Chapter Forty-Eight - It is pissing me off now.

Paxton

McKenna has been evading me for a few days. She goes to work, returns home, and heads directly to her room. She doesn’t even eat with us. I’ve been patient, but honestly, it’s frustrating me now. Until all of this nonsense ends, I won’t be leaving anytime soon. I’m not concerned about my team’s expectations for my return at the end of summer. I’m not going anywhere until I fix things with McKenna.

Tonight, Carter has plans to go out. He’s got plans to go out with someone he met online. I plan on using that as my opportunity to talk to her. I have no idea what I will say, but she will be talking to me. I’m done pretending and being cautious. Yes, things have been messy between us recently, but no reason to act like this. We are adults, not teenagers. I’m confused about why she’s choosing to ignore me. We managed to maintain a good friendship even after what happened in New York. The stress is overwhelming, and I’ve resisted the urge to drink to destress. I am trying to stop it again.

“I will be back when I am back. It could be tonight or tomorrow morning. It depends on how my night goes.” Carter chuckles, coming into the living room.

I laugh and respond, “Sure thing, buddy. Have a great time.”

“Are you sure you won’t come? I could ask her to bring a friend?”

I shake my head, “No. My plan is to have a peaceful night in.”

“Paxton, are you alright? It seems like something has been bothering you recently.”

“I am fine. Go, you don’t want to be late.” I encourage.

With a sigh, he gives a nod and leaves for his date. I glance at the clock. It won’t be long until McKenna is back home. While waiting, I search for something on TV to watch. Her plan to go straight upstairs won’t work out tonight. My patience runs out quickly. I start pacing the living room until I hear her car arrive. I held back until I heard her enter, and then I went through.

She has already climbed the first couple of stairs. “McKenna.”

She lets out a sigh before turning to look at me and asks, “Yes?”

“You aren’t doing this again. You are not running away from me.”

“I am not running away from you. I have things to do.” She snaps.

Inhaling deeply, “Yes, you are. You’ve been doing it for the past three days and now it’s really getting on my nerves. You are acting like a child.” I snap back.

Her face quickly becomes consumed by anger. “Excuse me? I am not behaving like a child. My life doesn’t solely revolve around you—I have other things going on,” she hisses, her fists balling at her sides.

“No, you don’t. You prefer to retreat to your room and read as a way to avoid facing me, your hormones, and your feelings for me.”

I’m done with the indirect approach. Despite her attempts to hide or distract herself, she cannot escape the fact that she feels something for me.

Jumping down the three stairs, McKenna storms over to me and exclaims, “My hormones? Really? My hormones are fucking fine. Who said I still have any feelings for you, uh?” she snarls, pushing at my chest.

I resist the urge to smirk. Her eyes reveal that she still longs for me, even when she’s angry. I grip her wrists in my hands. “You don’t need to say it. Your face is a dead giveaway.”

Her face reddens and her eyes darken with each word I speak. She is displaying signs of both anger and arousal.

In a gesture of frustration, she throws her hands up. “You are living in a fantasy world.”

She turns on her heels and heads for the steps again, but I grab her from behind. I bring her around to face me and embrace her tightly against my chest. Her arms instinctively reach out and encircle my neck as she lets out a loud whimper.

I trap her with my arm around her back. “I’m not living in a fantasy world. You refuse to accept the truth.”

In silence, our eyes lock together. Our breathing becomes heavier. Her gaze shifts from my lips to my eyes, and she stammers, “I-I-I am not.”

She fails to sound convincing. She’s not convinced either, probably because it’s nonsense. I can feel the heat radiating from her body against mine.

“Yes, you are. It is time we stop acting like what has happened between recently is what we want. I know what I want. I want you, and I believe you feel the same way, but my mistakes have made you hesitant to let me back in. If you no longer cared for me, you wouldn’t have secretly returned to bed out of concern for leaving me alone.” I say, caressing her face.

“I never said I don’t care, Paxton.” She whispers.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me anymore. If you say you’re done with me, I’ll go away.”

She averts her eyes to the floor. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It wouldn’t work.”

My finger rests on her chin, guiding her to look directly into my eyes. “No, you are trying to convince yourself it wouldn’t work, McKenna.”

The pretending and lies need to stop on both ends. I’ve had enough of it.

“Because it wouldn’t work, Paxton. We come from two very different worlds. It would never work. It’s not just about sneaking around behind Carter’s back. We also have to keep my personal life hidden from the world. That might be fine for you, but I am not okay with it. I thought I could handle a no-strings-attached arrangement. I was wrong. It is too much.” She whispers, shaking her head frantically.

She tries to pull away again, but I stop her once more. “What if I told you I want more as well? Would that make a difference?”

“How can I be sure that you’re not just trying to make me feel better?”

“You know me better than that, Kenna. I wouldn’t make up something like that for the sake of hooking up.”

Her words have offended me slightly. I am no angel, but I wouldn’t do that to her. Drawing in a breath, she ruffles her hair with her fingers. “So, what we keep our relationship a secret for however long it lasts?”

“Yes, if that is what it takes. If we managed for the summer, why not longer?” I smile.

Her eyes search mine as she tried to decide what she wanted. Seizing the moment, I lean in and lock our lips together in a passionate kiss. If she wants to pull away, she can. I am happy when she doesn’t. She reciprocates the kiss, pressing herself closer to me.

I gently manoeuvre us to position her against the wall. The kiss intensifies rapidly. McKenna parts from it first, both panting heavily.

“I need you to take me to bed right now.” She demands.

“Mmm, yes, ma’am, happily.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me upstairs, leading me straight to her bedroom. Fuck, I can’t wait to have her again. It’s been way too long and my body is desperate for her.