It Started with a Kiss (McKenzie Cousins Book 12) Read online

  It Started with a Kiss

  McKenzie Cousins Book Twelve

  Lexi Buchanan

  Contents

  McKenzie Family Tree

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  11. Eleven

  12. Twelve

  13. Thirteen

  14. Fourteen

  15. Fifteen

  The McKenzie Family Tree

  Dear Reader

  Acknowledgments

  Other books by Lexi Buchanan

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Lexi Buchanan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Published by HFCA Publishing House

  http://www.lexibuchanan.com

  http://ronajameson.com

  McKenzie Family Tree

  Elias and Pippa McKenzie

  Lucien & Sabrina (Entice #4)

  Alexander (Kissing Cousins #4)

  Olivia (A Cowboy for Christmas #8)

  Michael & Lily (Seduce #1, The Wedding #1.5)

  Michael Jr (A Business Decision #2)

  Charlotte (Secret Kisses #3)

  Sirena (Baby Makes Three #1)

  Joshua (A Secret Affair #9)

  Sebastian & Carla (Rapture #2)

  Madison (If Only #5)

  Dylan (One Christmas #10)

  Ruben & Rosie (Delight #3)

  Ryan (It Started with a Kiss #12)

  Sofia (A Bakers Delight #7)

  Jaxon (The Pregnant Professor #11)

  Ramon & Noah (Cherished #5)

  Paige (Princess & The Puck #6)

  Rachel (Kissing Cousins #4)

  One

  Prologue - Ryan

  Surrounded with merriment this New Year’s Eve, I cast my eyes once more to the girl my cousin, Alexander, brought with him. Alex doesn’t appear to be into the poor girl, especially as I haven’t seen him in a while. As it is, she tries to blend into the wall, which is not going to happen. She’s young and fresh-faced, which tells me the girl is innocent—too innocent for me. It doesn’t stop me from casting glances in her direction as I listen to my sister, Sofia, babble on about a new cake creation she’s come up with.

  It’s not that I don’t care about what she does because I do, it’s just that she talks about different flours, sugars, icing, and I get lost within the first sentence. I’m more about alcohol and spreadsheets—not that anyone knows this about me. The drink they know plenty about as it’s what we serve at Kenza, the club my parents own, the one I manage. What my siblings and cousins forget is the volume of figures I have to go through daily. Luckily, I’m good with numbers, and it didn’t take me long to have a program up and running to log everything, including staff wages.

  I’m a people person, so managing and working at Kenza is fun, not to mention the perks of the pretty ladies that come through Kenza’s door. It’s because of this reason that I think the girl is too innocent for me to sweet talk.

  “Ugh,” Sofia stamps her foot, snapping my attention to her. She continues, “You did not hear a word I just said.”

  “I did.”

  “Repeat what I said then?” She stands with her hands on her hips and an angry scowl on her face.

  “It’s a minute to midnight,” Aunt Lily shouts, dancing past us.

  I grin at Sofia, who rolls her eyes and waltz’s off while my eyes stray back to the beauty who looks like she’d rather be anywhere else but in this room.

  The countdown starts, vibrating through my body. The girl slowly starts to move toward Alexander, who looks more panicked than excited. My brain switches down, and before I know what I’m doing, I lightly wrap my fingers around her delicate wrist and tug her from the room. She follows without digging in her heels.

  Out of sight, I press her into the alcove in the hallway. Her eyes widen, and she nervously chews on her bottom lip before running her tongue over the chewed spot. My eyes heat, and I force myself to meet her gaze. “Tell me your name?” I whisper as the countdown continues.

  Four…three…two…

  “Gretchen.”

  One.

  I press my mouth to hers, which opens with a gasp of surprise. Her innocence hits me full force at the way she tentatively reaches out to my tongue with hers. I give her time to get used to our tongues gently sliding together before I angle my mouth over hers and show her what a real kiss feels like. My hands flex, wanting to touch so much more of her. My brain starts working again, and I know I have to stop this…then, she wraps her arms around my neck, her fingers digging into my nape. Her moan goes straight to my dick while my hands go straight to her ass. The moment I start thrusting against her and consider where I can take her to ease the ache I have in my groin, I come to a sudden stop.

  I can’t fucking do this to her!

  Pulling my mouth free—which is not easy considering how much I want her—I reach for her shoulders and hold her away from my body. “We can’t do this,” I hiss, breathing heavily. “You’re a nice girl. I’m not a nice guy.”

  Tears hover in her emerald green eyes, and I feel like a bastard. Instead of walking away without another thought, I cup her face and press my lips to her forehead and whisper, “You’ve no idea what I’d like to do to you.” The kiss lingers, and then, I do move away—not just to another room, but out of the house.

  Large fat snowflakes fall from the sky as I stand and look up. Closing my eyes, I inhale and exhale slowly, begging for my body to cool from the fire—lovely and innocent—Gretchen has ignited.

  The girls I meet in Kenza are not the nice girl next door kind. There is no innocence about them. Is that why Gretchen called to me—because I felt her sweet innocence from across the room?

