Chapter 30 #2
Kai watches me, his eyes widening slightly. “Not really. I come occasionally, but no one else is ever here. It’s one of my better kept secrets.”
I kick off my shoes and peel off my socks. “Sounds perfect.”
He just watches me, transfixed as I pull my sweater over my head, leaving me in just my tank top and jeans. “It’s pretty cold out for a swim.”
I unbutton my jeans and slide them down my legs. The cool night air raises goosebumps on my skin, but the steam from the pool promises warmth.
“Are you going to join me?” I ask, standing in just my underwear and tank top.
Kai swallows visibly. “Holly, you don’t have to—“
“I know.” I step closer to him, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. “I want to. Unless you don’t?”
“You have no fucking idea,” he whispers, echoing his words from earlier.
I reach up and trace the line of his jaw with my fingertips. “Then show me. Show me your kind of alpha.”
His good hand comes up to capture mine, pressing my palm against his cheek. For a breathless moment, we stand like that, connected by that simple touch. Then he leans down and kisses me.
It’s nothing like the desperate, heat-driven kisses we shared during my heat. This is gentle, almost reverent—his lips moving softly against mine, asking rather than demanding. I melt into it, my free hand coming up to tangle in his hair.
When we break apart, his eyes are darker, pupils dilated. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you,” he admits.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Wasn’t sure if you wanted me to. Not like you want Noah and Grayson.” There’s no bitterness in his voice, just simple acceptance. “I’d rather miss out than do anything to hurt you.”
“I want all three of you,” I tell him. “Each in your own way.”
Something flares in his eyes at that—not the aggressive dominance he seems to fear in himself, but a quieter, steadier kind of confidence. He kisses me again, deeper this time, his tongue teasing along the seam of my lips until I open for him with a small sound of pleasure.
His bandaged hand rests lightly at my waist, careful not to apply pressure, while his good hand slides up my back, pulling me closer. I can feel him hardening against my stomach, his body responding despite whatever blockers he’s been taking.
“It’s cold,” I murmur against his lips. “Let’s get in the water.”
He nods, releasing me to quickly strip down to his boxers.
I try not to stare at his body—lean and athletic, with the kind of muscle definition that comes from actual use rather than gym workouts.
A scattering of scars marks his skin—evidence of a life spent chasing adrenaline on mountains and waves.
I pull my tank top over my head and step out of my underwear. The night air pebbles my nipples and raises goosebumps along my arms, but I don’t feel cold. Not with the way Kai is looking at me—like I’m something precious and wild all at once.
“You’re beautiful,” he says simply.
I smile and turn toward the pool, feeling his eyes on me as I step carefully into the water.
It’s hot—not scalding, but hot enough to make me ease in gradually, sighing as the heat envelops my legs, then my hips, then my waist. I move toward the center where the water reaches my shoulders, then turn to watch Kai enter.
He’s less cautious than I am, sliding into the water with the easy confidence of someone who’s done this many times before. In a few strokes, he’s beside me, water beading on his shoulders and in his hair.
“How’s the hand?” I ask, nodding toward his bandaged arm, which he’s holding carefully above the water.
“Fine.” He grins. “I’ve got another one.”
As if to demonstrate, he slides his uninjured hand around my waist underwater, drawing me closer until our bodies are almost touching. The hot water amplifies his scent—snow and mint swirling through the steam—making my head swim pleasantly.
“Is this okay?” he asks, his voice low.
In answer, I close the distance between us, pressing my naked body against his. The feeling of skin on skin, slick with mineral-rich water, sends a shiver through me that has nothing to do with temperature. Kai’s breath catches, his arm tightening around my waist.
I kiss him, more boldly this time, nipping at his lower lip. He groans softly, the sound vibrating through his chest and into mine. His hand slides lower, cupping my ass and pulling me more firmly against him. I can feel his erection straining against his boxers, hot even through the water.
“These need to go,” I murmur, tugging at the waistband of his boxers.
He hesitates for just a moment, then nods. I help him slide them down his legs, and he kicks them off, sending them floating toward the edge of the pool. Now we’re both completely naked, our bodies touching from chest to thigh in the buoyant water.
