It's All Relative (25 page)

April pouted; she obliviously wanted to be the one being confiscated. “Sure. I guess.”

Kai looked back at Jessie. “Want to go out to lunch with me?” The look in his eye spoke volumes. Her friends couldn’t see it from their angle, but there was a pleading quality there, like he knew he shouldn’t be here, at her house, asking her to drive off with him, but…he couldn’t stop himself either.

Jessie sighed softly. She shouldn’t say yes. He was supposed to be moving closer to April, not her. Wanting to tell him that she was too busy today, and that he should take April instead, Jessie found herself saying, “Sure, sounds like fun.” She just couldn’t tell Kai no.

He smiled broadly at her, looking very relieved. Eying the light shirt she was wearing, he glanced out the window. “You may want to dress a little warmer.” He shivered under his thick jacket, and Jessie grinned. She hadn’t been outside yet, but she was pretty sure it was mid-fifties at least, thankfully dry after the earlier storms, and not nearly as cold as Kai thought it was. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep the heat up in my truck.”

Kai rocked back on his heels and chuckled. “We’re not taking your truck.”

He winked at her, and Jessie felt her heart surge and butterflies swarm her stomach. Then what he’d said sunk in, and she turned to look outside at his suddenly frail seeming bike. She’d never been on a motorcycle before. Personally, she thought they were death traps. Her eyes widened at the thought of zipping down the road on one, the concrete flying by just a few inches below their toes. When she returned her gaze to Kai, he was clearly amused. “Your bike? But…we’ll be cold?”

Kai smiled at her, admittedly, dumb objection. “Which is why you should dress warmer.”

Knowing Kai would be even colder than her made Jessie cringe in embarrassment. If he could hack it, she could hack it. But being chilly wasn’t really her objection. Seeing her reluctance, April stuck her hand up. “Hey, if she’s too scared to ride on a bike, I’ll go to lunch with you, Kai.”

Jessie tossed April a quick glare. It was more in reaction to her trying to snag Jessie’s afternoon with Kai than for calling her scared, but she didn’t want April to realize that. Hoping to throw her off, she calmly said, “I’m not scared.”

Kai shifted his stance as he watched Jessie; his eyes were amused at her reluctance, but he also looked a little worried, too. Maybe he was wondering if she just didn’t want to go, didn’t want to spend time alone with him anymore. Not wanting him to ever think that, Jessie smiled. “I’ll just layer up, and we can go.”

He smiled brilliantly, relieved again. “Great.”

Jessie darted to her room to add some more layers and a jacket to her outfit. As she was slipping on the fluffy outwear, she heard Harmony lightly knocking on her open door. “Hey, you got a minute?” she asked.

Even as she slapped a smile on her face, Jessie tensed. Oddly, her very first thought with Harmony entering her room was,
Shit,
Kai’s alone with April now
. She shook her head to forcefully remove the thought. Kai and April were going to be very alone when they started dating, and she would have to get used to it sooner or later. Trying to relax, Jessie asked, “Sure, what’s up?”

Harmony leaned against the door frame. She glanced down the hall to the living room and returned her attention to Jessie. “Everything okay with you?”

Jessie paused in zipping up her jacket. Oh God, had Harmony noticed something? Praying she hadn’t, Jessie smiled brighter. “Everything’s fine, Harm. Why?” She resisted the urge to cross her fingers as she waited for her friend’s answer.

Harmony narrowed her eyes at Jessie and then glanced back at Kai. Sighing, she swung her eyes into the room again. “Nothing, it’s just been weeks since…the breakup…and I like to check in with you every once in a while.” She gave Jessie a halfhearted smile, like she felt bad for bringing it up.

Jessie smiled in earnest. “I’m
so
over Jeremy, Harm. No worries there.” Walking over to her friend, she placed a hand on her arm. “Thank you though, for being concerned about me.”

Harmony rolled her eyes as they started walking back down the hall. “Of course I’m concerned about you. With all your family but Grams gone, it’s up to me to bug you about men.” She grinned and laughed.