  Two

  Present Day - Ryan

  It’s been nearly four years since I kissed Gretchen at my aunt and uncle’s New Year’s Eve party. Four years of looking for her in all the other women I’ve been with since that night. And now she is in my club. Everyone else disappears because all I see is her.

  Silky red hair shines under the lights and her cheeks become rosy pink with my eyes on her. She knows who I am, and I’m betting she knew that before she even came here this evening.

  She still looks sweet and innocent, but since the time I last saw her, that can’t be true. No way has she not felt the touch of a man. Anger swiftly clouds my vision at the thought of someone else touching her, which is ridiculous.

  I shake my head to clear it and finally move my gaze from Gretchen when I hear someone laugh close to me—my brother, Jaxon, and he’s here with his pregnant girlfriend, Poppy. A slight heat creeps onto my face as I cough to clear my throat from the lust stuck in there.

  With only a slight hesitation, I move closer. “Two nights in a row,” I comment. “What have I done to deserve this?” I drawl, casting a sidelong glance toward Gretchen, catching her eyes on me before she quickly averts her gaze.

  “Who’s the girl?” Jaxon asks.

  “What girl?” I ask, but only after casting another glance toward her.

  I’m an idiot.

  My brother’s eyes roll, and he laughs. “I’ve seen her before.” He taps a beer mat while thinking, and then he announces, “She was Alexander’s date for New Year at Aunt Lily’s and
Uncle Michael’s before he got together with Rachel. I can’t remember her name.”

  “Gretchen,” I say immediately. “Leave it.”

  Poppy smiles softly and asks, “How long have you been managing Kenza?”

  Relieved to have the subject changed, I reply, “Around five years.” I shrug and place bottles of water in front of them. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Disappearing around to the back of the bar where it’s dark and quiet, I lean against the boxes of wine I have stacked up. They’re against a wall, so not going to tip from my weight. I need a minute to catch my breath after seeing Gretchen. She’s beautiful and hasn’t changed from the last time I saw her. My heart beats hard in my chest knowing she’s so close. However, I force myself to remember why I walked away before, although the reason doesn’t mean I don’t want to go and claim the girl.

  I need my head screwed on right.

  Nothing has changed.

  I’m still Ryan, the carefree womanizer.

  I can’t even deny that about myself. My womanizing increased after Gretchen, and it eats away at me. I’m more stained than I was before. I joke and fool around with my family and friends. I flirt with the females who spend time in Kenza and do a lot more with some. None of them have ever appealed to me on a more permanent level. Until recently, it had never bothered me. Being the only McKenzie without a significant other to take to family events has started getting to me—not that I’ll ever admit that to anyone.

  Gretchen, though, I see so much more, and I shouldn’t. She’s too sweet to want to be with someone like me.

  I run my hands through my hair, cursing, “Fuck!”

  “Hey, boss? You back here?” Rob pauses when he sees me.

  Clearing my throat, I ask, “Everything okay?”

  “I need to take a leak.”

  I chuckle. “Go.”

  Moving out from my hiding spot, I cast another glance over to where Gretchen was, and she’s gone. My eyes search, but I don’t see the girl.

  For the best!

  Not having far to look for my brother, I grimace at him and his girlfriend getting it on. “Can you two”—I lean close—“please not have sex on my bar?”

  Giggling, Poppy hides her face against Jaxon’s chest.

  “You need to get laid,” Jaxon comments.

  “And you need to take your girl home,” I say, grinning. “Otherwise, I’ll call Dad.” I wink and move away, hiding how miserable I’m suddenly feeling.

  My family would laugh if they knew the carefree bachelor was lonely. Don’t get me wrong, as much as I love babies, I’m in no rush to become a Dad. Thought alone scares me to death—a small baby relying on me for everything. I shudder at the thought. However, having a girl to call my own has started to sound nice. Really nice in fact.

  Clearing my throat, I ignore the smirk on Rob’s face as he joins me. “The ladies at the far end have been asking about you?”

  My eyes stray in that direction, and on any other night, I’d be over there, sweet-talking my way inside the girl’s panties. Not tonight. Tonight, I’m going home alone.

  “You’re not going to go over and talk to her?” Rob questions. “Are you coming down with something?” He presses his hand to my forehead, which I knock away laughing.

  “Asshole!” I hiss and give him my back.

  I hear him laughing as he moves down the bar to entertain the girls with his version of charm and wit.

  Shaking my head, I occupy myself with drying glasses. I may be the boss, but I’m a firm believer in digging in with the rest of the staff. I’d be bored out of my mind stuck in an office all day and night.

  As it is, the crowd has thinned out, meaning I don’t need to be involved in the serving of drinks.

  Unable to help myself, I cast my eyes over the large room once again and don’t find what I’m looking for or rather whom I’m looking for.

  “She’s in the far corner,” Rob laughs when my eyes snap to his. “She’s hot. Don’t blame you for looking.”

