Kaia somehow managed to make it to work on time, even after her… extra-long yoga session. I couldn’t help it. She was bending over and she was naked. What else was I supposed to do with that? I had to taste her again, and she was already in the perfect position.
I also insisted on taking a shower together, to save more time, but I just wanted to touch her more. I wasn’t the only one. She had a hard time keeping her hands off me too. Sadly, it was only a serious shower and not a fun one.
I didn’t go into the store until around lunchtime, and we went to our favorite restaurant down the street. Everything was surprisingly normal, except for the small touches here and there. The light foot touches under the table. Holding hands while we walked. She even held her hand against the small of my back while we walked in and out of the restaurant. The store was a different story.
Once we got close to the store or in the store, we went back to being just friends. Not whatever we were now, which was fine.
When we walked in, Drea looked up from the counter and smiled. “Welcome back, Kaisy. How was lunch?”
I smiled at the cute nickname and waved as we approached. “Lunch was good.”
“Good. Well, I’m glad you two figured things out.” She smiled and Ifrowned, looking to Kaia for help. Had I missed something between the party and now?
Kaia blushed and turned toward Drea. “What… what do you mean, Dre?”
“Well, you kind of ran out of the party, freaking out. I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to upset you. It was all in good fun.”
I raised my hands to say something, but Kaia stopped me. “Yeah. It’s all good. Thanks again for inviting us. I better get back to work.”
She turned to me, and I couldn’t hide my irritation. “Walk home after I’m done?”
I put on a fake smile for Drea’s sake and nodded. “Of course.” I turned to take my usual seat on the couch, but I couldn't get any work done. Was she ashamed of me? Of what happened last night? I made a mental note to ask her on our walk. She told me she didn’t regret it, but maybe she changed her mind in the light of day. Maybe being back at work had cleared the sex-filled haze of the house.
I spent the next several hours of her shift sulking. I tried to get some work done, but my eyes would linger off my screen and land on Kaia. It would’ve been easier if she had been in the back all day, but of course she worked the register the entire time I was there.
When she’d look up to see me, she’d smile and wink, but I didn’t return her smile. I tried. I wanted to. But I just kept thinking about how different she was acting when we were alone versus in the store and around Drea. Maybe I was reading too much into it, and she just wanted to be professional at work. But from the stories I’d heard about Drea’s best friends, and even Drea herself in her store, I didn’t think professionalism was too high on their list of priorities in the store.
Drea sent Kaia home early, and Kaia didn’t ask any questions as she gathered her things and rushed us out the door.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” I stopped our power walking down the sidewalk, trying to catch my breath.
“Because, if I linger, she might change her mind, and I’d love to get home and relax.” She tried to pull me in for a kiss, but my heart wasn’t in it. I wasn’t ashamed of what happened, and I didn’t want to be kept a secret. I needed answers before we did anything else.
She must’ve sensed my reservations, because she pulled back andlooked at me with soft eyes. She looked like a sad puppy, and it broke my heart. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I—” I sighed, knowing it wasn’t right to lie to her. “When we are home, or outside of the store, you touch and kiss me, but as soon as we come anywhere near the store, you create space between us. Why is that? Why are you hiding me?”
“Trust me, Daisy, I don’t want to hide you.” She grabbed my hands and pulled me toward her, nearly knocking the breath from my lungs. She grabbed my face in a kiss so soft it was barely noticeable.
She pulled away and grinned at my pout. I hated when she broke our kisses. “I don’t think you can hide anything, Kaia. Everyone was at the Christmas party. They saw that kiss. They know.”
She blushed, and I started playing with the hem of her shirt, remembering that party and what followed. “I know. It’s just all so new, and I wouldn’t know what to tell them. You know Drea would ask a million questions that I don’t have the answers to.”
I frowned. She was right. “I understand, and I’m glad you have valid reasons for hiding me away.” I grinned to let her know I was teasing.
“If they ask you, you can tell them whatever you want. If they happen to bring it up, I won’t lie to them, and I’ll deal with it when it comes. I just don’t want to send out an email about it. I want to enjoy you all to myself for as long as possible.”
“In that case, why don’t we go home so we can enjoy each other… at the same time.”
She bit her lip, and I knew it was going to be a very good night.
Chapter Twenty-Five
DAISY
We were lying in bed,Kaia resting her head on my chest while I played with her hair. It had become the new normal every night. We’d come home from work, or she’d come home if I didn’t go out. We’d have dinner and spend time with Duke, and then our clothes would be on the floor and we’d end up cuddling in my bed until we fell asleep.
The only time we used her bed was when she was putting something away or getting something, and I had to have her right there.
