It's All Relative (27 page)

What felt like mere minutes later, they were back in the heart of Denver. Kai took them to a small diner that Jessie had been to several times with her friends, and they parked in the back lot. As Kai dropped the kickstand and shut off the bike, Jessie realized that her hands had drifted down to rest on the front of his jeans. She could even feel the basic outline of him. Immediately removing her hands, she felt her face flush red-hot.

Once again glad that the helmet obscured her features, Jessie hopped off the bike. Needing Kai to not touch her for a minute, at least until her embarrassment cooled, she fumbled with the strap under her chin. Determined to remove the helmet on her own, she successfully loosened it as he stepped up to her; his helmet was already resting on the handlebars. Jessie popped it off just as he lifted his hands to help. Kai beamed with pride, and Jessie’s emotions evened. She could do this.

The pair enjoyed a leisurely lunch, neither one wanting to hurry their afternoon together. Jessie shared pieces of her life that Kai didn’t know about—her dad’s recent move to D.C., her mom grudgingly following him there then discovering that she loved it, the numerous amounts of children her brothers had, how she’d decided on her career and where she wanted to go with it, and the details of her romance with Jeremy.

Kai frowned as she explained the details of their failed relationship. “Jeremy sounds like an idiot.”

A brilliant smile erupted on Jessie’s lips. “Yes, yes he is.”

As they ate, Kai talked about things in his life that Jessie didn’t know about—his friends back home, being an only child with divorced parents, why he loved his work so much and what he hoped to accomplish with it, the few not very serious relationships that he’d had, most of them ending amicably, unlike her and Jeremy.

After their long lunch, Jessie felt like she’d been around Kai her entire life. He just fit into every section of who she was, and she couldn’t imagine not having him around now. As odd as it seemed, since he’d only been in the city a little over a week, it was difficult for her to imagine a time when he
hadn’t
been around. Jessie wasn’t sure why that was, and she was both comforted and disturbed by the revelation. Especially since she knew their tight bond was about to get a lot looser. Kai had a date with April next Saturday. And then there was Missy. Jessie still wasn’t sure just what their relationship entailed. Maybe her bond with him wasn’t as tight as she believed. Maybe, like Jeremy, Kai was hiding things from her too.

The thought had her feeling melancholy when Kai eventually dropped her off at her house. Jessie was sullen when she got off her bike and removed her helmet. She tried to hide the sadness, but she was suddenly drowning in doubt about Kai’s honesty. And to be honest with herself, she was extremely disappointed that their afternoon was over. She didn’t want him to see that though, didn’t want him to notice the tears pricking her eyes, so she left her head down and let her hair hide her face.

“Thanks for the ride, Kai. I’ll talk to you later.”

With that brief goodbye, she spun around so she could make a beeline for the door. She just wanted to hide out in her room, where she was going to spend at least an hour listening to depressing music. But Kai wasn’t going to let that happen. He grabbed her elbow as she spun away from him. Stopping, she reluctantly looked back. His expression concerned, he whispered, “Jessie? What’s wrong?”

Not sure what she should or shouldn’t say, Jessie turned her body to face him. Since the thought of him being dishonest hurt, she decided she wouldn’t be dishonest either. Shuffling through her turbulent emotions, she picked a topic that affected her friends as well as her. “That woman you work with…Missy…do you have something going on with her?” She quickly added, “Because April is my friend, and she should know if you’re seeing more than one person.” Her cheeks heated with embarrassment as she said it. Yes, it was an honest statement, but it really wasn’t why she wanted to know.

Kai looked surprised at her conclusion, then he broke into soft laughter. He stopped when Jessie crossed her arms over her chest. Fixing his face, he asked, “Are you serious? Missy?” His voice was as incredulous as his eyes.

