Page 50 of Bittersweet Redemption

Once she’s done on the computer, she turns on the ‘Open’ sign and moseys over to me.

“So, how’s it feel to be back in your house?”

I sigh. “Honestly? Weird.”

“Missing your hot booty call already?” She smirks at me.

“No.” I swat at her playfully. “Actually, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”

She gasps and covers her mouth. “No freaking way.”

I smile, and Michelle walks over. “What’s going on? I want the tea.”

“Willa has a boyfriend!” Kayla squeals. “He’s so hot, too. I only saw him for like a minute when we got our tattoos, but he’s hard to miss. Seriously, I can’t believe you’ve been doing the dirty with this man, and now he’s your boyfriend. This is so exciting!”

Shrugging, I offer a shy smile. “Yeah, it is. It’s all so new to me, you know? Like I want to keep living in our little bubble.”

Just then, the bell above the door dings to alert us of a client coming in.

Michelle turns to greet them. “Morning. What can we do for you?”

“I was hoping to get a haircut.” My head flies up because I know that voice. It’s the same voice that whispers the dirtiest things into my ear.

“Kai?” I ask, walking toward the door. Kayla looks at me, eyes wide, and mouths, “Oh my god.” My stomach fills with butterflies. Kai, my Kai, is here in my salon at nine in the morning.

“Hey, you got time for a haircut?” Michelle and Kayla are watching us, so I try to play it cool.

“Yeah, I have a few minutes before my first client.” He walks toward me, and as I turn to lead him to my chair, he grabs my elbow and spins me, pulling me into his chest.

“Hey.” He looks down into my eyes, and I swear I could melt right here.

I swallow. “Hey.”

He leans down and kisses me. It’s nothing crazy. Just a sweet good morning kiss, but it still warms me to my core.

“You know, I would’ve cut your hair for free at home.”

“Yeah, I know. But I missed you this morning.” He missed me this morning. Not last night. Not in his bed. But this morning. No sex implied. “The house felt too quiet without you guys.”

“It feels strange being back at our place too.” He releases my arm, and I show him to my chair. I tie the cape around his neck and spin him to face the mirror. His handsome face staring back at me makes me freeze for a second. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how deliciously good-looking this man is. Beyond the bad boy look of his tattoos and eyes that could make any woman swoon, his full lips and chiseled jaw round out his perfect face. And he’s with me. What kind of alternate reality am I living in these days?

“So, what are you looking for?” He tells me what he wants, and it’s a quick cut, which is unfortunate because I would love to run my fingers through his hair my entire shift.

As soon as I get started, Kayla takes it upon herself to introduce herself since she didn’t get a chance when we got our tattoos. I’m a little surprised it took her as long as it did to approach him.

“So you must be the boyfriend. I’m Kayla.” I feel my cheeks heat at her saying the word boyfriend out loud, but luckily neither of them notices.

“You must be the one that set my girl up on a date with another man.”

To her credit, Kayla doesn’t miss a beat. “Yep, that was me. If you wanted your girl, you should’ve made a move sooner.”

“Kayla!” I scold. I’m giving her my best ‘what the fuck’ look.

“What? It’s true. He was dragging his feet. If anything, you guys should thank me because that made him realize he was being an idiot.”

Kai’s shoulders shake with a laugh, and then he surprises me by agreeing with her. “You’re right. But you did Willa dirty by setting her up with that guy. He never stood a chance. And Willa deserves someone better than a boring insurance salesman.”

“He’s not an insurance salesman,” Kayla scoffs.