Page 42 of Kai
“I have a gut feeling we will not onlytalkabout kissing at some point,” I said. “The probability is high that we’ll kiss again.”
“What?”She straightened in her chair.
“There’s something else I need to tell you.”
She raised her sweeping eyebrows. “Well?”
I cleared my throat and forced the words out. “Your sisterschoseme for this mission.”
“Yeah, and for good reasons.” She stuck out her fingers asshe counted. “First, you’re excellent at your job. Second, you’re a sea warrior. Third, you had the right skill set for this mission.”
“I’ll take excellent, skilled, and warrior, but they chose me for yet another reason.”
She whipped up her skeptical chin. “And that is?”
It was now or never. I didn’t think words like fate and destiny would go down well with Cece, at least not at this moment, but I had to give this a go. I reached out and settled my hand over hers.
“Your sisters think you and I have a special connection,” I offered. “They told me that somehow, in some way, you and I go together.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cece
“A special connection?”I choked out, keenly aware of the sizzling touch of his hand on mine. When he nodded, I opened my mouth and couldn’t close it again. It took me an entire minute to make words again. “What the hell do you mean?”
“Together.” He lifted his hands in the air and intertwined his fingers for a moment. “That’s what your sisters think.”
The absence of his touch left me feeling hollow, even though I gaped like a guppy before I spoke again. “Have they gone bonkers?”
“They looked perfectly sane last I saw them,” he assured me with a straight face.
“Do you believe this…?” What was this? What on earth could I call this? “Do you believe this crazy hypothesis?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure what to believe, but I trust Thena and Missy’s hunches.”
“Wait.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you saying my sisters are… what? Playing matchmakers in the middle of this shitshow?”
He lifted a noncommittal shoulder. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”I blew out a breath. “What kind of answer is that?”
“The only kind I have,” he said in that firm yet gentle way that reminded me of strong but sweet chocolate martinis. “Look, I don’t pretend to understand the forces that are at work here. Your sisters didn’t elaborate. They sent me to find you and warned me that something could happen between you and me—keyword ‘could.’”
“Why would they think that?”
“You’d have to ask them, but…” He paused as if grappling for words. “There are precedents to consider.”
I gawked.“Precedents?”
“Thena is back with Dash,” Kai explained, as if this was relevant to this conversation. “She chose a Marine called Javier Guzman to find Missy. Javier and Missy are together now.”
“I wouldn’t call those precedents.” I went straight into my logical mode, ignoring the unease that squeezed my stomach, and his aura, shining as bright as ever. “Thena and Dash have been attached at the hip since forever. Those two were bound to find each other again. As for Missy, she’s the kindest, nicest, most soft-hearted person I know. She’s easy to love and loving by nature. If this Guzman dickhead has half a brain, he knows she’s an easy catch.”
“You’re underestimating Missy.” A warning hardened Kai’s voice. It was the first time I’d heard annoyance in his tone since I’d met him. “She’s strong. She knows what she wants.”
“That’s not the Missy I remember,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Maybe she’s changed,” Kai suggested. “People do change, you know.”
