“I do like a day at the beach with nothing to do.”
She cocked her head. “You know, you might be able to pass yourself off as a loafer to other people, but not to me. You’re a businessman at your core.”
He squinted at her, then closed his eyes and settled his head on his arms.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
It was something that had been nagging at her for days. Her brother had called him laid-back, but Kai wasn’t. Not by a long shot. That is what he let everyone else see.
“Who’s Keisha?”
“Been asking around?” he sounded amused, but not angry.
“No. Your father mentioned her.”
That had him frowning and squinting up at her again. “My father? When did you talk to him?”
She laughed. “Your father comes in every day I am at work.”
He grunted and closed his eyes. “Oh, yeah. He’s mentioned it. He has a crush on you.”
Thinking of the older man and their daily talks had her heart warming with affection. “That’s okay. I have one right back.”
Silence reigned and she looked out over the scene in front of her. Soft, blue-green waves rolled in gently as kids played in the sand. She watched one toddler run out into the waves, her peals of laughter when the wave knocked her down ringing through the air.
“Keisha and I dated for a while.”
She glanced at Kai whose eyes were still closed.
“I guessed that.” She shrugged even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “It isn’t like I don’t think you have a past. I definitely have one.”
“Dad thought we might get serious. Hell, everyone thought we would at least move in together.” He didn’t have to say anything for her to know he had thought about taking another step with Keisha. And from what she had heard about him, Kai wasn’t the kind of man who got serious.
She picked up some of the warm sand and watched it as she let it fall out of her hand. It was softer than the sands along the Gulf Coast.
“I was living with someone a year ago.”
She didn’t see but she sensed him still next to her. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “When…when things started happening with my boss, he thought I was cheating on him.”
“Ass.”
She glanced at him as she continued to play with the sand. “Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know you as well as he should have, and I know that you would never cheat. You might dump a guy and break his heart, but you wouldn’t cheat. Not your style.”
“Well, gee, thanks. I think.”
He laughed. “No. I think it says more about a person if they’re truthful.”
She studied him for a second, the sounds of the beach patrons dimming as she pulled together her nerve.
“You like honesty?”
He nodded.
“Then why don’t we go back to my place?”
He studied her. “Why?”
“That’s an odd question.”
He shook his head. “No. I think it is an honest question.”
“You want to know the truth. For the first time in nine months I want a man to touch me, and I want you to be that man.”
His gaze darkened, his face flushed. The air between then grew thicker.
“Okay.” He stood and started walking away.
“Wait,” she yelled as she jumped up and caught up with him. “Just like that?”
He turned and faced her. “You were honest. You didn’t tell me you wanted me forever, that you needed me more than your next breath. What you said was, you wanted me. That’s enough.”
Chapter Nine
Kai could tell by the way she moved she was nervous. She should be. Beyond the fact that she apparently hadn’t had sex in at least nine months—he was betting it was actually longer—he was barely holding onto his control. If she had lied, if she had tried to make light of the situation, he might have been able to walk away. But he recognized the need in her voice. It wasn’t just sex. It was survival. He followed her into the small house, shut the door and leaned up against it.
She set her keys up on the kitchen bar, then turned to face him. He said nothing as he tried to control his thoughts. He was here, he would get to have her, and dammit, it was pretty much what he had been dreaming of for the past month.
“Did you want something to drink?” she asked.
He shook his head, still saying nothing. He was afraid to. He knew she wanted this, wanted to feel again, but there was something nasty beneath his surface that was egging him to conquer. That was not what she needed now.
“I…” She sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”
He smiled and pushed away from the door. As he approached her, he noticed little things. Her breathing was fast. The pulse in her neck hammered and her eyes were dilated. He took her hand and drew her behind him as he continued on to the bedroom.