Kai darts a gaze over my shoulder. Takes it all in. Notices the blood on Tanner’s hands and his demeanor shifts. The switch in him flips and he taps into the part of himself he thinks he’s lost. The part that exudes calm in the face of chaos.
He slips out of my grasp and moves to help Tanner. The cut is half the size of Molly’s the other day, but Tanner lets Kai clean and dress it. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.” Kai flashes him a wink. “There a reason you’re smashing the place up this early?”
“I had a breakfast meeting with Joss. Without the breakfast.”
“Yet.” I open the fridge for effect. “I’m getting there.”
“I’m kidding, man.”
“No need. I got this.” I stick my head in the fridge, only half listening to Tanner and Kai as they talk. I find bacon, eggs, and giant mushrooms. It’ll do. I gather my tricks and emerge to find Tanner scrutinizing Kai’s bare torso.
“Did you work out?”
Kai scoffs. “Not unless you count a lazy hike and riding my bike to my dad’s.”
“You saw your dad?”
“Nope. He’s away. I was doing something for Rowan.”
Tanner digests that, but he stares at Kai a moment longer before he seems to snap out of it. “Sorry. Just thought you looked bigger.”
“That wasn’t part of your plan when you moved a kick-ass chef into my apartment?”
Kai’s tone is dry, and I study Tanner for his reaction, but he has a rock-solid poker face and gives nothing away.
Not that it matters. I go where the wind takes me, and it brought me here.
To Kai’s bed?
Heh. Maybe that one’s on me. I try not to think about it as I move around Kai and Tanner, cooking on autopilot. Fail, naturally. I just rolled out of that fucking bed. Not thinking about it—abouthim—is impossible.
So I do. I think about it all. I have zero regrets, but my head is still a minefield. The loudest thought iswhat the hell are you doing?And I don’t have an answer to that because it never occurred to me that when I met my roommate, I’d have his dick in my hand a few weeks later.
Score.But…no. I don’t see Kai like that, and I don’t want anyone else to either. I want him to be loved as much as Jax and Tanner love each other. And I want him to believe he deserves it. Toknowhow fucking gorgeous he is, and if I have to show him?
I’ll do it every day I’m here if that’s what he needs.
IfI’mwhat he needs.
But as cute as that is, I know I have to be careful. We can’t fuck. Damn, we shared a hand job last night, and I’m still in bits. The look on his face. The sounds he made. The feel of his—
“Whoa.” Kai reaches around me and takes the bacon pan off the heat. “You okay?”
“Hmm? What? Oh. Fuck. Yeah, just half asleep, mate. I need my—”
“I’ll get it.”
Kai evaporates. Not literally, it just feels that way when a man of his size moves with such quiet feet.
I focus on not lighting his apartment on fire, and he’s back a moment later with my ADHD pill in the palm of his hand and the sweetest smile on his rugged face.This dude.I take the pill and dry-swallow it. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He passes me a glass of water. “Drink this.”
“Or what?”
“Or nothing. It’s good for you.”
