Tempting (Red Lips & White Lies, #1)

by Bella Matthews

Can’t put my finger on what I’m in the mood for . . . Could be tacos and a margarita. A little online shopping? Maybe an orgasm . . . Yup. That’s it. Ding-ding-ding! Orgasm is the winner. —Kenzie’s Secret Thoughts

Everyone is enjoying themselves. Everyone except Maddox, that is. Carefree is rarely a word I’d use to describe my cousin. Asshole, occasionally. Sarcastic, always. Carefree . . . not really. He hands me a glass of water with a lemon wedge and arches one dark, bushy eyebrow like a cartoon villain. “Better make sure you don’t drink too many of these. We wouldn’t want you to loosen up and lose control tonight.” Yup. Still a sarcastic fucker.

My cousin Brynlee grabs my hand and presses it against her baby bump to feel her baby boy going to town on her ribcage. “Can’t you deliver him now?” she pouts. “Nope. You’ve got four more weeks, Brynnie. You’re a rockstar. You’ve got this.” I dig my fist into the small of her back, alleviating some of the pressure this little man has been putting on his momma, and she drops her head and moans in relief. “God, I love you. How about you come home with us? I’ll kick Deacon out of bed. You can have his spot.” Like a homing beacon, her hot, hockey-coach giant of a husband hears his name and zeroes in on his wife. “You kicking me out of bed, red?” “Depends . . . Can you do what she just did?” she challenges, and the smile splashing across Deacon’s face is filthy, which has me quickly looking away. It’s been so damn long since someone looked at me with filthy thoughts dancing behind their eyes. At least any someones I want looking at me that way. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Coach,” Brynn giggles, and I take that as my cue to slide away before I hear something I don’t want or need to know.

My family. The ones I claimed as my own after our mom died and left Easton and me with our cousin Juliette as our legal guardian. Jules married Becket Kingston and managed to give us an enormous family who took us in and claimed us as their own. But even better, with them came Brynlee and Lindy. The closest thing I’d ever had to sisters. They introduced me to the twins, Everly and Grace, and as they say, the rest is history. My history. These women took in a heartbroken little girl and refused to let me close myself off. We were inseparable. The kind of girl squad most teenage girls—hell, most grown women—dream of. The kind that cheers the loudest for you, even if you’re not around to hear it. Who protects your name in rooms you’re not in. Friends who make sure—even though you’re going through your residency, hours away, working eighty-hour weeks with no time off to come home—you’re still in every text thread and on as many FaceTimes as possible. They made sure I didn’t miss a thing, even if I couldn’t be here to watch it happen in person.

“Thanks, Nix.” I try unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn, then cover my mouth, mortified. “Oh, I see how it is,” he teases. “Stop.” My cheeks burn red.

Nixon crosses well-defined arms over his chest, blocking me from everyone’s view, and I wonder when exactly they got so thick too. I’ve known him since we were twelve, and Nixon Sinclair never used to be . . . well . . . hot.

But somewhere between then and now, Nixon grew into a seventh circle of Hell hot man. When exactly did that happen, and how exactly did I miss it?

This woman is my sisters’ best friend, which makes her part of my circle. And I protect what’s mine.

Kenzie takes another small step into my side, and that bad fucking feeling grows. Guess that’s going to be my excuse for what I’m about to do. Couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that this girl was the first girl I ever crushed on before I even knew all the ways I wanted to make her scream my fucking name.

“Nixon Sinclair.” I let my glare go dark like it does before a fight on the ice. “Her boyfriend.”

“Mackenzie would be fine without me,” I confirm because this woman is more than capable of taking care of herself. “But she won’t need to be. My first preseason game isn’t until the following week. I’ll be escorting her.”

I stop and turn around, giving her my back, and squat down. “Hop on.” “What?” she laughs. “Hop on. I’ll carry you.” I look over my shoulder and catch her chewing that bottom lip again. “Come on, Mac. You can’t walk home barefoot, and you’ve almost kissed the ground twice since you left the bar. It’s not like it’s your first piggyback ride.” Jesus. She brings out the inner thirteen-year-old in me. “I’m wearing a dress, Nix.” Her protest is weak at best, and I can tell she’s thinking about it. “Come on, Mac. Hitch up your damn dress and hop on. I bench press four times your weight. We’ll be home in five minutes, and you won’t break your ankle between now and then.”

“Oh my goodness, Nixon. Put me down before someone else sees.” But does he listen? No. He hoists me further up his back and chuckles instead. “Wouldn’t want a scandal, now would we, Mac?” We pass the dark coffee shop which closed hours ago before stopping at the elevator. He swings me around so I can press the up button, keeping his grip tight the entire time.

