Clearing my throat, I take a moment before responding. I know if I said yes, he’d be all too happy to yank them off, but I’m in no shape to go down that road. “No. I’m eating.”
Chuckling, he moves his hands and sits up. “Alright, have it your way, but I bet by the end of the day, you’ll be ready to say yes.”
“Kash, I have to work today. I’m already late enough as it is.”
“Nope. I already messaged Mara last night because I knew you weren’t going to be feeling well this morning.”
Freezing, I lower my fork to the plate and turn to face him. “That’s my business, Kash. You’ve overstepped.”
“Nope. That isn’t me overstepping. That is me taking care of my girl. Overstepping was taking care of the guy who thought it was okay to touch what’s mine. He pauses. “Actually, that was also taking care of what’s mine, so never mind.”
“You broke his nose, didn’t you?”
“He’s lucky that’s all I broke,” he practically growls. There’s a dark look that crosses his face, and it makes me nervous.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was having a drink and being friendly.”
“If you want to be friendly, you can be friendly with me. I’m the only friend you need.”
I almost laugh at how serious he sounds but change my mind. I don’t really go out unless it’s with Cora or Mara, so I didn’t think about how unsafe it actually was. “Thank you for being there,” I tell him honestly.
“I’ll always be there for you. Now, back to my grand plan.” He rubs his hands together, sitting up. He looks like a kid at Christmas, and it’s hard not to feel the same.
“Aren’t you working today?”
“Nope. I’m going in tomorrow, so I figured we’d spend today together. After you’re done eating, you can grab a shower and get ready. Take as long as you need. I don’t care. We just have somewhere to be at two o’clock. Does that work?”
Looking at my phone, I see it’s eleven thirty. “Yes. I can do that. Where are we going?”
“That defeats the purpose of it being a surprise, but can you promise me one thing?” He pulls my hands into his, and I cringe because I have no doubt there’s probably syrup or something on them. Looking into my eyes, his face turns serious. “Give me achance, Mila. Arealchance. Let me show you that we can be good together, that I can be the man you need. Will you do that for me? Can you trust me?”
Trust? Do I trust Kash? With my well-being? Absolutely. With my heart? I’m almost there. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed more of the changes he’s talked about. He’s definitely not talking to anyone else that I can tell. He pops intoTwin Roastsfrequently, and notices more about me than I realize he did. I frequently skip meals because I’m too busy to eat, and Kash always includes a cute little note with whatever he brings. Even though he doesn’t have to, he buys something before he goes, making conversation with Joelle or whoever is out front. He’s friendly, but not flirty. Kash just likes to get to know people, and I think I really want to get to know him better.
Nodding, I smile. “Alright, Casanova. Let’s see what you got.”
“I promise it’ll be fun, Mila. Please—wait.” He freezes. “You said yes!” Grabbing my face between his hands, he kisses me quickly. “No take backs, Sunshine. Finish your breakfast while I go clean up and then get ready. We have a date, Sweet Girl.”
Jumping out of bed, Kash heads for the door, and I decide to not fight the smile that crosses my face. Kash’s happiness is contagious.
Taking another bite of food, I quickly chew and wonder what he has planned. As he walks up the hallway, I can hear his voice loudly singing, “Kash and Mila, sitting in bed; she eats my breakfast while I dream of giving her head.”
Nearly choking on my food, I swallow it down with a sip of orange juice and stare at the door he just went through. Laughing, I shake my head.God, he is a lunatic.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kash
Iclean the kitchen and get ready in record time. Mila brings the tray out to the kitchen after finishing, and while she’s in the shower, I go through my closet and try to figure out what to wear. I need to look good for her. The day has to go perfectly. I think she’s finally starting to come around.
Deciding on dark jeans, a maroon shirt and flannel with boots, I take in my appearance and look at what Mila sees. I don’t give a shit about anyone else’s opinion but hers anyway. When some people look at me, they only see a tall, tattooed guy with long hair, but there’s more to me than that. There’s probably some deep-seated psychology for my playful personality and my desire to make everyone around me happy, since I grew up in foster care after being abandoned and all, but I like to think that even if my dad hadn’t died, and my world fell apart, that I might still be this way.
Life is too short to be sad. Everything comes and goes in waves. If you focus on the negative, then it’ll always hang around like a cloud.
Scrolling through my phone, I check my messages while I wait. The guys are blowing up the group chat about me pulling double duty, but I ignore them. There’s some questionable weather expected this evening, but I’m hoping it passes through.
“Are you ready? Is this okay?” Mila’s voice cuts into my thoughts. Lifting my gaze, I find her standing in an outfit oddly similar to mine. Instead of dark jeans, she’s wearing leggings and a maroon sweater, paired with a denim jacket. Taking in her appearance from head to toe, I smile when I see the black boots at her ankles as well.
“You look perfect,” I tell her honestly, because she does. One day when she’s covered in baby vomit and sleep deprived, I’ll remind her then too.
