Mr. Wham Bam by Alexandra O'Hurley Page A

been the final nail in that coffin and she’d sealed that one off for good, not that she’d really wanted to. But Jace pushed her too far, made her feel too raw and open, and there was no way she could be in a relationship with someone who made her feel so powerless over her own emotions.
    No wonder she’d always gravitated toward the good boys. Bad boys had too much fire and emotion within them and made her feel too much. She hadn’t expected the wealth of emotion she’d felt with Jace. It was only supposed to be one night, one night to find release and get him out of her system. Instead, that one night had tied her to this man forever, and she’d done everything wrong. When she’d tried to make amends, she’d failed miserably yet again. The look on his face last night had stunned her; the forcefulness with which he’d felt his emotions had struck her. She’d felt so much in his presence, ranging from lust to pity, from calm to on fire. He made her brain swirl and her body melt.
    She didn’t have time for him to short-circuit her with his commanding personality. Work was her focus. Lust and love could come later for her, once she’d established herself.
    But would she find the fire she felt with Jace when she finally made time for a man in her life? She couldn’t stop thinking about him. He’d completely invaded her consciousness, and there seemed to be no getting rid of him. With every other female, he’d had a night or two and left. Why couldn’t it be that easy this time around?
    Knocking on the front door woke her fully, and she pulled herself from her nice, warm bed. As she wrapped her robe around her body, she scuffed through the house to the door. Who would be at her door first thing on Saturday morning?
    “About time you got your ass up.”
    “Good morning to you, too.”
    Michelle kissed her cheek as she walked past carrying a big bag from Panera. Her five-year-old, Markus, followed behind her, a smile on his chubby cheeks. “Mornin’, Aunt Kenzie.”
    Michelle dropped the bag on her dining room table and began to pull out various bagels, cream cheeses, and whatnot. “I need Kenzie time. I haven’t seen you in weeks, so I’m doing a drive-by. Put on a pot of coffee. I need some caffeine.”
    Markus jumped on her couch and turned on some cartoons as Kenzie sidled up to the coffee pot and started a brew. After they’d fixed their cups and put a bagel on the coffee table for Markus, they settled down at the dining room table to eat their breakfast.
    “Ignoring me?” Michelle raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of her coffee.
    “No. I’ve just been busy.”
    “I’ve barely talked to you since you left the club with that letch. And then you were noncommittal in your texts. You’ve been avoiding me since it happened, so I know something’s up. Spill.”
    Kenzie looked into her coffee cup, the creamy, milk-laden swirls holding her attention as she tried to formulate an answer for her best friend. Michelle would know a lie if she heard it, so she needed to be careful what she told her.
    “He hurt you, didn’t he? I shouldn’t have let you go. You were in no shape, and I knew he was just going to take advantage of you. But I thought to myself that you were a big girl and it was your decision.”
    “Michelle, stop. He didn’t touch me that night.”
    “He didn’t?” Michelle looked stunned.
    “No. He said I was too drunk and he didn’t want it to be like that.”
    “But what about afterward?”
    “We … enjoyed … ourselves the following morning.”
    “And then he dropped your butt off at home and took off, didn’t he? He’s a jerk.”
    “No! He says he wanted more.” Kenzie heard her pitch raise and was helpless to stop it. Why was she feeling so argumentative?
    “More? Mr. Wham, Bam, Thank You, Ma’am wanted more? Bull.” Michelle’s eyebrow rose as she took a sip of her coffee.
    “I think he really did. I pulled away from him and said no. I think I hurt