Nix shrugs. “I didn’t like the way he was talking to you. The guy set my Spidey senses off. Besides, it will make my momma happy if I go to the gala, and now I have a reason to go. What time am I picking you up?” “You’re Spidey senses? You really should get that looked at, Nixon.” I put my key in the lock and smile back at him.

Netflix needs to stop asking if I’m still watching and start refusing to play the next episode until I move the wash to the dryer. —Kenzie’s Secret Thoughts

Callen Make smart choices, kids. Nixon Yes, dad. Callen Ohhh . . . I like it when you call me daddy. Nixon And. I’m. Out.

When I just look at him blankly, he laughs. “Come on. Have some fun with me tonight, Mac. Pick a code word. If it all gets to be too much, just say the word, and we’re out of here. But at least try first, okay?” Holy hell. Did this man have a whole conversation with me while I was busy wondering what his lips would feel like on mine? “Like a safe word?” I squeak. “No,” he chuckles, and the sound is deep and gravelly and way sexier than it should be. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Hayes. Like a you say the word and we leave word.” I shrug. “Sounds like a safe word to me.”

Nixon’s hand skims up my neck, and his callused thumb brushes along my jaw, sending delicious shivers dancing down my skin. “Baby, if you want to play with safe words, we can leave now.” My jaw all but hits the floor, and Nix takes a step back and drops his hand. “Yeah . . . let’s stick to code words, Kenz.” Kenz. He never calls me that.

waiting for Mac and Easton as they walk off the dance floor. “You ready to head home?” Easton looks between us and shakes his head. “Touch her and die, Sinclair.”

“I’m shaking, Hayes. Seriously. Terrified.” I drop my hand to Mac’s back and enjoy her sweet giggles. And man, does that sound do something to me.

“Yeah, man . . . If I hurt Mac, my sisters would be the first ones to skin me alive. But I’m not going to hurt her. Like I said—friends,” I tell him as I try to absorb everything he just told me. He cracks his neck and closes his eyes. “Yeah. That’s what I used to say about Lindy too. You’re fucking screwed, Sinclair. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.” “Consider me warned.” I pull my hat back down over my eyes. “Any chance you want to sit there for the rest of the flight? Leo never shuts the hell up.” He reclines his seat and closes his eyes. “Wake me up when we land.”

He stands up, and Gordie pops right up with him. Traitor. I scoop the fat little fucker up and hold him in front of me. “You know you’re mine, right?”

Behind every strong woman is a story that left her with two options. Sink or fucking swim. Floating through life isn’t an option. —Kenzie’s Secret Thoughts

Cade’s eyes narrow on me. He might be a retired MMA champion, having passed on his title to his brother-in-law, and now years later, his son, but swear to God, I wouldn’t want to piss him off or hurt someone he loves. He’s definitely still capable of fucking a man up. “So where’s Scarlet?” I ask, knowing she’s not far. My mom and she are good friends. I know Brynn’s family well. Cade leans back and crosses his arms over his chest. “She’s in the hall, talking to Becket and Jules.” Fuck.

“What’s wrong, Nix? You’re looking a little pale there. You feeling all right?” Cade pushes. Guess Mac was right, and word’s already getting around. The door to the private waiting room opens again, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch Becket and Maddox’s dad, Sam, walking in, each with a coffee in their hand. I’ve heard stories over the years about how close these three are. The former MMA champ, the US Senator, and the mob boss. It’s like the start of a bad joke. “Care to tell me why you were the one who drove Kenzie in this morning, Nixon?” Becket asks calmly, and I bite my tongue. He doesn’t scare me. “She needed a ride,” I offer politely, even though he’s eyeing me up like I just defiled his little girl.

“Just don’t hurt her, Nixon.” Becket clears his throat. “She’s a good girl with a big heart and a fucking ton of hurt already weighing her down. She doesn’t need someone to add to that. Understand?” I look him in the eyes and ignore everyone else in the room. “Respectfully, if things are going to go anywhere with Mac and me, that deserves to be a discussion between her and me, not me and the three of you. But I can tell you I respect her. I’ve cared about her for half my life, and I’d never hurt her or let anyone else hurt her. I’m not sure what you’re asking. But that’s what I can tell you right now.”

Once she’s changed, she snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Nixon. You still with me, Nix?” I grip her hips and pull her toward me. “You can’t strip in front of me and expect me to be able to form sentences, beautiful.” She beams back at me. “So fucking beautiful.”

Kenzie Just pulled in. You still feel like company? Nixon Company? No. You? Always. Kenzie Good answer, Sinclair. I bet you say that to all the girls. Nixon How about you get that perfect little ass up here and let me show you just how many girls I want in my life, Mac.

