CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NOLA
Kai’s house had one major flaw.
He believed a thermostat was a moral issue.
“Why is it seventy-one degrees in here?”
“Because that’s normal.”
“For penguins.”
“You sleep under three blankets.”
“Because you keep the house like a morgue.”
Kai looked up from his laptop. “You staying or complaining?”
“Both.”
Nola had been at his place for three nights.
By choice.
She made sure everybody understood that part, especially Kai.
Her house was still under watch, but after Dre’s call mentioning her parents’ address, Kai suggested she stay somewhere with better security while his team worked.
He suggested.
Nola agreed.
Progress.
It would have been more impressive if he didn’t then try to assign her a guest room.
She had laughed in his face.
Now her makeup bag lived on his bathroom counter, two crop tops hung over a chair, and one of her bras had somehow ended up under his couch.
Kai found it earlier and held it up like evidence.
“This yours?”
Nola had looked at him. “No, I think a raccoon left it.”
He put it on the chair.
Normal was sneaking in around the edges of crisis.
That scared her more than she expected.
Tonight, Malik had no new location for Dre. Dez was checking two more names from Nola’s list. Rome had been moved off the investigation without being formally told he was off the investigation, which Nola found both impressive and petty.
She was standing in Kai’s bedroom wearing a cropped sleep shirt and underwear when he came in.
He stopped in the doorway.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
His eyes moved to the strip of bare back where the shirt rode up.
Nola smiled.
“You know I figured you out.”
“What?”
“This.”
She turned around and pointed to her back.
Kai looked offended. “You figured out I like your back after I told you I like your back?”
“No. I figured out why you like crop tops.”
“Because I can see your back.”
“Exactly.”
“I told you that too.”
“Let me have my investigation.”
He laughed and sat on the edge of the bed.
Nola reached for the bottle of shimmer lotion she’d left on his dresser.
Kai’s attention shifted immediately.
She caught it in the mirror.
“See?”
“What?”
“You got a problem.”
“I’m sitting here.”
“Staring.”
“You putting glitter on your breasts in front of me.”
“Body shimmer.”
“Same shit.”
She rubbed it across her collarbone slowly on purpose.
Kai leaned back on his hands.
“You doing that to irritate me.”
“Maybe.”
“Come here.”
“No.”
“Nola.”
“See? Bossy when horny.”
“You got two seconds.”
“Or what?”
He stood.
Nola laughed and moved around the other side of the bed.
“Don’t chase me.”
“I’m not chasing you.”
“You walking fast.”
“Nola.”
She darted toward the bathroom.
Kai caught her around the waist before she made it.
Nola squealed, then immediately covered her own mouth because the sound was ridiculous.
“Put me down.”
“You wanted to play.”
“I wanted to irritate you. Different sport.”
He set her down on the bed instead.
Nola looked up at him.
“You really can’t keep your hands off me.”
“Nope.”
The answer came too easily.
It took some of the joke out of her.
Kai saw that.
“Problem?”
“No.”
“That’s mine.”
“You stole enough of my shit. I can have one word.”
He leaned down and kissed her.
The sex that followed was playful at first.
Nola laughed when Kai got glitter on his cheek. Kai accused her of doing it on purpose. She told him he looked festive.
Then the laughter thinned as the heat changed.
Kai’s hands were everywhere: her waist, back, thigh, fingers spread wide like he was afraid to waste surface area.
Nola grabbed his shoulders and whispered, “Slow down.”
He did.
No argument.
No ego.
Just slower.
That was becoming one of the reasons she trusted him with her body even when she didn’t trust his instincts about control.
After, Kai lay on his back with gold shimmer streaked across his chest.
Nola stared.
“You look like a stripper.”
“Your fault.”
“A luxury stripper.”
“Go to sleep.”
“Do you take requests?”
He grabbed a pillow and put it over her face.
Nola laughed under it.
When he pulled it away, she was still smiling.
Then her phone lit up.
No message from Dre.
Just her mother asking if she was coming by tomorrow.
The smile faded.
Kai noticed.
“What?”
“My parents.”
“You tell them about the threat?”
Nola shook her head.
“No.”
“You need to.”
“I know.”
“Then why haven’t you?”
“Because my father will go looking for Dre himself and my mother will stop sleeping.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know them.”
“You know how they usually react. This isn’t usual.”
Nola rolled onto her side.
“You always gotta challenge me after sex?”
“You brought it up.”
“I showed you a text.”
“Same neighborhood.”
“Not same house.”
Kai looked at her.
Nola smiled despite herself. “See? I listen.”
He touched her cheek.
“Tell them tomorrow.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s not the same.”
“I know.”
He started to say something else.
Nola put two fingers over his mouth.
“No.”
He moved her hand.
“You said you don’t want me making decisions for you.”
“Correct.”
“Then don’t ask me to help you make yours and get mad when I have an opinion.”
She frowned.
“I didn’t ask.”
“You brought it into the bed and looked at me.”
“Maybe I wanted support.”
“Support ain’t always agreement.”
That irritated her because it sounded like something she would say to Mani.
“You’re annoying.”
“You tell me that every day.”
“Because you work hard at it.”
Kai pulled her closer anyway.
Nola rested her head on his chest.
“I will tell them,” she said after a minute.
“Okay.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t sound smug.”
“I’m not.”
“Your chest is smug.”
Kai laughed under her ear.
Nola smiled.
Then she closed her eyes.
She did not know yet that Kai was about to make the exact same kind of decision he had been criticizing her for.
And when she found out, the joke would be over.