Chapter 6
SIX
Ava
My body perks up when I hear Kai’s voice coming from downstairs. Shaking my head at myself for being so eager to spend more time with him, my reflection in the mirror is ridiculously happy.
A light knock on my door, and my sister strolls in. “Kai’s here…so you agreed to a date?”
I’m sitting at my vanity finishing my makeup—nothing much: some eyeshadow, mascara, and some bronzer. “He asked and I didn’t have the heart to tell him no.” No part of me really wanted to say no. Not even a sliver of a piece.
She perches herself on the edge of my bed.
“Are you thinking about staying here longer than a month, like you mentioned? I’d love to have you here permanently, especially with the baby coming.
” She runs both hands all around her belly.
It’s only a few short months away before she pops out baby number two.
The thought of being an auntie to two cute kiddos might anchor me here longer.
I’ve been saying for the last year that I’m considering staying put here in Saxville for a while, but then the next big opportunity always comes rolling in.
I’m torn every time I see my sister and niece.
It’s as if they want me to be a permanent fixture, but for me, it’s unnerving.
What would I do here? Have Pages covering my mouth doesn’t help.
He’s trying so hard not to react, but I see his lips tugging ever so slightly at the corner, ready to let loose his smirk.
“I’m going to let you two do whatever it is you’re doing.” Logan interrupts our moment.
Kai turns to him. “Oh, Logan. I didn’t see you standing there.” He leans over and raises his hand for a high five. Logan reluctantly high-fives him and shakes his head.
“Thanks, man, I’ll have her back home before curfew.” Kai raises his eyebrows at me and places his hand on my back, opens the door, and we walk out to his car.
“Where are we sneaking away to?” I wink at him. “Because I don’t want to be back home before curfew.”
He opens the door, and I slip inside the car. Once in his seat, he stares at me. “I thought we’d have dinner and then we could hit up the beach for an evening walk. You can stay all night if you want.”
My breath stutters, and I sweep my hair off my shoulders, catching his eyes flicker to my neck before he starts the car. With wide eyes and my mouth slightly open, I quip back. “We shall see then, huh?”
The radio fills the silence before the bit of small talk takes over.
I shift in my seat, wondering if I should say something more.
When he moves his hand to the shifter, I tense up, thinking he’s going for my thigh.
Although I wouldn’t mind his hand there, it stays put and never moves my way.
The forty-five-minute ride somehow feels both endless and over just as quickly.
His hand lands on the small of my back as we enter The Boardwalk, a restaurant perched above the boardwalk where the waves crash against the shore beneath the horizon.
My breath catches thinking about how he put so much thought into this date.
I love the crashing waves; they settle something restless inside me.
The hostess sits us on the balcony overlooking the ocean. Kai slides out the chair for me to sit. I whisper into his ear, “Thank you.” I scope out the place, the people, and realize he is closer than I expected.
Instead of sitting across the table, he sits down, right next to me.
The warmth of his leg radiates against mine, our knees barely touching.
His fingertips graze my thigh, then settle with gentle pressure.
When I glance up, his eyes are watching me from beneath those lashes, one eyebrow slightly raised in question.
The corner of my mouth twitches upward before I can stop it.
I cover his hand with mine, feeling the slight roughness of his knuckles as I drag my chair forward, the metal scraping softly against the floor.
My palm tingles where we touch. I press my fingers into the back of his hand, half to stop the sensation, half wanting more of it.
After we order and our drinks are served, his gaze catches mine over the rim of his glass. The ice cubes clink as he takes a sip, never breaking eye contact. My cheeks warm, and my eyes look away. When I glance back up, the corner of his mouth lifts into a half-smile, and my heart skips a beat.
“What’s the smile for?” His elbow pushes slightly into me.
I blink slowly, caught between wanting to answer honestly and protecting myself.
My arm moves before I can think better of it, sliding around his shoulder to pull him closer, as the voice in my head warns me.
“I like spending time with you…” The words come out softer than intended, and I avert my eyes for a moment before forcing myself to meet his gaze again.
The way he lifts his hand to caress my face, like he’s memorizing its curve.
The heat blooms low in my belly, spreading outward in waves with my skin prickling and my breath hitching.
I’m not sure how I’m making it through this night with him when every nerve ending is suddenly, achingly alive beneath his touch.