Jessie laughed with her and stopped when she saw April and Kai talking. In a whisper, Jessie unintentionally added, “I’m not alone…Kai’s here.”

Kai twisted to look at her then, and Jessie beamed at him. He returned her grin, and even with the physical distance between them, Jessie felt the warmth in it. Harmony was silent for a moment then said, “Sure…but…you can’t date
Kai
. Maybe you should try and find your Ricardo.”

Harmony laughed as she said the fictitious name Jessie had told her, but the comment about Kai struck deep. Her face flushed, Jessie smacked Harmony’s arm. Little did Harmony know that Jessie actually
had
found her Ricardo…and Harmony was right, she couldn’t date him.

Ignoring the sadness in that fact, and Harmony bellyaching at being smacked, Jessie walked up to Kai. His eyes were curious; he’d seen her hit her friend. “Okay,” Jessie sighed dramatically, “I’m ready.”

Kai laughed at her put-out expression. “Let’s hit the road then.” His eyes twinkled playfully. It was astoundingly attractive, and Jessie felt her heart race for more reasons than just the fear of riding a motorcycle.

Ignoring the adrenaline surging, she groaned again. “We’re not literally going to hit the road, are we?” Her face scrunched in concern; she actually was nervous about that.

Sighing, Kai lightly grabbed her arm, just above her elbow. Jessie felt the heat of his touch through her padded jacket. “Would I let you down, Jessie?” His eyes searched her face, and Jessie could have sworn he wasn’t really talking about dumping her on his bike.

Gazing up at him, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

He smiled softly, and his hand drifted down her arm. His fingers passed over hers, and Jessie had to stop herself from grabbing his hand. As one, they both looked back at her roommates. “Have a good afternoon, ladies,” Kai said politely.

Harmony smiled brightly and told them to have fun. April pursed her lips and gave Kai a seductive smile. Walking right up to him, close enough that Jessie had to take a step back, she cupped Kai’s cheek. “See you Saturday night,” she said in a breathy voice.

It made Jessie ill that they’d made plans while she’d been getting ready. But what April did next shocked her. In an all too obvious maneuver, she leaned up to his mouth. She was going to kiss him, right in front of Jessie.

Kai’s eyes widened as she approached, but he didn’t pull away. Jessie wanted to do something, wanted to avert her eyes, but she couldn’t stop watching as her friend lightly pressed her lips to his, enclosing them in a soft kiss. Jessie knew that April was forward, but she kind of thought she’d at least hold out until their official first date before feeling comfortable enough to casually kiss him goodbye. Although it was really more of a peck than a full-on kiss. Even still, Kai’s eyes half-closed, and he seemed affected by it when she pulled away.

The spell broken, Jessie finally looked away. Needing air, she turned and strode out the front door. She could hear Kai murmur goodbye to her friends, before hurriedly following her out the door. Jessie felt the tears stinging, but she forced them back. He should be with April, they made sense together, and she shouldn’t be negatively affected by seeing them kiss. She couldn’t kiss Kai, and April could. And Kai deserved to be kissed, deserved to be loved. It was as simple as that.

But still…that didn’t mean she liked watching it.

K
ai wasn’t sure what he was doing, showing up at Jessie’s place the day after they’d decided to go their separate ways, but not really. They’d never truly go separate ways, not with what they meant to each other. And not with the fact that they were family. That would never change. Even if the feelings brewing were hard and confusing, they would eventually fade, and the family ties would be all that remained.

As he watched Jessie walking to his bike, he wondered how she really felt about him and April. She couldn’t have liked seeing April kiss him. Even if Jessie was only mildly attracted to him, she probably hadn’t liked watching it. Kai wished he’d pulled away, but if he had, it would have ruined the perception that he was open to a relationship. He couldn’t send April mixed signals before they’d even begun to date. Not when Jessie had asked him to try. And he was trying. For her, he was trying.

Kai smiled when Jessie stopped at the back of his bike, looking unsure what to do next. Regardless of that awkward situation, he was very glad she’d said yes. Kai missed being alone with his cousin, and he wanted to share with her something that was important to him. He wanted them to be closer…even if, in some ways, they had to be farther apart.

