Page 40 of Reckless Curves
“No, but still… We’ll take our time next time.” At her surprised look, he said, “What? You don’t think this will be the last time we do this, do you?”
She merely gave him a small smile.
Tom sat up and held her by the shoulders. “I want to be with you and get to know Connor. Will you let me? Will you give us a chance?”
Fear gnawed at Kendra. “Are you sure? The repercussions with Marcus…”
“I can handle Marcus. I should have done so long ago, but I’m man enough to admit that I used him as an excuse, because you were getting too close. My parent’s marriage made relationships something I avoided like the clap.” Tom said, “But now… I haven’t thought about anything else since you told me about Connor.”
“That’s what I mean. You wouldn’t have approached me if I hadn’t confronted you,” Kendra said.
“I know, but you know why now, and it was a mistake. My mother walking out on my father screwed me up.” Tom replied. “Let’s not go over the what ifs. Why make this more complicated than it has to be?”
“Because I have Connor to think about.” She rested her hands on his shoulders. “His welfare comes before anything else.”
Tom clenched his jaw. “You’re worried that I’ll let him down, let you both down, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Your track record with relationships is—well—you don’t do relationships. You chase women just as much as Marcus. If we get together, how can I be sure I’ll be enough for you?” She laid her hand along his jaw. “It would kill me if I got more involved and you cheated on me.” She couldn’t bear that kind of hurt.
It astounded Tom how much he wanted a relationship with Kendra. “Ever since the night you came to the shop, you’re the only woman I’ve thought about, the only one I want. I want you again. Right now. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I do you. That’s no bullshit, Kendra.”
Kendra’s breath hitched in her throat when he cupped her breasts and toyed with her nipples. Hot need pooled between her legs, and she moaned. “I want you again, too, but hot sex doesn’t make a relationship. I want a man who is there for the good times and the bad. I want that special person who will stand with me when things go pear-shaped. We have both seen what happens when one person bails when the going gets tough. Your mother left, and my mother shut down and became a doormat. It’s important that the sex is wonderful, but it’s not enough.”
He looked at her and remained silent. She saw it in his eyes. He knew she spoke the truth.
“Then let’s just be boyfriend and girlfriend and see where this takes us. I have earned the right to try, because he’s my son too.”
She nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips. “That’s a good place to start. And me moving in across the road should make it easy for us to see each other, and for you to get to know your son. I know that’s important for both of you.”
“Connor’s so easy to love. You did good, my girl.”
She loved the praise because she had done good. It had been tough, but so worth it. Connor was a good kid. “He is, but don’t you go spoiling him.”
He rolled her under him and tickled her. “Just a little, maybe.”
She laughed. “I suspect what you consider a little is not what I’d consider a little.”
His smile faded. “I just want to love him and hope that he grows to love me.”
She cupped his cheek. “Of course he will. There is a lot to love. I should know.”
His slow, deep kiss set her body on fire once again. “When did you say you’d pick Connor up?”
She looked at the clock. “We have another hour.”
He started kissing down her body. “Plenty of time for first gear, maybe even second gear loving!
