Page 26 of What I Should Have Known

“Kat’s gonna show me whatever this bulldoggin’ shit is,” I replied with a grin.

She rolled her eyes as my mom pursed her lips.

“Benjamin,” my mom hissed under her breath.

“Yeah, Benjamin,” Kat taunted, throwing her hands on her hips.

“Yes, ladies?” I smirked, unable to pry my eyes away from Kat. It was a good thing that nobody from the team was here, or I’d be receiving shit by the end of the night. I knew at that moment, as her fingers pressed against her hip leaving dimpled impressions, that my ability to maintain rational thought shot away like a bullet from a gun.

A heavy sigh rushed out of my mom’s mouth. “How did you two meet?”

“Unofficially or officially? Because one of those moments is a little hazy to me.” I pried my gaze away from Kat’s intense stare.

“Which one makes you out to be less of a fool?”

“The one where I bought Muffin.”

“Oh, that’s right!” My mom turned back to Kat. “I don’t know why I completely forgot you volunteer at the shelter.” She paused and furrowed her brows as Kat gave her a small smile. “Do I want to know what the unofficial story is?”

Kat giggled and shook her head. “He hit me with a bottle cap while drunk back in Virginia.”

“In my defense, Scottie was supposed to have been hit by it, not Kat,” I quickly said and showed my palms in submission as I caught sight of Raiden sauntering out of the shadows, his hand intertwined with a dark-haired young lady.

“Virginia?” My mom furrowed her brows, as my gaze tracked Raiden and his girlfriend.

“Yeah, you know… After the funeral,” I muttered. A shiver danced down my spine, alerting me to the sharp, steely stare of Kat. Her gaze burrowed two icy holes into me as Raiden and Charlotte joined our little group.

“Hi, Kat,” Raiden said.

Charlotte’s brown eyes darted quickly around the group and then landed on mine. She simply stared as Raiden leaned over and whispered something into her ear.

“Well.” I raised a brow at Raiden and finally looked back at Kat. “You owe me my CAC and the promised explanations. Let me hurry and grab some fries for my mom first, though.”

Kat shook her head as Charlotte’s brows stitched together. A hand landed on my arm, drawing my attention away from the woman who had my head fuzzy.

“Go on, I can get myself fries if I want some,” my mom said and then dug her fingers tighter into my arm. “Just, please, don’t do something…rash.”

“Who me?” I pulled my brows together and quickly kissed her cheek. “Never.” I winked and turned back to Kat.

“Seriously, Bernie,” my mom continued, still not releasing my arm. She leaned in close and whispered beneath her breath, “Think before you do, okay? Kat’s family is well-respected and very influential, and I’d like to not make a huge wave. It’s a small town… nothing like our old home.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.

She pinched me one more time before finally releasing her fingers from my arm.

Rubbing at the lingering red marks, I followed behind Kat as she swayed away. Her hips rocked back and forth, begging for me to latch onto them. Aching for me to bury myself inside of her. Taunting me. Asking for me to say something that I knew Kat wouldn’t get.

Yet, I couldn’t stop myself.

“So, Kit Kat, figure it out yet? ’Cause from my view, it seems like you have,” I flirted.

She stopped walking and turned around, her eyes catching mine as a loud voice boomed from the arena speakers, announcing the start of the rodeo. “Figure out what?” she asked.

I grinned, a chuckle rumbling in my chest. “How blunt do you want me to be?”

Kat spun back around and resumed plodding forward, the gravel and dirt beneath her boots crunched as we made our way closer to the side where a pack of horses and riders waited. “Bernie, you are a lot of things, but I think dumbass takes the cake because I seriously don’t know what you’re saying half of the time words come out of your mouth.”

“Someday you will, Kit Kat. Someday you will,” I replied with a wink and stuffed my hands in my pockets. I doubted she’d even seen the wink, as her back remained to me.

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