Jessie was frowning when she looked back at him. Hoping that she wasn’t too upset about the kiss, Kai frowned, too. Her eyes flicked over him, warm, brown and beautiful, and she bit her lip. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself and shook her head. With a quick exhale, she asked, “Where are we going?”

Kai was pretty sure that wasn’t what she’d been going to say. He considered bringing up the brief kiss, thought about asking her if she was okay, but really, she either was or she wasn’t, and either answer would bother Kai. There was no easy way to get around the pain of this forced space between them, and Jessie didn’t seem to want to comment on it, so Kai didn’t either. Instead, he stepped up to the back of his bike, unstrapped the second helmet from the seat and handed it to her. “I thought I’d show you where I spend my days.”

Jessie smiled as she grabbed the helmet. “Your work? Really?”

It made Kai smile to see the surprise and happiness on her face; visiting his work was clearly something she’d wanted to do. Jessie tore her eyes away from his gaze to stare at the helmet in her hands. She looked like she wasn’t sure exactly what she was supposed to do with it. Kai helped her slide it on, his fingers gently brushing against her skin as he fastened the belt under her chin. Once she was wearing it, Kai studied her eyes through the open visor. She was grinning ear to ear until she seemed to remember something he’d told her earlier, then her brow furrowed; it was an adorable expression on her. “Did you buy the helmet for…me? Is this what you got me?”

With a shrug, Kai nodded. “Yeah, I thought you might like riding with me sometimes.”

Jessie’s brilliant smile returned. “Oh, well, thank you, Kai.” She cast an uneasy glance at the bike. “Once this stops terrifying me, I think I’ll appreciate that.”

Laughing, Kai flipped her visor down. “Just hold on tight. I got you, cousin.” He felt perfectly at ease as he casually swung his leg over the bike and settled onto the molded leather. Jessie hesitated and Kai wasn’t sure if it was nerves over being on a bike that had her frozen, or nerves over being alone with him. He hoped it was just the bike.

Kai patted the raised section of the seat behind him, where a passenger could easily fit. Jessie’s shoulders seemed to slump before she awkwardly climbed on behind him. Kai held the bike as still as he could while she jerked her way into position. Happy that she’d set her fear aside, he twisted around to look at her once she was in place.

Rigid and upright, she sat with her hands clenching her thighs. Kai couldn’t see her face through the visor, but he was certain she was worrying her lip. Speaking loud enough so that she could hear him through the helmets, he gave her some last minute instructions, since she’d never been on a bike before.

“Just hold on to me tight.” He indicated his waist, so she would know where. Tilting her head, she pursed her lips in a look that clearly said
I’m not an idiot
. Grinning, Kai added, “Lean into the bike with me on corners. You’ll want to lean away, but it’s easier for me if you don’t.”

Jessie glanced at the ground, then looked back up at him and nodded. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them around his waist. He felt the rest of her body molding to his back, and paused, savoring the feeling of her clinging to him—the warmth, the heat, the comfort. For a moment, he felt like he was back home. He started the bike, revving it a few times to warm the engine. Jessie’s arms cinched around him so tightly, he couldn’t inhale. Loosening her grip, Kai yelled over his shoulder, “Relax…have fun. I got you, Jessie.”

Then he took off.

For the first several miles, Jessie clung to him like he was her lifeline and she was drowning. He took it easy, swinging wide on the corners so she wouldn’t feel like they were going to fall over. But once they got out of the city limits, and Jessie’s hold on his waist eased, he opened it up. Kai smiled as he felt the wind whipping past them. It was chilly but not nearly as bad as it had been before, thanks to several new layers of Under Armour.

Kai felt Jessie laugh against his back as she became more and more comfortable with being on a bike. Grinning, he decided to show her just how exhilarating a motorcycle could be. He dipped low into the curves as they began the winding mountain climb, the concrete seemingly rising to just under their knees. He could feel that the bike was perfectly balanced, nowhere near losing control, but for those not used to the sensation, it could be a little frightening. Jessie clenched him tightly again, but she laughed too.