Kyler gave a firm nod, placing a mask on his head yet not pulling it down. “She’s closed up tight, that one.”
Porter seriously didn’t get it. The woman he had begun seeing was special and sweet, behind the bratty behavior. Why wouldn’t she show others that side of herself? Everyone at Club Sin cared for her, he was sure she knew that. Then why would anyone stay so much inside herself surrounded by people who were only looking out for her?
It didn’t add up.
Just as Porter’s mind started running away from him with the concerns about what had her so frightened and also how to get her to trust him, Miles called, “Grab your guns, boys.”
Porter glanced over his shoulder, seeing Miles approach in lengthy strides. It was good to see him there, and it was nice that the entire gang could get together for Kyler’s big weekend. Miles closed in on them, his stern eyes alight with excitement as his huge frame of six-foot-five reflected the tension ready for a fight. Miles, tonight, appeared lethal. His smile was wicked, as well as greatly amused. “Zombies are invading.”
Porter noticed right over Miles’s shoulders the horde of zombies approaching. His chuckle was instant, as were the others around him. He seemed to have landed himself directly inside an episode of The Walking Dead. Right then and there, he decided that tonight he wasn’t targeting zombies with his paintballs, but he was targeting the source of Kenzie’s pain, the source of her trouble, and the distance that kept him from understanding it all.
With tension in his muscles and confusion in his heart, he lifted his gun, aimed, and fired.
Chapter Nine
By the time Kenzie made it to the wedding, her hangover from last night’s drinking had finally decided to die an ugly death. Her headache had lessened—thanks to the painkillers Cora had given her. Now, as she listened to Kyler and Ella exchanging sweet vows of love and commitment to each other, she felt a little more like herself, even if all her troubles returned to her like a germ that she couldn’t scrub away. She was also so ready for round two of partying tonight.
The chapel was small, but it had enough chairs for all in attendance, which was fifty people, she figured. It had classic Vegas flair, with rich dark red fabrics draped along the walls for the burlesque theme and dark red roses in black vases situated around the room. A red carpet ran the length of the isle, with black lace on the sides. But the most beautiful thing in the room was Ella, who wore a stunning white-feather corset dress. A red ribbon laced up the back, and the dress was adorned with rhinestones and diamanté. The skirt had layers upon layers of white netting that cascaded into a stunning train. Kenzie figured it was a burlesque costume, but it happened to make a gorgeous wedding dress, too.
As the loving words were exchanged and the crowd was silent, Kenzie felt Porter’s stare as he sat behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know that he was looking at her—she could feel it right down to her toes. All throughout the ceremony, he had been watching her, and it was her reaction to him that was making her uncomfortable. Part of her liked that he followed her so intently, and that was disconcerting.
The other part of her wanted to turn around, jump in his arms, and have him hold her. To tell him everything that was going on with Adrik, and then to have him tell her that she was going to be okay. That her store was safe. That she was safe. But terror slid through her to do it.
She sighed, and then someone nudged her arm. Kenzie spotted Cora examining her carefully until she finally whispered, “You know, for being at a wedding, you look absolutely miserable.”
Kenzie shrugged. I am miserable, stressed, and confused.
Cora pleaded, “Kenz, I wish you would talk to me.”
Kenzie found herself wanting to talk about it, but now was not that time. Hell, it seemed like there was never a good time. Even if there was, Kenzie didn’t know how to even ask for help for all the shit that was going down. She pulled her attention back to Ella, who was placing the ring on Kyler’s finger.
She cleared her thoughts, focusing on her friends. Today was their day. She wouldn’t let anything ruin that, so she attempted to wash all the worry from her body with another sigh, when a touch slid up the back of her neck. She startled and silently cursed that she’d decided to wear her hair up today. Though the moment the finger slid back down her neck, she sensed her mind going quiet, her sighs no longer needing to escape her.
The touch was that soothing.
She sank back into her chair and embraced the soft finger traveling over her as she continued to watch the ceremony. Porter’s touch held her in the present, not letting her mind travel anywhere else but on the happiness surrounding her.
With both wedding rings now in place, the official said in a loud voice, “You may now kiss your bride.”
Loud applause and whistles rang out in the small chapel, and Kenzie clapped right along with them, tears of joy welling in her eyes. She’d never been sappy at weddings before, but apparently, she was a complete basket case now.
Smiling from ear to ear, Kyler tucked Ella’s arm in his as they headed down the aisle, and that’s when Porter’s touch left Kenzie’s neck. The moment it did, all her worries, all her stress returned—smacking into her like a freight train running at full speed. She quaked with the disgust of it, and rose, not looking at Porter. She almost sensed that if she did, he’d see right through her, and her heart was where no one should visit—that’s where demons lived.
Row by row emptied, and she followed Cora toward the chapel’s double doors, when a hand caught hers. She was tugged into a small dressing room off the main entrance—Porter shut the door behind them and locked it. His eyes…oh, how they blazed, and a flare of heat ripped through her.
Dressed in black dress pants, the vest she bought him, and the silver tie, along with the fedora, Porter was a perfect ten. The hat was tipped to the side, sitting just over his eye, and he, in all his masculine sexiness, tightened her thighs.
Without hesitation and with conviction, he had her chin in his light grasp, easily positioning her against the mirror behind her on the wall. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him as he unbuckled his pants and they dropped to the floor. The passion there in the depths of his eyes, the strength they reflected, consumed her.
In complete silence, not asking for her permission, he hooked her leg around his waist and grasped her panties, pulling them to the side. Then, with a statement all of its own, he entered her. His shaft pushed inside her, allowing her to feel every spectacular inch of him. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he began thrusting, not slow and easy but hard and unforgiving.
She was wet. God, was she wet for him.
He was divine.
His hard cock fit her perfectly, hitting her sensitive spots inside that brought her to pleasure instantly. A moan escaped her, and he growled low in his throat. “Silence.”
Kenzie knew his demand was an order because if she moaned loudly all would hear, and this wasn’t the place for it. She wondered why he was even doing this now, but as he continued to thrust into her, leaving her pinned against the wall, she decided she didn’t care. Pleasure stole over all the worries and the pain that lay ever so present inside. Her mind settled, her body becoming all his to take in whatever manner he chose.