Page 42 of The Last Key
“Goodnight, babe,” I whisper back. “I love you.” Then I drift off to sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DEVON
Saturday
Sunlighton my face wakes me from a deep sleep. I yawn and reach for Kennedy, finding nothing but an empty bed beside me. Disappointment hits before I smell bacon cooking. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s nearly nine-thirty.Holy shit.I can’t remember the last time I slept this late so easily.
Throwing off the covers, I slip on my sweats and make my way downstairs, all the while thinking about last night. How everything changed. Hoping it wasn’t all a dream. Remembering the words she said as she fell asleep.
I love you.
I was afraid to say it to her earlier in the night because I wasn’t sure how she felt. I’m still not certain. She said them when she was tired after lots of incredible sex. Should I believe them?
I shake the thought away as I walk down the hall to the kitchen, where Kennedy and Justin are talking and laughing.
“Morning,” I say, running a hand through my hair.
Kennedy smiles brightly, then flicks off the burner and walks over to me. “Morning.” She presses onto her toes and softly kisses me, and though I want to, I don’t set her on the kitchen counter and attack her again. For Justin’s sake only.
“You left me alone,” I whisper pitifully.
She laughs and shakes her head as she steps back. “I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t budge.” With a twinkle in her eye, she smirks and says, “You were sleeping hard, big boy.”
Justin groans over his coffee mug. “Ugh. Can we not do that?”
Kennedy turns to him and shrugs. “Get used to it. We’re gonna be gross now.”
He shakes his head and walks toward the hallway. “On that note, I’m going to take a nice, long shower. Please,pleasedo not let me catch you screwing anywhere. Save it for the bedroom until after I leave, okay?”
“No promises,” I call after him, then walk around the kitchen island to where Kennedy is now prepping our sandwiches. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I whisper, “I missed waking up with you in my arms.”
“I’m sorry, but you really were out, and I was starving. I’ve already eaten three slices of bacon. But I promise to stay in bed with you every morning for as long as I’m here.”
“All summer long?” I ask, trying not to sound needy, but God, I don’t even want to think about her leaving.
She spins to face me, looping her arms around my neck. “All summer… at least.”
I lift her onto the counter and lean into her. “And I get to keep you in bed that whole time?”
She swats my shoulder, then groans as I kiss her neck. “How about half the time?”
“I might be agreeable to that.”
“Good. Now, I’m still starving. Can we please eat?” My eyes trail down her body and she smacks me again. “I mean food, Devon. You’ve known me for seventeen years. You know better than to get between me and food.”
I chuckle at that and grab the plates sitting next to her. “I suppose so.”
Turning around, I walk over to the island and set our plates down. She follows me, sitting down on a stool and looking happily at the breakfast sandwich on her plate before picking it up and taking a massive bite. She groans loudly.
“Good to know where your loyalties lie between sex and food,” I say with a laugh.
Mouth still full, she turns to me, chewing several times before swallowing, and daintily wiping her mouth with a napkin like she’s not a raging beast when she’s hungry. She spins on her stool, one leg crossing over the other. My fingers ache to reach out and touch her velvety skin.
“Sex is fun and beautiful and fucking incredible when it’s with the right person.” She gives me a little wink. “But food is essential to human life. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.” Then she turns back to her sandwich and dives in again.
My head tilts as I watch her chew and swallow another huge bite. Even watching her ravenously eat is sexy.
