The sun peeking through my curtains is what wakes me up, blinding and bright. Squinting, it takes me a moment to orient myself, remembering where I am.
Boston.
I’m in Boston.
I’ve woken up most of my adult life this way, needing to recall where I am, what city I’m currently passing through.
Rolling over, I’m struck with another reminder.
I’m sore.
I’m sore from Kai stretching my body.
Because we had sex.
Mind-blowing, made-me-come-three-times, better-than-I’ve-ever-had sex.
Flashes of his dark hair, wet with sweat, pass through my mind. His body, long and lean, knowing exactly how to take care of mine. And his words . . . God, he talks dirty in bed.
I squeeze my thighs at the memories.
My attention darts to the side table where he left his glasses last night, but they’re gone, as are the clothes he left scattered across the floor. But yesterday’s olive-green overalls are still right where I left them, so without fussing over a bra or shirt, I step into them, needing to cover some of my naked body, not knowing if Kai has picked up Max from his brother’s room yet.
And right on cue, I hear the front door of Kai’s room unlock. The one connecting ours is still wide open and it’s only a few seconds later that he takes over the threshold, a coffee in either hand. He’s wearing athletic shorts that cut well above his knees, showing off that thigh tat, with a gray tee and his glasses back in place.
He’s so hot and put together at this early hour while I’m barely dressed with my hair still a mess from his hands running through it last night.
He smiles at me, all sweet and sexy, clearly not thrown off that I kicked him out of bed last night.
“Did you just wake up?”
“Yes.” I turn away from him, using the full-length mirror on the wall to quickly throw my hair up in a knot. “It seems someone here exhausted me last night.”
“Well, that seems fair.” Kai occupies the space behind me, looking at me through the mirror. “Because you exhaust me on a daily basis.”
I smile into our reflection. The last thing I needed was Kai coming in here talking about us making love or something like that. What I needed was for him to give me shit.
He bends to kiss my now exposed neck. “Morning.”
“Hi.” I find myself curving into him. “Did you bring me coffee?”
“A chai.” He reaches the cup over my shoulder, putting it in my hand.
“How’d you know I like chai?”
“It’s what you were drinking the first day we met, when your dad stuck me with your ass all summer.”
A smile ticks on my lips. How observant of him. “Thank you.”
Kai’s eyes lose their previous cheery glint, replaced instead with concern. “Are you okay?”
“In regards to . . .”
“Are you okay with what happened last night?”
A slow grin spreads on my lips as I look at him through the mirror. “More than okay.”
His worry washes away, his smirk taking on a boyish edge. “Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Would you be more than okay if it happened again?”
God, he’s cute, all shy with his question.
“I’d love for it to happen again.”
He’s full-on smiling now, a smile I didn’t know existed only a month ago.
A smile that seems hopeful, reminding me of what this man has gone through in his life, and that I can’t be the next person to hurt him when I leave.
“But,” I interrupt. “I think we should have some rules.”
“Haven’t we learned that we aren’t very good at holding strong on those?”
I lift a single brow.
“Okay,” he chuckles. “I’m not very good at holding strong on those.”
“I think it might be a good idea, you know, to make sure we’re both clear about what this is.”
“Trust me, Miller. You’ve made it perfectly clear what this is for you and I told you I’m fine with it. I’ll keep it casual.”
“No sleepovers,” I begin.
“Yeah.” His tone is entirely unimpressed. “Got that one already.”
“No kissing unless we’re hooking up. No PDA.”
He narrows his eyes through the reflection. “We’ve always been a little touchy though.”
“Right, but now that we’re sleeping together, I think that should stop. You know, to keep the lines clear.”
“Just so I can keep things clear, are these rules to remind me what this little arrangement is, or are they a reminder for you?”
God, this man drives me nuts with how much he can wiggle his way into my brain and understand its patterns. Sure, I don’t want to hurt him, knowing how many people he’s counted on only for them to leave, but more so, after last night, I think I need the boundaries these rules will enforce to keep me from growing attached when I don’t have the space for that in my life or career.
I’ve never been worried about that before.
“And lastly,” I shift, needing to include the most important rule of all. “This ends the moment I leave Chicago for my next job. There will be no grand declarations of love after all is said and done. We enjoy ourselves, but we remember exactly what this is. A summer fling.”
“A summer fling,” he repeats. “You drive away and it’s over just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Kai hesitates. “If that’s what you want.”
It is, and even if he won’t admit it right now, it’s what he wants too. Long-term, he and Max need someone grounded and safe. We both know that someone isn’t me.
“You know.” Kai’s palm sinks into the side opening of my overalls, grazing my ribs and stomach. “I’m pitching tonight.”
“I do know that.”
“And baseball superstitions are very serious. I can’t risk messing with them.”
He drags his fingertips up my stomach before his thumb dusts over my already stiff nipple.
I fall back into his chest. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I can’t break routine.” He kisses the sensitive skin just below my ear as he gracefully unhooks one of the straps on my shoulder. The fabric falls open, exposing my bare chest and Kai stares right at me through the reflection. “If I pitch well tonight, I’m going to assume it’s because of last night and I’m going to have to spend the rest of the summer sinking into you every chance I get. You know, because of superstitions.”
“And if you pitch poorly?”
He smiles against my skin. “We’ll just have to keep fucking until we figure out what we did wrong.”
I giggle at his logic. Yes, giggle. Like a schoolgirl with a crush.
Kai trails his hand over my breast and stomach, dipping lower. He takes his time exploring my skin, touching and kissing me before his middle finger grazes my clit. He rubs gentle, easy circles, working me up, but it’s different from last night. There’s nothing rushed or frenzied. It’s slow and searching.
Reaching back, I hook my palm around the base of his neck.
Kai hums into my ear, and I’m about to drop this chai right to the floor so I can use both of my hands to explore him, but then there’s a knock on his door and we both pause.
It’s his brother and son, I’m sure.
Kai pulls his fingers from me before bringing them to his mouth and licking them clean, all while staring right at me through the mirror. “God, you taste good.”
“Who the hell are you and where did this version come from?”
With a single hand, he reclasps my strap. “Been here the whole time. Just forgot what it was like to enjoy things for myself.”
A knock sounds at his door again.
“And I’ve never enjoyed something as much as I enjoy fucking you.” He finishes with a kiss to my temple before taking off towards his room, but he turns back to give me one more look through the mirror. “Now put some goddamn clothes on before you make me miss my game.”
His smile is light and relaxed as he closes the door between our rooms.
All I can do is look at myself in the mirror and try to figure out who the hell is looking back at me. Because right now, I don’t see any sign of the woman who showed up in Chicago five weeks ago.
“There’s my guy!” I hear Kai say on the other side of the door.
“Dadda!”