22. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Kai
“W ord around town is that you and Kora are a thing.” Blake crossed his beefy arms across his chest. “I guess it’s not just gossip.”
“Excuse me?” I inwardly shook my head. Blake knew his stuff and had been a great help, but could use some cleaning up. He was quite a hefty man. At least six feet four and, I would guess, two hundred twenty-five pounds. With a bald head and a full beard, he screamed plumber. But from what I could tell, he was a good guy. He was in his forties, married, and had a couple kids in middle school.
My eyes rolled—maybe Kora was wearing off on me. There’d be worse things that could happen. “Why don’t you go check out the plumbing and whatever else you need to do. Get done so we can get out of here.”
It didn’t take long, and Blake completed his work.
Thank God. I wanted to find Kora. I should probably not make such a big thing about whatever we are, but I couldn’t help it. I was drawn to her like bees to honey. Knowing she was in the same building kept me from being able to focus on anything else.
“Well, here comes Mr. Stud now,” Summer said as she filed Kora’s nails.
“Keep them long, Summer. I enjoy the feel of those nails as they scratch down my back.”
Summer stopped her filing and shot daggers at me. “T.M.I.,” she said and let out a heavy sigh, then got back to work.
Kora laughed
Damn, she was gorgeous. I combed my fingers through her hair. The lights of the salon made her hair dance with color. A couple shades of blonde and different shades of red and copper highlighted her dark auburn hair. It was beautiful, like her. “Your hair looks amazing. And it’s so soft.” I kissed her cheek. “Seriously Summer, you do some great work.”
“Thanks. Just what I needed. Your appreciation.”
I shook my head and smirked. “You’re such a joy. I hope your bedside manner is a bit different with your other customers.”
“You need to go away. We’ve got to focus here, and you’re bothering us.”
“Summer, seriously? I think you need to get laid.” Kora’s statement caught me off guard, and I laughed heartily. Summer’s expression was priceless. If looks could kill—thankfully, they don’t.
“Okay. I’ll leave you two alone.” I kissed Kora’s cheek. “Take care—of her, Summer.”
“Leave now.” Summer didn’t even glance up.
“See ya at eight?” Kora winked.
“Can’t wait.”
“Hi, Kai honey,” Tonya said as I passed her. She was dressed in long, black flowing slacks and a white blouse.
“Hi, Tonya. You look nice today.” I was engulfed in her arms and hugged her back easily. For someone who didn’t get much affection growing up, I was surprised at how easily I returned hugs and other friendly affirmations with the people of Orlinda Valley. The only ones who showed me affection growing up after my mom left were the twins, and I always made sure they knew I cared.
“Aren’t you a sweetheart.” She held me at arm’s length. “If you weren’t interested in my niece and were twenty years older, I’d be fighting off the woman to be next in line.”
“T. Leave the poor guy alone,” Diane said.
“Oh, whatever,” Tonya said. “Anyway, Kai, we’re having a big dinner with our families Sunday. I hope you’ll come with Kora. We’d love to have you.”
“Kai, that would be wonderful,” Diane agreed. “You’ll meet my husband, Tom, our granddaughter Skylar, and our daughter and her husband. Well, my stepdaughter, but blood doesn’t make a family.”
“True, and Kai, we see you as family,” Kaye answered.
“We sure do, even if you weren’t with my niece, you’d still be family.” Tonya patted my cheek.
They see me and Kora as a couple already. I’m not complaining, but it’s a bit quick. But even if Kora and I weren’t a thing, I would still love to be there. “Thanks. I’d love to come. See you then.”
I left the salon and climbed into Matilda. As I drove through town, I waved to the old gentlemen who hung out in front of city hall. I honked at Trevor who was getting gas at the corner station. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him outside of the pub before. Bit strange to think he had a life. It had only been a month, but I already saw Orlinda Valley as a place that felt like home.
With the purchase of my land and the house I planned to build someday, and with Bryson and Trevor, whom I started to see as friends, things were going well. I had a great job, I was able to put money away, I’d finally started to put down roots, and it felt good.
Then there was Kora. A girl like her might have been out of reach during high school, but now, as adults, things were different. So much different and so damn good. Life was more perfect—if that was a thing—than I could ever remember. I was on cloud nine, and I felt that nothing could bring me down.
I thought too soon.
As soon as I pulled down my driveway, life smacked me hard across the face. In reality, it was more like a punch. A hard, direct sucker punch to the gut.
