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“Are you cold?” Kai asks as we cruise down the highway toward the coast.
God, that voice. The perfect blend of smooth and raspy, rich and deep. It sends a bolt of lightning shooting down my spine, landing right between my thighs. I press them together, trying to relieve the sharp pang of lust twisting up my core.
How is he still so potent after four years? Or perhaps he’s even more tempting because I’ve been without him for so long.
“Oakley? Everything okay?”
I realize I’ve been sitting rigidly in the passenger seat with my arms crossed tight over my chest.
“I’m fine. Not cold.”Very smooth.
“Are you excited to be back?”
I open my mouth to say yes, but am I really? Being back at home, in that house with my parents hasn’t exactly been a dream come true. I’m alone, same as I was in college, only now I’m in a big, cold house, surrounded by people who are supposed to love me.
“It’s been an adjustment,” I try. Nothing gets by him, though. Kai shoots me a glance, and just like every other time he gives me that look, I know he sees right through my bullshit.
“Trouble with your parents?” he guesses. I shrug my shoulders, but eventually nod in confirmation.
“Yeah, they’re the same as ever.”
“Charming, caring, and generous?” he teases.
“Oh yeah. Big time. Philanthropic parents of the year,” I say sarcastically.
He barks out a laugh and I smile at him. I’ve always loved making this man laugh. His dimples make me weak in the knees, and his normally dark brown eyes twinkle with golden specks. His gorgeous smile stretches across his face, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to lean over the console and taste his smile.
“Tell me more about the wedding,” I say, trying to change the subject to a happier topic and hopefully distract me from my dirty thoughts about Kai.
“Well, it’s being held on this tiny uninhabited island. I can’t remember the name of it. Kalacutie? Something like that. Devin and Taylor went kayaking once and ended up stranded there so they decided to have their wedding there.”
“It must be pretty,” I comment, and he shrugs.
“They hired a ferry to go back and forth so we’ll go over for the wedding and reception and then we’ll come back across the water and stay at a hotel for the night.”
“Sounds good. Tell me about the happy couple.”
“I knew them when we were in high school, and honestly, I’m not that close to either of them. They were full of drama back then, but Devin was always a good guy so I thought I would go and catch up with everyone.”
I can see the water now, and I know that we must be getting close to where we’re crossing to the island.
“You look beautiful, by the way,” he says, making me blush.
“Thanks.”
I don’t want to admit that I spent the better part of this morning trying on everything that I own until I found the perfect outfit that highlights my dark hair and light blue eyes.
“How was college?” he asks.
I sigh, turning to look out the passenger side window. “I graduated, so it’s over now.”
Clara is one of the only people besides my parents who knows about my dyslexia. She used to help me with my homework, and she would always check over my essays to make sure they made sense.
Would Kai care that I have trouble reading? Or that doing math gives me panic attacks? The numbers switch places on me, and it’s impossible to make sense of any of it. Deep down, I know he would be understanding, but a lifetime of my parents shoving my “little problem” in a dark corner has made me weary to trust anyone with my secret.
“I never really liked school either,” Kai says, breaking me out of my downward spiral. I look over at him, his friendly smile warming me to my core.
He’s so good at that, at putting me at ease. He wouldn’t make me feel dumb like my parents, and he wouldn’t see me as less than.
