Unwanted Heat

Kenzie

Knock knock knock knockNôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

A loud knock on my door has me running from the shower with only a towel wrapped around my wet body. I look through the peephole, wondering who in the world could be knocking on my door so early on a Sunday morning.

“Nicholas, what are you doing here?” I quickly open the door.

“Kenzie… I…” he stammers and I can feel the heat rushing to my face when I watch his eyes roam over my barely covered body. “Can I come in for a moment?”

“Of course,” I open the door further to allow him to enter before closing and locking it behind us.

“I apologize for stopping by unannounced, but I would like to take you out today,” he says.

“Okay… where will we be going?”

“That’s a surprise. Just wear comfortable clothes; jeans are fine.

Oh, and a light jacket, it’s a little chilly this morning.”

“We’re going now?”

“Well, as soon as you’re dressed. I don’t mind seeing you in a towel, but I don’t think I want the press seeing this much of my future wife.”

“I… give me a couple of minutes,” I start walking down the hall to my bedroom. “Oh, there’s coffee in the pot if you want some.”

I quickly shut my bedroom door, grab the clothes I had left out for today and head into the adjoining bathroom to change. I’m thankful he didn’t say I needed to wear something too dressy. Other than the clothes I have picked out for dinner with his parents tonight, everything else I own has been packed into the half a dozen boxes that now line the wall.

It’s hard to believe that after dinner tonight, I won’t be returning to this apartment; instead I will be accompanying Nicholas to his apartment where I will be moving in. I’ll never admit it, but I stayed up a long time last night questioning my decision to agree to this “marriage.” I can’t help but wonder if I’m making the right decision. It’s been so long since I’ve trusted my instinct in people: I worry if I’m reading Nicholas wrong. I don’t think he is anything like my ex was, but of course, I never thought he would hit me the way he did or control my life to the point where I wasn’t allowed to leave the house without permission. For the first time since I decided to change my life I have to trust my instincts and hope it doesn’t bite me in the end. I take a deep breath and head out to the living room where Nicholas is waiting for me.

“Is this okay?” I ask, indicating what I’m wearing.

“It’s fine; do you have everything you need?”

“You tell me,” I laugh. “I don’t know where we are going, so I’m not sure what to bring.”

“Good point. I guess just grab your purse, and then we can go.”

I set the alarm and we meet Carter in the hallway by the elevator where he typically tends to wait. I like that he gives us a little privacy, but is still close enough should either of us need him. I know it will be different when I move in tonight, but at least he is still in within the apartment somewhere.

“Carter will give you the security code you will need to access the penthouse later today. You won’t be able to access it without this code, but of course Hunter has it, and he should be with you whenever you leave the apartment. But if you go to the gym or something without him, you’ll need to have this code with you.”

“Okay.”

“Are you all packed or do you need any help finishing?”

“No, I have everything packed. I left out something to wear to your parents’ tonight, but otherwise everything is in boxes in the bedroom. There are a few things in the fridge and freezer that I’ll have to get tonight or tomorrow-”

“I’ll have Julie bring anything to the apartment while we’re at dinner tonight. I should have mentioned this before, but she keeps the kitchen fully stocked at all times. If there’s anything you want, just let her know, and she will pick it up when she goes to the market during the week. Obviously she takes care of all the meals during the week, but she is off on the weekends. Typically she freezes a few meals for me for the weekends so I don’t starve…” he chuckles.

“I’ll cook for us on the weekends; you know I enjoy cooking-”

“If you want to cook, I won’t complain, but don’t feel you have to cook.”

We fall into a comfortable silence as the drive continues; I can tell from looking out the window that we are leaving the city limits of New York, but I still have no idea where we are going. Surprisingly though, unlike the last time when I got in the car with Hunter without knowing where I was going, this time there is no anxiety. I’m not worried about where we are going, and I don’t feel trapped like last time. This realization helps reinforce my trust that perhaps I am doing the right thing.

“We will arrive in about twenty minutes,” Carter arrives.

“Perfect, thank you,” Nicholas responds.

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask.

“No. You trust me, right?” he says it with a smile, but his eyes are questioning, almost as if he wants reassurance that I’m okay with this.

“I do.”

A few minutes later, Carter pulls off the main road and up a long dirt driveway. Glancing out the window, I can’t see anything to give me an idea of where we are or what we’re going to be doing. I glance down at my outfit, relieved to find it similar to Nicholas’s, meaning I’m at least dressed appropriately for whatever he has planned. We drive for some time on the bumpy road, but eventually the SUV stops in front of a large wooden building with a sign that says S&C Ranch.

“A ranch?” I ask.

“We’re going horseback riding,” he answers cautiously.

“Really?”

“Have you ever been?”

“No…”

“My parents used to bring us up here in the summers when we were little. I was so scared at first but by the end of the first lesson I was hooked.

We came back every year until we went off to college.”

Talk about coming from completely different worlds… you can’t get any different than that.

“I always wanted to learn to ride,” I quickly stop the thoughts that are threatening to ruin this moment.

“They’ll go basic instructions with us, but the horses know the trails so well that you don’t really need to do anything. We’ll be able to go off by ourselves on a trail that circles the property, the view from-”

“We’ll go by ourselves? What if something happens? What if the horse… does something?”

“They won’t,” he chuckles. “Trust me, they are incredibly gentle creatures and probably know these trails better than the owners do.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive, come let’s go meet the horses we’ll be riding today.”

Despite my fears, I quickly slide out of the SUV where Carter is waiting for us. Nicholas’s hand doesn’t leave mine, as we walk over to the wooden fence where several horses roam in the distance. It’s hard to believe that we’re only a couple of hours outside the city, you would think we were in a completely different state. There’s nothing but mountains and trees surrounding the ranch. Gone is the busy, hustle of the city.

“It’s beautiful out here,” I whisper.

“It is,” when I look up, Nicholas’s gaze is on me instead of the view.

“Mr. Parker,” an older gentleman approaches us.

“Scott,” Nicholas shakes his hand. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Kenzie. Kenzie, this is Scott; he owns the ranch with his wife Carol.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say.

“Nicholas, it’s been too long since you’ve come to ride.”

“I know, I’m going to try to come back more often.”

“Good,” he turns to me. “Are you ready to ride?” “I hope so,” I laugh.

“First time?”

“Yes.”

“You have nothing to worry about, let’s go meet your horse.”