Free Feather Light (Knead Me) by Lorenz Font Page A

them.
    She took a deep breath and plastered on a winning smile. “I guess.”
    Hundreds of lights flashed when she emerged to make her way to the waiting limousine. Despite the rope cordoning them off at a safe distance, several bolder shutterbugs got closer. One of them was Rigor James, an annoying man who was dead set on making Kelly’s life a living hell. They’d had several run-ins in the past, with Rigor pushing her to her limits. The last one had been the most upsetting yet, ignoring the unspoken boundary between privacy and what the rest of the world was entitled to see. Rigor had taken snapshots of Kelly on a private getaway on a friend’s yacht off the coast of Marseille that was meant to get her head together after her very public breakup with Matthew. The picture had been snapped when she had been crying her eyes out to Jessica.  
    “Kelly Storm, I’m watching you,” he shouted above the clamor of snapping sounds and questions raining down on her. Kelly shot him a disparaging look while the man pointed to his eyes.
    She hated threats and disliked the man with a passion, but she didn’t have enough credible evidence to convince the court to grant her a restraining order.
    “Rigor, why don’t you shove your camera up your ass and beat it?” Jessica shouted, pushing Kelly inside the waiting limousine.
    “Thanks.” Kelly gave her friend a grateful smile and massaged her throbbing temple once the car started moving.
    “Don’t mention it.” Jessica regarded her with obvious curiosity before she pushed the button to raise the divider between them and the driver. “What did you do last night?”
    Here we go . . .  “I invited Parker for dinner.” What was the point of lying to Jessica? Kelly’s friend possessed Superman’s x-ray vision and Daredevil’s radar sense. There was no hiding anything from her for very long.
    Jessica’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. “And?”
    Kelly turned her face to the window to watch the throng of people trekking the city. She loved the cosmopolitan buzz of the Big Apple, but lately her fondness for the place had been replaced by a phobia of rushing fans and crazy paparazzi. “He spent the night.” She didn’t meet her friend’s inquiring gaze and wasn’t surprised when Jessica snorted.
    “I could tell. Your bed looked like it had been hit by a cyclone.” Jessica’s tone turned somber. “What, may I ask, made you to go to bed with a stranger? I mean, you’ve seen the guy twice, and you know he’s . . .”
    Kelly whipped her head around in amazement. “Blind?”  
    Jessica seemed contrite, and Kelly felt bad for snapping at her.  
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I’m confused, Jess.”
    Jessica reached out and patted her on the knee. “It’s okay. That was a bit callous of me. I just feel like he’d be another piece of baggage you don’t need in your life right now, after the fiasco with Matthew.” Her face clouded in anger.
    “Parker is wonderful. He’s independent and very capable. There is nothing the man can’t do. His blindness is just another test he’s going to overcome.” Kelly had no idea why she was singing the praises of the man who’d evoked both happiness and terror within her at the same time.
    Jessica gaped at her. Her green eyes sparkled with undisguised mischief. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re falling for this guy. What gives? What sets him apart? Why so sudden?”  
    Kelly shook her head. Who knew what she found most attractive? Was it Parker’s body or his erotic lovemaking? “How do I explain instant attraction? I don’t know. He’s easy to talk to . . .”
    “I guess this question is in order, then. Does he know who you are?” Jessica had always been the nagging conscience she’d refused to listen to and yet couldn’t ignore.
    Kelly shook her head. “I told him my name was Ann Sutton, and on the two occasions I visited his office, I