Page 100 of Spotlight Hearts

He catches me smiling at my phone.

“What’s got you looking like that?”

I turn the phone toward him so he can see the clip paused on Michael’s face.

“Michael did an interview. Called us ‘disgustingly in love.’”

Kai’s mouth curves into a small, shy smile. He walks over and climbs onto the bed, straddling my hips without hesitation. The towel slips a little, giving me a perfect view of the V of his hips.

“He’s not wrong,” Kai says, leaning down to kiss me softly. “We kind of are.”

I hum against his mouth, hands sliding up his damp thighs. “Kind of?”

“Very,” he corrects, nipping at my bottom lip.

We kiss for a long moment, lazy and warm, before I pull back just enough to look at him.

The tour is almost over. One more show after tonight, then a break.

I’ve been thinking about this for days, and my stomach is still twisted with nerves.

“So… after the last show,” I start, voice a little unsteady, “we have that break. I was wondering if you wanted to come stay at my parents’ house with me. Just for a bit. Just… us. And my family.”

Kai goes still on top of me. His eyes search mine.

“You want me to meet your parents?” he asks quietly.

“You’ve met them before.”

“Not as your boyfriend.”

“Yeah.” I swallow. “I know it’s a big step. But I want them to know you. The real you. Not the version the cameras see.”

Kai’s expression softens. He brushes a strand of hair off my forehead, thumb lingering on my temple.

“I’d like that,” he says simply. “A lot.”

Relief floods through me so fast it makes me dizzy. I grin up at him, hands squeezing his thighs.

“Good. Because my mom already asked about you twice. She wants to cook for you.”

Kai laughs softly, leaning down to kiss me again. “Then I guess I’m really meeting the parents.”

We stay like that for a while, trading slow kisses, with the rest of the world feeling far away. And I would love to just stay here and ignore everything else, but we do have two more shows to get through before we can do that for a few weeks.

Kai’s phone buzzes on the nightstand. He reaches for it, climbing off my lap, and glancing at the screen.

“It’s Laney,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. He answers, putting it on speaker. “Hey, Laney.”

“Kai! Finally. I’ve been trying to reach you for days and your time zone just isn’t lining up. How’s the tour going? Are you two still disgustingly cute or did you finally kill each other?”

Kai laughs, the sound warm. “We’re good. Really good, actually.”

They chat for a few minutes, and I trail my fingers over him, tracing the lines of his tattoos. I’m trying to be patient, but patience has never been my strong suit when it comes to Kai. I’m greedy for his attention. When it’s on anyone else, even his best friend, I feel it like an itch under my skin.

I lean in and press my mouth to the side of his neck, kissing slowly down the column of his throat. Kai’s breath hitches, but he keeps talking.

“Yeah, the shows have been insane. The crowds are loud as hell over here.”