They ate their cold pasta in bed.
“I had no idea you could cook so well,” he said around a mouthful.
She looked at him. “What do you mean? You’ve had my cookies.”
He shot her a smile that did funny things to her heart. It was hard not to have those funny things happening with the man sitting in front of her. She had found out that Kai was not one bit embarrassed with his nudity. He sat on her bed, surrounded in Cynthia’s feminine decor, and looked about as sexy and masculine as a man could. And bad. He was a naughty influence on her.
“Of course I’ve had your cookies. And then some.”
She sighed and smacked him, but immediately started eating again. They had definitely worked up an appetite.
“Well, I had to take other courses, and when you first get into school you have to do other things. You have to have a well-rounded education.”
“If you ever decide not to bake, you could make a fortune at cooking, that’s for sure.” He finished off his wine. “Do you want some more to drink?”
She shook her head. “I was going to get some water.”
“I’ll get you some.” He walked out of her bedroom, again completely oblivious of his nudity. It was something different being waited on. Men had catered to her, but just the sweetness of grabbing her a water and letting her lounge around was something she’d never really had in her relationships. What did that say about the men she had allowed in her bed? Hell, what did it say about her that she chose those men?
A few moments later, she heard noise in her kitchen as Kai rummaged around for water. Then it struck her. She was sitting in her bed, wearing only a short robe, eating dinner with a naked man.
Dr. Sawyer would be so proud. And again, she had Kai to thank for it.
When he returned, he handed her water to her and then slipped back on the bed.
“So, you want to tell me about Mike?”
That surprised her. For some reason, she had thought he would have more questions about Greg at some point.
“We knew each other awhile before we started dating. Actually, I don’t know if we knew each other, or knew of each other, if you know what I mean.”
He flashed her another smile. “This is Oahu. I know exactly what you mean.”
She laughed. “When you work within a field like mine, especially in a certain region of the country, everyone knows everyone else. We were actually fixed up by the sous chef at Greg’s restaurant. Something Greg hadn’t been too happy about. I guess I should have picked up on his strange behavior. He became very overprotective, but I assumed it was like my brothers. I know they love me, but sometimes it makes me want to shave them bald-headed.”
He chuckled. “You sound like May.”
“Of course I do. We have both dealt with idiot brothers.” She sighed. “Mike and I hit it off right away. We had a lot in common.”
“Both chefs, I can see that.”
She nodded. “We also came from big families, had similar ideas on our careers. We’d even talked of opening a restaurant together. But when the issues with Greg started, he grew suspicious. Greg had that reputation with his students, and no matter what, Mike just wouldn’t believe me.”
“Stupid man.”
“Why do you say that?” she asked
“You wouldn’t cheat, Jocelyn. I told you that before.” She grew uncomfortable with his earnest expression and tried to look away, but he stopped her by taking her chin in between his fingers. “You might have some faults, but you are honest.”
She felt the hot press of tears against the back of her eyes. In all the months of horror of Greg, no one had believed her. Not one person she worked with, not even the man she had thought she loved.
“How do you know that?”
He slid his fingers over her jaw line. “One, because I know Chris. He’s a good man and if he had some hand in your raising, I know it was done right. Two, because as I said, I know you.”
She shook her head as an emotion she was afraid to name clogged up her throat. “No. You barely know me. You have no idea what a bitch I can be.”
He leaned up and brushed his mouth over hers. “Yeah, I have an idea. I also know that you aren’t the same person you used to be back then. You can’t go through something like that and not change.”
She sighed again, regret shifting over her as she tried to avoid eye contact. He held her jaw firmly and refused to let her look away.
“You see what you went through as something that shows a weakness. That a stronger woman would have made it through with no problem. That’s not right. Most people would have buckled long before you did.”
She shook her head. “I’m not the same person.”