Terry had made a fire in the fire pit, and if the pile of beer cans scattered all around him were any indication, he had been drinking for a while. Shit. How did he get more beer out here? I thought I got rid of all the alcohol. Having a drunk Terry on my property was not good for my sanity.
I jammed my foot on the brake and slammed the truck door.
“Terry!” My heart pounded, and my blood boiled. I stomped with my hands clenched into fists until I was directly in front of him. He didn’t hear me when I yelled his name the first time, so I hollered with my voice deep to be heard above the obnoxiously loud music that was playing. “What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing. Now?” I gestured to the mountain of beer cans.
Terry glanced up and turned down the radio. “Sorry. I couldn’t hear you. The music was too loud.”
Is he serious right now? God, I wanted to punch him—again. Instead, I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves. “Ya think?” I had nothing else to say. There wasn’t a point.
“You need to relax—have a beer.” He held a beer toward me.
The last thing I wanted right now was anything that would put me one step closer to being like him.
“I figured with that sweet piece of ass you were with, you’d be nice and relaxed. Sex usually does that to a man.” Terry glanced over his beer can. “Is she not giving it up?”
“Holy shit!” My insides were as hot as that fire. “You really need to watch what you’re saying, old man. Have some respect.”
Terry shook his head slowly. “You’ve got it bad.” He tipped up his beer, emptied it, and threw it on the fire. He leaned his elbows on his knees. “You work construction. You’re from a small town even less interesting than this hole in the wall. You barely finished high school and have never amounted to anything. Do you really think a small-town hottie and favorite elementary teacher could ever be interested in someone the likes of you?” Terry popped the tab on another can of beer. “You’re in over your head, kid. Just like usual. You need to come back down to earth before you do something stupid.” He offered me the beer he just opened. “Take the beer, sit down with your old man, and let’s drink together like father and son.”
Damn. Don’t hit him, don’t hit him, don’t hit him. Maybe if I said it enough, it would evaporate from my mind. I flexed my hand. The fingers were still sore and tight from our last bout, and anyway, I was a bigger man than him. Even though I was itching to beat the shit out of him—again—I wouldn’t stoop to his level. It didn’t solve anything, but damn it felt good. Instead, I ignored him.
He waved the beer in the air. “Just take it. One beer won’t make you an alcoholic. You’ve always been so scared of turning out like me. If you would just stop fighting the inevitable, you could finally settle down and stop running from the truth.”
I snatched the beer from his hand. “What truth is that?”
“That’s something you need to figure out for yourself.” Terry leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs toward the fire.
Life hadn’t been easy on him. I sloshed the beer around in the can and watched my old man. Time hadn’t been kind to him either, and that was no surprise. He had abused his body, both inside and out, for as long as I could remember. There was no way I would turn out like him. That was one thing I was sure of.
I tipped the beer over and watched as the liquid soaked into the ground. When it was empty, I crushed it in my hand and tossed it in the fire. “Kora will be home soon, so I’m going to clean up this shithole, then head to see her.” It was just before eight. I didn’t know how much cleaning I would get around to in the little time I had before I left, but I’d be damned if I let this useless man bring my property down to his level.
I left him by the fire and went inside, prepared to face the chaos I was sure was going to great me. Thankfully, Terry hadn’t done much damage—on the inside at least. There was only a coffee cup and cereal bowl in the sink. I washed them quickly and wiped down the counter and table. The fifth wheel was clean, so I grabbed clothes before joining Terry back at the fire.
“Don’t wait up. The RV’s yours for the night.” I walked with a heavy step to Matilda.
“You better get some before she realizes she’ s slumming and dumps your sorry ass.”
I froze and my stomach fell. My hands curled into fists, and I closed his eyes. Breathe and don’t react. That’s what he wants. He’ll be out of your hair soon enough. I calmed. I hadn’t had to do so many relaxation exercises since I left Atlanta. Terry was certainly not good for my health.
Thank God I had Kora to run to.
I rolled my windows down and turned the radio up as I drove down the road. Fresh air relaxed me, but it didn’t work that night. I was too wound up and couldn’t get Terry’s words out of my mind. Don’t let him get to you. You know what he’s like. His goal is to get under your skin. Don’t let him. Unfortunately, I did. He was under my skin and dug himself in farther.
Orlinda Valley’s fields passed by the windows, and the town came into view. I turned onto the long windy road toward Kora’s and slowed as I came to the spot we first met. Who knew that a simple thing like helping a woman with a flat tire on the side of the road would rock my world?
