“Oh, okay.”
Kind of weird, but who was I to judge? I studied his expression, which had turned a little wistful.
Why was I thinking about baking him one of these pavlova things now? I suppose it was something friends did, right?
We werefriendswith benefits, after all.
“So let me get this straight … you don’t get a cake for your birthday? You get a…”
“Pavlova.”
“A … pavlova. Right.” I shot him a skeptical look. “What in the ever-living world even is a pavlova?”
Kai reared back. “You don’t know what a pavlova is?!”
“Nope.” I shrugged.
“It’s a dessert made of egg whites and sugar and if you do it right, the outside gets all crispy and the inside is almost like a marshmallow.”
“Sounds … delightful.”
Kai nodded enthusiastically. “There’s also whipped cream and fresh fruit on top.”
I wasn't sure if this made matters better or worse. Time to change the subject.
“You have a big family?”
He grinned. “Massive. It’s crazy when we’re all in one place at the same time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
My mouth twitched before I could stop it.
Kai caught my little slip instantly, and his grin turned smug. “Do my eyes deceive me? Admit it, you’re enjoying my presence.”
Idiot. Perhaps I’d suddenly forget which container held the sugar and which held the salt when I was baking his stupid birthdaypavlova.
“Itolerateyou,” I grumbled.
“Semantics.”
I snorted. “You’re exhausting.”
“Maybe,” he replied easily, “but you’re still out here, talking to me.”
Rising to my feet, I pretended to stretch not missing the way his eyes greedily latched onto the exposed skin of my stomach. “Only to make sure you don’t charm my grandma into adopting you.”
His smile was lazy and warm as he looked up at me. “You’d deprive your dear grandma of my delightful company?”
“Like you’d wanna stay here anyway, much less stay here to keep an eye on her.”
“I’d take her with me,” he joked.
I shook my head, but I couldn't quite fight the grin tugging at my mouth. “Oh yeah? That’s how many hoursstuck on a plane with her? Like twenty? Can youimaginewhat she’d do to all the people trapped in these flying death traps with her?”
“She does have a knack for leaving a lasting impression,” Kai mused. “But what’s this I hear there? Afraid of flying?”
Heat crawled up my neck. Fuck, he was way too perceptive.
“I don’t know about you, but willingly walking into something resembling a tin can with wings attached to it and flying through the air, thousands of miles up in the fucking sky, doesn’t sound particularly safe — or desirable.”
