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“So was I.” I watch the emotion in his eyes, revealing itself so easily before me. His honesty is endearing and comforting, but I still need some clarity. I don’t want to frighten him, but questions have to be asked. “So, a relationship is really what you want? Just me and you? …With, like, a future in mind?”
His gaze never leaves mine, unwavering and steady. “Yes.” He takes a deep breath. “I’ll admit though, my trust was completely betrayed the last time I was ever serious with anyone. And I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to fully give that trust again. I apologize for that in advance.”
I reach out and touch his hand across the table. “That’s ok. I’m anxious about it too. We can take things slowly. I don’t want to put any pressure on you…” I grin at my next admission. “I was honestly about to agree to just sleep with you, as it is.”
He blinks in surprise. “You were?”
I laugh. “I don’t know. I was considering it. You were breaking me down…”
A smirk forms on his lips. “I’m glad you didn’t give in. That would have been a mess.”
“You’re a liar.” I laugh at him.
He raises his eyebrows in protest. “I am not.”
“You’ve been trying to get me to sleep with you since day one. Don’t tell me you’re glad I didn’t give in.” I continue to laugh, returning to my menu.
He holds my hand tightly. “I’m serious, Soph. Maybe back then I would have had a different answer, but today, I see how that would have led us down the wrong path.”
I look up at him, admiring the sincerity in his eyes. A grin spreads across my face. “Thank goodness for my stubbornness.”
Kai’s eyes crinkle in amusement. “Yes, thank goodness for that.”
We order our food and eat it happily in the cool breeze of the evening. I spend most of my time gazing at him in awe, barely believing we’ve made this pivot in our relationship. The most incredible part is finding out that Kai has been harboring these feelings for weeks before he told me. To think, I almost sabotaged it all by running off with the boring banker.
When we finish eating, we walk back to his hotel, stopping at the ice cream shop next door we’ve been meaning to try. Kai gets a cup of chocolate truffle to-go, and I get salted caramel. When we get back to the hotel, we step onto the elevator, ice cream in hand, and the doors close as Kai smirks at me.
“Should we finish these in my room?” he asks.
I bite my lip again, now knowing the effect it has on him. “I like that idea.”
He inhales and blinks the desire from his eyes, replacing it with concern and compassion. “We can watch a movie?”
I nod with a grin. A movie could be sweet. I imagine his arm around me, pulling me in for a cuddle. Maybe I’ll kiss him, and then he’ll slide his hand up my back, under the hem of my shirt. Maybe I’ll hook my fingers on his, pulling it up and over his head…
I clear my throat and shuffle my cup of ice cream from one hand to the other. “Which movie?”
The elevator bell chimes and the doors slide open.
“Um, I think the hotel has a few on demand. We can check,” Kai replies, gesturing for me to exit first.
We walk, shoulder to shoulder down the hall to his door. He slides his key card through the slot and it clicks open. The deja vu is immense as I step over the threshold. The last time I went with him to his room to do anything other than study lines, I’d been uncertain and hesitant, but today, those feelings are nowhere within me. This isn’t the same Kai. He’s mine now. Because he wants to be.
As we set our cups on the counter, I place a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth and pull the spoon slowly from my lips. “Wow, this tastes even better than it looks.”
“I’m intrigued,” Kai replies from behind me, grabbing my waist and spinning me around.
I let out a small yelp as he captures my mouth with his, and his tongue finds mine, tasting the rich caramel that still lingers there.
“Mmmm…” He smacks his lips. “You’re right, that is delicious.”
I reach behind me to dip the spoon into his cup of ice cream and then I bring it to his lips. He parts them and slides them over the spoon, pulling the dollop of ice cream into his mouth. He takes the empty spoon from my hand, places it on the counter, and snakes his arms around my waist, pulling me close as he kisses me again. I can taste the chocolate. It’s ice-cold on his lips, contrasting so intensely with the heat of his breath against mine. His hands are at my back, trailing up my spine in time with the shivers that spread there too.
My fingers find the curls at the back of his neck, tangling around them as I draw him even closer. I need him pressed against me. All of him. I hold myself against him, wishing we could meld into one. I need to be closer. No, it’s more than a need. It’s a necessity; vital, urgent, non-negotiable, unavoidable.
Kai slides his hands down my back and over the curve of my butt until they find my thighs, gripping them and hoisting me up onto the counter in front of him. His lips never leave mine, now at my level as he settles between my legs. I feel him there through his jeans, eager and pressed against me. Heat shoots straight to my core, and I wrap my legs around him, holding him close.
He pulls back a few inches, meeting my gaze. “Sophie, I want you to know, we can just do the movie tonight. That’s all this needs to be. I don’t want you to think this is about sex.”
