Kai smiled and shook his head. “Not really. They’re just tribal markings. A group of us decided to get them after graduating from high school.” He pointed to his friends in the pictures, to the various spots on their bodies where they’d each gotten the swirling, slashing tattoos.
Jessie glanced at the tattooed arms and legs in the photo, and her gaze drifted to Kai’s shoulder. She bit her lip, and he could tell that she wanted to see it again. Not thinking about why he shouldn’t show her, he lifted his layers of shirts up enough so that she could see the bulk of it along his back, along the blade. Jessie’s mouth popped open as her finger came out to touch the dark design. Her index finger traced a swirl, and her nail teasingly grazed his skin. The heat of the contact instantly shot through him. Realizing how close they were getting and where they were sitting, Kai stood and let his shirts drop down into place.
Flushing, Jessie looked away. Not getting too close was going to be a lot harder than Kai would have ever imagined. Smiling reassuringly at her, he casually asked, “Hungry?”
Shutting the book, Jessie nodded. “Yeah, starving. There’s this great pizza place nearby. I’ll call.” She stood up and headed to the kitchen for her phone in her purse.
Running a hand through his hair, Kai glanced up at the ceiling and prayed for the strength to get through this. He was about to reply to Jessie’s suggestion when she shot back, “Hawaiian, right?” When he dropped his gaze to hers, he spotted a playful grin on her face. Seeing it relaxed him. Yes, they could do this.
Teasing her back, he said, “No, Haole don’t make it right. Pepperoni is fine.”
Jessie twisted her lips and rolled her eyes as she made the call. Kai dug into his wallet for some cash and handed it to her when she was finished ordering their dinner. Jessie shook her head and tried giving it back to him, but Kai refused to take it. “You’ve done so much for me today, it’s the least I can do.” With a calm smile on his face, he hoped she would let him do this for her. Try to repay her kindness in some small way.
Jessie gave him an expression that clearly said it wasn’t necessary, but she did stuff the bill into her jeans. Happy that she’d accepted, Kai leaned back against the counter. Jessie copied him on another counter and they passed the time with small talk, mainly Jessie filling him in on all the attractions Denver had to offer. She teased him good-naturedly on his island heritage, but by the way her eyes drank him in, Kai could tell that his looks appealed to her. Of course, he’d already known that. Pushing that fact out of his head, he focused instead on the soothing sound of her voice.
Jessica Marie woke up Sunday morning with less of a headache than yesterday but a throbbing skull, nonetheless. She was having quite a weekend. She’d met a man, an attractive man. She’d gone home with him and let herself be someone she really wasn’t. She’d fulfilled a fantasy, a fantasy that was supposed to help heal her bruised heart. It wasn’t supposed to give her heart a different sort of ache. The man was not supposed to be her cousin.
Letting out an irritated sigh, Jessie shoved aside her mountain of covers and hopped out of bed. She immediately slipped her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers. The entire house had wooden floors, and they were especially chilly early in the morning. Jessie could hear the sound of cartoons and laughter coming from the living room when she opened her bedroom door; her roommates were awake. She’d managed to go an entire day without them grilling her about her hookup. She’d been reluctant to share details about that night before, but now… Jessie had no idea what she should tell her friends. Hearing them softly talking with each other, Jessie darted into the bathroom so she could buy herself some time with a refreshing shower.
Wondering what to tell her roommates, she thought about the man in question. Kai Harper. The boy bearing the same last name. Groaning, Jessie tried not to dwell on that fact. Hanging out with him yesterday had been enjoyable. Kai was interesting, funny, smart, and outrageously handsome. He was the kind of guy she could see herself with for a while, maybe even long term. But that wasn’t an option for them. At all. Not only was the thought disturbing, it would be impossible to explain their relationship at family reunions. That thought made her groan again.