Harmony paused and both girls shifted their eyes to Jessie. Harmony looked like Jessie had just told her she was really a man or something. “What? You said he was your cousin? I’m so confused…”
Looking back at Kai, his half-naked body distractingly alluring, even in the middle of this awkwardness, she murmured, “We thought he was. He just…”
She let her voice trail off and like he knew Jessie didn’t want to spill his secrets without permission, Kai filled in the blanks. “It turns out my mom wasn’t entirely faithful to my dad, and the man I thought was my father my whole life…Jessie’s uncle…” His eyes flicked to Jessie, then back to Harmony. “Well, it turns out he isn’t my father. My biological father lives here in Denver. I’ve been working for him this whole time and didn’t even know it.”
Harmony seemed completely floored as she looked between Jessie and Kai. Jessie was torn between giving Kai a supportive hug and keeping a firm grip on Harmony, so she wouldn’t take off on her. “You’re not related?” Harmony asked slowly.
She turned back to Jessie far enough that Jessie finally felt like she wasn’t going to bolt, and she dropped her arm. Smiling, Jessie shook her head and returned to Kai’s side; they simultaneously slipped their arms around the other’s waist. “No, we’re not related.”
Harmony compressed her lips as she took in their affection. She still seemed to be having a little trouble absorbing this new reality, but she didn’t voice any more objections. Shaking her head, April suddenly said, “He’s Ricardo…isn’t he?”
Jessie closed her eyes and hung her head. She’d really been hoping none of them would piece together that this wasn’t the first time she and Kai had had sex. Sure, technically this entire time they hadn’t been related, but she and Kai hadn’t known that…and they’d done things anyway. A little surprised April had figured it out so quickly, Jessie lifted her eyes to her beautiful friend. “Yeah, he is.”
As Harmony’s eyes grew comically large, Kai leaned down to Jessie and whispered, “Why is she calling me Ricardo?”
Ignoring him for a second, Jessie concentrated on her shocked friends. Well, Harmony seemed shocked. April still just seemed contemplative. Jessie wondered what else the astute woman was putting together. Face full of disbelief, Harmony pointed a finger at Kai. “He was your one night stand? I thought you said you just found out you weren’t related?”
Jessie heard Kai mutter, “Oh…right.”
He seemed about to answer Harmony, but surprisingly, it was April who spoke up first. Twisting to Harmony, she said, “They didn’t know.” Harmony shook her head, still not understanding, and April glanced back at Jessie. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’d never met before. You probably hadn’t seen a picture of each other in a bazillion years.” With a grimace, she shook her head. “And we got you really, really drunk.”
Jessie nodded, relieved that she didn’t have to say it. She glanced up at Kai. “I didn’t know he was in town yet. He didn’t recognize my nickname. A million little things went wrong, and we didn’t catch on to who we were…until later.”
Harmony’s expression finally softened. “Wow. That had to have been a shock. To find out you’d just slept with your cousin?” Her face morphed into mild disgust and she crossed her arms over her chest, but even still, Jessie thought she looked a little less bothered by it all.
Kai let out a long, weary exhale. “You have no idea.” Shaking his head, he smiled at Jessie.
Jessie squeezed his waist before returning her attention to her friends. “Once we found out, we obviously tried to stay away.” She shook her head. “But we’d never met before. He didn’t feel like family to me, and I didn’t feel like family to him. We were just…hopelessly attracted to each other.” Jessie flushed and looked away. Kai chuckled as he squeezed her hip.
April tapped her finger against her lip, thinking. “Is that why you went out with me?” She pointed to Jessie as she spoke to Kai. “So you wouldn’t have feelings for her?”
Kai nodded, his eyes deeply regretful. “Yes. I’m so sorry, April. It was really stupid on my part to involve you like that.” Looking back at Jessie, his eyes turned sad. “I was really hoping that being with you…would stop me from falling in love with her.” He smiled as Jessie stroked his back. “It didn’t. I fell anyway.”
Harmony shook her head. “That’s why you left the lodge. There was no emergency…was there?”
Kai looked down while Jessie looked away. No, no emergency, just feelings they couldn’t control. “No,” Kai whispered. “No emergency…but I still had to leave.”
Tears pricked Jessie’s eyes at the memory of waking up and finding him gone. She didn’t ever want to feel that way again. “We caved. We…slept together…”