His room smells like a fall night mixed with a warm fire. It’s heat and spice and everything Nixon Sinclair, and I sink into it all. “You look good like that, Mac.” “Exhausted?” I ask, and he clenches his jaw. “In my bed.”

Mackenzie fell asleep within minutes. She fits perfectly in my arms and my life, and I’m pretty fucking sure fighting this is fighting a losing battle. This tiny woman owns me and probably has since I was thirteen. She whimpers in her sleep and reaches for me, tucking her arm around my waist and running the tips of her nails up and down my traps.

“What the hell, man? What’s with the peas? What did you do?” he asks Leo, and I giggle. “Let’s just say Leo was trying to catch an apple, and it didn’t go his way. Right, Leo?” I wait to see if he’s going to tell Nixon what really happened or if he’s going to save his own ass. Because I might not know where Nixon and I are headed, but I know with absolute certainty, he’d kill his brother for talking to me like that. Leo glares. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Nixon hands it to me, then cups my ass right in front of Leo and leans into my ear. “I fucking love you out of my clothes, but I gotta say, Mac, seeing you in them is pretty fucking great too.” “Jesus Christ. Get a fucking room,” Leo whines, and I pick up the apple from the table. “Fuck. I’m kidding.” Yeah . . . that’s what I thought.

“The day Brynnie gave birth to Knight.” She smiles and takes my hand in hers. “Becket talked to Nixon.” “Oh no . . .” My mind starts spinning. “Was it bad?” “No, Kenz. It was good. That boy has grown into quite the impressive man, and Becket isn’t easily impressed. We’ve been trying to give you space, but now, I’m wondering if that was the wrong move.” I lace my fingers with hers and shake my head. “No, it was the best thing you could have possibly done. I needed that. I . . . I’m struggling, Jules. I don’t know how to have it all, and I wasn’t even sure I wanted it all. But then I found Nixon. Not found him, found him. He wasn’t lost. But he’s not the guy I remember from high school . . . He’s so much more.” I look off into the woods behind the cemetery and try to gather my thoughts so I can put them into words. “He’s everything, Jules. Everything. Which means if he’s taken away, I don’t know what I’d do. I don’t think I could go through that kind of devastation twice.”

She stands and pulls me to my feet, then wraps an arm around my shoulders and angles us toward the sun. “I’d dare say you thrive on hard work. And if ever there was a thing worth working hard for, it’s love. And if Nixon is that person for you, I want you to remember something . . .” She trails off as I hang on every word. “The same way your mother gave me my life—my husband and my three kids because I like to think I have shared custody with Liz. That same way, she gave you Nixon. You may never have met him if you didn’t come to Kroydon Hills.” I close my eyes and tilt my face toward the sun and try to wrap my head around everything Juliette just said. If you can hear this, Mom. Thank you.

Kenzie knocks on my door an hour later, then lets herself in, and my smile grows a mile wide. The nights we’ve spent apart these last few weeks have shown me how much she means to me as much as the nights we’ve spent together. And I want more. More of it all. More time. More Mac. Just more. I fucking love this woman, even if she’s not ready to hear it yet.

My inner caveman roars to life, possessive as fuck at finally hearing those words. Words I’ve been dying to fucking hear for weeks. “Does that make you my girlfriend?” I ask with my lips pressed to hers. “Because I’ve got to tell you, sixteen-year-old me, would have jizzed his pants if he knew one day Mackenzie Hayes would be his girlfriend.” “Oh yeah?” She kisses one corner of my mouth, then the other before she pulls her shirt over her head and tosses it to the floor. “What would sixteen-year-old Nixon have done if he knew he was about to get to touch my boobs?” “He sure as hell wouldn’t have had a clue what to do with them.” I lick into her mouth, dinner long forgotten, and she pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. “Guess it’s a good thing I waited for you then, Sinclair.”

“I love bossy Nixon.” She shifts her hips, and a tiny moan slips past her lips. “Good. Now get on your knees and show me.”

Lindy Your brother is going to shit. Kenzie You are not going to tell my brother today. Do not fuck this game up for them, Lindy, or I will . . . Fuck. I don’t know what I’ll do. But don’t say anything. I’ll talk to Easton tomorrow. Lindy The hell you will. If you want Nixon to live long enough to one day give you multiple orgasms, that man is going to have to talk to your extremely overprotective brother himself. Kenzie . . . Gracie Kenzie??? Kenzie Well . . . umm, technically, he’s already lived through the multiple orgasms many, many, MANY times. What can I say? He’s an overachiever. Ohh, and he’s really bossy too. Everly You dirty dog. You really have been boinking his brains out.

