Page 58 of Kai
I slung the towel over the rim of the shower, marched to the wardrobe, and threw open the door. What would happen if this became a habit? If this somehow progressed into more intimacy? Intimacy was a curse word to me, not something I’d ever aspired to before. And what would I do if I let him have the run of my body—even if it was only for a few days—and then he dropped me at the first opportunity because I was such a cantankerous bitch?
What then, Cece?
A stray thought got in the way of my perfectly reasonable arguments. If it happened again, would I be able to climax in the same body and soul-shattering way I’d come at the ridge?
Cece!I yanked my panties on.This is nothing to be proud of. It’s not funny!
Affie’s giggles rang in my head. Itisa little funny. Her amused voice echoed in my mind. Butonly because you are you.This is exactly how my snarky sister would’ve teased me had she been around.
I grabbed a T-shirt and jammed my head and arms in it. My weakness for this man shamed me. I’d set my pride aside and broken my rulesandmy boundaries. Sure, it’d felt awesome, but it also went against everything I believed in. I plopped down on the bed and squeezed my head between my hands. How was that for a new definition of failure?
A knock came from the door.
“Cece?” Kai’s voice drifted into my cabin. “It was a long day. I made us some food—”
“I’m not hungry,” I snapped, ignoring the growl in my belly. “Go away.”
“If I’ve offended you—”
“You didn’t.” I’d offended myself.
“If you’d like to talk—”
“No talking necessary.” He’d said it all up there with his actions. He could do me, but I couldn’t do him. How was that for an uneven exchange? “Leave me alone. I’ve got work to do.”
“If that’s what you want…” He let out a sigh on the other side of the door. “I promise I won’t bother you again, but I’m leaving some food by the door.” The small rattle of silverware came through as he settled what I guessed was a plate on the landing outside my berth. “Please eat, Sorceress. You did a lot today. You need the calories.”
“Leave it if you want,” I called out, opening the case and sliding the laptop out. “If I get hungry, I’ll grab it.”
“Okay.” His voice sounded oddly hesitant. “Good night.”
I didn’t bother with a reply. I was a fool, but I knew he was right about me needing to eat something. It was sweet of him to think of me.
No, you idiot! Not sweet!Manipulative!Like most men I knew.
His offer of food was more likely a honey trap to draw me out of my room. To talk. Blah, blah, blah. Well, guess what? I didn’t want to talk. Instead, I wanted to forget everything that had happened on the ridge. I’d wait until he went to sleep to fetch whatever food he’d left and devour every morsel.
With a huff, I relied on my fallback position to deal with the bitterness inside. I put on my glasses, turned on my computer, and went to work, cataloguing all the data I’dcollected in the last few weeks. I’d never had time to draw up comparison tables. Well, now I had the timeandthe wrath to power me into overdrive.
***
Kai
Cece hadn’t spoken to me for two days straight. The woman’s capacity for anger was astounding. She barely came out of her cabin. When she did, she grabbed the food I left ready on the counter and avoided eye contact with me.
She’d only addressed me twice with the same question. “Any news?” she’d demanded in her haughtiest Astor tone. “When the hell are we getting out of here?”
It irked me that I had no news for her, but things had been quiet, too quiet for comfort. What were Tracker Team and Booming Voice up to?
It pained me even more that I had zero access to Cece. I didn’t have to be a genius like her to know she was angry with me, and yet I wasn’t sure exactly what had set her off. Not true. I knew. I’d gone blank on her. Mute. Cold. Not because of her, but because of the memories. I thought I’d covered it up, but failed at that as well. I’d tried apologizing, but she’d cut me off.
What was I gonna do about it?
My morning meditation didn’t help. Since I didn’t like confusion, I craved clarification as much as I craved her. Even now, as I sat before my navigation station, checking my surveillance systems, my dick confirmed that last part. Every time I thought of Cece, the bastard went stiff. Since she dominated my thoughts, this happened way too often.
For a dude who liked his Zen, I wasn’t doing well.
As I scrolled through my monitors, reviewing the cameras’ footage, I could hear her in her cabin, pummeling her keyboard furiously, cursing aloud every once in a while. I’d just cleaned up after returning from my evening patrol. Pushingmyself to the limit, I’d added speed and clicks to my hikes, and then swam for hours across the cove to work out my frustrations.