Jessie only worried her lip while she waited for a definite answer. Because laughing wasn’t a no. Kai’s gaze turned adoring as he looked over her face. One of his hands came up to run through a springy curl, and for a second, he seemed torn; Jessie’s heart started pounding. “No, I have no interest in Missy.” He let out a sad sigh as he played with the strand of hair in his fingers. “Really, I have no interest in anyone...” Hanging his head, he peeked his eyes up at her.

Jessie thudding heart stuttered. With the longing look in his eyes, she could clearly hear the words he wasn’t saying—
no one but you
. Butterflies of anticipation swarmed in her stomach as his eyes flashed over her face. Dropping his hand from her hair, he raised his chin. “My only interest right now is concentrating on work, taking care of Gran, and…taking care of you.” He whispered the last part.

Jessie felt her heart squeeze. “Me?” Her voice was a whisper too.

He stepped closer to her, so his hips were touching hers. “Yes…you.” His hand found hers, and their fingers laced together. “You’re always taking care of everyone else, making sure everyone has what they need.” His face just inches in front of hers, he breathed, “What do
you
need, Jessie?”

Jessie couldn’t speak. He was so close to her, even their chests were touching. His lips parted as his light breath washed over her. Their fingers tightened as his gaze drifted down to her lips. Stepping into his body, Jessie rested her cheek along his. With a shaky exhale, Kai clenched her hand. Jessie closed her eyes, and the blood pounding through her body sounded like a tidal wave in her head.

Knowing she shouldn’t let them stand so intimately, Jessie began to pull back. Her cheek slid across his as she retreated, but Kai didn’t move; his body was rigid as he clenched her hand. Jessie could feel his hot breath against her lips; it sent a jolt of electricity through her, clouding her mind. Wanting what she knew she couldn’t have—and hating herself for wanting it—Jessie gently pressed her lips to his. Kai made a deep noise in his throat that stoked the fire raging within her. Not caring who was looking, not caring who she was and who he was, that genetically and ethically, they shouldn’t be together, Jessie let go of her control and gave herself over to her basest desires. She wrapped his bottom lip in hers, and sucked him into her mouth.

He tasted like heaven.

He. Kai. Kai Harper, the gorgeous boy who shared her name. Her cousin. That thought instantly snapped her back to who she was. She jerked away, and that was when she noticed Kai’s closed eyes and fast breath. His free hand was slowly reaching up, like he was going to cup her cheek, pull her in for a deeper connection.

“Kai,” she whispered, mortified that she’d caved and kissed him.

His eyes sprang open, and remembering where they were and who might be watching, he looked around himself. Stepping back, his breath still unnaturally fast, he ran a hand through his hair. Searching the area, like he was sure someone had just seen that, he quietly told her, “I should go.”

Jessie felt horror, disgust, and pain rising within her. She shouldn’t touch him like that, especially directly in front of her house where her roommates could see. Her eyes nervously flicked to her front windows. They were completely empty, but Jesus,
had
either of them seen her do that to him? How could she possibly explain that intimate moment?

She swung her eyes back to Kai when she felt him step toward his bike. His head was down, his face looked thoughtful. Jessie hated that she’d completely ruined their nice afternoon with those last few minutes. Knowing she was to blame, she put a hand on his arm. He glanced back at her with confusion clear on his face. Jessie understood; she felt it too.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, staring at their shoes, unable to look him in the eye.

Sighing, Kai’s fingers came up to briefly touch her chin before dropping back to his side. “We can’t let this…” He paused, and Jessie peeked up at him. Now he was staring at their shoes, unable to look at her either. “I know it’s hard, Jessie, but we have to stop…this.”

Tears stinging her eyes again, she whispered, “I know…that’s why I want you to go out with April. You have a date with her Saturday, right?”

With a sound of weary trepidation, Kai looked up at her. “Yeah...” They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, then he shook his head. “Jessie…about April. I don’t…” He stopped and bit his lip. Jessie felt her heart begin to race again, and she hated herself for it. Closing his beautiful eyes, he smiled sadly before reopening them. “I think I’m going to go over to Gran’s. Spend some time with her. Make sure she’s getting along all right.” He gave her a wry smile. “Give you a break from doing it.”

