Page 110 of From the Start

“Yea.”

“I love you, Slugger.” He melds his lips to mine. He smells of whiskey and worn flannel and home. Kai is my home.

I dig my fingers into his shoulders as he plunges his tongue into my mouth and deepens the kiss. My tongue duels with his and he growls as he grinds his hard length into my stomach. I throw my leg over his hips and—

“Harper! Where did you hide my Fruit Loops this time?” Dad shouts.

I wrench my lips from Kai’s and bury my face in his chest. “I love my dad. I swear I do. But I don’t like him very much right now.”

He chuckles as he kisses my hair. “I’ll get him settled with his cereal while you get dressed.”

“You don’t have to. He isn’t your responsibility.”

Sparks fly from his ocean blue eyes. “Henry is your dad. You’re the woman I love. Hence, he’s partly my responsibility.”

“Hence? When did you learn the word hence?” I tease since I don’t know how to deal with all these big feelings I’m feeling.

He tickles my ribs. “You think you can tease me?”

I bat at his hands. “Stop. Stop. I’ll wet myself.”

He shackles my wrists. “I’ll stop. But only because I need to help Henry or he’ll blow the whole house down with his shouting.”

I groan. “You aren’t wrong.”

He kisses my nose before releasing me to jump out of bed. I lay back to watch him walk around the room. He leans over to pick up his jeans and I nearly groan at how spectacular his ass looks as the muscles bunch.

“Are you ogling me?”

“Someone’s enjoying showing off his vocabulary this morning.”

He pulls up his jeans. “Someone’s good at avoiding questions this morning.”

“Harper!” Dad shouts and gives me the perfect opportunity to continue avoiding his questions.

“You better go help Dad. I’m going to grab a quick shower.”

“There’s no rush. I’ve got this.”

I wait until he shuts the door behind him to collapse back in the bed. I told Kai I loved him and nothing bad happened. No earthquake hit. No hurricane appeared. Nada bad shit.

In fact, good stuff was about to happen until my dad interrupted. I throw an arm over my face as I feel my cheeks warm with a blush. I can’t believe I had sex in my childhood bedroom with Dad two doors down.

I debate hiding in the bedroom until it’s time to go to work, but it isn’t fair to force Kai to care for Dad. Besides, I’m an adult. I’m allowed to have sex. And it wasn’t sex with some random man. Kai is the man I love.

Enough with these big feelings this morning. I don’t know if my heart can handle more.

When I stroll into the kitchen ten minutes later, Dad is sitting at the table eating his Fruit Loops while Kai reads onhis phone across from him. Kai notices me and starts to stand. “I made coffee.”

I motion for him to stay seated. “I’ve got it.”

“Good morning, Dad.” I squeeze his shoulder as I pass him. “How did you sleep?”

He grunts, which could mean anything from ‘I slept like crap’ to ‘I slept like a baby after drinking a drop of Smuggler’s Hideaway moonshine’.

“I slept well. Thanks for asking,” I say as I pour myself a cup of coffee.

“I bet you did.”