"Because your family has been here forever?"
"Uh… Something like that, yeah."
He slips his arm around me and snuggles me against his broad chest. "Leah," he murmurs against my ear, "we've been chatting for hours, but did I ever tell you how stunningly beautiful you are?"
How the heck is a girl supposed to answer a question like that? I simply shrug, lost in his faint forest scent.
The wind picks up and he holds me closer, stroking first my back, then my hip. There's a slight rasp in his voice as his fingersspread, gripping my hip and trailing the tips of his fingers almost along my ass.
"So sexy,” he breathes, his lips skimming across the crown of my head in a faint kiss. "Beautiful and sexy and smart and sweet. The complete package."
"Are you saying I'm the combo meal of women?"
I didn't mean to blurt it out quite so bluntly, but Kai laughs, squeezing me even tighter. "I forgot to mention funny." His fingers stroke up my side, then move across my back again, giving me shivers. "And also probably getting chilly. Let's get you home."
"Sure."
As we pass the patio of Jim's Pizza, it feels like dozens of pairs of eyes are boring into the side of my head. Kai's arm is around me, and although it’s to keep me warm, he's obviously cuddling me close, too.
"Everyone is staring," I whisper.
“Good." Kai looks down with a glow in his eyes that sends a flood of warmth straight through my chest. "Am I a terrible man for wanting the world to think you're mine already?"
The air sticks in my windpipe for a moment. What kind of person just comes out and says that? Someone who's incredibly confident about what he wants, that’s who. I just can't understand why he would want me.
"Honestly? I don't even know."
We come to a stop in front of his truck, then he reaches into the back to pick up a tool belt. "Is it okay if I fix that shelf in your kitchen?" he asks. "When I borrowed those books for a laptop stand, I noticed it was wobbling."
"Oh! Sure. Thank you."
On the way to my RV, I begin to laugh.
Kai smiles. "What?"
"You have everything in your truck. A suit to change into. Tools. What else?"
"Top-secret stuff, obviously," he shrugs as I unlock the door. "Breath mints. Clean underwear in case I get rained on."
We laugh together as we go into my home on wheels, then I quickly clear the shelf. It takes him a whole three minutes to tighten everything and add two more screws.
"Dammit," he mutters, looking down at his stuff set on the table. "I was supposed to wear that. Women love a man in a tool belt, right?"
I giggle, wondering if he can hear my heart hammering in this cramped room. His warmth and sweetness seem to take up all available space.
Kai straightens up, looming over me. "Are you free to check a splash meter tomorrow afternoon?"
"I don't have a clue what that is, but yes."
"Great. I'll pick you up around one. Will you be done work by then?"
"Sure. I rarely have a tight deadline. My clients always send me stuff in plenty of time, thank goodness."
His strong arms wrap around me again, pulling me close. This time his warmth goes straight down my center and pools between my legs. I can feel his entire hot, hard body against mine, and wonder if he's thinking the same thing I am.
Kai takes a quick step back, then kisses my forehead. "See you tomorrow." He leaves and I lock the door behind him, a little let down that the evening ended so abruptly.
Then my phone beeps.
