Kai studied her for a moment before his mouth fell open in understanding. He’d been so preoccupied with trying to come to terms with the reality of his parentage that he hadn’t had a chance to think about their situation, and what his true lineage did for them. His eyes flicked across her face. “We’re…not related,” he repeated.
They both stared at each in silence, processing. Jessie’s heart began to race as Kai’s eyes pierced through every inch of her. Her breath increased as they watched each other, frozen, unable to move. Being in love with each other had been so wrong for so long that it was a little hard to move past that feeling.
But…they did.
At the same time that Kai leaned toward her, she leaned toward him. Their mouths met, and they exhaled in relief as they were finally able to connect without feeling the bitter bite of guilt and revulsion. They kissed softly, letting just their lips explore the other’s. It was simple and honest and pure, and it nearly split Jessie’s heart wide open. She’d wanted this for so long, wanted him for so long…and it was finally okay to have him.
Kai strung his fingers through her hair, not deepening the kiss in any way, just savoring the curled strands that he loved. They sat on the couch side-by-side and moved their mouths together as innocently and sweetly as if it was their first kiss…with anyone. Jessie reveled in his soft lips, the way his hand brushing through her hair would sometimes run down her cheek. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been with a boy and just enjoyed the simple act of kissing.
But they weren’t teenagers anymore, and they’d been denying themselves this moment for a really long time now. After a long eternity of tenderly feeling each other, Jessie pressed harder against his lips and finally flicked her tongue against the tip of his. Kai’s chest rumbled with approval and he tilted his mouth so he could caress his tongue along the length of hers.
Jessie ran her hands up his chest and around the back of his neck to his hair. Her fingers threaded through the dark strands, grazing his scalp in the process, as their mouths began to move with more urgency, more passion. Kai ignited her body with every movement of his lips, exhale of his breath, and touch of his tongue. She wanted to expand on this feeling blossoming inside her, wanted to know what it would be like to connect with him intimately, without the horror they’d been fighting through. Now that he was essentially a stranger again, in the genetic sense, she wanted to express how much she loved him physically. She wanted to give him every part of her.
As her fingers tightened in his hair, his hands moved to rest on her neck. His thumbs stroked along her jaw, while their mouths moved in perfect sync—exploring, tasting, indulging. Taking a chance, Jessie decided to be the forward one. She was going to ask for what she wanted, now that she could do it with a clear conscience.
Breaking away from his searching mouth, she pulled back to gaze at him with lust-filled eyes. His eyes—those beautiful ocean orbs that had captivated her from the very first glance—stared straight back at her, unafraid, unregretful, and burning with desire. Jessie absorbed the passion emanating from him, then breathily said his name. “Kai?”
He kissed her softly before pulling back to stare at her again. “Yes?”
She smiled briefly, wondering if his thoughts were in line with hers. “Will you do something for me?”
Shaking his head, Kai leaned in for a long, deep kiss. “Anything,” he whispered. His breath tickled her skin, but that one single word amplified the ache deep within her.
Jessie gently pushed him away from her; she wanted him to see her face when she spoke her heart. Her gaze drifted between his eyes while he waited for her to speak with a soft smile on his lips. When she finally did, a similar smile was on hers. “Make love to me?”
Make love to me.
The words echoed through Kai’s head in waves as he lost himself in the beautiful depths of Jessie’s eyes. In moments of weakness, moments of loneliness, he’d fantasized about her say that to him. But he never thought it would happen. There had always been too much in their way before, too many barriers that even the immense love between them couldn’t overcome. And then, on possibly the worst day of Kai’s life, all of the walls had been broken down for them.