Page 44 of Kai
He leaned against the doorway for a moment, letting the scene wash over him—the ordinary intimacy of it, the morning sunlight filtering through the windows onto her profile, her movements precise but unhurried. It struck him, with a force he hadn't expected, that he wanted this. Not just the electricity of their nights, but the quiet moments like this, too. The ones that felt anchored in something deeper.
"You're up early," he said, his voice still rough from sleep.
It startled her briefly, though she quickly masked it behind a small smile.
"I thought you might need breakfast after last night," she replied, not looking up from the pan, her tone teasing but faintly vulnerable.
He crossed the kitchen slowly, drawn by her presence, and reached for the coffee. Taking a sip, he exhaled softly.
"I didn't mean to stop the conversation," he admitted, the words feeling heavier than he intended. "But it seems we're both good at finding...distractions."
Her hands paused momentarily, a flicker of something crossing her face—a mix of amusement, frustration, and maybe something else.
"You have your ways," she said, finally meeting his gaze, a challenge lingering in her expression. "But you're not going to avoid the topic forever."
The weight of their unresolved argument hung in the air, but he found himself smiling anyway.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he said, leaning closer, his fingers brushing hers as she handed him the plate. "But first, let's eat."
"Here, I think," she carried the plates across to the table tucked beneath a large bay window overlooking a wooded area where there was a gazebo painted white. Delicate ferns clung to the wooden frame, and a garden burst with colors despite the icy weather.
"Your housekeeper must take advantage of this every day," she murmured, gazing out at the spectacular scene. "Do you ever eat here?" she asked, turning to look at him.
Her heart contracted at the sight of his sleep-tousled hair and the relaxed look on his handsome face. She had opened her eyes to see his head on the pillows next to hers, and the thrill had been unbelievable. She had almost reached out to touch him, as if to assure herself that it was not a dream.
"I never eat breakfast." He smiled faintly as he dug into the delicious omelet and caught her look of surprise. "I'm usually headed out first thing in the morning. On the rare weekends I am here, I only drink coffee before heading out again."
"You slept in today," she pointed out, scooping up eggs.
"I have reason to." His intense look had her going warm.
He was wearing a robe, and she believed nothing else. The lapels of the navy-blue material were snagged open to reveal the magnificent chest with the scatterings of dense dark hairs.
She did not respond for a few pulsing seconds. Picking up her cup, she took a sip of coffee.
"Kai, I need to set some things straight. You called your mother—"
"And my uncles. I did that before I came downstairs."
She set aside her cup with a snap, temper surfacing.
"I asked you not to—Really? You are doing it again. I don't appreciate you trying to run my life like this. I—"
"They're looking forward to meeting you." He calmly proceeded to eat his egg as if he hadn't a care in the world, and of course he didn't. He wasn't the one who was going to be judged and found wanting by his family members, she thought furiously. She was the one who would be facing their judgment.
"I—"
"Their names are Kenzo and Koji." Picking up his cup, he sent her an amused stare. "They're twins, and both of them are gay."
The information deflated her anger and had her staring at him in shock.
"What?"
She blinked, momentarily thrown off balance by the revelation.
"Gay twins?" she repeated, her tone caught somewhere between disbelief and curiosity. "But—but they're Japanese."
Kai leaned back in his chair, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
