Pulling out her favourite pair of blue jeans she settled on a red blouse. Her underwear was plain and black. She’d never win awards for fashion, but she looked reasonable. Leaving her hair down she left the makeup and settled on her glasses rather than the contacts she preferred to wear.
Opening the bedroom door, she spotted Kent looking through one of her cookery books. She cleared her throat gaining his attention. He looked up and froze.
“You wear glasses?” he asked.
“Yes. I tend to wear contacts though, but today I think glasses would work.” She needed the added layer to keep him away. Lana didn’t know if she’d be able to resist him.
It’s all in your head. There’s no way Kent wants you.
He’s got supermodels and beautiful women hiding in his bed. You’re nothing compared to them.
I’m real.
Men don’t want real women.
“Are you ready?” he asked. She sensed his disappointment.
“I’m ready to leave when you are.”
They were silent on the way down to the car. Kent put the radio on shutting out any conversation. She stared out of the window wondering if she’d made a mistake. In the last week and a half she’d come to value his friendship. Kissing, sex, and everything else would take him away. Kent would never commit, and she wasn’t the kind of woman to let herself become a one night stand.
You’re f**ked.
****
Kent was angry. She’d worn the glasses to try to keep him at bay. He knew enough about Lana to know what she was trying to do. They’d kissed. Their lips had brushed against each other, but they didn’t deepen the kiss. He wanted to do far more than kiss, and then she’d pulled away from him.
What did he have to do to convince her he wasn’t going to hurt her? She continued to stare out of the window and didn’t even look in his direction. Kent ground his teeth together to stop himself from looking like a total ass.
You’re forty-five years old. Stop acting like a jerk.
Pulling into the first available spot Kent cut the engine of his car.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He turned to her. “We kissed, Lana. I’m not scared of the kiss, but I think you are.” Kent cupped her cheek forcing her to look at him. “Nothing is going to come of it. Stop acting like I’m going to attack you and demand something from you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way,” she said.
“Then calm down. We kissed, and I enjoyed it, but nothing is going to happen. We’re good.”
She smiled at him. Lana took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Thank you for understanding.”
An image of himself bashing his head against the steering wheel entered his head. Instead, he smiled and turned the engine over. He pulled away from the kerb and started in the direction of his parents’ home.
That didn’t go well.
You were hoping she’d want you back.
You’re a f**king idiot.
Over and over he berated himself inside his mind. They’d been friends for two weeks, and already he was f**king it up with his own desires and needs. He took her hand half-way through the journey. She squeezed his hand back.
There was so much more between them, and he didn’t want to f**k it up. Lana was clearly hurt by Frank. He saw the pain in her eyes when she’d talked about him.
“Who will be cooking today?” Lana asked.
“My mom. She doesn’t allow anyone else in her kitchen. Any woman who is not invited should watch their back. My mom can be a wicked woman.”
“She sounds … pleasant,” Lana said.
Kent chuckled. “She’s more than pleasant. Since I can remember she’s loved her kitchen. No one is going to take that pleasure away even with her in her sixties.”
“I can tell you love them.”
“Don’t you have parents you love?” he asked.
She grew silent. He saw her fidgeting and rubbing her hands along her thighs. Kent decided to let it go. Lana would tell him about her family when she was ready to let that part of herself go.
He pulled down the street where he grew up. His parents came from money, and his grandparents had been happy when they discovered his mom was pregnant.
“Wow, this is where you grew up?” Lana asked.
“Yeah. I went to school down the road. It was a private school.”
“This place is amazing.”
I could give you this if only you let me.
Kent shook the thought off. He didn’t do commitment.
You could if you let her in.
“It’s pretty cool. My brothers own a house along here, and so do my two sisters. They’re very happy.”
“It must be nice,” Lana said with a sigh.
He pulled up into the closed driveway. Kent typed in the number for the gate to open.
“You’ve got a security locked gate?”
“Yeah. My mom demanded it because my grandparents always dropped by when she didn’t want them to. It was her way of keeping the in-laws away.”
Lana chuckled. “I like the sound of your mom.”
“She’s going to like you. Trust me, Lana, my mom is no ogre.”
“Okay.”
She turned behind her to watch the gate close. “It must be nice to lock the world away.”
“Have you ever wanted to lock the world away?” he asked.
“Sometimes.”
She didn’t elaborate. Kent wanted more than anything to get some truth out of her. Instead, he grew silent and waited for her to speak.
He drove up to the main house. The day was overcast, and dinner would be served inside the house. Sophie opened the door and ran down the steps. She was the youngest of all the siblings. She was twenty-five and had been a shock to the family when she arrived.
“Kent, it’s about time you got here.” He climbed out of the car and tensed waiting for her to jump at him.
Lana got out of the car staring at them. He felt her eyes on him. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’ve been gone too long, big brother,” Sophie said.
“I know. Work has been hectic recently.”
“You’re all work, and you’re going to put yourself into an early grave. Mom and dad are worried. They think you’re going to be a sleep-around bachelor for the rest of your life.”
Kent cleared his throat. “Can I introduce you to someone?” He pointed toward Lana. “This is Lana Hawkins. She’s my friend.”
“You don’t have female friends, not after … erm … you know what I mean.”