Giving Jessie one last wistful look, since that couldn’t be seen either, he started the bike. Then, he left her. Kai could feel the heat of her gaze as he pulled away from her house, and he let out another sigh. This one came out stuttered, as a moment of intense, painful emotion washed over him. He never imagined when he’d agreed to this just how hard it would be.
Not noticing any of his turmoil, April giggled as she rubbed herself against his back. Her fingers explored his jeans, her thumbs slipping inside his waistband. Kai concentrated on the sensation of her touch, anything to block the emotion that threatening to consume him. Her thumbs slid back and forth over his stomach, and Kai found himself smiling. It did feel nice. Maybe he was being unfair to April, by not giving her a legitimate chance. They would definitely never amount to anything if he always compared her to Jessie, and as he sped away from his cousin, he vowed to not think about her anymore this evening. It was the least he could do for April.
When they arrived at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Kai couldn’t stop smiling. It was the most incredible blending of man and nature, and the epitome of everything that he believed in—that people could live in harmony with the world, instead of always trying to conquer it. For a moment, the awe-inspiring view before him took his breath.
Rows and rows of seats were carved into the hillside, directly between the largest, reddest rocks that Kai had ever seen. They proudly jutted out of the ground, commanding attention and respect. The stage was set up at the bottom of the sloping steps, and Kai had to imagine, what with the angles of the rocks and steps, that the acoustics in this place were amazing. He’d love to see a show here.
Standing beside him, April frowned as she pulled out her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair. Kai could tell she wasn’t as impressed by the locale as he was. Maybe she’d just been here several times before.
With a sigh, April indicated the steps. “All the way up there?”
Kai followed her line of sight. She had a point; the steps were quite a ways from the parking area. Taking off his helmet, Kai smiled as he grabbed her hand. “At least we’ll be nice and warm when we get there.”
April glanced at him and Kai could have sworn she was resisting rolling her eyes. Slapping on a smile instead, she pulled him forward. “Let’s go then.”
By the time they got to the steps, Kai felt nice and heated, even a little out of breath as the exertion mixed with the high altitude. But he didn’t care, the place was amazing. He couldn’t get over the beauty of it. The sparse trees, the dusty stone steps, the towering rock monoliths, all of it made him feel about an inch tall.
Kai threw a beaming smile April’s way. She was breathing heavier, too, but she didn’t look so happy about it. She swatted at a bug flying around her face, then sighed when she examined the dusty stone steps they were going to be sitting on. As Kai noted her unimpressed expression, he couldn’t help but think that he was failing miserably at this date.
Suppressing a sigh, he opened his bag and pulled out the thin blanket he’d stuffed inside. It wouldn’t do much for padding, but it would help keep the dust off of April’s clothes. He laid it out on a wide path between two sets of carved benches. April gave him a polite smile as she sat down on her hip. She shifted a few times to get comfortable, then watched Kai as he sat down and began pulling various objects from his bag.
Not really knowing a whole lot about packing for a picnic, Kai had eagerly listened to Louis’s suggestions. Of course, Louis was into far more exotic foods than Kai, and had wanted him to pack caviar, escargot, and foie gras. Kai had decided to pack cold pasta, chicken salad, cheese and crackers, strawberries, and a bottle of red wine instead. It had sounded good to him, and Jessie had nodded in approval at hearing it, but as he studied April’s face while pulling out the food, he suddenly got the feeling that she would have preferred the snails.
Keeping a tight smile on her face, she immediately grabbed the bottle of wine. Kai wanted to sigh again, but instead he tried to begin a polite conversation with her.