Page 31 of Rekindled

I grabbed a seat on the two-piece sectional opposite the wicker and aluminum coffee table, and Kai lounged inches away on the cushion beside me.

For a moment, we just relaxed there, saying nothing. Enjoying the silence. That wasn't out of the norm between the two of us. Like I said, next to the fireplace, the fire pit and heated deck were our favorite amenities on the cabin's property. Journee and Zyair didn't know this, but Kai and I have christened just about every square foot of the cabin's floor-plan during the winters we spent here alone.

I snickered at the thought as I sipped from my wine glass.

"What's so funny?" Kai asked, a smile brimming on his lips.

I shot him a glance more than prepared to look away when I caught his eyes. The man hadn't lost his way at all physically. His arms looked hillier in his cashmere sweater, face more chiseled, and his overall aura just seemed in balance.

I shook my head as I focused forward. "Nothing, I was just thinking about the ghosts of cabin's past."

At that, I peeked at him for a reaction and he didn't disappoint. He balled his lips to keep from smiling, but a second later gave in to what came naturally to him.

"I see," he acknowledged, then took a swig of his beer. "Any ghosts in particular?"

I licked my lips and smiled to myself. "The one that's keeping the secret that we've left parts of ourselves all over this cabin, not excluding the bed Journee and Zyair are on right now and they have no clue about that fact."

A laugh bellowed from his gut and it was so infectious, I had to join in. "Oh,thatghost."

"Mm-hmm." I giggled.

We were silent again, my eyes moving around the property, view falling on the shadows of the surrounding night.

"So many memories have been made here."

"So many," he echoed.

I bit inside of my bottom lip. "Have you been making fresh memories with someone new, somewhere else?"

The moment the question surfaced in my mind and materialized out of my mouth, I cringed and looked away.

"I—"

"Don't." I held my hand up and turned my head to face him, quickly turning away again. "Please don't answer that. I don't know why I even—"

"I haven't," he interjected.

Embarrassment blushed my cheeks. My face heated as I kept my eyelids shut tight. Probably would have remained exactly like that before running off the deck if I hadn't felt Kai's warm fingers pressed against my chin. He used my chin to turn my head to face him again.

This time when we made eye contact, there was something different but familiar in his gaze. He caressed my chin with his thumb and told me, "There's been no one since you."

I exhaled all the air I had in me. A breath I didn't even know I was holding in. How could I forget this? His touch. Just like his kiss in the guest room, his touch held so many memories, so many moments I lost track of time and just enjoyed being in his company. I wanted to create more memories like that.

"There's been no one since you either," I whispered, feeling as the tears welled in my eyes. "Can't say I haven't made any attempts, though."

He snorted a laugh. Kai moved in even closer and ran his fingers from my chin to over my jaw. Soon he buried his hand in my hair and I refused to hold back the moan his touch produced.

I watched as he leaned in and pressed his lips to my cheek and kissed his way to my ears to tell me, "I haven't even thought to try."

I turned my head slowly to look at him and with no words he crushed his mouth against mine.

Like in the guest room, his kiss was a welcomed surprise, a needed reminder. I wasted no time opening my mouth, and he didn't hesitate to slide his tongue between my lips in search of mine.

We both moaned at our tongues' point of contact. Kai held me at the back of my head, entwining his tongue with mine, moving in even closer. He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me out of my seat so I could straddle him.

The fire crackled over the logs in the fire pit, competing with the sounds of Kai and my lips smacking and our moans.

He broke our kiss with ease to press his lips to my neck and I held him by the back of his head, indulging in the sensation of having his mouth on me again.

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