"Not perfect," he said as she pulled away. "Remember when you told me you didn't want that?"
"I do remember," she said, sensing he needed to make sure she knew that. "But I can think what I want. I'll see you later." She walked toward the door. "Oh, and if you happen to see any really good chocolate chip cookies at the store, it would be nice to have some dessert later."
"Chocolate chip cookies, huh?"
"They're my favorite, especially when they're soft, and look kind of homemade. You don't make cookies, too, do you?" she asked hopefully.
"No, but I can find some good cookies that someone else has baked," he returned. "Don't worry about anything. Go take care of the community; I've got the barbecue covered."
She blew him a kiss and then headed out the door, thinking how nice it was to have someone want to take care of everything for her. But he wasn't perfect, she reminded herself. He still had secrets to share. And she couldn't let herself get too carried away. Although as she left his apartment, she thought that it might be too late for that warning, because he had carried her away several times during the night, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to be back in his arms again.
Jax spent the day trying not to think about Kaia, whether he should stay or go, whether he should talk to Wren or Clay, or the music label that wanted a decision. Instead, he restrung a guitar and polished it up for delivery to the music store tomorrow. Then he went shopping for food for the barbecue and found a bakery, that according to the local bakery reviews, was supposed to have the best chocolate chip cookies.
Kaia texted him midday that Walter was thrilled that Reina wanted to see him, and that she was trying to set up a meeting for Tuesday afternoon. Walter wanted them both to come with him, so if he was up for it, they'd go together. He'd texted back that he was available for whatever she needed. Of course, that meant he couldn't leave Ocean Shores for at least another day, which was fine with him. Now, he had an actual reason to stay.
He hadn't seen any photographers around the building, but he was mentally preparing for that to happen at any second. Oddly enough, he felt less tense about it, more resigned. When Kaia had asked him why it mattered if he got his picture taken, why he cared what people in the media had to say, he'd realized just how much those fears had taken over his life. In some ways, he'd transferred the anger that should have gone to someone else to the media.
Not that he hadn't found photographers to be intrusive at many times in his life, but the publicity had also kept their fans interested, so he'd learned to live with it. And the media had usually been focused on Wren more than him. But when everything had fallen apart, all the attention had come his way, and all of it had been bad. The stories with a seed of truth were bad enough, but the ones that were completely fictitious were even worse. And the coverage had grown increasingly speculative and cruel with the lack of information. Maybe the only way to take back his life was to face that head-on. But not today. Today, he just wanted to enjoy himself and spend more time with a woman he couldn't stop thinking about.
Kaia arrived shortly after five, wearing sexy cutoff denim shorts and a clingy top with stars and stripes on it. Her brown eyes glittered with gold lights, her lips were soft and full, and then she kissed him like she'd missed him. He kissed her back in the same way.
"Hi," she said, giving him a smile filled with happiness and also desire.
"How was your day?" he asked.
"Not bad. Happy to be off for the evening. Did you go shopping?"
"The steaks are marinating in a rub that I think you'll like. The salad is made and ready to be dressed. The chocolate chip cookies came from a place called Betty's, which says they have the best cookies in town. I tried one, and they weren't lying."
She laughed. "Betty's cookies are great. Good choice."
"Phew! I had a feeling that was the most important part of the meal."
"I do like my cookies. Thanks for doing all that. It was a relief not to have to run to the store on my way home. It looks like people are starting to gather."
"I'm ready."
"Are you?" she asked, her gaze turning more serious. "I know things got tense with Grayson last night."
"It's fine. Everything is good."
"You do seem more relaxed than usual. Why is that?"
"Well, I had a good night last night."
"Really? My night wasn't just good; it was great."
"Mine was better than great," he said with a laugh. "How far do you want to go with this? As a songwriter, I have a lot of adjectives at my fingertips."
"That's the first time you've called yourself a songwriter."
She was right. He was also surprised by how easily the label had flowed from his lips. He hadn't thought of himself as much of anything in a long time. But he was a songwriter, a musician, and a restorer of old guitars. All those parts of his identity were begging to be recognized again. "I guess I don't just want to be the mystery man around here anymore."
"Good. Because I don't think of you that way at all."
"I'm just glad you're thinking about me," he said lightly.
She gazed into his eyes. "I haven't been able to stop, and if there wasn't a party starting in like five minutes, I'd show you what else I've been thinking about."