She was breathtakingly hot, loud, vivacious, and stubborn. I stared out over the fields. The cows grazed in the pasture in the moonlight. I could see why Kora loved it here—it was so serene.
I watched the cows a bit longer until my pulse slowed. I was finally relaxed enough and more than ready to face Kora.
I pulled into her driveway a few minutes later and my breath caught when the beam of my headlights fell on her. I parked and put the truck in gear and watched her close as she latched the gate to the goat pasture.
Terry’s words came to the top of my mind. She was too beautiful, too good. He was right. I was beneath her, and it would only be a matter of time until she found out the truth about me. A rock seemed to wedge in my chest. I hoisted myself out of the truck and trudged quickly up to her. My pulse, which was relaxed just a moment ago, now throbbed wildly.
I wanted us to work. I wanted Kora.
But we don’t always get to have what we want.
“Hey.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her soft, warm lips on mine. I gave in to her kiss with desperation. She tasted like sweet tea and smelled of honeysuckle and hay.
My breath was heavy when I pulled away. I held her head in my hands and ran my thumbs over her jaw.
“Kai, what’s wrong?” She grasped my wrists.
“What are we doing, Kora?” The beat of my pulse escalated. I shook my head. I was exasperated. “This won’t work. We can’t work.”
“What?” Kora backed slightly away as confusion flashed in her eyes.
My heart cracked a bit.
“I thought everything was going well between us. What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Kora. This. Us. It’s not possible. It doesn’t even make sense.”
She raised her brow, and her eyes were on fire. “What happened?”
“Just listen.” I backed away. I had to. I couldn’t think clearly when she was so close. She clouded my judgment and made what had to happen more difficult. “Listen to what I’m telling you. I’m not interested in . . .” I hesitated, then gestured between us. “Whatever it is you think is between us. This is not what we need to do. I’m not someone you need.” My frustration was building, and if I didn’t contain it, I would explode like a cannon.
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked. “You aren’t making a lick of sense, and you sure weren’t thinking like this earlier or the other night.” Her voice was getting louder. Not surprising. “You sure as hell wanted this the other night. You sure as hell loved this the other night.”
“That was then; this is now. You don’t understand.” This was so much harder than I expected. Not that I thought I’d be ending things like this.
Kora laid her hands on my chest, and her eyes held that spitfire determination I was so attracted to. “Then make me understand, Kai. Because with what’s going on, and with what I feel between us. With what I know you feel between us. I don’t understand.” Her voice was harsh and demanding. Her voice cracked, and she cleared it. “One minute you’re flirting with me and giving me your sexy-as-hell look. Next, you’re throwing me in bed and having your way with me, and a damn good way it is.” She brushed her nails over the scruff on my face. “Then you’re kissing me everywhere, sucking everywhere, and making me feel all types of feelings everywhere.” Her hands met behind my neck, and she held me tight. “So, no. I don’t know what’s going on. You need to explain it to me.”
I peeled her hands from my neck. “I’m not okay with things. You’re so different from me. We’re so different.”
Kora’s hands went up in frustration. “Yes, Kai. You’re right. We are different. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. I promise you, it’s okay.” She turned and put some space between us. When she spoke again, her voice was softer. Calmer. “I know there’s some skeletons in your past you need to deal with, and I’m sure they have something to do with your father. You don’t get a scar like that because you’ve had a good homelife.”
She touched the scar and rubbed her finger across it. It sent a shiver through me.
“Stop, Kora.” I’d had enough. She wasn’t going to see things my way. I had to make her understand. “This is the right thing to do. You’re from this town. You’re important. You could have any guy in Orlinda Valley you want. You don’t need me.”
“Trust me, I’ve had about all the guys in this town I can handle. That’s the one downside of living in a small town. Eventually, you know everybody. Sometimes you know them too well.. And I think I'm old enough to decide what I want.”
I stepped backward. I needed to put as much space between us as possible. “Kora, I’m sorry, but we can’t do this anymore. Something came up, and I can’t have you be a part of it.”
“Don’t, Kai.” Her gaze was hard and determined. “Let me decide what I can and can’t be a part of.”
I walked backward and shook my head. My heart shattered—this was a new feeling for me, and I didn’t like it at all.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Kai.” Her voice was thick.
“Kora, I have to. I’m sorry.” I had to get out of here. If I didn’t go soon, I didn’t know if I would ever be able to leave, and for Kora’s sake, I needed to. I jumped in Matilda and tore away, but I had no clue where the hell I was going.