She frowned when she came to a red light. She had never thought of her old home that way before, but now, she started to think of the last few months there and apparently she had. Was it that she didn’t like living there, or the situation with Greg? It also had the double factor of harboring memories of Mike. The relationship had such promise in the beginning. They had both been new to Atlanta and had spent all their time exploring together. When everything had fallen apart, living in the city physically hurt. She couldn’t go anywhere without seeing him and knowing what she had lost.
She waited for the pain and humiliation to hit her like it always did when she thought about Mike. But only the simple twist of loss was there. Did everything that happened with Greg amplify it? It saddened her that less than a year after her breakup from Mike she really didn’t feel much for him. He was a man she’d loved, moved in with, and they had actually been discussing marriage. When Greg had started stalking her, the normal arguments couples have had amplified into screaming matches. For a short time, she had tried to do what Mike wanted. She attempted to prove his accusations wrong, but somewhere along the way, she had given up. Jocelyn had never been sure if she had given up too easily and had felt that maybe if she had worked harder at her relationship, they might have salvaged it. Maybe moving on, getting some distance from Atlanta had helped. She didn’t know. There was probably no way to know for sure.
She thought back to the envy that had hit her when she saw Chris smile at Cynthia. She had never really felt it before, but now she had the first stirrings of a romance with Kai. There was a very good chance he was just passing the time with her, and well, it was not a hardship having a man like Kai pay attention to her. But she was starting to want something more. Not particularly with Kai, but just something more with her life.
The light turned green and she decided to push these worries aside. She had dinner with four very wonderful men to get to and she planned on enjoying it.
Kai smiled as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen. It had been a hectic day, mainly because he had pushed his crew to finish up early so he could make it back in time to clean up for dinner. But it had been hard to concentrate on anything but Jocelyn. He knew it was a mistake, but he just couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind.
He stepped into the kitchen to find his father shredding the pork. He glanced over his shoulder and looked at Kai.
“That’s what you’re wearing to impress the girl?”
Kai looked down at his Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts and frowned. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s a date. You should dress nicer.”
He rolled his eyes. His father had been beside himself when he’d told him Jocelyn was coming over. Besides the fact that all the Aionas had missed having a woman in the house the last few months, Kai knew his father was getting ideas about him and Jocelyn. That wasn’t good. He wanted the woman, had spent most of last night dreaming about her. But he wasn’t sure if she would want a relationship, and he wasn’t in the mood to save another woman.
You lie.
He sighed and tried to ignore his inner voice. He wanted Jocelyn, and he wanted her just the way she was. He knew he shouldn’t want her this badly. It would be easy enough to find a woman for the night, slake his lust and go on his merry way. But he couldn’t do it. Every time he thought about doing it, the taste of Jocelyn’s kiss came rushing back. It tripped over his nerve endings. Just thinking about it now had him humming.
His father gave him an odd look and Kai decided he needed something cold to drink. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge a moment before the doorbell rang. His heart tripped at the sound. Jesus. It was like he was fifteen and having his first lust-filled crush.
“What are you waiting for?” his father asked him.
Kai drew in a deep breath, ignored his father and walked to the front door. He opened it and she had her back to him. Life wasn’t fair. If it was, he would not have to keep enduring that ass of hers. She was dressed in a red belted sundress with a halter top. It was simple but it did the most wonderful things to her body. It accentuated her small waist. She turned and smiled and something in him stumbled, then fell at her feet. She was lethal with that damned smile.
“Hi. I made it here without getting lost.”
For a second he couldn’t respond. His brain has shut down the moment he heard that slow, New Orleans’ accent ripple over her words. It spoke of long, sultry nights, soft sheets and a willing woman.
“Kai?”
He shook his head, trying to regain his wits and not look like a fool. He smiled.
“Sorry. It was a crazy day. Come on in.”