Page 21 of Rival for Rent
Then something bumped against my legs with a heavy thump. Bella. She’d followed us to the door, crashing into the moment like a living reality check. Whatever strange tension had taken hold snapped apart the second she appeared, and Kai stepped carefully out of my arms, putting distance between us.
I still couldn’t stop myself from snapping, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? I told you, you’re in danger.”
“Right,” Kai said, “because my stalker time-traveled back to the 1700s to design and build my house to these exact specifications, knowing that centuries later, some asshole from my past would blunder in and knock me down the stairs.”
“I didn’t knock you down,” I growled. “I kept you from falling. And I still don’t know what’s going on, because you won’t tellme anything. You have a stalker? Is that why you wanted a bodyguard?”
He ran a hand down his face and groaned. “Why can’t I keep my mouth shut when I’m around you? Why do you make it so hard to keep my temper in check?”
“I don’t know,” I shot back, “but the feeling is one hundred percent mutual.”
Jesus. I’d come here to apologize—hell, I’d agreed to apologize for stuff I didn’t even remember—but every time I opened my mouth, Kai found a new way to twist my words. Every instinct I had to make peace kept getting overridden by sheer frustration. What ever happened to giving someone the benefit of the doubt?
“Look,” I said, exhausted, “clearly, we don’t get along. That’s fine. We don’t have to be friends. I’ll get out of your hair, I promise. Just—please let me finish my apology?”
He didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t tell me to shut up. That was as good as permission, I figured.
“What I’m trying to say,” I continued, “is that my brain’s kind of fucked these days. After—well, nevermind. The point is, I don’t remember much from high school, but I trust you and Dana to remember it better than I do. And it sounds like I was a jerk. So, I’m sorry.”
Kai didn’t respond, just kept staring at me with those unreadable dark eyes.
I swallowed and pushed on. “Honestly, all I really remember from high school is how close you were with Ava. If I was a dick to you, it was probably because I was jealous that she wanted you instead of me.”
Kai’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“I just…” I shrugged. “You were smarter than I was. Had more money. You were ambitious and clearly had this whole future laid out in front of you. I get it now. I really do. I can totally see why she was into you. But back then, it hurt. So, yeah… I’m sorry.”
He burst out laughing. And I meanburst out. He doubled over, slapped a hand over his mouth, and laughed, his whole body shaking. I just stood there, blinking like an idiot.
This was…not the reaction I expected. Don’t get me wrong, it was better than him yelling at me again or telling me to get out. But still—laughter?
“Did I say something funny?” I asked, a little sharper than I meant to.
Kai shook his head, pulling his glasses off so he could wipe at the corners of his eyes.
“You actually thought Ava and I were dating?” he managed, still laughing.
I blinked. “You weren’t?”
“No. Never. Mason, I’m gay.”
6
KAI
Mason gaped at me like a fish, mouth opening and closing, and I couldn’t help it—I laughed again. If he was serious, this might be the funniest thing that had happened to me in weeks.
But he did seem serious. He took a step back, his expression stunned, mouth still working silently. It was satisfying to see him flustered for once, though I could’ve done without the literal backpedaling. Did he think being gay was contagious?
Finally, he stammered, “No, you’re not—you didn’t—I mean, you don’t seem…”
I arched an eyebrow. “You sure you want to finish that sentence?”
He took another step back, like I might lunge at him, and that only made me want to press my advantage. I walked forward slowly, Bella padding beside me, backing Mason into the house until he bumped into the dining room table.
“What’s a gay person supposed to seem like?” I asked, folding my arms as his hands landed on the table behind him, steadying himself.
“No, I didn’t mean—” he broke off, sliding sideways, retreating to the kitchen like I was a grenade with the pin pulled. “I’m sorry, I just—I’m surprised, is all.”
