Page 50 of The Chaos She Brings
Kai moves around me, pulling out plates and glasses from the cupboard. As he stretches to reach the topshelf, his shirt rides up slightly, exposing a patch of his tan skin. I bite my lip, trying not to groan.
Why does he have to be so damnattractive?
His arm brushes mine, and it sends a shock through my entire body, like an electric jolt. I freeze, my pulse racing. Crap.
Kai pulls back almost immediately, his body stiffening, but he doesn’t say anything. The silence between us thickens, awkward and heavy. I can’t figure out if he’s feeling what I’m feeling or if I’m just losing my mind.
I watch him carefully as he sets the table with a kind of controlled precision that makes me want to scream. Everything he does is so deliberate, so careful. It’s like he’s trying to be perfect, trying to avoid the tension between us. Meanwhile, I’m standing here pretending I didn’t just feel every inch of my skin tingle from his touch.
Ireallyneed to get laid. Preferably by someone who doesn’t scowl at me like I’m his worst mistake.
Placing the plates down, sliding one in front of Kai, I keep my eyes low. It’s so awkward even I’m not sure what to say.
Eventually, the silence becomes too much.
I stab a meatball, the scrape of my fork against the plate sharper than necessary. “Are we just going to pretend nothing happened between us?”
His head lifts, gaze cutting to mine, dark and unreadable. “What do you want me to say, Tess?”
“I don’t know. Maybe that you regret it?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.
His jaw ticks. He drops his fork, metal clinking against porcelain. Then he stands. Comes around the counter until he’s right next to me. Close enough that I smell the soap that clings to his skin.
“I don’t regret it,” he says, voice low, rough. “That’s the fucking problem.”
My breath catches.
His fingers brush my wrist—barely there, just a ghost of contact—but it’s enough. Enough to make my pulse kick, enough to remind me exactly how his hands felt on me before.
I should say something. Laugh it off, crack a joke. But I don’t. I just sit there, heart hammering in my chest, waiting forwhatever happens next.
But nothing does. Because Kai exhales sharply, like he’s forcing himself to step back. And then he does—turning away, back to his plate, back to pretending nothing happened at all.
And I hate that it stings.
"You cheater!" I scream, my voice laced with mock fury as I throw my arms up in exaggerated disbelief.
Happy grins at me, his expression pure smugness. "I did no such thing. You just can’t handle losing."
I cross my arms and pout, screwing up my face in the most dramatic way I can muster.
"You’re adorable when you’re angry," he whispers, moving way too close.
I take a step back, just as Kai walks in. His eyes narrow, zeroing in on the small gap between Happy and me.
Happy, of course, grins wider, clearly enjoying the tension between them.
I shake my head, grabbing the Switch controller. "Come on, best of three," I mutter, nudging Happy’s shoulder as I walk past him, heading back to the sofa.
Kai stands in the doorway, his arms crossed, his posture stiff, like he's trying to keep himself in check.
I cock my head, studying him. "Wanna play?"
His eyes meet mine, and for a moment, it’s like the world stops. My breath hitches, my heart skips a beat.
But just as quickly, he turns away, his shoulders tight as he walks out of the room without a word.
And I’m left standing there, feeling like the weight of a thousand unspoken words is pressing down on me.
