Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Mila
Gingerly peeling my eyes open, I take in my surroundings.
My head is pounding, and my mouth feels like I tried to eat cotton balls, but I realize I’m alone in bed.
If the artwork and decorations covering the walls didn’t give it away, the scent of Kash everywhere lets me know I’m definitely not in my room.
Pulling the blankets up, I try to recall bits and pieces of last night.
I think Seth was there and Kash broke that guy’s nose.
I need to make a psych appointment because there’s no reason that I should have been so impressed by that.
He didn’t even hesitate when Richie had his arm around me.
One moment he was there, and the next his head was bouncing off the table.
The sun creeps through the curtains, making me groan.
Sitting up in bed, I look around for my phone.
I only see the sun brightly when I’m already at the store.
Reaching the nightstand, I find it fully charged and see it’s almost eleven thirty.
I can’t believe I slept this late. I never sleep this late.
I wince as other memories from last night flit through my mind.
Going into my messages, I find one from Dad about what kind of flooring I want, since that apparently needs to be replaced in the kitchen, and there’s one from Mara.
Mars Bar: We need to talk, Little Elf. I have questions.
Shit. That doesn’t sound ominous at all.
When I shove the blankets back, I realize I’m dressed in what has to be one of Kash’s T-shirts. Lifting the collar to my nose, I inhale his scent, closing my eyes to savor the smell. The shirt itself is soft, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s the same light blue one from the night we fooled around.
“If you wanted to sniff me, all you had to do was ask,” Kash’s voice sounds from the doorway.
My eyes fly open, landing on his amused expression. He’s shirtless, and the tattoos on his chest and legs are on full display to me. His hair hangs loosely around his shoulders, glasses on his face. As I take in his appearance, I realize he’s carrying a tray in his hands.
“I brought you breakfast. Get back in bed,” he orders, stepping closer to me.
“Um, Kash…” I start but trail off when he sets the tray down on his dresser.
I watch as he grabs a hair tie and puts his hair up in a quick bun. When he faces me again, I swallow nervously, feeling the tug in my core. Seriously, Mila? Get it together, woman. He put his hair up for crying out loud.
“Bed.” He points, and this time I listen. Crawling back under the blankets, I pull them up around my waist. I’m still wearing my bra and panties, but there are no shorts under his shirt.
I watch in silence as Kash brings the tray to the bed, joining me and placing it between us.
The delicious aroma of food hits my senses, and my stomach automatically growls.
On the oversized tray are some pancakes, bacon, and eggs, along with orange juice and water.
Looking at everything, I don’t know what to say.
Kash brought me breakfast in bed.
“I also brought some pain killers in addition to food,” he starts, pulling a bottle from his pocket. “I suggest taking these first, and then move onto the pancakes and bacon.” He smiles, pouring a bit of syrup over the top of the silliest looking pancakes I’ve ever seen.
They have chocolate chips in them, and a smiley face made from whipped topping, including strawberries for the eyes. Glancing over at Kash, I lift a brow. “Really? A smiley face?”
His grin is almost as big as the one on the pancake when he responds, “Of course. Any day I wake up next to you is a reason to smile like that. I figured I might as well share the happiness. Here.” He hands me the water.
“Take those now, and if you eat your food like a good girl, I’ll give you a hint about your surprise. ”
My body pulses at the way he says good girl, and I have no doubt my face is now as red as the strawberries on my plate. Popping the pain killers in, I swallow them down with water and then drink almost half the bottle. Now that my mouth no longer feels dry, I realize he said surprise.
“Surprise?”
“Eat, and I’ll explain.”
It looks and smells amazing, so I start on the pancakes.
Taking a bite, I’m surprised by how good they taste.
I know Kash said he can cook, but you never know.
They’re warm, fluffy and perfectly sweet on their own.
Between the chocolate chips and whipped topping, I feel like I'm going to end up in a sugar coma.
