His full lips made every hint of a smile feel like it was meant just for you. And when he fully smiled — wide, bright and completely unguarded — it hit you in the chest a little harder than it should have.
Jesus fucking Christ, snap out of it, Tori.
“Maybe a little.”
“This one's called the balance pose,” she announced cheerfully, right before grabbing Kai's arm for support.
Gran resumed what I think was supposed to be a tree pose, but it looked more like a slow-motion fall.
He steadied her again, as patient as ever. “Gotcha.”
Gran blinked up at him, her eyes twinkling. “See, Tori? This one’s useful. Strong arms. Polite. You should keep him.”
“Gran.” I let my head fall back and covered my face.
Kai’s grin widened. “You heard the lady.”
“Yeah, she also thinks the neighbor’s cat talks back,” I said quietly.
“Only when you’re not around,” Gran said primly, brushing imaginary dirt from her hands. “You two make a cute pair when you stop pretending to hate him.”
“We’re not a pair,” I corrected too quickly, taking a sip of my coffee to hide my expression behind my mug. “We’re — uh — running buddies.”
Kai choked on his spit and I pursed my lips as I glared at him with raised eyebrows.
“Right, Kai?”
“Yup. Nah yeah, running’s our thing. So much fun.”
“If you say so, dear. Now, I must say, I don’t believe in running, personally,” Gran mused while beginningto stalk through the grass like a stork … or maybe a flamingo.
“What is that even supposed to mean? How can younot believein running? It’s just something you do, Gran.”
“Or don’t,” she quipped. “I don’t believe in it, dear, because it’s dull. And you know I don't have much time left, so I'd much rather spend it doing useful things.”
Kai side-eyed me, clearly struggling to keep a straight face.
“Right, of course. Because all this here,” — I gestured at her stalking through the grass in circles — “certainlyseems like a good way to spend your valuable,limitedtime.”
“Quite right, dear. The dew on the grass feels heavenly,” she hummed.
“Dunno how you feel anything through those scaly soles, but okay,” I muttered under my breath but Kai had heard me. He snorted, then quickly tried to disguise it as a cough.
I turned to face him, eyeing him warily. My stomach did one of those weird little swoops as I took in the expanse of his broad chest dusted with a smattering of dark hair, the ink covering his shoulder and winding around his arm, and his thick midsection.
Although I’d certainlyfelthim on our little adventure, I’d never seen him shirtless before and found I really liked it. Let the other girls drool over cut abs and lean waists; I’d take abig boy any day.
Even though we’d set boundaries, I wasn't sure about him just showing up at my place. I didn't need our lives to become more intertwined than they already were, and if I didn’t know he was leaving anyway, I’d be worried about what would happen when this thing between us inevitably ended.
“What are you even doing here?” My question came out more abrasively than I’d intended, but he smiled easily despite it.
“Helping out the locals.” Kai’s expression was all innocence as he tapped the hammer against his shoulder. “Part of my cultural exchange program.”
Gran clapped her hands. “Oh, that’s lovely. I should tell the neighborhood association we’ve got one of those now.”
“Please don’t,” I said flatly.
“Too late.” She snatched the mug from my hands and heading toward the house before I could protest. “My Facebook will want to know.”