He leans in, rubbing the pad of his thumb down my face to my pulse point. And the butterflies in my belly take flight. “I’d spend every minute with you to hear all the stories you want to tell me, share all your wildest dreams, and crazy ideas.”
Then he presses his lips to my cheek, and my brain short-circuits.
He’s attentive, and when his lips touch my face, my body melts into him, dreaming about what it would be like to have a partner in life who cares for me and makes me the center of his entire world.
Then reality crashes down on me…It’s what happens in fairytales.
Love doesn’t work that way. Love hurts and dampens your soul.
I’m such a skeptic. Being around Kai sprinkles a little hope—maybe one day things could be different.
I want to lean in and pull away in the same breath.
Want to be the woman who deserves this and the woman smart enough to know better.
Every cell in my body starts splitting, half reaching toward him, half bracing myself for the inevitable crash.
Being close to him, having him listen—it’s all I can ask for because anything more doesn’t seem possible. My throat tightens around the words. “No one has ever spoken to me the way you do, the way my body relaxes,” I whisper the confession, burning my lips. “You see me, all of me.”
He rests his forehead against mine, our breath mingling in the space between us. “I see all of you.” His voice is rough, primal. The words slam into me like a physical force, radiating through my chest, down until my fingertips tingle and my toes curl. For one exhilarating moment, I can’t breathe.
Our waiter, interrupting us, sets our entrees onto the table, and we untangle from each other. I take a bite, and the flavor bursts on my tongue. “My shrimp is tender, juicy, and fantastic. How’s your fillet?”
“I was too busy staring at your mouth to hear what you said.” He winks as he pops another bite into his mouth.
“Oh, okay.” I wink back at him, savoring the shrimp and rice.
We eat until we are stuffed. The waiter asks if we want dessert. We both say no in unison and laugh. There’s still food to take home; the portion sizes were beyond what I expected.
Once he pays the check and our to-go containers are in the bag, he stands up, holds out his hand, and says, “Come on, let’s go walk the beach before I bring you back home.”
After bringing the leftovers to his car, we walk down the street. At the end is a beach, where you see couples sitting and walking all along it.
The sun is sinking into the horizon, spreading shades of orange across the sky. He kicks off his shoes once we reach the sand, and I unlace my sandals. With our shoes in hand, he reaches for my free one and intertwines our fingers like it’s how it’s meant to be.
His palm against mine sends electricity racing up my arm, my pulse hammering so hard I’m certain he can feel it through our joined fingers.
I swallow hard and squeeze his hand tighter, refusing to let my mind spiral into what-ifs and maybes.
Right now, his skin on mine is the only thing I’m focused on.
“Want to walk near the water?” he asks, hesitating to move.
“Yes, the packed sand under my feet will feel good.” It’s like a mini foot massage. “My favorite thing to do is let the water roll over my feet so they sink into the sand.”
The water is cool on my feet. He stops walking, wide eyes shooting over at me. “This water is freezing.”
“No, it’s not. Stop being a big baby.” I tease him while pulling him further into the water.
“Nope, not happening.” He roots himself in place.
I can’t budge him, even as I grab his forearm tighter and pull, muscles corded under my grip.
Then out of nowhere, he yanks me into him.
My hands land on his chest, and for a second, I’m breathless.
I can feel his muscles flex. All I can think about is what’s under his polo shirt.
I stumble over my words, whispering, “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” His eyes are on me like I could be something more to him. We’re stuck in this moment until he brushes the stray strands of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger as they barely touch my neck. “We can see the sunset if we walk a little further.”
I twist around so we can keep walking toward the sunset. There are couples cuddled up, sharing the view. It’s like beautiful watercolors bleeding across the paper.
Further down the beach, we take a seat on the sand, and he wraps his arms around me as I shiver, both from the cool breeze and the touch of his arms and hands grazing along my skin.
We sit in silence as he draws circles on my arm, each loop sending tiny shivers down my spine. The last sliver of sun melts into the waterline, leaving streaks of darkness across the sky. The moonlight shines on the beach, casting a distant glow over the boardwalk.
“Thanks for saying yes tonight.” He leans into me, and my body seeks the warmth and comfort of his embrace. I’d rather stay here and watch the stars pop into the sky with him. This time with him means the world to me.