Page 153 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“Mmm. Brownies sound good.”
“They have the best brownies down at Morton’s Café.”
I hesitate. “The one Jamie works at?”
“Yeah, that’s where everyone left the field to go. And Jamie doesn’t just work there. She and her aunt own it.”
“They own it? I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, they inherited it. They work damn hard to make sure it’s the best café in town so they can afford to live here.”
“I’ve never been there.”
He smirks. “I’ve noticed.”
“Everyone’s allowed to have a regular place, aren’t they?” I defend. “Mine’s just Village Coffee.”
“Only because you’re following what Vanessa Ashworth does.”
“And you only go to Morton’s because of Jamie.”
“Yeah, because I care about supporting her.”
My palms grow sweaty. “I get it. It’s different. You’re being loyal.”
He flicks the ball on top of his foot and then bounces it off one thigh and then another before tapping it against the inside of his foot. “Don’t be hard on yourself.” His foot lands on the ball and he rolls it behind him and then flicks it up onto his heel. “You’ve been on the defensive for so long.”
“Doesn’t mean I couldn’t be loyal to someone in the meantime.”
He swings his foot out and gets back behind the ball. “Well, you have. You’ve been super loyal to Camila despite her treating you like crap.”
I sigh hard. “It’s a never ending battle, trying to make that girl happy.”
“You’ll never win that battle,” he says, keeping still for a moment. “That girl thrives on feeling terrible.”
“She’s just hurt because of her dad.”
“Her dad already remarried. How much longer is she gonna keep using that as an excuse?”
It renders me speechless. I never considered Cammy would need to let go of her issues with her dad.
“Sorry.” Kai sighs and thwacks the soccer ball into the goal. “I don’t mean to make you think about her.”
“It’s okay. She’s part of my life.”
“And I hate that.” He gets on-side of the ball and stops it dead. “You wanna forget about her for a while and I’ll teach you how to pass the ball?”
My gaze is no longer fixed on his feet and the ball. I’m entranced by his hazel eyes and the crookedness of his grin. With a hint of devilishness, I sway my hips his way. “You know this is just an excuse to get you alone?”
He grins, letting the soccer ball roll away from him. “So, we’re giving up the pretense?”
I step forward and fling my arms around his neck. “Oh, yeah.”
Like we’re starved of human connection, our mouths lock like it’s our only hope for survival. Under my coat, his arms cinch around my waist and his hands make camp on my back. With hungry kisses and a firm grip on me, Kai walks me backwards until my back rests against the goal post.
A soft moan escapes me and Kai’s mouth travels along my jawline and plants butterfly kisses on my neck. My breath hitches and I’m more than glad I’m being propped up before I melt into a puddle.
My coat billows out and I wonder if I should slip it off. Although I might lose my balance, one of Kai’s hands lowers. It traces the hem of my jeans and then brushes against my thigh and increases in pressure. When I moan at his touch, he guides my thigh higher. Following his lead, my foot leaves the ground as the inside of my thigh brushes against the outside of his.
