Chapter 36
“Nothing says romance like acoustic insulation.” ~ Harper
Harper
“D ad!” I shout as I shut the front door behind me. “I’m home.”
I frown when I notice his usual spot in front of the television is empty. Granted, he doesn’t spend as much time binge watching crime shows since the cast is off of his arm and he’s able to get around on his own again. But still. Where could he be?
I set the bag of groceries in the kitchen before continuing my search. Dad better not be mowing the lawn. There’s no reason to exert his independence since Kai is now doing all of the mowing.
“Dad!” I shout again as I make my way down the hallway toward his bedroom.
I stop when I notice the door to my bedroom is closed. Why is it closed? I always keep my bedroom door open during the day .
I peek my head inside my room. “Hello?”
Dad claps. “Hot damn! It works!”
Dad and Kai are sitting in the little sitting area – because apparently I need a sitting area in my bedroom to read my romance novels at – near the window.
“What’s going on? And do I want to know?”
Kai jumps to his feet and bounds toward me. He plants a quick kiss on my lips before wrapping his arms around my waist and throwing me in the air. “It worked!”
“What worked?”
“The soundproofing.”
Soundproofing? I push on his shoulders until he sets me down. “Back up. Start from the beginning.”
“I soundproofed the room. This way you won’t be bothered by Henry’s snoring at night anymore.”
“Sounds like heaven.”
“And to prevent Henry from hearing us.” He waggles his eyebrows in case I’m confused as to what noises Dad would overhear.
“There’s my cue to exit,” Dad grumbles as he pushes to his feet. Kai rushes to help him but Dad bats his hands away. “I can stand on my own.”
Kai retreats but he trails behind Dad as he leaves. Those two have formed a special bond. I’m glad. Kai deserves to have a dad who won’t abandon him. Abandoning people isn’t part of the Poole family genes .
Once Dad is safely in the living room, Kai returns to me. “Hi, Slugger. How was the grocery store? Did you beat up any women?”
I scowl at him. “I’ve never beat up any women at a grocery store.”
He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead. “Sure, you haven’t.”
“Thanks for doing the soundproofing. It’s going to come in handy for me next summer.”
“I think you mean for us.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. Us. If I let you sleep over.”
“You can’t sleep over in your own house.”
“You can’t… what?”
“I think it’s about time we made this thing official and moved in together.”
“I can’t leave Dad.”
“Which is why I soundproofed your room.”
I clear my throat. “Let me get this straight. You’ve decided to move in? We’re not going to discuss this?”
“Nope.” He kisses my nose.
“Nice try. We’re discussing this.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “What is there to discuss? I love you. You love me. We should live together.”
“This is a big step.”
“Do you want to hear the elevator pitch?”
I widen my eyes. Kai never ceases to surprise and amaze me. I imagine I’ll be ninety years old and wearing adult diapers and he’ll surprise me. “Do you have a pitch prepared? ”
“It’s possible I knew my grumpy woman wouldn’t accept me moving in without making a fuss.”
“Okay. Let’s hear it.”
He hesitates. “I don’t have a computer for my PowerPoint presentation.”
“Kai Raider, you did not prepare a PowerPoint presentation and I know it.”
“Fine.” He huffs. “Here are the advantages to me moving in. One, you have someone to help with Henry. Two, I look hot mowing the lawn without my shirt on. Three, you’ll have orgasms on tap. And, four, I’ll help with the rent.”
“I don’t pay rent.”
“Excuse me. I misspoke. I’ll help pay the mortgage.”
I bristle. “I don’t need your help to pay the mortgage.”
“Nevertheless, if I’m living here, I need to contribute to the costs.”
“It’s unnecessary. I don’t like this.”
He squeezes my hands. “I do. It means your monthly household costs are lower.”
Which means I can increase my loan payments for Bootlegger, thereby paying off the loan quicker and getting out of debt faster. I never should have told him about my financial struggles with the bar.
“I don’t need you to save me.”
“Good. Because I’m not saving you. I’m helping you. And your dad, of course.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Be honest. Are you moving in because of me or my dad? ”
He grins. “You said moving in. You’re giving in.”
I don’t deny it since he’s right. “What chance do I have against your charm?”
He smirks. “None. Because you love me.”
“You’re a pain in my ass.”
His eyes sparkle. “I can be a pain in your ass if you want.”
I shove him. “You keep away from my ass.”
“But it’s so delightful to bite.”
“You’re annoying.”
“You’re confusing annoying with delightful.”
“No, I’m really not.”
He winds an arm around my waist and draws me near. “Are we doing this, Slugger? Am I moving in?”
I scrunch my nose and pretend to consider the matter. There’s nothing to consider. Of course, he’s moving in. I want Kai with me every night. I want to sleep in his arms and wake up with him every morning.
“Do you need me to convince you?” He presses his hard length into my stomach and I gasp.
“How are you hard now? We’re in the middle of a serious conversation.”
He shrugs. “I can’t help it. The sexiest woman in the universe is in my arms. Naturally, I’m excited.” He nips my chin. “The question is. What are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I need to put the groceries away. I have to work in an hour. I probably should cook dinner for Dad before I leave. ”
“You should probably kiss me and let me thank you for letting me move in.”
And how are you going to thank me?”
“With lots and lots of orgasms.”
“Dang. I can’t argue with your logic. It’s pretty sound.”
He grins and his blue eyes sparkle with pleasure. “You’re sure? You want me to move in?”
“The first time you leave the toilet seat up, you’re sleeping on the sofa.”
“Toilet seat down. Got it.”
“And you’re in charge of dinner on nights I work.”
“I’ll be in charge of cooking whenever you want. Anything to keep you from cooking. Do we have a deal?”
I nod.
“Let’s seal it with a kiss.”
I push up on my toes but before his mouth can meet mine, Dad shouts, “Are you two done yet? I’m hungry.”
Kai barks out a laugh, and I bury my face in his chest. “Are you sure this is the life you want?”
He pinches my chin. “Hell yeah, it is. It’s the life I’ve always dreamed of.”
“Smooth talker.”
“Smooth talker who loves you.”
Those words hit me in the chest before spreading warmth throughout my body. I hope they always do.
“I love you, too.”
“Now, let’s go feed your dad before he calls the fire department. ”
“This is why he’s not allowed a cell phone.”
Kai grasps my hand and leads me toward the hallway. “Thank goodness you couldn’t resist my sexy ass.”
He saunters toward the kitchen before I have a chance to respond. But I do watch his sexy ass as he struts away. He’s right. I didn’t have a chance to resist him and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Thanks for reading! I hope you fell in love with Kai and Harper as much as I did!