Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Oh. Because I’d said no matter how much they succeeded, it was never enough, so he was asking about my success. “Yes and no. I’ll always strive to do better. It’s important to me, but on the other hand, that’s why I have Corbin, Declan, and Parker. They ground me, even if it does annoy the shit out of me.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. Okay, well, I guess I do believe it, but I think you keep them grounded even more.” He nodded at me in another challenge, daring me to contradict him, telling me without words that he didn’t think I would answer. And fuck if I didn’t want to, even if only to prove him wrong. How in the fuck did he get me to react to him this way?
“We do that for each other,” I said, then stood and moved over in front of him. I wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled Kai to his feet, our bodies touching the way they had in his room that first night. Leaning down, I ran my nose along his cheek, then down to his neck. Kai trembled beneath my touch. “You’re always trying to get under my skin.” This time, I brushed my lips over his heated skin, peppering kisses along the way.
“I’m good at getting to you,” Kai replied, breathless.
“Yes.” I kissed his throat. “You.” I pressed my lips along his jaw. “Are.” The word was spoken hovering over his mouth, just touching enough that we could feel each other, a tease of what I considered giving him, before pulling away.
“Motherfucker,” Kai groaned when I took a step back. “You’re going to kill me.”
“I always win, baby boy. You might have gotten secrets out of me, but I still ended the night on top.”
“You can end the night on top of me if you’d like.”
My chuckle was impossible to hold back. “I’m good.”
“Your dick is going to pop out of your pants. All you did was turn yourself on, and now you’re gonna have to go to your room and…oh God. You’re gonna be jacking off in your room.”
A full-fledged laugh escaped me. He was something else. “Good night, Kai.”
“I’ll leave my door open if you change your mind,” he called after me as I went for the stairs. “Where I’ll be jerking my dick and thinking about you.”
“How many times have I told you you’re playing with fire?”
“I know, I know. I guess you don’t realize how much I really want to be burned.”
Damned if I didn’t want him just as much. Still, I went to my room, grabbed my laptop, and worked for hours. When I finally climbed into bed, Kai was in my thoughts as I came all over my chest.
And I knew it was only a matter of time before he got exactly what we both wanted.
Chapter Eight
Kai
“How are things going living with Marcus?” Declan asked at work on Saturday evening. One look told me it had been killing him not to ask me all week. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he’d talked to Marcus about it, but I didn’t figure Marcus gave him much info.
“Really good. He gives the best head I’ve ever had. This one time, he did this thing with his fingers…” I trembled dramatically. “Well, let’s just say a gentleman never tells.”
Declan crossed his arms, leaning against the counter. “You’re a brat.”
“Gasp! You don’t believe me?”
He chuckled. “You’re not sleeping with Marcus.”
“No, but can you put in a good word for me?” That earned me another chuckle before I got serious. “It’s great. I live in a big, beautiful home with a fine-ass man who’s equal parts kind and infuriating. And he loves my fish. I catch him watching them often. It’s adorable. He’s done all this research on them and asks me questions. He literally bought a new filter because he wasn’t sure the one I had was good enough and thought it might cause problems—spoiler: mine was good, but it was sweet anyway. Most of the time I don’t let him do stuff for me, but I let that one slide.” I began wiping down the counters. Luckily, we weren’t too busy yet.
“Yep. That sounds like Marcus. Biggest heart out of any of us but doesn’t see it.”
“Or maybe he just doesn’t want attention for it. Maybe he does the things he does because it’s important to him and not to be praised for it.” I didn’t know why I thought that or why I was telling Declan something about the man he’d been best friends with since he was a kid. He was right, I figured. Marcus didn’t see it, but if he ever did, I didn’t think he’d like it being brought up. “Sorry. Not that I think I know him better than you. I don’t really know him at all.”