Inseparable. Brenda Jackson
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to play a slow song. Kenna turned to leave the dance floor when Reese tightened his hold on her hand and pulled her closer to him. She went willingly.
When he wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer to his muscular frame, she put her head on his chest and closed her eyes. It wasn’t the first time they’d slow-danced together, but it was so rare that she relished the times they did.
After three dances with Reese she wondered why no one had cut in. She tilted her head away from his chest and took in the curious looks that were focused on them across the ballroom. Although she and Reese weren’t the only ones on the dance floor, his family standing on the sidelines of the ballroom had their eyes glued to them. Why?
She tilted her head upward and met Reese’s gaze. “Is something going on that I should know about?” she asked softly.
He smiled at her. “Why do you ask?”
“Everyone is staring at us.”
He glanced around the room and returned his gaze to hers. “They always stare at us when we dance together.”
“Yes, but this time it’s different.”
He shrugged. “You know how my great-grandmother is. She heard you’re moving in with me and has probably gotten everyone thinking that there’s more than friendship between us.”
“But why would she say something like that? Everyone knows we’re nothing more than friends,” Kenna said.
“Yes, but I’m sure she reminded them that in the beginning Syneda and Clayton had been friends, too.”
“Yes, but things between us are different. Surely they know that.”
He smiled. “They do. Don’t worry about it. They’re just trying to mollify the old gal.”
Kenna sighed softly and rested her face on Reese’s chest again. She couldn’t understand why his great-grandmother would say such a thing when everyone knew the kind of women Reese was usually attracted to—tall and slender, which was something she definitely was not.
The song ended much too soon, but instead of leading her off the dance floor, Reese tilted her chin upward to meet his gaze. His brown bedroom eyes scanned her face with concern. “Hey, you’re okay?” he asked in a voice that was so low it was barely audible. It was lower than she’d ever heard before.
She nodded and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. What about you? Are you beginning to think my moving in with you isn’t such a good idea after all?”
“No, I still think it’s a good idea. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t let you stay with me? And don’t worry about my great-grandmother. We know the real deal regardless of what others believe is going on between us, right?”
She nodded, keeping the smile plastered on her face. Yes, he was right. They knew the real deal. He would never look at her the way he looked at other women. They would never be anything more than best buddies.
“Right,” she said, smiling. “We know the real deal even if they don’t.”
He returned her smile. “True.”
She drew in a deep breath as he led her off the dance floor, and she wondered how she was going to remain level-headed living under Reese’s roof for thirty days.
Chapter 2
A month later…
Reese leaned in the doorway with a cup of coffee in his hand and looked behind Kenna to the moving truck parked in front of his ranch house. It was a truck he knew was loaded down with heaven knows what.
He had offered to fly to Austin and help her make the drive to Houston, but that independent streak in Kenna—which annoyed the hell out of him at times—had refused his help. She claimed she needed to do things herself, since it was her way of turning another page in her life. A part of him understood that, mostly because he understood her.
“So how was the drive?” he asked, offering her the cup of coffee in his hand. Like him, she needed the caffeine, especially during the early morning hours, and it was early. At four in the morning most of Houston was still asleep, including the men who worked his ranch. Kenna preferred driving at night, although Reese had been concerned about her safety.
She took a sip, closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She opened her eyes and met his gaze with sparkling eyes. “I hope you never lose your knack for making coffee. Starbucks has nothing on you, Reese Madaris.”
“Glad you think so,” he said, chuckling, taking the cup back from her and taking a sip himself. “There’s a pot inside, waiting for you.”
She smiled and he couldn’t help but chuckle again. Kenna was easy to please. Before walking inside she glanced over her shoulder. “Do you want me to move the truck and park it somewhere else instead of right in front of your door?”
“It’s fine right there. My men and I will unload it after breakfast,” he said, pulling her into the foyer and closing the door behind them.
She turned to face him. “Aren’t you going to work today?”
“No, I took the day off to help you get settled.” He could tell from her expression she didn’t like that. It was that independent streak again.
“You didn’t have to do that, Reese,” she said, frowning. “Remember our agreement? I don’t want to disrupt your life or your lifestyle by moving in.”
“You’re not. Now go into the kitchen and pour yourself some coffee. You’re usually in a bad mood until you’ve had your first cup.”
“I’m not in a bad mood.”
He grinned. “Yes, you are.”
Her mouth curved in a smile. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”
“As usual. And while you’re getting your caffeine fix, I’ll be in my office checking my emails. After that I’ll join you in the kitchen.” He turned and walked down the hallway, headed toward his office. Kenna’s gaze followed him as he walked away.
The foyer opened up to a spacious living room that had a spiral staircase leading to a second floor where most of the bedrooms were located. As Kenna made her way through the dining room and into the kitchen to get the cup of coffee she so desperately needed, she took in the decor.
She loved Reese’s home and remembered when he had purchased the land for it. They had talked about it endlessly before he finally made up his mind to build his house. He had shown her the floor plans for the design of the house that his cousin Slade—the architect in the family—had drawn up. She had fallen in love with it immediately. It was a sprawling two-story ranch-style house surrounded by more than seventy-something acres of land. Reese was down-to-earth and enjoyed being in the great outdoors. He could never be happy living in a condo in Houston.
Kenna had been the one to pick out the furniture for every room. It was at a time when Reese had been out of the country working for Remington Oil. When he’d returned to the States, it was to find the house completely furnished and ready for him to move in.
In the kitchen were sleek granite countertops and sparkling stainless-steel appliances. It was a huge, spacious kitchen compared to the one she had in Austin. As she reached for the coffeepot, she couldn’t help but think about how happy she’d been to see Reese when he’d opened the door. The moment he smiled, all the problems she had encountered on the road from Austin had faded away.
She’d gotten so sleepy while driving to Houston that she decided to check into a motel to get a couple of hours sleep. Although Reese had volunteered to help her drive from Austin, she felt she needed the time alone to think. She wanted to be sure the decisions she had made had been the right ones.
She would be the first to admit she was nervous about her new job. She had gone to work for the Austin Police Department right out of college, and for the past seven years the place had practically