Needing a minute to pull himself together, Kai walked into the bathroom. He’d pushed her away when all he’d really wanted to do was grab her and lock those beautiful, perfect lips to his. He still wanted that, even though his stomach churned at the thought.
He couldn’t believe her timing. In the shower, he’d just been wondering how he was going to get a full load of groceries home on his bike. He figured he’d have to make several trips to fill up his pantry, and he hated making trips. He probably would have settled on eating out a lot or buying only a couple of days’ worth of meals at a time. Kind of an annoying way to live.
But Jessie had saved him from having to worry about it. And she’d managed to pick up a bunch of things he routinely craved. Sometimes it was like they were cut from the same cloth. Closing his eyes, Kai suddenly remembered that technically, they sort of were cut from the same cloth. He knew genetics didn’t account for personality and tastes, but it was partly the reason why they were so similar. Too similar. Don’t touch her similar. Don’t walk back into that room and throw her down on the mattress similar.
Running some water, he splashed his face in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He needed to get a handle on this if they were going to be an important part of each other’s lives. And they were going to be, he could already tell. Right or wrong, he wanted her around.
After his common sense returned, Kai wiped his face with the towel on his shoulder, and then hung the towel over the rack on the wall. The small room was still warm from his shower, and dampness clung to the air. Wanting to feel a little bit of mugginess, he’d cranked up the heat while he’d been in there. Running his hands down his bare arms, his skin soft and full of moisture, he walked back to his bedroom. He glanced at Jessie as he moved toward his dresser. Her eyes had drifted to his chest, but she quickly looked down at the floor.
Kai sighed in frustration. Normally, he enjoyed getting checked out by a girl, but right now it only complicated things. Especially when he couldn’t stop staring at the tight, button-up shirt that she’d put on today. It was fitted in all the right places, and a dark chocolate color that perfectly matched her eyes. It looked amazing on her, especially paired with the long gray skirt and what he had to imagine were thigh-high boots. Well, that was what he preferred to imagine anyway.
Rummaging through his drawers, he sighed again. She looked too amazing. Maybe he should tell her to ugly herself up, if that was even possible. The thought made him laugh as he grabbed a deep blue sweater his mom had ordered online for him. She’d been positive that the temperature here would be twenty below, every day. But Kai was always a little cold, so thanking his overprotective mother, he slipped it on.
From the kitchen he heard Jessie say, “What’s so funny?”
She was watching him smooth the sweater over his chest. It was tightly knit, soft, and looked like a long-sleeved T-shirt than a sweater, but it was keeping him warm enough that he didn’t feel the need to double up. Remembering what had made him laugh, he smiled and shook his head. “Nothing.”
Still eyeing his chest, Jessie gave him a sly grin. “We’re going to have to buy you long johns when it actually does get cold around here.”
Kai frowned; it was already cold. Shaking his head at her tease, he walked over to the kitchen. “The next time I go visit my parents, you should come with, and then we’ll see who’s more uncomfortable.” He grinned at her, and for a second, it seemed like she’d stopped breathing. Not wanting to read too much into her body language, Kai turned away. It was best if he didn’t think about it.
Grabbing the pineapple Jessie had brought over, Kai decided to share it with her. Pineapples were a traditional welcoming gift, meant to impact well wishes on the new arrival. He wasn’t sure if Jessie had known that when she’d purchased it, but he was touched by the sentiment, regardless. And it really did remind him of home.
Leaning against the counter, Jessie gave him a playful smirk. “That’s no challenge. I kick ass in a bikini.”
Kai stopped his hand an inch from the cutting board on the counter and turned to stare at her. God, she probably looked amazing in a bikini. Jessie was giving him a grin that was slightly seductive. Combined with the curvy imagery in his head, he couldn’t stop the sudden wave of desire. He had an overwhelming urge to cut the pineapple, run a piece along her lip, and suck the juices off. He wanted that more than anything. He closed his eyes to banish the alluring vision, and reason slowly returned to him. No. he couldn’t do that, not with her.