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Warm brown eyes narrow in on my face, and for a split second, I find myself a little lost in the intensity of his gaze, my chest warming in the most peculiar way. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. Honestly I’m not, it just—”
“Comes naturally?”
He gives me an amused look. “Yeah, something like that. And can you please just call me Kael? Mr. Jenkins is my father and I sure as shit ain’t nothing like him.”
The heat from my chest rises to my cheeks, and I look down at his file again, flicking through the first couple of pages. “Fine, I’ll call you whatever you want. But like I was saying, we’re not here to talk about me. These sessions are all about you.”
He grunts. “Awesome.”
“You’re going to answer my questions, and you’re going to be honest with me. You’re going to talk to me, open up to me, and give me the tools I need to help you get through the next couple of months.”
“You’ve given this some thought.”
“It’s going to take a lot of work, Kael. Don’t kid yourself that being in rehab isn’t going to be the single toughest thing you’ve ever had to do in your entire life. I get that you’re used to doing what you want, when you want, but that bullshit stops now.”
“You’ve done your homework.”
“And then some.”
He watches me closely as I talk, and not once do his eyes leave mine. God, his eyes are so intense. I bet he’s used those eyes to his advantage over the years. Bedroom eyes, that’s what Andrea would call them. It’s like he’s trying to read my mind, and I’m not sure I like how that makes me feel.
“So, this homework you’ve done…” he says slowly, sitting back further on the couch. He leans into the cushions and links his fingers behind his head, making himself comfortable. His hair is shaved so short it’s hard to tell the natural color, but the five-o’clock shadow on his face is a couple shades lighter than his eyes. “I trust it comes from a reputable source?”
“I have copies of the police reports and sections of the transcripts from different interrogations. I’d say they’re trustworthy enough. Your rap sheet is long and very impressive. Where would you like me to start?”
“Take your pick.”
“How about my personal favorite. Public urination misdemeanor. Care to explain that one to me.”
“Nothing to explain. I had to take a piss. There was a tree. That tree just happened to be outside a courthouse, and court just happened to be in session at the time, but hey, what was I supposed to do?”
“Maybe,notpiss on the tree?”
Laughter erupts from deep in his belly, making his chest shake and his face break out into an enormous smile. “I’d think you were joking, Jonesy, but I’m pretty sure humor isn’t in your repertoire.”
“You don’t know the first thing about me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I could be hilarious.”
He gazes at me curiously. “Are you?”
“No.”
This makes him laugh again, and this time I can’t help but notice how deep and husky his laugh is.
“You know what, Jonesy,” he says, trying to regain his composure. “You’re not half as mean as they make you out to be. You don’t bite, do you?”
“Kael, stop—”
“Not saying that’d be a bad thing. If you were a biter, I mean. I’d be into that if you were willing to give it a try. I just like to know what I’m up against.”
Ugh.Again with the flirting.
Kael Jenkins is the worst kind of confident. Not only is he shamelessly aware of his good looks, he’s so used to women lapping it up, throwing themselves at him for their five minutes of fame and fortune, that he probably regards my indifference to him as a challenge.
That’s all I need.
