Page 88 of Defending her Heart

“Is that when you worked on your plan to kidnap me?”

“No.” He chuckles. “That was yesterday.”

Well, fuck. Those butterflies aren’t going anywhere tonight.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

NASH

Kendall finally settled down after I inhaled my salad. I’m always famished after a game, which is probably not the best time to take a woman out to dinner. If my caveman actions of taking her car and her choice away weren’t enough to scare her off, the way I’m shoving food down my throat surely will.

“Do you want the last breadstick?” She holds the basket out to me, and I tear it in half, offering her the biggest piece.

She rolls her eyes and shoves both pieces away. “Sure.Nowyou’re courteous.”

“I’m always courteous.” I shove the smaller piece in my mouth, chew, swallow, and wash it down with the rest of my water. “I picked Mario’s because I thought you’d like it.”

Kendall’s evergreen eyes scan the hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. It’s partly true. I know she likes Italian, but it’s also dark and romantic, yet casual and intimate. I don’t have to worry about girls throwing themselves at me or signing a million autographs.

“I’ve never been here before,” she admits.

“Paisley and I come here in the spring for pizza and spaghetti with meatballs as big as her head. It’s her favorite place to bring me on a date.”

Kendall’s eyes warm and she gives me the first smile of the night. “She bringsyouon a date?”

I nod and rest my elbows on the table so I can lean closer to her. Her flowery scent—gardenia—is faint, but I can smell traces of it even over the heavy aroma of garlic in the air.

“When the season is over, we go on father-daughter dates at least once a week. She likes to dress up and picks where we go.As she gets older, she’s remembering the names of restaurants and feels extra fancy when she name drops them. Usually, it’s a request for pizza or seafood or hot dogs. One week we dress up, and the next week she picks an activity. If I never go to a bounce zone again it’ll be too soon.”

Kendall laughs and my cock hardens. “I can see you now, jumping so hard you’re catapulting all the little kids in the air.”

“Something like that.”

“I used to love jumping on my friend’s trampoline when I was a kid. We’d do backflips and cartwheels and hang out there all day.”

Fuck, I love the sound of her laugh. I could sit here all night and stare at her and listen to her talk. “Next time she requests to go to one of those stupid places, I’m dragging you with us. You can do the flips, and I’ll sit on the sidelines and watch.”

I can picture it now. Kendall’s thick, dark hair flying up and down as her tits bounce in slow motion. Her laughter carrying over the noise of a million little kids screaming and running throughout. She’s the center of my private porno.

“I don’t think Paisley would like it if you brought a woman on your father-daughter date.”

“You’re right. She wouldn’t.” Her smile fades for a moment before she forces it back on her beautiful face. “But you’re not just any woman, Kendall.”

Her cheeks turn pink and she lowers her gaze, her lashes fanning across her skin. We’re rudely interrupted by our server bringing our dinners. My stomach welcomes the intrusion, but my heart wishes we were truly alone.

When the server leaves and we start on our meals, Kendall lets out a low moan. “Oh my God. Paisley is right. The food is amazing.”

My hand holding my fork, laden with a healthy portion of lasagna, pauses in front of my mouth as I watch in pure lustas Kendall closes her eyes and enjoys her gnocchi. She pays me no attention as she dives back into her dish as if she’s the one starved and not me.

After her third bite, she blinks up at me and stills. “What? Do I have food on my face?”

“You’re damn sexy when you eat.”

Kendall tilts her head and narrows her eyes at me. “Is this some food kink you have, Nash Potato?”

“It’s a Kendall kink I have.”

“A Kendall kink?” She dips her chin in a slow nod and pierces another gnocchi. “And what exactly is a Kendall kink, do I dare ask?”

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