It's All Relative(27)

Kai twisted to look at her. “You bought all this, for me?” His expression shifted into one of adorable confusion. Jessie was too preoccupied with her fantasy to answer his question though, and his face turned quizzical. “Jessie?” he quietly said, taking a step toward her. Jessie’s eyes flashed down to his open jeans, and straightening, she stared at the ceiling. She couldn’t let herself think that way.

Deciding to try humor again, she told him, “Yeah, well, I noticed your fridge last night. It reminded me of when my dad used to travel all over the place when I was a kid.” Her eyes tentatively lowered to his body. He’d buttoned his jeans and draped the towel over his shoulder, hiding himself from her. While she appreciated the gesture, she had to sigh at the loss. “Whenever I talked to him, he’d say he was having a five-star meal.” Kai cocked an eyebrow at her, and she laughed. “That was our code for cereal.” Kai grinned, and she smiled in return. Stepping toward him, she indicated the slew of bags. “I figured if you were anything like most men, you were probably living off Lucky Charms.”

Kai gave her an adorable pout, then opened a cupboard next to the sink. In it, was a box of Lucky Charms. Shaking his head, he moved the box aside. Jessie laughed at what was hiding behind the box of cereal. “I also have a can of Spam,” he said, his voice on the edge of laughter.

Jessie made a disgusted face. “Spam?”

Leaning against the counter, Kai folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t knock it. I could make you a Spam sandwich that would have you turning your back on every other sandwich in the world.”

He lifted the corner of just one lip at her. It was startlingly attractive, and Jessie had to exhale very slowly. Damn. “Well, I would have to see that to believe it.”

His lips curved into a full grin. “Deal.”

She helped him put the food away, and a small thrill of delight shot through her whenever he said he loved something. More than once he asked her how she knew exactly what he liked. It thrilled her, and it saddened her. They were so compatible. The very last thing he pulled out was the pineapple. His expression odd, he quietly said, “You bought me a pineapple?”

Jessie couldn’t tell if he found her addition humorous or not. Maybe she’d crossed a line and offended him? “Um…yeah.” Feeling foolish for her obviously ethnic choice, she flushed. “Sorry, kind of…cliché, isn’t it?”

Setting it down, he put a hand over hers on the counter. His was warm from the shower, soft. “No, it’s very nice.” His eyes got a faraway look for a second. “Reminds me of home.” Returning his eyes to hers, he smiled warmly again. “Thank you, Jessie. For everything.”

He whispered that last part in a low, sultry voice, and Jessie found herself inching toward him. Not breaking eye contact, she placed a hand on his chest, just under the towel still draped over his shoulder. Jessie felt his muscles stiffen, watched his lips part. Hers did, too. She knew she shouldn’t touch him like that—it was too intimate, too close—but she felt drawn to him; she couldn’t stop herself. Her fingers curled, lightly grazing his skin. She felt tears of frustration stinging her eyes as their gazes locked. She wanted to be close to him, and she couldn’t. It was killing her.

Kai noticed her tears. One of his hands cupped her cheek, while the other removed her fingers from his chest. “It will get easier,” he whispered. Seemingly torn, he stared at her for long seconds before finally giving her a light peck on the forehead. Jessie briefly closed her eyes, savoring the connection even as her stomach twisted. “I should finish getting dressed,” he mumbled. And then he left her alone in the kitchen, staring at the spiky fruit on the counter. Stupid pineapple.





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.