Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
KAIA
“Thank you, everyone, for coming. We’ll see you next month.
” I spoke and signed at the same time before waving everyone out of the store.
After I locked the door behind the last person, I took a deep breath.
It had been a long day, and I was ready to go home.
Drea didn’t stay for class this time like she usually did.
Her and Blair had a standing date at some fantasy-themed cafe, which I thought was really cute.
“Another great class. Your girl is a great teacher, Kai.”
I rolled my eyes at the sound of Mackenzie’s voice. Despite myself, I loved her, though. “Mackenzie, please don’t start.”
She shrugged. “What? She is a good teacher. And you can’t tell me she’s not your girl now. Not after the party.”
My face flushed, but I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure what we were. I just knew I really enjoyed what we were doing.
“Baby.” Fallon’s tone was commanding. “Let her be. Friends kiss like that all the time. You remember when we were ‘just friends’? We did a lot more than kiss.”
Mackenzie grabbed Fallon and kissed the top of her head, which always made my heart melt. “Yes, baby. I remember plenty. I also remember I didn’t exactly have friendly feelings toward you back then. And I know you didn’t toward me, either. But I’ll drop it.”
She turned back to me and placed a hand on my arm, any trace of sarcasm gone.
“Whatever you two are or aren’t doing, we’re happy for you, Kaia.
Enjoy the moment and see where it takes you.
Life has a funny way of knowing what you need.
” She looked at Fallon, and my irritation softened.
For all the sarcasm she had, the love she had for Fallon would always be greater.
I believed her, though, on some level. The universe had a way of knowing just what you needed and when you needed it.
“Thanks, Mackenzie. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m enjoying the present.”
We said our goodbyes, and I walked them out the door. I locked it behind them since they were the last ones to leave. They stopped outside the door for a moment, holding each other. I wasn’t sure what words were said between them, but they shared a kiss and you could really see the love in it.
It was quick but tender and filled with so much promise. Mackenzie rubbed Fallon’s cheek, then took her hand and led her down the sidewalk.
I hoped I would find a love like theirs someday. Someone to love with everything I had and who would love me just as intensely.
I turned back around to see Daisy stacking the chairs, and smiled.
My life had become brighter since she came into it.
Even with losing my dad, she was always there to hold me when things got tough, and she never gave up on me.
I didn’t know what the hell we were doing.
I was just going along for the ride and hoped we didn’t run out of gas, or that the car didn’t catch on fire.
I was still in shock every time I got to touch or kiss her. I always let her initiate anything between us. I was afraid she’d get tired of me, and I didn’t want the rejection. I knew it was coming eventually, but I wasn’t in any hurry to get there.
I walked over to her and helped with the chairs. We’d been doing these classes for over two years and had it down to a science. After we rolled the chairs to the back, we worked on my favorite part of cleaning up: the snacks.
We usually had an array of cheese and crackers, fruits, and desserts, and we always had some to take home. We could always buy less, but Daisy insisted we had extras in case people were extra hungry that night. They never were.
I walked around the store, picking up little things here and there and straightening the pillows on the couches. I was fixing one of the couches near the back of the store, when warm arms wrapped around me, and I shivered when I felt a breath on my neck.
Daisy kissed my shoulder, and I had to steady myself on the arm of the couch. I turned around and smiled at her. “Hello? May I help you?”
“I know for a fact you can help me.” She winked.
I groaned. She was going to kill me one of these days. “We can’t.”
“See, that’s where we disagree. I think we can. Everyone’s gone.” She pulled me closer, and I lost the air from my lungs.
I held the side of her face and kissed her. She wrapped her hands around my neck, and it didn’t take long before I moved my hands down to her ass, resting them in the pockets of her jeans.
She pushed me down on the couch and straddled me. She freaking straddled me! I had never been someone to have sex in public, but with her on top of me, moving back and forth and kissing me with abandon, I was willing to give it a second thought.
I wasn’t sure how it happened, but at one point her shirt ended up on the floor, and I was pulling one of her nipples into my mouth.
This wasn’t like me at all. What was it about her that made me lose all brain power? It was like if she was touching me, my brain went on vacation. Realistically I knew no one could see us. The doors were locked, and we’d hear them open before anyone saw us, but still.
