“I hope we can do this again.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses my pinky, still wrapped around his.
FIVE
Kai
The way her eyes shimmer in the light is seared in my thoughts. All I can think about are her pink, plump lips on mine. When our pinkies joined, exchanging energy between us, it lit me up inside, my heart thudding in my ears. I can’t shake it, not that I want to. I enjoyed every minute with her, and my thoughts kept looping back to those hazel eyes flecked with gold, the curve of her cheeks, her button nose, and her wavy hair framing her deep olive skin.
Logan sees I’m distracted, but he has me working my ass off. I can’t figure out whether it’s because I stole his sister-in-law over the weekend or because he’s torn. He knows I’m a nice guy, but I see it—the sympathy flickering in his eyes. Every day, he mentions that Ava doesn’t stay in one place too long before she’s off on another adventure.
Why is she running?
I don’t know—I haven’t had more than a couple of hours with her last weekend, and then stolen glances at the courthouse when I’m running in and out. Her van is there, parked at the curb. When I walk out the door, I can see her smile with those damn lips of hers. My heart swells every time our eyes meet.
Today, I need my Ava fix. There’s a longer line than usual, but it’s worth it. Once I’m at the counter, her smile reaches her eyes. “I thought I’d see you more often down here.”
“Well, if your brother-in-law wasn’t holding me hostage in the office conference room, then I’d be here more than once a day,” I whisper, but it comes out louder than expected. “You’re beautiful.”
Pink rolls up her neck and tinges her cheeks. I may have a hold on her, like she does on me. She wipes her forehead, not letting her eyes off of me. “What can I get you?
“I’ll have a large hot French Vanilla coffee with four sugars, hold the cream.” I rattle it off, and she doesn’t miss a word. I reach into the window, wanting to connect with her. When she eyes my hand lying on her counter, she quickly places hers on top and squeezes.
Her touch sends a thrill through me. Once she drifts her eyes away, she says, “Not sweet enough, you need some extra sugar?”
Well, I’ll be damned. After a moment like that, she volleys it.
I toss it back. “A little extra sweetness never hurt anyone.”
She leans down and whispers, “I think you’re sweet enough; just keeping you on your toes.”
I watch as she twists and makes my coffee. The height of this truck frames her ass perfectly; you could bounce a quarter off of it in those jeans. She’s breathtaking. I discreetly adjust myself with a shit ton of people around.
The popularity of Pages & Brew is clear at the small tables, where people read books while sipping coffee. I can see into the back where others are browsing books.
When she turns back and hands me my coffee, her eyes twinkle. “Have a great day, Kai Hastings. I hope Logan stops holding you hostage.” She winks as I stumble to turn away from her so the lady behind me can order.
I can’t rip my eyes away. Sipping my coffee, she glances up and our eyes meet. Her lips tug upward again, and it lights up the entire space like an angel.
I smile back and walk backwards like I’m about to turn around and walk away, but I take a few extra beats to actually turn away from her. I end up glancing back at the van to take in one more glimpse of her before heading inside.
Thankfully, it’s Thursday, so I have one more day to see her down here, and I’ll ask her out on a date. I picture us having dinner, inviting her back to my house, and then she can see the kitchen I was talking about the first time we met. It will be perfect.
I walk back to the office and straight to the conference room. There’s always work that needs to be sorted, boxed, organized, and brainstormed.
“What the hell took you so long?” Logan lifts his head from the pile of paperwork in front of him. He eyes my coffee and scoffs, “Never mind, I see what took you so long,” he says, shuffling papers around.
I scoff back at him and decide not to address the elephant in the room. There are so many files on the table; I’ll be here for hours. I grab a folder, and my phone vibrates in my pocket. My jaw practically falls to the floor when I see a text from Ava. If my heart pounds any harder, it will beat out of my chest.
Ava:
Sorry, it’s been really busy this week. It was nice to see you.
Kai:
This week has been insane for me, too. I’m glad I could get a glimpse of your smile for a few minutes.
Ava:
It was really nice to see a familiar face.