  I scowl and ignoring Rob, my eyes search the dark corners of the club. My heart flutters when the lights briefly catch her red hair. Since I last saw Gretchen, I’d only have to walk past a woman with red hair and I’d be taking a second glance—hoping it would be Gretchen even though I had no idea what I would have done had it been her.

  My cousin, Alexander, would have known how to get in touch with her if I’d only asked. I hadn’t, no matter how tempted I’d been. Gretchen and I, had been at a different place in our lives.

  I’d been managing Kenza alone for twelve months, and she’d looked so young—a college student. A clever one as well from what I discovered online. Social media isn’t something she took a lot of time over, but there had been posts now and again. The photos saved on my phone were buried, so only I knew how to bring them up. I’m not a stalker, but I couldn’t help myself from checking her out, seeing what was happening in her life.

  It's the first time I’ve seen her in the flesh since the night she knocked me on my ass with such a powerful kiss.

  “If you clean that glass anymore, it’s going to break.”

  Blinking, I force my eyes to the glass in my hands. “Okay, smartass.” I laugh and snap the hand towel on his arm.

  He grabs it and snapping it back, tosses it at me. “That’s why you hired me.”

  “Shut the fuck up, and announce we’re closing in ten minutes.”

  I refrain from looking for Gretchen because she mixes me up inside. Hopefully, she won’t keep coming back to the club. Lifting my hand, I rub the ache in my chest as I admit the lie. I do want her in my club. I want her in here, alone, sitting at the bar with her attention on me alone.

  Rubbing a hand down my face, I sigh, feeling tired and damn lonely. The woman from earlier appears, moving toward me like she has a mission. I know what she expects from me. However, I’m not inclined to give her that. I’ve been going through the motions with countless women. It isn’t what I want. Not any longer.

  My family knows me as the one who likes to play. Thanks to Jaxon hooking up with the Prof, I’m the only single one amongst the family now. I enjoyed being single. Now, I think I want what my cousins have—a real home with a girl of my own.

  “You look tired,” the woman says in a voice meant to entice. “I’m sure I could”—she glances to my groin and back—“wake you up.” Her pouty red lips do nothing for me. She is attractive and perhaps if I hadn’t seen Gretchen tonight, I would have taken the woman in front of me up on what she is offering. Then again, maybe not.

  Stepping back, I say, “We’re closing.” I nod toward the exit. “Have a nice evening.”

  Her gasp of surprise hits my ears as I turn and walk away. Rob stares from his position behind the bar, and I give him the finger as I head down the hallway and into the office.

  Dropping my tired ass into the chair behind the large mahogany desk, I sit back and try and relax. The desk I casually rest my feet on has been in this office since before I was born. My dad had hauled it in here with one of his brothers before the club had opened.

  Sighing heavily, I find relaxing is easier said than done when my head is full of thoughts of Gretchen. I want to be selfish and take what I want from her. However, I already know that I’ll want a whole lot more than I ever have from anyone with Gretchen.

  Her sweet innocence has played hell with my mind and body since that night and I have a feeling it’s going to be worse than ever now she’s reappeared in my life. The sexy innocent needs a man who isn’t a flirt or manwhore. A scowl creeps onto my face at the last thought. I need to change so I’m the only man she’ll look at.

  Not only do I want her trust, but I need to figure out exactly what else I do want from her because I don’t have a fucking clue how to be a boyfriend. Boyfriend. I like the sound of that. Not too long ago, I’d run like hell if that word was mentioned. For now, I’m going to give myself six months to live like a fucking monk. No partying. No dating. And definitely, no sex.
I can do this with Gretchen being the end game.

  Six months.

  I can do this!

  Three

  Gretchen

  Ryan McKenzie behind the bar of his family-owned club looks more enticing than he had been the night he’d kissed me in the most fantastic way. A way that I haven’t been able to forget. His lips hadn’t just pressed gently against mine—they’d been firm and demanding. His tongue had been hot and slippery. My body had become swollen and achy with a need I hadn’t experienced before or since.

  In the dark corner that I’ve moved to after he’d spotted me in the opposite corner, I still have the perfect view of him. The man oozes testosterone. He dresses in black jeans, fitted to his firm ass. His black button-down is open at the neck, stretching across his chest as he moves. Don’t get me started on the strength I see in his arms. The shirt has been pushed up his forearms and his biceps strain against the fabric. What I wouldn’t give to have those arms around me again—to be pressed tightly against his body so that his erection gets trapped between us. I’ve imagined many times what it would feel like to have his long thick cock sliding inside of me…of course, having never had one inside of me before, it’s hard to imagine properly.

  I’ve waited a long time to come back to Lexington and see Ryan. I’d wanted to find out whether or not my reaction to him that New Year had been blown way out of proportion. Looking at him now, I knew it hadn’t. I’m sure he recognized me, so why hadn’t he acknowledged the fact? Perhaps, that evening hadn’t been as memorable to him as it had been to me. I mean, it had changed my whole life in the seconds our mouths had connected, and our bodies had pressed together.