Even though Kyle was a pain in my ass, he was a friend. A friend who I knew would do anything for me. That was clear from the look on his face—and the fact that he knew I’d been crying.
“Nothing, Kyle. You’re here!” I said with a forced glee I normally didn’t reserve for him.
He turned and saw Luke, and I knew the moment it dawned on him who he was. But thankfully, he didn’t react. Or at least he tried not to react.
Before Kyle could utter another word, I walked around the desk and threw myself into his arms, hugging him.
He tried to back away as he looked down at me like I was attempting to murder him. Cat barked and tried to move in between us.
I laughed and reached down to pet her. “Jealous girl!”
Pulling Kyle away from Luke and to the opposite side of the room, I looked up at him and whispered, “I need a favor from you.”
He looked suspicious. “What kind of favor?”
Quickly glancing back across the room to Luke, I saw he was glancing at his phone. “I need you to kiss me.”
That made his eyes nearly pop out of his head. His voice was low as he asked, “Kiss you? Does the fact that Luke Walters is standing here have anything to do with this?”
“Yes, and I promise to tell you all about it later, when you take me out to dinner for my birthday.”
“That would be two favors, Brighton. I like you, but I’m not sure I like you that much.”
I silently pleaded with him with my eyes. “Kyle, please.”
He sighed and said, “Passionate kiss like we’re dating or peck on the cheek?”
“Passionate. I’ll try not to throw up.”
Laughing, he cupped my face with his hands and kissed me.
Okay, I’m not going to lie, the man could kiss. He could really kiss. And when his tongue slipped into my mouth, I had to fight the urge to give in to it. Props to Kyle Larson. I could see why women melted in his arms. Too bad I really was fighting the urge to puke. I was going to deserve an Oscar of my own after this kiss was over.
When he pulled away, he looked down at me with a smirk and whispered, “How was that?”
“A five, maybe. A little too much tongue action.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Should I try again?”
“No, I’m barely able to keep my food down as it is.”
Kyle laughed again and quickly slipped into the role like the pro he was. He put his arm around me and then turned back to face Luke. Who, I might add, looked like he was ready to hit Kyle. Had he not been in a police uniform, he might have. I had to hand it to Kyle, he was good at this. And I was going to owe him big time.
It dawned on me then that Luke had used another name to register his room. Walter Cunningham. How should I introduce him? Shit. He had three different names.
“I’m sorry, I’d introduce you to my boyfriend, but I’m not sure what name you’re going by right now.”
Luke forced a laugh and walked toward us, his hand extended toward Kyle. “Luke Morrison.”
Kyle lifted his brows. “Didn’t you work for a Morrison, sweetheart?”
A nervous bubble of laughter escaped from my throat, and I cleared it. “Yes. This is his son.”
They shook hands, and Kyle turned to face me. “I can’t stay. Just stopped by to wish you a happy birthday, and to make sure we’re on for dinner at Bella’s tonight.”
The fact that Kyle had remembered Bella’s was my favorite place to eat—besides The Coffee Pot, which was our local café—touched my heart. As much as I gave him a hard time, I knew deep in my soul that Kyle Larson would do anything for his friends. The fact that he was playing along with this, no questions asked, told me one thing.
Okay, two things: One, he was going to make me pay him back tenfold. And two, I was lucky to call him a friend.
“Yes, that sounds amazing,” I said. “Seven?”
He winked. “Yep. Well, I need to run.”
And before I could say another word, he pulled me in for a second kiss. I reached around to his side—the one that Luke couldn’t see—found the area his bulletproof vest wasn’t covering, and pinched the living shit out of him.
Kyle pulled back and laughed. “I always knew you’d like it rough.” He stepped back and looked at Luke with a wide grin. “It was nice meeting you. Enjoy your stay in Boggy Creek.”
Luke forced a smile. “I will, thank you.”
I let out a yelp when Kyle slapped me on the ass and headed toward the door. Cat was right by his side, but not before she shot me a dirty look.