Chapter 14
Why Must He Be So Hot?
Kai to Nico: Stop fucking flirting with her. [delivered]
Tess
Morning light filters through the blinds and I blink my eyes open.
I feel bad that Kai slept downstairs on the sofa while I have the perfectly large enough bed for the two of us, but then I remember his gruffness at dinner and feel immediately better about it.
I tried making conversation, but he basically ignored me, shutting down all my attempts to make things less awkward.
We still haven’t spoken about the whole face riding, dick sucking incident. And it’s clear now that we are just pretending it never happened.
Which is fine.
Obviously.
I. Don’t. Care.
Kai is nowhere to be found when I finally drag myself out of bed and downstairs, but there is a coffee waiting for me on the side that’s still warm so he can’t be far.
It’s not like we can leave this house prison anyway.
I can’t believe I’m actually missing my flat.
My tiny, ugly flat that doesn’t even have a carpet right now.
It’s not the flat I miss, it’s the normalcy.
I like to think I’m pretty resilient—I mean, killing Jake really didn’t make me lose that much sleep (unless you count the hours spent cleaning and disposing of him).
But even I’m wearing thin with all this change.
What I don’t miss, at all, is my job. It’s not that my job is bad—I sit on my ass all day, watch men workout topless, get hit on a couple more times than necessary—but it’s just a bit dull.
I thought that I was okay with that, but I’m starting to think I need to do something fulfilling.
Something that makes me excited to get up every day.
“Morning.”
I nearly jump out of my skin, coffee sloshing everywhere as I whip around to find Happy standing there, a smirk playing at his lips.
“Christ, you scared me! What are you doing here?” I clutch my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
Grabbing a wad of paper towels, I start mopping up the mess, while Happy has the good sense to look sheepish. He rubs the back of his neck like a guilty kid caught stealing cookies. “Sorry. I just came to check in.”
“Oh. Okay.” I toss the soggy paper towels into the bin and straighten up. “Well, I’m good. All checked in, see?”
“Where’s your boyfriend this morning?”
I blink at him, confused. “Boyfriend?”
He grins, all too pleased with himself. “Kai, right? He’s not your boyfriend?”
I scowl. “Kai? No. He’s not my boyfriend.”
Happy’s grin widens, his amusement practically lighting up the room. “Do you have one?”
“Not anymore,” I mutter, turning back to the coffee machine and punching the button a little harder than necessary to brew a fresh cup.
Sliding onto one of the kitchen stools, I cradle my mug, hoping he’ll take the hint and leave. Instead, Happy settles onto the stool across from me, looking far too comfortable. I raise an eyebrow, surprised—and maybe just a little suspicious.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my tone flat and unamused.
“Getting to know you,” Happy replies with a smirk that’s just shy of cocky. “Since we’re going to be stuck here for a while, I figure I might as well get comfortable.”
As if to emphasise his point, he leans forward, resting his chin on his hands, his eyes fixed on me with a lazy, unapologetic confidence. It’s the kind of look that says, I’m not going anywhere.
Begrudgingly, I play along. It’s not like I know where Kai is, and honestly, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone to talk to—or at least someone to distract me.
“Alright, I’ll bite,” I say, lifting my coffee to my lips and taking a slow sip before setting it back on the counter. “What do you want to know?”
He grins, the corners of his mouth curving just enough to give away his mischief. “What’s your favourite colour?”
I blink at him, caught off guard. “Seriously? That’s your opening question?”
“You can tell a lot about a person by their favourite colour.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmhm,” he hums, leaning a fraction closer. “For example, I’m guessing you’re not a pink person. Too soft, not your vibe.”
I narrow my eyes, intrigued despite myself. “What else?”
“Blue, maybe,” he continues, his tone teasing but his gaze sharp. “Cool, calm, collected—at least on the outside. But there’s something fiery in there too. Maybe red.”
I scoff. “Is this your idea of flirting?”
“Depends,” he says, his smirk deepening. “Is it working?”
I open my mouth, but I’m cut off at the sound of the front door slamming closed and then Kai is there, storming into the kitchen like a man on a mission. His handsome face is thunderous, like he’s ready to say, “to hell with it” and murder someone.
His chest is on display, glistening with sweat and I’m momentarily (it’s a long moment) distracted by the sight. I want to lick the path his sweat travels and taste the salt on my tongue. My pussy clenches at the thought of getting my hands on him again. Bad vagina.
Since my brain is now fried from the perfection that is Kai’s abs the only word I manage is, “Hi.” My tongue feels like it’s stuck to the roof of my mouth.
Kai’s expression softens just slightly when he looks at me and it makes my heart flutter when he says, “Hi, Hurricane.”
But then his eyes drift to Happy and his expression twists back into annoyance.
“What are you doing in here?”
Happy seems completely unfazed by Kai’s stare, one that’s hard enough to make any normal man wither. “Keeping Tess company.”
Kai crosses his arms in front of him. “Then your job is done. You can go.”
Happy’s face lights up. “You’re right. Job well done I’d say.” He gets up from the stool then stops right in front of me and reaches out to brush a strand of my hair from my face and tuck it behind my ear. “It was nice talking with you, Tess.”
He saunters off, laughing to himself, while Kai’s glares daggers into his back.
“What was that about?” I ask, turning my gaze to Kai but that was a mistake because I’m reminded of the fact that he’s half naked, his muscled body on display like a delicious platter of man meat.
Why must he be so hot?
He doesn’t reply. He just stares at me.
It’s… unnerving.
I shift on my feet, unsure where to look, the silence stretching out far too long. “I’m thinking about changing careers,” I blurt, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.
Kai looks taken aback for a moment, his brow arching slightly, but he still says nothing. His eyes are so intense, like he’s trying to peel back my layers.
“I mean, it’s just a thought,” I ramble on, because, apparently, I can’t handle silence.
“I’ve been doing the same thing for years, and honestly, it’s not even that exciting.
Maybe I could be a chef. Not a fancy one, just, you know, like a café chef.
I’m a decent cook. Or maybe a florist? I like flowers, though they do tend to die quickly when I’m in charge of them, which probably isn’t a great sign.
But it could be peaceful, right? Surrounded by all those roses and—”
Kai
I think Tess is talking. Her lips are moving.
God, her lips. I want them on mine.
But I have no idea what she’s saying because of the jealous, buzzing static in my head—static that’s been screaming since that asshole of a security guard had the nerve to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear like he had any right to touch her.
She’s mine.
I might not act on it—not in the way I want to. But she’s mine. No smug American prick is going to change that.
These are thoughts I’m not supposed to have. Tess is temporary, just passing through my life. She’s not someone I’m meant to get attached to.
Attachment means risk. Risk means someone dies, or they turn on you. Every time. And I’ve had enough of both to last me a lifetime.
I can’t let it happen again.
I need to shut these thoughts down.
“—do you think I’d be any good at that?”
I have no idea what she just said but instead of admitting that I grunt a, “Yes,” then turn away, heading upstairs to change.