Jessie nodded, her heart relaxing. Grams. Their mutual relative. She was a tough old broad who managed to get around pretty well, but she still needed some personal attention. “Okay…cousin.”

Kai gave her a soft laugh and looked away. With a smile on his face, he turned back and said, “Goodbye, cousin.”

Jessie swallowed the enormous lump in her throat as she took a step toward her front door. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he grabbed his helmet, slipped it on, and climbed onto his bike. He revved the engine a couple of times after he started it, and with him still intently watching her, Jessie waved goodbye. Kai nodded in response, then twisted around and sped off. Jessie watched until he completely disappeared, then she closed her eyes and dropped her head.

Goodbye…cousin.

T
o say that Kai was confused was an understatement. Here he was, actively planning a date with a vivacious, flirtatious, attractive woman, and all he could think about was his cousin’s lips wrapped around his. It was sick. It was twisted. And it was occupying every waking moment he had.

He pictured Jessie’s smile when he ate breakfast. He remembered the feeling of having her molded to his back when he drove to work. He imagined the sound of her laughter while he listened to his coworkers. But most of all, he remembered the feeling of her lips against his. He could almost still taste her, still feel the heat.

Someone smacking his shoulder returned Kai to the present. “You still here?” Kai looked up to see Louis frowning at him. The Indiana Jones wannabe was standing in front of him with a hand on his hip, like they were in an old Western and Kai was about to tell him to draw. Considering that the extent of their adventurous day had involved the two of them collecting water samples from a nearby stream, it was a little funny to Kai.

Securing the vials of water into a pack, Kai slung it into the back of a jeep. “Yeah…I’m listening.” Knowing that he hadn’t really been paying any attention, Kai struggled to remember what they’d been talking about. He instantly remembered with Louis’s next statement.

“Good, then take her to Paccione’s. You’re practically guaranteed a successful mating.” Louis shifted his stance and grinned. “In fact, I think that’s written right into the menu.”

Kai rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Right
. Louis was helping him plan a date with Jessie’s roommate. While he appreciated his coworker’s enthusiasm, Kai wasn’t trying to have a successful mating with April. And going to a fancy restaurant didn’t sound like much fun to him. It was just a little too…typical.

Climbing into the rig, Kai shrugged. “I don’t know, Louis. That seems a little cliché.”

Louis chuckled as he got into the driver’s side. Adjusting the numerous gadgets on his belt so he could sit back in the seat, he gave Kai a wry smile. “Clichés are clichés for a reason, Harper. They work. Every species has their version of strutting and feather-preening.” His eyes shifted forward as he started the engine. “The human ritual just happens to involve lobster and overpriced wine.”

Kai couldn’t help but wonder when the outdoorsy, wild-looking man had ever taken a girl to a place where eating the chicken with your hands was frowned upon. As they started back to the center, Kai sighed. He didn’t know April well enough to plan a date with her. Picturing what Jessie might have fun doing made him smile. He could easily imagine setting something up for her. Something different, something unique that would make her laugh. Something a little…romantic.

That thought made Kai frown. He shouldn’t be planning romantic outings with his cousin. As the incongruous gray buildings came into view, Kai glanced over at Louis. “I was thinking about something outside, a picnic or something. That’s romantic, right?”

Kai wasn’t entirely sure if Louis knew anything about being romantic. At least, not anything that was original. Louis gave him an appraising look as he parked the jeep behind the buildings. “Take her to Red Rocks.”

Kai blinked. Should he know what that meant? Seeing his confusion, Louis explained. “Red Rocks Amphitheater. There’s nothing playing this time of year, but you could take her up there and have a picnic on the steps.” He cracked open his door, but before he got out, he told Kai, “Most women go nuts for that shit. It works better than piss on a porcupine.”