She had no idea if he was talking about seeing her at work, or if he was sharing her fantasy; since the image had popped into her head, she had to assume it had popped into his, as well. And when his eyes flicked to her lips, she was certain it had. Jessie watched his face, watched the desire and conflict building. She knew her expression matched his. She also knew letting this feeling run away with them was wrong and stupid and would lead to nowhere good. Giving him one last squeeze, Jessie removed her hands from his skin. “All done.”
His eyes lingered down her body, igniting it. They slowly drifted back to her face, and he gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Jessie.”
She flushed and nodded. Then she shucked off her shoes, brought her legs up onto his bed, and crossed them—anything to put some distance between them. Even with all their vows for space, they seemed to subconsciously drift toward each other.
With a deep, cleansing inhale, Kai grabbed the jar and lathered some spots on his chest before closing it up. Jessie sort of wished that she could have helped him with the front too, but it was for the best that she hadn’t. Besides, he could handle that part himself. As he slipped his shirt back on, hiding all that glorious skin from her, Jessie sighed. Such a shame. Needing to think of something else, she spouted the first thought that came to her head. “My roommates really want to meet you.”
He looked over at her as he smoothed out his long-sleeved shirt. “Oh?”
Trying to stop herself from reliving the feeling of his skin under her hands, Jessie nodded. “Yeah, they are very curious about my just-in-town cousin.” She didn’t mention just how curious April was; she didn’t want to think about that again.
Kai studied her for a second, then turned his attention to the box at their feet. “Were they the ones checking me out at the club?”
Jessie tensed. She’d forgotten that he’d seen that. Of course, a lot of that night was still a little hazy, and, unfortunately, a lot of that night was perfectly clear. Glancing at their reflection in the TV, she swallowed. Jessie saw Kai look up at her in the set, then twist to look at their reflection, too. By the pained expression on his face, she knew that he was remembering, as well.
Clearing her throat, she turned away. “Yeah, um, I don’t think they remember much about you, though.” She tossed him a smile. “April thought you were blonde. Harmony thinks you’re Latin.”
Shaking his head, he leaned down to open the box. “Well, if they won’t remember that it was me that night…I don’t see why we can’t all meet.”
The awed look on his face as he picked out and examined the things that she’d brought over for him made her smile. She hoped he was right, and her roommates didn’t piece together their secret. She didn’t want them to ever know that she’d slept with a family member. Thinking of it that way returned that horrible nausea to her stomach, and she scooted away from him a little bit. Sometimes it felt so right with him; sometimes it felt really wrong.
She watched Kai chuckle as he pulled the camel out of the box and set it on his nightstand. He seemed as amused by it as she was, and that delighted her. Digging through the box, he picked out various items and set them around himself, occasionally shaking his head; he smiled the entire time. Jessie tried to not notice how amazing his lips looked when they were curved up in a small grin. She also tried to not notice how nice his back looked, as he stretched and flexed while he moved and twisted. She tried to not notice, but it was difficult. He was just very attractive.
Kai pulled out a picture and his smile dropped as he examined it. Curious, Jessie shifted her attention to look at it, too. It was a picture of a red-rocked river that Jessie had bought from a local nature photographer. The photo had been taken so closely, and captured so expertly, that the water streaming past the crimson rocks appeared to still be moving. The photograph seemed alive. It was a breathtaking piece, probably Jessie’s favorite.
Kai’s finger drifted over the glass in the large frame, barely touching it. After another silent moment, he softly said, “This is great. Are you sure you want to get rid of it?”
He was clearly touched by her gift, and Jessie smiled seeing the uncertain appreciation in his eyes. “Yes, I want you to have it.”
He tilted his head and stared at her, like he was completely taken aback that she would willingly part with something so beautiful. Jessie loved that he seemed to like the piece as much as she did. Watching him drink her in, she had the odd thought that the photographer should take a picture of Kai’s eyes. Truly, that would be his most stunning work, because nothing on this earth could be as beautiful as Kai’s eyes. She swallowed under his intense gaze.
Still looking dazed, he told her, “Thank you, Jessie.”
His hand lifting from the frame, started to reach out for her. Jessie was sure he was going to cup her cheek or run a hand through her hair. The anticipation of the tender contact made her heart begin to beat faster, but then Kai dropped his hand to his knee instead. Jessie’s heart stubbornly sank.
Smiling as he put the picture back in the box, Kai motioned to the kitchen. “Hungry? I could make us some soup.”