Page 22 of Reckless Curves
Kendra gave a curt nod. “Don’t rush me.”
“If I help financially, as I should and have a right to, you could afford a new car.”
Damn. That made sense. “Fine.” She opened the door and got out. When she tilted the back of her seat forward, she saw that Connor was still asleep, tuckered out from the heat and stress. She released the safety straps and pulled him out of the child seat. He roused a little as she backed out of the car and settled him on her hip, but then went back to sleep.
Not realizing Tom was behind her, she bumped into him. “Oh, sorry.”
Tom let his hand settle on her waist and leaned into her a little. “Feel free to back into me anytime.”
His touch made breathing difficult for Kendra. She had to get away from him; he was making her feel things she was afraid to feel again. She chuckled and moved aside so he could get the baby seat out of the car. “Still charming the girls, I see.”
When he flashed her that sexy smile, she melted. “Always.”
It only took a moment for him to unhook the baby seat. He shut the door and hit the alarm button on his key fob as he looked around the neighborhood with disapproval. Kendra knew what he was thinking because it was the same look Marcus always got on his face when he was there.
“I can afford the rent here,” she said.
Tom’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t say anything.”
Kendra turned away from him and started for the building. “You didn’t have to.”
* * *
Her anger was apparent in the tense way she held herself as she marched ahead of Tom. He hadn’t meant to make her feel bad, but parking his valuable car in the derelict neighborhood made Tom uneasy. He hated them living in such a bad area of town, but there wasn’t much he could do about it at the moment. Telling her to move was not the answer. She had to come to that decision herself. With his encouragement, of course. House hunting might be an idea. Women loved looking at homes. Appealing to her love for Connor by offering a large backyard would be a start. His house had a huge backyard.
Looking up at the dingy building that had once been white, Tom took in the peeling paint and dented pieces of siding. Two windows were cracked and apparently, the tenants had tried to fix them with duct tape. Tom shook his head as he followed Kendra inside.
He hated how much this reminded him of his upbringing.
He hadn’t paid a whole lot of attention the day before, but the foyer and stairwells were just as depressing and in need of repair like the outside. There were cracks in the ugly yellow paint, and some stairs sagged. He also saw some nails sticking up from the wooden boards.
Someone will get hurt. Who the hell owns this place? They ought to be fined for not keeping stuff up to code.Tom put those thoughts out of his mind as he watched Kendra mount the stairs. His temperature rose as he watched her backside move, and he itched to fill his palms with her sweetly rounded flesh. He was glad when Connor woke up and provided a distraction.
Connor raised his head and looked at Tom over Kendra’s shoulder. He raised a chubby little hand. “Hi, Tom!”
It amazed Tom that Connor remembered who he was after their brief meeting yesterday. He gave Connor a little wave. “Hi, buddy. You okay?”
Connor bobbed his head. “Mama, me hungee.”
Kendra chuckled. “I know, honey. We’re just about home and I’ll make you your favorite, okay?”
“Geen beans! Yay!” Connor shouted.
Tom laughed as they reached the third floor. “Green beans are his favorite?”
Kendra set Connor on his feet. “Stay there.” She fished her keys out of her purse. “Yeah. He loves fruits and veggies. It’s a struggle to get him to eat meat most of the time.”
That surprised Tom. “Really? Even hotdogs?”
Connor gave him a fierce look. “Hotdogs yucky.”
“Well, all righty then,” Tom responded. “No hotdogs for you. Can I eat them?”
Tom got a kick out of the way Connor’s brow furrowed as he thought. He looked like Tom’s brother Sam when he was thinking. It pleased Tom that Connor also took after his side of the family.
Kendra opened the door and Connor ran inside. “Geen beans!”
Tom shook his head. “The kid really loves his green beans.” He followed Kendra into the living room and stopped when a hot breeze hit him. One window was open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. “Did you leave that open?”
