Page 52 of From the Start

I blow out a breath and count to ten before I explode on them. They are ruining my post-sex high. Wait. Wait. Wait. I do not have a post-sex high. Nope. I am officially pretending what happened with Kai did not happen.

“Dakota, Blossom, do you want to explain why you’re here or not? If not, I need to get back to work since I’ve already had a break.”

“You’ve already had a break?” Blossom asks. “What did you do? Where did you go?”

I groan and bury my face in my hands. “Is the news all over the island already?”

“Nope. But you just confirmed our suspicions after Kai called us to come check on you.”

I whip my head up. “Kai called you to come check on me?”

“Duh.” Dakota rolls her eyes. “Why do you think we’re here?”

“Because I was a bad mermaid in a previous life.”

Blossom barks out a laugh. “Don’t be silly. There are no bad mermaids.”

“Yes, there are. They’re called sirens, and they lead sailors to their death.”

She dismisses my comment with a flick of her hand. “Sirens and mermaids are not the same species.”

I’m done discussing mermaids and sirens. “Kai seriously called you to check on me?”

Blossom wiggles her phone at me. “Technically, he messaged.”

“My question is, why is he worried about you?” Dakota’s nose wrinkles. “Was it bad? Did he hurt you?”

“No way.” Blossom shakes her head. “All the Raiders were born with the innate ability to please a woman.”

My cheeks darken as I remember just how Kai pleased me. He didn’t have any problems making me come in record time, unlike other men I’ve been with.

I don’t get it. Kai is a baby. He’s eight years younger than me. He was still underage when I bought this bar. How is he the man my body yearns for? It doesn’t make any sense.

So much for pretending it didn’t happen.

“Maybe Kai was worried her head would explode with how good it was,” Dakota says and I glare at her. “What? You’re not the first woman to run away after a Raider blows your mind.”

“How do you know I ran away?”

“Because you’re here at your bar and Kai messaged us fromBootlegger.”

Oh, right.

Dakota pats my hand. “You don’t have to tell us what happened.”

“Speak for yourself,” Blossom says. “I want all the details. And I also want it noted for the record that I did not run from a Raider.”

“Because Jaxon ran from you before you had the chance.”

I walk toward the door. “I really do need to get back to work.”

Blossom sighs. “You’re going to be more difficult than Dakota.”

“Hey!” Dakota yells. “What did I do?”

“You worked two jobs at the same time. It’s not easy to be friends with someone who’s working all the time. And she,” Blossom points at me, “works all the time and cares for her father when she’s not working.”

“This is not new information.”