Tamed by Stacey Kennedy Page A

wedding, I don’t know what is. But Ella doesn’t want anything fancy. With her family…”
    Kenzie didn’t need Cora to finish. She knew that all of Ella’s family had passed away—first, her parents when she was young, and then her grandparents later on. Kenzie had never felt happier for any couple than she was for both Kyler and Ella. She’d always be fond of Kyler, and Ella had been put through the wringer with her ex-husband, who pushed her into a table, leaving a scar by Ella’s eye. Sure, Kyler and Ella were doing things at hyper-speed, but they both deserved all the happiness in the world.
    All the same, Kenzie couldn’t even imagine it for herself, nor did she want that life.
Pregnant?
Her IUD kept that reality from ever surfacing. She didn’t think she was selfish or incapable of having children, she just wasn’t sure she’d make a good mother.
    Hell,
she knew she lived in the past too much to be that present in the now. Maybe some women didn’t think of the future, but Kenzie knew mentally and emotionally she was nowhere near ready for children. Add to that the fact that she didn’t even want a committed relationship, so those dreams weren’t her dreams for now.
    Cora drew in a deep breath, sounding like static on the phone. “Anyways, it’s going to be small and intimate, with Kyler’s cop buddies, his family, and the Club Sin gang.”
    Kenzie’s heart smiled for Kyler as she began picturing him as a father. She believed he would make an incredible dad. In fact, all of the Club Sin Masters would. Her thoughts oddly went to Porter, and she knew he had the good-father gene in him. Patient, caring, and dependable—he was all of those things. “Is there anything I can do to help with the wedding?”
    “I asked Ella the same question, but she said the chapel handles everything for the ceremony, so there’s nothing to do. Dmitri is hosting the reception at the casino, and the staff there is taking care of everything else. All we have to do is show up.”
    “Nice.”
    “Right? Easy peas,” Cora replied. “Aidan told me last night that it’s a burlesque theme for the wedding.”
    Kenzie grinned, a million ideas rushing through her head. “Oh my God, how fun is this going to be?”
    “I know.” An obvious smile sounded in Cora’s voice. “Make sure you go and do some shopping, okay?”
    “Gladly, girl.”
    Cora laughed. “Needless to say, Club Sin is closed this weekend. Tomorrow night we’re going to take Ella out for her bachelorette party. Can you make it to Elements at ten o’clock?”
    Kenzie hadn’t been to the hot club on the Vegas strip in years. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
    “Great. See you then.”
    “Bye.” Kenzie hung up the phone, feeling a little winded.
A baby? A wedding? A bachelorette party?
Though she was more thrilled that it wasn’t
her
baby,
her
wedding, and
her
bachelorette party.
    She smiled, moving to the bookshelf to finish stocking, when the chime of the bell on the door rang. Keeping the book in her hand, she went to welcome her customer when a wave of hot unease rushed over her.
    The bald man at the door, wearing all black, locked her front door. The book fell from her hand as he approached. Hard features sculpted his face and a long scar ran down the side of his cheek. His dark eyes sent fear right to her toes. Kenzie backed away, unsure if she should yell for help or start running.
    She did the latter, bursting toward the back of the store, when fingers tangled in her hair. A scream ripped from her throat as she was pushed against the bookshelf and forcibly spun around to face the blackest eyes she’d ever seen. Evil resided there.
    “You’re being a difficult little bitch,” the man with the rich Russian accent snarled. White film coated the sides of his mouth and his teeth were yellow, stained by cigarettes, judging by the obvious reek emanating from him. His fingers fisted in her hair, pulling it at the roots, and his other hand came up around her