Page 27 of Until We Burn
The boys talking to Kai begin to draw away. “Alright, see you later, man.”
“Later, guys.” Kai pats one of them on the back, turning around to smile and wave them off. His dark green eyes find mine. My stomach churns when his smile falls.
“Diana.”
I fidget under the weight of his gaze. “Hi.”
Kai cocks a brow, as he approaches the weights. “Did you come here to do a bench press?”
“No, I came here to…”
My words twist and catch in my throat as Kai begins lifting the barbell weight. His jawline sharpens, becoming as stark as his forearm veins.
I clear my throat. “Can you, um. . .can you please stop what you’re doing for a minute?”
“Can’t.” Kai breathes out. “The Vipers are one hell of a team. Gotta stay sharp and focused. Every moment counts.”
He stares ahead with unflinching focus. I can see the sheer strength powering Kai’s muscles after every curl.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Kai, please. This is important.”
“Then talk.” Sweat beads across his smirking lips. “I can multitask.”
My face burns. I snap my eyes down, trying to keep my wits together. “Well, I-I, um…I came here because I would…I would like your help…on the project.”
Kai theatrically furrows his brows. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
I sharply exhale. “I want…your help.”
“The acoustics here are just horrible. You’ll have to?—”
“I want your help!”I snap.
Finally, Kai looks over at me and drops down the barbell weight. He smiles before he props his wrist against the steel handle above him. “So, you finally caved in, huh?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Five days later.”
“Why do I get the feeling you waited one more day just so you could prove me wrong?”
“I did not. You’re overthinking this.”
“Your cheeks say differently, princess.” Kai brushes past me to reach for his duffel bag.
I whirl around and catch my reflection in the mirror when I do. My cheeks are flush and suspiciously pink against my fingers.
I huff. “Don’t call me princess.” I trek after him, my feet aching in my heels to keep up with his long strides. “Kai, this project is our midterm. It’s worth twenty-five percent of our grade. Can you please just cooperate?”
Kai laughs.“No.”
“No?”
“No.”Kai zips up his duffel bag and hikes the strap onto his shoulder. His smile is gone, and the glare in his eyes is scathing. “If you want me to help you, I won’t be treated like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m a fucking puppet.” Kai stands so close; I can hear the angry rasp in his voice, “I’m not part of your entourage, Diana. You can’t just command me to do something when it’s convenient for you.”
Guilt swallows me up. Before I came in here, I didn’t even consider how all of this looked like to him because I’m so used to wanting something and having it delivered to me without question.