“Yes. After you eat, I have the whole day planned out for us,” he explains, leaning back on his pillows, arms behind his head.
I can’t even pretend I’m not checking him out.
Kash’s thighs are large, muscular, and covered in tattoos.
There’s one piece on his leg drawing my attention the most. It has the pyramids in Egypt sitting close together, with what looks like some sort of eclipse stretching across the sky above.
I’m curious about what the rest of it looks like, but it disappears under his shorts.
“You want a better look, Sunshine?” he offers, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts, his eyes playful.
Clearing my throat, I take a moment before responding. I know if I said yes, he’d be all too happy to yank them off, but I’m in no shape to go down that road. “No. I’m eating.”
Chuckling, he moves his hands and sits up. “Alright, have it your way, but I bet by the end of the day, you’ll be ready to say yes.”
“Kash, I have to work today. I’m already late enough as it is.”
“Nope. I already messaged Mara last night because I knew you weren’t going to be feeling well this morning.”
Freezing, I lower my fork to the plate and turn to face him. “That’s my business, Kash. You’ve overstepped.”
“Nope. That isn’t me overstepping. That is me taking care of my girl. Overstepping was taking care of the guy who thought it was okay to touch what’s mine. He pauses. “Actually, that was also taking care of what’s mine, so never mind.”
“You broke his nose, didn’t you?”
“He’s lucky that’s all I broke,” he practically growls. There’s a dark look that crosses his face, and it makes me nervous.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was having a drink and being friendly.”
“If you want to be friendly, you can be friendly with me. I’m the only friend you need.”
I almost laugh at how serious he sounds but change my mind. I don’t really go out unless it’s with Cora or Mara, so I didn’t think about how unsafe it actually was. “Thank you for being there,” I tell him honestly.
“I’ll always be there for you. Now, back to my grand plan.” He rubs his hands together, sitting up. He looks like a kid at Christmas, and it’s hard not to feel the same.
“Aren’t you working today?”
“Nope. I’m going in tomorrow, so I figured we’d spend today together. After you’re done eating, you can grab a shower and get ready. Take as long as you need. I don’t care. We just have somewhere to be at two o’clock. Does that work?”
Looking at my phone, I see it’s eleven thirty. “Yes. I can do that. Where are we going?”
“That defeats the purpose of it being a surprise, but can you promise me one thing?” He pulls my hands into his, and I cringe because I have no doubt there’s probably syrup or something on them.
Looking into my eyes, his face turns serious.
“Give me a chance, Mila. A real chance. Let me show you that we can be good together, that I can be the man you need. Will you do that for me? Can you trust me?”
Trust? Do I trust Kash? With my well-being?
Absolutely. With my heart? I’m almost there.
Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed more of the changes he’s talked about.
He’s definitely not talking to anyone else that I can tell.
He pops into Twin Roasts frequently, and notices more about me than I realize he did.
I frequently skip meals because I’m too busy to eat, and Kash always includes a cute little note with whatever he brings.
Even though he doesn’t have to, he buys something before he goes, making conversation with Joelle or whoever is out front.
He’s friendly, but not flirty. Kash just likes to get to know people, and I think I really want to get to know him better.
Nodding, I smile. “Alright, Casanova. Let’s see what you got.”
“I promise it’ll be fun, Mila. Please—wait.” He freezes. “You said yes!” Grabbing my face between his hands, he kisses me quickly. “No take backs, Sunshine. Finish your breakfast while I go clean up and then get ready. We have a date, Sweet Girl.”
Jumping out of bed, Kash heads for the door, and I decide to not fight the smile that crosses my face. Kash’s happiness is contagious.
Taking another bite of food, I quickly chew and wonder what he has planned. As he walks up the hallway, I can hear his voice loudly singing, “Kash and Mila, sitting in bed; she eats my breakfast while I dream of giving her head.”
Nearly choking on my food, I swallow it down with a sip of orange juice and stare at the door he just went through. Laughing, I shake my head. God, he is a lunatic.