Kai kisses along my jaw to my ear, his breath warm against my skin. “Tell me what you want,” he whispers.
The question surprises me. Noah takes charge during intimate moments, and Grayson communicates more with actions than words. But Kai is asking—giving me control in a way that feels both empowering and incredibly arousing.
“Touch me,” I breathe, guiding his hand between my legs. “Like this.”
He follows my lead, his fingers exploring me with gentle curiosity. I show him how I like to be touched, guiding his movements until he finds a rhythm that makes my breath hitch. All the while, he watches my face, attentive to every reaction.
“You’re so responsive,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “So beautiful like this.”
The praise warms me from the inside, adding to the heat building low in my belly. I reach between us to stroke him, feeling him throb against my palm. He’s impressively hard, his length hot and silky in my hand.
“I want you inside me,” I tell him, my voice husky with desire.
Kai’s eyes darken. “Here? In the water?”
I nod, already positioning myself. The natural buoyancy of the hot spring makes it easy to wrap my legs around his waist, my arms looping around his neck. His good hand supports my lower back while his bandaged one rests lightly on my hip.
“Like this?” he asks, the head of his cock nudging against my entrance.
“Yes,” I breathe, sinking down slowly onto him.
We both gasp as he fills me—the angle, the water, the setting all combining to make the sensation incredibly intense. For a moment, we stay perfectly still, adjusting to the feeling of being joined.
Then Kai starts to thrust, using the water’s buoyancy to establish a gentle rhythm.
I cling to him, my face buried in his neck, breathing in his scent with each thrust. It’s different from being with Noah or Grayson—less urgent, more exploratory.
Kai takes his time, finding angles that make me moan, adjusting when I tighten my legs around him in encouragement.
“You feel amazing,” he murmurs against my ear. “So perfect. So right.”
The praise washes over me like warm water, heightening every sensation. I can feel myself getting close, the familiar tension building at my core. Kai seems to sense it, his movements becoming more focused, more deliberate.
“That’s it,” he encourages softly. “Let go for me, Holly. I’ve got you.”
It’s those words—I’ve got you—that push me over the edge. My climax crashes through me in waves, making me cry out into the night. Kai holds me through it, his arms strong and secure around me, his lips pressing kisses to my temple, my cheek, my mouth.
As I come down from the high, I feel him still hard inside me, still moving with careful restraint.
“You didn’t finish,” I murmur, kissing him deeply.
“It’s okay,” he says against my lips. “This was for you.”
I pull back to look at him, struck by the selflessness of the gesture. “I want it to be for both of us.”
Something flashes in his eyes—desire but also a kind of wonder. I tighten my inner muscles around him, making him groan.
“Please, Kai,” I whisper. “I want to feel you.”
That seems to break his resolve. His movements become more purposeful, his breathing more ragged.
I match his rhythm, encouraging him with soft words and the press of my body against his.
When he finally comes, it’s with a quiet intensity that takes my breath away—his face buried in my neck, his arm holding me close as if I might disappear.
We stay like that for a long time, connected and floating in the warm water, neither of us willing to break the spell. Eventually, though, the practicalities of our situation assert themselves—his bandaged hand, the cooling night air, the need to get home.
Reluctantly, we disentangle and move toward the edge of the pool. Kai helps me out first, then follows, water streaming from our bodies. The night air feels chilly after the heat of the spring, making us hurry to dress.
As I pull on my clothes, I notice Kai watching me with a soft expression I can’t quite read.
“What?” I ask, suddenly self-conscious.
“Nothing.” He smiles, pulling his shirt over his head. “Just...thank you.”
“For what?”
“For seeing me,” he says simply. “The real me.”
I cross over to him and rise on tiptoes to kiss him softly. “I like the real you very much.”
His smile widens, and for the first time since I met him, it reaches all the way to his eyes—no shadows, no hidden insecurities, just pure Kai.
“Come on,” he says, taking my hand with his uninjured one. “Let’s go home.”
Home.
The word sounds so good coming out of his mouth that I can almost forget that this dream I’m living can’t possibly last forever.