I broke us apart. If we didn’t stop, I was going to ruin this couch before she even touched me. “Daisy.” I threw my head back and moaned when she sucked at my shoulder. She knew I loved that. I looked at her and kissed her.
“Yes, baby?” she asked, and I nearly exploded.
“Jesus, woman! We cannot do this here.”
She pouted and kissed my nose. “Let’s go home, then, or you’ll have to clean these seats twice tomorrow.” I bit my lip. I didn’t have to be told twice.
I picked up her shirt from the floor and put it on her before kissing her forehead. She smiled at me, and I wanted to capture it and keep it forever. I would never get tired of seeing her smile, and it felt amazing to be the reason behind it.
I wasted no time closing up and securing the store. I was desperate to be naked at home with Daisy, but I wasn’t trying to return to a store that had been broken into or damaged.
After making sure the alarm was set and all doors were locked, I took her hand and headed home.
As soon as the front door was shut behind us, she was on me, kissing me and trying to take off my shirt. I stopped her before things got too far.
“Daisy,” I said.
She frowned and took a step back. “I’m sorry, I kind of got a little carried away. If you’re not in the mood, I understand.”
I chuckled and grabbed her face, leaning in for another intense kiss.
“One thing you should know about me is that I am always in the mood for you. But that’s not why I stopped us.
As much as I would love nothing more than to have you naked and under me, I really don’t want to clean up dog pee later. We need to take Duke for a walk.”
She made a face like she had forgotten the little guy couldn’t just use the toilet on his own. “Dammit. We can let him out in the backyard. It’s fenced in, and he can run to his heart’s content. And I can kiss you to mine.” She kissed me again and made me forget everything else.
“That sounds like a great plan.”
As Duke was busy outside, I was busy inside, pinning his mother against the wall and working to take off her shirt. She was doing the same and before any more clothing could come off, a light scratch at the door informed us he was ready to come back inside.
Against our protest, we parted to let him in. He ran to his food and water bowl, and we looked at each other, heat in our gazes. She licked her lips. I licked mine. She took a step closer. I did the same until we were a breath apart.
“Kaia?”
“Yes, baby?” I asked. I loved seeing her reaction when I called her that, and I was getting comfortable saying it.
“I’d really like to kiss you again.”
I grinned, but it turned into a frown at her shiver. As much as I would’ve liked to pretend I was the one who caused it, I had to admit it was a little cold.
“I’d love nothing more, but you’re cold, sunny. Let’s warm you up first. How about you start a fire, and I’ll get some wine?”
“I think that sounds perfect.”
I made my way to the kitchen while she worked on the fireplace. As I got our wine and brought it back to her, I couldn’t help but notice how romantic the moment was. Drinking wine in front of the fireplace while we weren’t wearing shirts. The topless part made it more sexy than romantic, though.
I handed her a glass, and we toasted to fireplaces and fenced-in yards before taking a drink.
Over the rim of her glass, she kept her eyes on me.
My body heated from her gaze, and I wished I knew what she was thinking.
I wished I could’ve told her what I was thinking.
That I wanted her to always look at me like that. Forever.
After a few sips of wine, and no words, she took my glass from me. She placed both glasses on the side table next to the fireplace, and I frowned, confused. “Hey, I was enjoying that, you know.”
She licked her lips ,and her expression was serious. “Take off your pants.”
“What?”
“I want to enjoy you, and I want you naked while I do. Take off your pants, Kaia.”
Well, okay, then. What the hell could I say to that?
I did as I was told. Her eyes traveled down to where I kicked out of them and tossed them to the side, before returning to my eyes.
She did the same, and my heart skipped a beat.
I’d never get used to seeing her naked and being allowed to stare.
She was perfect in every way. Like a sexy younger Mary Poppins.
Before I could say anything, her lips were on mine and her hands were exploring my body.
Sometimes I wanted to cry at how good it felt to finally be with her, even if it was only temporary.
When I was with her, I was in the moment and took none of it for granted.
When I wasn’t with her, or she was sleeping, that was when I let my mind replay the what-ifs and prepare for the future without her.