Page 36 of Kai's Hunger

Kai’s gaze softened as he watched me. “Does it hurt? Are you certain you shouldn’t rest?”

I rolled my eyes and scooted off the table. “Your brother just told you I’m fine. Besides, I seriously need to replace my phone.”

Kai ran a hand through his hair. “Fine, but if it starts to hurt, you’ll tell me.”

“Sure,” I lied, smiling up at him.

He rolled his eyes. “You could at least try to look sincere.” He took my hand and we headed out of the room. When we reached the upstairs landing, he said, “You’ll need your coat. The temperature dropped below thirty today.”

I nodded. “Be right back.” I jogged up the stairs to my room and grabbed my puffer coat from the suitcase, then slipped it on before heading back down to Kai. He wore a leather jacket and oh Lord he looked yummy in it. His hair was a wild mess around his shoulders and he wore a pair of black jeans and work boots.

When I got within a few feet of him, Kai smiled. “You look very pretty in blue.”

I could feel the blush filling my cheeks and wanted to kick myself for the telltale reaction. “Thank you.”

He put an arm around my back and headed for the front door. When we reached the porch, there was a black SUV sitting in the driveway with the engine running. “Is that yours?”

“Yeah. I came out early and started it up so it’d be warm.”

Geez, I’d never met anyone so thoughtful. “That was very sweet, Kai. Thank you.”

He grinned at me and held the passenger side door open for me. “I’d be a terrible chauffeur if I let you freeze to death.”

I laughed and got in, then stared over at him. “First you rescue me, then you give me a place to stay, now a chauffeur. A girl could get used to being spoiled like this.”

“Good, then my plan is working,” he murmured as he winked and shut the door. I watched him jog around to the driver’s side, then get in behind the wheel. He put the vehicle in gear, then took off down a long gravel driveway. Once we were on the road, Kai glanced over at me long enough to say, “That café I told you about is right across the street from a shop that sells cell phones. I believe they carry the same type as yours.”

I reached into my purse and pulled it out. “I wasn’t able to read the texts I got last night,” I muttered, thinking of my lovely family. “But I did listen to a voicemail from my mom. Unfortunately.”

Kai stiffened, his hands clenching the steering wheel tighter. “Your mom called you?”

I sighed and dropped my phone back into my handbag. “Yes. It wasn’t a pleasant message either.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think I like your mom very much.”

I laughed at his vehemence. “Yeah, well, that makes two of us.”

We were quiet for a few miles and I enjoyed the scenery. Sach Valley, the area where Kai lived, was breathtaking with mature trees and rolling hills. The quiet beauty made me feel at peace, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I thought of the kiss I’d shared with Kai in the woods the night before—as well as his promise to tell me the truth. No time like the present.

I turned in my seat, angling my body toward Kai, then asked, “Last night, you said you’d tell me the truth.”

He didn’t speak, a clear sign that I’d hit a nerve. A muscle in his jaw twitched and his gaze narrowed.

“There are things about you, about your family that you aren’t telling me,” I went on. “That much I’m certain of.”

“It’s true.” His shoulders bunched and his fists tightened on the steering wheel. “We’re very private, Lily. For good reason.”

I mulled that over. Several wild scenarios sprang to mind. Top of the list, they were into something illegal. “Drugs?”

His gaze shot toward me. “You think we’re drug runners?”

I slapped my hand on my thigh. “Look, you live in the woods, basically on a compound. You have a hundred acres. And you’re extremely secretive. What else can I think?”

He let out a heavy sigh. “I see your point, but we don’t deal in drugs. I swear we aren’t into anything illegal.”

Frustration mounted and I blurted, “Then what is it? Why the secrecy?”

He was quiet for a few minutes before saying, “Do you believe that there are things of this world that mankind has yet to discover?”

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