Page 77 of Token

Sahara held up her hands to calm their escalating concerns. “No, I didn’t mean it to come out like that. I have endometriosis, which is a condition involving the uterus lining that might make it difficult for me to get pregnant. The longer I wait, the worse it could get. But don’t worry,” she said as their faces fell. “I have a backup plan. I had my eggs frozen four years ago, so if I run into problems, I can always do IVF.”

Kennedy breathed a sigh of relief. “My aunt has endometriosis too. She had five kids in six years, all in her twenties. She said the pain during her period is unreal. Like bring-you-to-your-knees kind of pain.”

“She’s not kidding. When I was in my teens, sometimes it was so bad, I had to miss school. After all I’ve gone through, labor might not be that bad.”

Sahara’s remark elicited a derisive snort from her designer. “That may be taking things a little too far. I was in labor for twenty-three hours. You want to talk about pain. Oh my god, I squeezed Troy’s hand so tight, he swears I cut off his circulation. Labor is no joke.”

“Well, it’s good you have options.” Kennedy was impressed with her maturity and foresight. From what Kennedy knew about egg retrieval, it was like going through the IVF process, which was no walk in the park.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to rush the process. I’d really like to have my acting career fully established before I take time off for a husband and kids, you know?”

“Of course,” Aurora said sympathetically.

“And you’re well on your way,” Kennedy said. “You’re known as much for your acting as your music these days.” And that was the God’s honest truth. Sahara’s acting career was on fire. Casting directors loved her because she was gorgeous and had a versatile look, directors loved that she was a natural and eager to learn, and her costars loved that she was easy to get along with on and off the set.

“I hope so. What about you?” Sahara directed her question to Kennedy. “How are things going with the hunky Mr. Vaughn?”

“Mr. Vaughn?” April asked, looking at Aurora. “Any relation, by chance?”

“Oh, that’s right, you don’t know. Kennedy is going out with Aurora’s brother. The one who owns the tech company.” Sahara quickly caught her designer up on the goings-on. They then turned their gazes to Aurora.

“Why are you looking at me?” Aurora appeared mildly amused by the expectant expressions on their faces. “I have no problem with it. I received assurances that no matter what happens between them, Ken and I will always be friends, and since my parents would be royally pissed if I disowned their son, I’m pretty much stuck.”

“Is that the best you could do? Couldn’t you find another young, good-looking billionaire to date who wasn’t related to your best friend?” April was all smiles and tongue-in-cheek humor.

“Yeah, but why keep looking if you’ve already foundThe One, right, Ken?” Sahara sent her a wink.

“No one said anything about anyone beingThe One.” He definitely felt likeThe Onein bed, if that counted for anything. “We’re dating and having fun. That’s it,” she said, deliberately downplaying the relationship. No need to raise expectations or get their hopes up. Whatever happened would happen, all in good time.

“Right, but you know what they say,” Sahara said with a smirk.

Kennedy almost hated to ask, but it wasn’t as if she had a choice. “Actually, I don’t. What dotheysay?”

“That it’s all fun and games until it’s not.”

Sahara may not have meant it as a warning, but Kennedy would have been better served if she’d taken it as one.

“Okay, tonight, no dining out, takeout, Uber Eats, or anything like that. Tonight, yours truly is going to cook for you.” Kennedy turned and beamed a smile at Nate as she closed the door to his industrial-sized refrigerator.

She considered herself a fairly good cook but didn’t usually have a gourmet kitchen to showcase her talents in, except when she cooked at Aurora’s, which wasn’t often. The sheer counter space alone was making her giddy.

Smirking, Nate leaned against the counter, looking deliciously casual in low-hanging blue sweats and a graphic tee. “Oh, you can cook? Why haven’t I ever seen evidence of that?”

Her finger encountered only smooth muscled abs when she laughed and poked him. Thwarted, Kennedy wrinkled her nose. “Because you weren’t worthy of it before. Not even sure you’ve proved yourself worthy of it now. You’re lucky I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt.”

In response, he abruptly tugged her into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips. But what started as teasing turned hot within seconds. Because that was how it was with them. Their compatibility in bed was like nothing she’d ever experienced before, and the sex seemed to get better the more they engaged. Since her night out with the girls three weeks ago, she’d spent every weekend at his apartment and at least one day during the week. Things were going so well, she was giving serious thought to getting another Waterpik to leave there.

Hey, a girl is allowed to splurge every now and then.

Before things got out of control—she’d learned from experience how easily that could happen—Kennedy pressed firmly on his shoulders, reluctantly ending the kiss. “How am I going to cook if you keep doing that?” Her breathing wasn’t quite steady.

“I’m just following directions.” He stared pointedly at a pair of red lips and the KISS THE COOK emblazoned on the front of the apron she wore over a red T-shirt and black yoga pants.

Emitting a murmured sound that was both amusement and desire, Kennedy palmed his cheek that sported a sexy five-o’clock shadow. “I promise, we’ll get back to this after dinner.”

Nate’s blue eyes smoldered, his voice dropping a suggestive octave. “Dessert?”

“Have I ever sent you to bed without?”

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