can’t make it work after ten years.” She
shrugged. Her concerns had more to do with the demons in her head.

“You know I’m not afraid to take a ride,
pull off the earrings, and bust out the Vaseline. I’m just saying.”
Mya
gestured toward her face. “Don’t let the nice façade
fool you. I’ll take someone out for messing with my sister.”

“I feel the same, ride or die,
chica
.”

“ Always
.”
Mya
smiled. “So…” Her expectant gaze made Kansas roll her
eyes.

“He was a-fucking-
mazing
.
 
I didn’t know I could feel so much, and it’s
not just sexual. He stimulates my mind, makes me laugh. God! I hate it.” She
scrunched up her face.

“Only you would say that, Kansas.”

“I like discovering the unknown and
writing about it, not being placed smack dab in the Land of Oz.”

“Well your name is Kansas.”

“Shut it, hippie.” They giggled.

“I’m really happy for you though, K. You,
more than most, deserve this.”

“Why?”

“Too make up for all the bad relationship
karma you witnessed growing up.”

“Hah. If only it ended in my youth.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault my mother is a selfish
bitch who flits in and out of my father’s life, using and abusing as she holds
on to her fading youth.
 
I’m not sure why
she married him or had me. She’s always been distant and uninvolved, unless you
count her pestering and nit-picking.” Kansas scowled. Thinking about her mother
made her blood boil.
 

“I don’t understand why he keeps letting
her do it.”

“I can’t say it’s not a topic we discuss,
ever. I moved out at eighteen because I was tired of seeing her face and
watching her play ‘Mommy’ whenever she got a wild hair up her ass.” Kansas curled
up her lip. “Dad can do so much better. I don’t know why he doesn’t just buck
tradition and divorce her. I need to stop thinking about this before it kills
my day.”

“That’s easy enough. Since you’re dating
Jett does that mean we can screw around with Aiden?” The glee that rose in
Mya’s
eyes reminded Kansas of a child on Christmas morning.

“I think I’ve done enough to him.”

“What do you mean?”

She told her the story and watched as her
eyes became the size of quarters.

“You’re dating Jett Walker, and Aiden
Archer saw you naked? Who are you, and what have you done with my
mild-mannered, hard-working, predictable
bestie
?”

“Okay, you totally just described me like
a comic book hero.” Kansas laughed.

“You do work for a newspaper and possess
a freakishly high I.Q.”

“Want to know if I was bitten by a
radioactive creature?” she whispered.

Mya
snorted.
“This town is too boring for anything like that to happen.”

“I don’t know. Look at me. Maybe there’s
a change on the wind.”

“I wish you’d pass that luck on.”
Mya
sighed, her light dimming.

“Come on.” Determined to cheer her up Kansas
grabbed her hand and propelled her up.

“What are we doing?”
Mya
asked.

“Getting you ready to
catch Aiden’s eyes.
You’re crushing, and he owes me. Let’s see if
the convention gods are smiling down on Somerville.”

“He’s too pretty to be into me.”

“Shut up, you’re gorgeous, and he’s just
a man like any of the others ones who drool when you walk by. I know you’ve had
some rocky relationships, but you will meet Mr. Right.”

“Thank you.”
Mya
sniffed. “You always make me feel better.”

“That’s my job. Now come on, let’s
beautify you for tonight.”

Chapter
Four

Jett stood outside the mid-sized house, a
bouquet of flowers in his hand, and a duffle bag tossed over his shoulder. He’d
caught the last flight in, rented a car, and here he was. Butterflies danced in
his stomach. It’d been over a month since he had seen Kansas, though they
talked just about every day. At this point he couldn’t imagine life without
her, but she was skittish.
Something I’ll
be asking her about.
It was an insurmountable obstacle between them he
didn’t know how to move or work around. No matter what she always held a piece
of herself back. He wanted to break through, embed himself in her heart so deep
she’d never be able to walk away. What they were developing was grown man
romance. The past ten years with
Lis
has been running
empty on the fumes of childhood, puppy love.

He knocked on the door, shifting his
weight as he waited for a response.
She
said she was spending the night in.
The door swung open, and Kansas stood
in front of him, jaw dropped. His stomach shuddered. Her face was drawn and
slimmer than he remembered. He drank her in with his eyes from head to toe. In
the black tank top and black boxers covered in multi-colored hearts he could
see she’d lost body mass all over. His heart hammered in his chest. She never
mentioned being sick. Panic blossomed in his brain and spread like an epidemic.
Not again. Not with Kansas. She never
struck me as the type.

