First Dance (Strip in the City, Book 3)

02 • You Got It Bad

Lucas

Kennedy McDermott is my one person.

I can't explain how or why I know she's the girl for me. It's cosmic. Like, one second, I'm minding my own business, and the next, BAM. This southern belle walks in and changes my whole world.

Running my hands over my face, I lean against the dresser, watching Kennedy as she stands on the balcony, talking to her fiance.

I can feel how pathetic I am. Dom is fond of calling me a love-sick puppy, which makes me sound like a dude who's never smashed a piece of ass in his life.

Maybe that's why he thinks it's funny. But it's not true. I've smashed plenty.

Well...not recently. In the past six months, I haven't touched another girl except on stage, which is around the same time that Kennedy came into my life.

I blow out a hard breath. Okay, fine, maybe I am a love-sick puppy. But how could I not be? I have it so bad for this girl. Like, listening to You Got It Bad, on repeat, bad.

Like, can't stop thinking about her smile, bad. Or how much I want to twirl one of her blonde curls around my finger while she lays her head on my chest, bad.

You get the point.

But...she's engaged, and they're getting married next month.

I think that's what Usher is trying to say in his song. Like, you've got it bad for a girl, but she doesn't have it bad for you.

When I see Kennedy end the call, I shake off the love-sick look and put on a smile.

She deserves to have fun after all this wedding planning, and with her Mamaw's health being what it is, I want to help her cut loose, not confuse her.

But just as I'm getting ready to open the door, I take one more second to stop and appreciate how pretty she looks standing in the sun. Golden hair in tight curls. Wearing a silver fringe skirt that cuts mid-thigh and a tank top that shows off inches of sun-tanned skin.

She is sexy and strong, and damn, I really need to keep these feelings in check tonight.

I clear my throat and slide open the door. As soon as she spins around to face me, my chest clenches. "What's wrong?"

She shrugs and rolls her eyes like my question is crazy. "Nothing."

I take a step closer, and I can feel how upset she is. "It's not nothing. I can see it in your eyes."

This time, she covers up her hurt with a laugh, like she always does. "I'm just being silly."

"I've seen you silly," I tell her. "And this isn't it."

Maybe I'm being too pushy, but whatever is happening isn't small. She gives me a look I've never seen before, and frankly, it scares me. If something happened with her grandma...

"Okay, then I'm just drunk," she says, dropping the laughter and glaring at me. "It's my bachelorette party. Ain't a girl allowed to be drunk?"

I know she's not seriously asking me that question because she knows full well I support a woman's right to party on a nightly basis.

I cross my arms over my chest and cock my head to the side. I'm not buying her fake fit. Kennedy is a family girl, and if Mamaw is in the hospital, or something terrible happened with her family, Kennedy would never be able to have a good time. She'd be too distracted.

And it would be my job to get her back home or wherever she needed to be. Since her fiance isn't here, of course. That's what best guy friends did.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asks.