“Z!” I ran, crashing into her in the kitchen. We hugged tight, and I smiled at Kopano over her shoulder. He gave me a half grin. More people were coming in behind him.
“Well, if it isn’t my sweet Ginger!” Patti said now. “And Marna! And you’re Blake, right?”
I couldn’t even bring myself to scoff at the “sweet Ginger” comment. We had a house full of friends and the kitchen smelled divine. The holiday had officially begun.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LOVE IN THE AIR
We all stood in the kitchen talking over one another. Marna and I noticed at the same time when Zania made her way back to Kopano’s side and slipped her arm snuggly under his. And then they shared a look so tender that Marna turned and gave me a hand-over-her-heart “Aww!” face. She then wrapped her arms around Jay, and they stood there holding each other with their eyes closed. So much emotion filled the room, but one stood out above the rest. . . .
Love was in the air.
Among other things. Like lust. And the smell of turkey. A weird combo.
Kaidan finally made his way into the kitchen with a serious demeanor. He greeted everyone, but whenever his eyes met mine, the air got hotter until a palpable tension had woven its way around the room. I could feel the warm sunbeam of his stare on me, though I pretended to ignore it. Our friends kept eyeing us. Even Patti noticed.
She regarded Kaidan with curiosity, as if trying to figure him out. When she saw him looking at me, her brow went up. She cleared her throat and dropped her eyes, mumbling, “All righty then,” and busied herself basting the turkey.
Okay, this was seriously getting embarrassing. I eyed Kaidan as if to say, Behave yourself! He cocked his head as if to say, I can’t bloody help it!
When Patti left the kitchen to make the guest bed, I suddenly smelled his citrusy pheromones from across the room, and they made me light-headed. I hoped no one else would notice.
“Blech. The newlyweds are hot for each other,” Ginger said.
So much for that hope. Heat traveled from my neck up to my face.
“Perhaps the whole lot of you can take a walk,” Kaidan said, dead serious.
My eyes got huge. “Kaidan, no!”
Blake, Jay, and Marna started laughing. Ginger rolled her eyes, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at Kope and Z.
But Kopano, choosing to ignore the sexual tension despite his own inclination toward lust, stepped forward and held out his hand.
“Congratulations, brother. I am happy for your blessing.”
Kaidan took his offering and shook. “Thank you, mate. I’m glad to see you happy, as well.” He nodded to Zania, who returned his nod and gifted him with one of her regal smiles. When Kope came to me and with an outstretched hand I ignored it, going up on my toes to hug him instead. He chuckled and hugged me back before returning to Z’s side. Kaidan watched the whole time, but thankfully didn’t get upset.
I wish I could say the tension dissipated after that. Kaidan leaned against the counter watching me, his thumb running back and forth over his bottom lip. My whole body prickled with a flush of heat, and I tried not to look at him. His need for me became the elephant in the room that everyone pretended to ignore. I thought about sending him upstairs for a cold shower.
Patti bounded back into the room, and I plastered the fakest smile ever on my face.
“How much longer until the feast?” I asked.
“About one hour,” she said. She was busy peeling potatoes into the sink. “Did you get any whipped cream for the pies? I didn’t see any.”
“No.” Rats. I knew I was forgetting something.
“We’ll go to the market!” Kaidan suggested quickly. “Anna and I. For the whipped cream.” He sidled up to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. He felt like a heater.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, the fake smile still in place.
“That’d be great,” Patti said. I saw some of the snickers being held back, people on the verge of laughing. Marna waggled her eyebrows at me. Even Kope and Zania shared a quick bashful glance before looking down. Patti’s attention remained on the potatoes. If she had any idea what was going on, she kept her knowledge hidden, and for that I was glad.
“Just don’t be too long,” Patti said, never looking up.
Yeah, she totally knew.
This wasn’t awkward at all. I glared up at Kaidan, but he only smiled adoringly. Blake and Jay were still trying not to laugh as I grabbed my keys and headed out of the house with Kai hot on my tail.
No sooner had we climbed into the car than Kaidan was on me.
“Not in the driveway!” I whispered, slapping away his hand as it sneaked up my shirt. His mouth found my neck and that place under my ear that made me crazy. I threw the car into reverse and sped away from the house.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he said against my skin. “It’s worse than ever. Now I have these images of you that play through my mind nonstop, driving me mad.”
It was really hard to concentrate on driving while a hot mass of passionate boy was all over me, saying things that made my brain fuzzy.