It's All Relative(68)

Oblivious to the mood in the room, April grabbed a fluffy jacket from the back of the couch. She was attached to his arm in an instant, wrapped, bundled, and ready to go. Kai pulled his attention from Jessie to concentrate on his date. “Ready?” he asked her.

April hugged his arm, pulling herself close into his side. “Yep.” Without a second thought, she glanced over at Jessie. “See ya! Don’t wait up.” She winked after she said it, and Kai closed his eyes to block out the image of Jessie’s face paling.

As April tugged him out the door, Kai looked back at Jessie. “Goodbye,” he whispered.

Jessie feebly raised her hand in a wave, her already wet eyes looking heavier. It killed Kai to watch April close the door between them. He’d never felt guiltier, but somehow they had to change their relationship. They had to be a family. They had to get rid of the…tension between them.

Once outside, April started digging into her purse, like she was looking for her car keys. Clearing his throat, Kai pointed to his bike. “I thought we’d ride?”

April had seemed to like the idea before, when Kai had picked up Jessie for lunch, so he assumed she’d be thrilled, and she did smile, but one of her hands slinked through the end of her long ponytail, and Kai could tell she wasn’t excited about getting her hair messed up. Kai wanted to grimace at the awkward tension he felt building, but he resisted. Walking over to his spare helmet, he helped her put it on. April looked to be containing her reaction as well. Her face was frozen as he carefully slipped the safety device over her once-perfect hairdo. It gave his gut a weird pang to put a present he’d purchased for Jessie over another woman’s head. He felt like he was cheating on her, or somehow betraying her. It was a really strange feeling to have on a date.

While the helmet fit Jessie perfectly, it was just a little too small for April; her ponytail was going to be a mess when she pulled it off. He felt bad about that, but as he glanced over at the window and saw Jessie discretely watching them, his thoughts instantly rewound to watching her pull off the helmet; it had been one of the sexiest things he’d ever seen. Her curls had instantly bounced back to life once freed of the contraption, almost as if they’d been taunting the world that they couldn’t be squashed so easily.

Kai nodded at Jessie through the window, then popped his helmet on and slung the bag over his shoulder, positioning it in front of his chest so April could hold on to him. As he sat on the bike, still half watching Jessie in the window, he remembered the feel of her body clinging to him. When April slipped on the bike after him, her hands immediately drifted to the front of his jeans; she even slid her fingers through his belt loops. Knowing April wouldn’t hear it through their helmets, Kai let himself sigh. There were so many things about this night that he already wished were different.

Like his date.

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.