“Oh my God!
Jett!”
 
She threw
herself at him, and they hugged.

“Hey, I thought I’d surprise you. I hope
that’s okay.”

“Of course, of course.
Come in,”
She stepped back, and he entered her home. The light-blue walls with a bold
gray line running down the middle were calm but unique, like their owner. A
gray love seat and couch set were placed in the middle of the dark wood floors,
ten feet away. The comfortable looking cushions called to his travel weary
body.

“I knew you were leaving Eaton, but I had
no clue you were headed this way.”

“Yeah, hence the word surprise. Here.” He
thrust the bouquet of wildflowers toward her.

“Thank you.”
 
She took the bright colored arrangement from
him and lifted them to her nose. “I can’t believe you remembered my favorite
flowers.”
 

“I keep track of everything you tell me,
Kansas. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”
 
Her eyes flitted around the room. “Why don’t
you take a seat on the couch and let me put this away?”

“Okay.” He removed his duffle bag,
dropped it at the end of the couch and lowered his body down. A groan left his
lips. It was even softer than he’d imagined. Resting the back of his head
against the couch, he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of fresh linens
and sunshine, at least that’s what the candle on the table had been labeled. A
cabinet opened and closed to his far right, and water started to run.

“I thought you’d be filming for the show,”
she said.

“Not yet, got a few more weeks off.”

“
Aaah
, you
conveniently left that out.”

“You’re too smart for your own good. I
didn’t want you to expect this.”

“You’re lucky I keep a clean house.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from
you. You’re too … structured.”

“Hah, our meeting proves I’m not.”

“Hmmm.”

“You look exhausted.”

“I am.”

“So why not rest up?”

“Because this was the only place I really
wanted to be.” She went silent. “Kansas.”

“I’m here.” Her voice held a note he
didn’t recognize or like.

He opened his eyes, sat up, and turned to
glance through the doorframe that separated them. “Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” She wrinkled her brow, and set
the round, glass vase on the counter.

“Pull away before we can move forward.”

“How far did you expect us to be this
early on?”

“Let’s cut the bull. You know exactly
what I mean.”
 

He pushed himself to his feet and walked
into the kitchen. Leaning against the granite counter across from her, he
waited for her to face him and respond. She looked up. Her eyes swam with pain and
unshed tears.

“Growing up I saw a lot of dysfunction. I
started to believe that love was a thing to be feared.”

“Why?”

“Because it can be used like a weapon and
cut you deeper than any blade forged by a man’s hand. The scars linger, twist
you, take away your ability to be indifferent and practice self preservation. I
never wanted to get too deep with anyone. You challenge that. It’s been a hell
of an adjustment.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“‘Hi, I’m Kansas, and I’m an emotional
wreck’ didn’t seem like the best introduction.” She gave a self-deprecating
laugh. “My mother’s spent my entire life and probably before stringing my dad
along, critiquing and tearing us down every chance she got, and he allows it
because he’s weak and she’s got him wrapped around her finger. I figured if
that was love I didn’t want anything to do with it.”

“That’s not true love.” Jett scowled.

“I know that logically, but there was
always this nagging fear that the same flaw was predetermined by genetics.”

“You would never let yourself be put in
that position.” He stepped over and grasped her slender arms with his hands,
careful to be gentle. “Kansas, you’re strong willed, and no one can make you do
something unless you want to.”

“You did.” Her lower lip trembled.

“When?
If I ever
made you feel uncomfortable—”

Her lips crashed into his, and he
reacted. Hungry for her touch he gripped her hips lifted her up onto the
counter. He tilted his head, deepening their tongue fuck as he drank down the
taste of her. She was honeyed warmth, comfort, and sweet … like peppermint?
They came up for air, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“You made me care, you son of a bitch,
and now that I’ve released the Kraken there’s no turning back or out running on
him.”

“Did you just compare me to a giant
squid?”

“Technically it’s an octopus, and not
you, my feelings.”

“Hell,
Sas
, I’m
just glad this thing isn’t one-sided. You’ve gotten under my skin, entered my
bloodstream, and become an integral part of my life. I don’t feel right if I haven’t
talked or at least texted you at some point throughout the day. It’s insane. I
never knew I could feel like this.”

“Yeah, that’s two of us,” she whispered.

“Does this conversation mean I can call
you my girlfriend? Scott’s been doing it for weeks now.”

She chuckled.
“Your little
brother?”