Lindy Yup. And your brother likes pussy, sweetie. Time to build a bridge and get over it. Gracie Ohh, you’re a mean little twat waffle, aren’t you? Lindy Twat waffle?

“That shit was fun. I have no regrets,” I tell them as Ares ices us all when he stops next to us. “Are we having a tea party no one invited me to?” he asks with a dead serious look on his face.

“Hey, there’s the girls.” We all look over to where Hendrix is pointing at Gracie, Everly, Lindy, and Mackenzie. “Oh, damn,” Ares barks out as Easton skates over to the boards to say hi to Lindy and the kids. “Somebody wanna tell me why Kenzie Hayes is wearing Nixon’s jersey?” “You didn’t,” Cross groans and shakes his head. Leo laughs and looks at me. “Want me to protect you?” “You can all fuck right off.” I ignore whatever else they’re saying as the most satisfying, possessive feeling I’ve had burns behind my ribs. Seeing this beautiful girl in my jersey, with my name stretched across the back, declaring her mine for the entire world to see . . . Yeah. That feeling isn’t going away any time soon. I skate over to where Mac stands behind the half-wall and pull off my helmet. “Hey, baby.” Her cheeks flame red as Everly fans herself, and fake whispers, “He called her baby.”

Like a goddamn magnet, I lean in, drawn to Mac, and claim her lips, dying to do more but knowing I can’t. Not here. Not yet. “You came.” She smiles and tugs at the jersey. “I had some new clothes I wanted to wear. What do you think? It’s not my last name, but it’s not too shabby, right?” She teases me, and my blood roars in my ears. Not her last name . . . yeah. We can change that. The buzzer rings, signaling the end of warm-up. “You look fucking hot, baby. I want you in this and absolutely nothing else when I get home tonight.” Her beautiful face softens, and she touches my cheek. “Pretty sure I can make that happen. Now go win me a game, Sinclair.”

My team swarms, congratulating me on the goal and celebrating the lead that just closed out the game, 4–2. The Revolution wins. The stands are going wild as everyone tosses hats onto the ice. I look up into the stands, searching for the box Mac is watching in, and there she fucking is—my girl, in my jersey, with my family, screaming her lungs out. Mine. Fuck the rest of the world. Fuck what they think or expect. This is it. This is what I want. Her. This team. This town. This family. But it all starts and stops with her, and it’s about time she hears it.

“Hey, Nix,” he calls out. “You’re girl’s a fucking smoke show. You outkicked your coverage, man.” He skates off before I can kick his ass, and I laugh. Always the little shit-stirrer. Not wrong though. Mackenzie Hayes is out of my league. She’s her own league.

Kenzie Hey. I left with Gracie and Everly. Gracie wasn’t feeling good. That was a great game, Nix. You were so fucking hot. If a hat trick is when you score three times, what do they call it when you score four times? Because you’re absolutely scoring tonight. Come over when you get home. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you. And don’t yell at me. I’ll grab Gordie from your place. He can be my guard dog. Maybe he could snore the would-be intruder to death. When you said nothing but your jersey? Did you mean no panties?

I fucking love this girl.

In a world full of twat waffles, be French toast. —Kenzie’s Secret Thoughts

“You okay, Nix?” I flatten my palms and press my entire body against his. His thumb caresses my cheek, and he shakes his head. “I love you, Mackenzie Hayes. I’m not sure when it happened. I don’t know if it was last week or last month, or if it was the first time you walked into my house when we were kids. But it happened, and it’s real. Fuck. It’s the most real thing in my life. You. You’re it for me. You’re everything. I’m not sure if you’re ready to hear it⁠—” I silence him with a finger pressed gently against his lips, completely overcome with emotion. “I have no idea what I did to deserve you, Nixon. But somehow, you’re still here, standing in front of me. You never rushed me. Never made me feel like I wasn’t enough. You’ve given me the space I needed to come to it all on my own, and I’m there, Nix.”

That deliciously filthy mouth I love. That I love. I love him, and my God, it’s everything. “It might have taken me a little longer to get here, Nix. But I never do anything fast. I’m an overthinker. I need to look at something from every possible angle. I need to study it before I can jump in. And even then, I don’t always jump. But with you . . .” I ghost my lips over his and dig my fingers into his hair. “With you, I want to jump. You’re going to have to be patient with me though. I’m still going to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. But loving you, Nix . . . loving you is worth the fear.”

“Marry me, Mackenzie,” he breathes against my lips so softly I’m not sure I heard him right. “Nix—” “Don’t say no, Mac. Say not yet if you need to. I’ll wait forever for you. But it’s you and me, Mac, and I need you to know that. I don’t care if you marry me today, tomorrow, or next year. But you’re going to marry me