Page 8

ISLA

S oft kisses and the scruff from Kai’s chin grace the insides of my thighs as the early morning light passes through the curtains. A soft moan escapes my lips as the kisses inch closer to my pussy.

“Aren’t you tired yet?”

A legitimate question, because after last night and early this morning, I’m questioning my physical fitness. Exhausted doesn’t even cover the way my body feels right now.

“I’ll never be tired of tasting you, Isla. I need to get my fill of you now. The season starts on Tuesday and then I’ll be traveling all the time.” Lick. “Your classes are gonna start and we’ll only have the nights when I’m playing home games.” Kiss.

I didn’t think about when the season starts, how we’re going to be basically living two separate lives. Kai’s the hot professional baseball player and I’m just the college junior trying to get her life together. Why does the thought of being away from him hurt so much?

“Can we just cuddle for a little?” I ask, leaning my head back against the pillows. I’m sure the gods are shunning me for stopping Kai’s efforts .

His kisses stop and his head emerges from under the covers. “Of course.” Kai crawls up and flops on his side and pulls me into him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.” Lie.

My heart hurts.

“Liar. You still do that eyebrow thing when you lie.” He brushes the hair away from my forehead and smirks. “It’s cute that you’d think I’d forget.”

Perceptive asshole.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little sad.” I caress his face, brushing the long strands of his bangs back. “I wanted more time with just us.”

“Yeah, I know.” He leans in and kisses my forehead, then flings himself back against the pillows. “It’s shitty timing, but we’ll get through it.”

“Maybe I can take the time off from school? You know, and just travel with you for the season.” I want to take the words back immediately after I say them. Putting off school is not the solution, especially since I’ve worked so hard to be on track to graduate early.

“That’s not happening. I know you’ve wanted to be a child life specialist since you were sixteen. I won’t have you giving up your career for me.”

Kai used to listen to me drone on and on when we were younger about how I wanted to be a CLS and do my part in helping kids like me that had to be in the hospital.

It was a terrifying experience and if I could make it easier for even one child, it would be worth it.

He was so supportive, even then. Once he was in my life, he took their place when I had to be hospitalized.

“You remember that time when I had to stay at CHO for a few nights after I ate the sloppy joes from the cafeteria and they had soy in them. How the nurse came in and you were asleep in the bed with me and she said we were a cute couple?” I chuckle and scoot as close as I can to him, burying my face in his chest.

“Oh yeah, and then you told her I was your stepbrother and you said she looked at you funny.”

“That look she gave me was priceless.” It really was.

But what Kai doesn’t know is when he left to meet my dad downstairs to grab a bag of clothes for me, I told that nurse that I was in love with him.

And I was so scared because I knew my dad would hate me and then hate Kai.

She told me to listen to my heart and maybe just sit and talk with my dad, that he would understand.

I never did because I was too chicken.

Now I wish I had, because then Kai and I would have had all those years together.

“You don’t want to go for the nursing degree? I’d bet you’d make a kick-ass nurse.” It’s like he knows everything about me. Unless my dad told him I was considering switching my major, and this year I added some extra classes to my schedule to see if I liked it.

“Did my dad tell you?” I peek up at him with a narrowed gaze.

“Mom might have let it slip that you were considering nursing.” He chuckles. “Do it, baby. You’ll be amazing at whatever you decide to do, but I think you should go where your heart is leading you.”

My heart is leading me to him.

“If I get pregnant, that would slow things down.” That’s a fact. “And what if I fall in love with being a mom and never want to leave them?”

Kai’s infectious laughter fills our bedroom, and he rolls over on top of me. “Is this like a money thing, Princess? Are you worried about not contributing and us not having enough money? ”

Possibly.

I know it was a constant argument between my parents when they were married.

“It’s part of it. I want to contribute. Not everything should be on one spouse, especially because we live in California.” Kai hovers above me with a goofy smile on his face. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Licking his lips, he lowers himself and presses them to mine. “Like you’re the most beautiful woman in the world? Or that you think even for a second that I would have us in a bad spot financially if we started having kids?”

“I don’t think that. But speaking of finances, I need to call and break the lease I signed. I can probably kiss the security deposit goodbye now.” I let out a deep sigh. There goes twenty-three hundred dollars.

“You should do that because you’re here for good, baby.” He kisses me again, then lifts himself back up and climbs off the bed. “Seriously, don’t worry about the money. My contract is really good and we aren’t hurting. I’ll be able to cover whatever life throws at us.”

“Where are you going?” I sit up, letting the comforter drop and the cold morning air hits my bare breasts.

Kai slides to a stop. “I was going to go make us coffee but…”

“No, no.” I grab the comforter and hold it around my chest. “Coffee…” I shoo him toward the door. “Go make the coffee.”

“See now, I’m conflicted.”

“Malakai!” I chuckle. “Don’t tease me with coffee.”

“Don’t tempt me with your gorgeous body, Princess. You’ll win every time.” He grabs his sweats off the floor and pulls them up. The sound of his bare feet padding down the hallway has me missing him already.

I throw the covers off and grab a t-shirt from my duffel and a thong.

I never got around to unpacking last night, so in true Isla fashion, I’m living out of my luggage.

After getting dressed, I make my way down the hall to the kitchen, where the smell of coffee and the sound of Kai opening and shutting cabinets fill the space.

Pulling out a stool, I watch as he makes oatmeal, puts toast in the toaster, and sets two bowls out.

Kai making me breakfast isn’t anything new. When we were in high school, both our parents worked early and it left us to get ourselves to school. He was the one who made sure that we ate breakfast, and I was in charge of lunch and our water bottles.

He’s been the dream boyfriend/husband since then.

I feel like such an idiot for fighting it all these years.

His naked back is to me and I look at all the tattoos covering his skin. All of them are just black and white ink, no color. I’m not complaining because the contrast is perfect with his skin tone. “So, about these tattoos that are for me? Does Mom know?”

Kai turns around, slowly pulling his thumb out of his mouth. It’s stained slightly with the juice from the berries he was putting in the oatmeal. Now I want to lick it off of him.

“Mmm. Right. I’ve never explained them to Mom, but I wouldn’t put it past her to have figured it out.” The coffee machine beeps, and he grabs everything to make our drinks. “You’ll have to come over here to see them, Princess.”

I give him a playful look but slide off the stool and round the island, standing behind him.

“Mixed in with all the other tattoos are daisies.”

Sure enough, among the skulls and other lines are methodically placed daisies of different sizes.

“Kai, why?” My fingers trace the tiniest ones on his back, feeling the tears creep into the corners of my eyes.

“They’re your favorite flower. You know how there was always a vase of daisies on the table after I moved out?” Kai stops what he’s doing and his palms flatten against the counter.

“Yeah. I thought it was Dad.”

He spins around. “I made sure that there were always some in the house, because if I wasn’t there to make you smile, at least they would.”

“You never stopped loving me, not even for a second?” Tears slide down my cheeks, and he reaches out to wipe them away with his thumbs.

“Never. I may have stupidly found people to fill the void, but I never stopped loving you.” He tugs at the waistband of his sweats. “See.”

In bold black lines on his left hip is “IIIXXIIMMXVIII,” and underneath are four words.

“ You are the reason. ” He whispers, leaning in. His hands frame my face, pulling me towards him.

“The reason for what?” My voice tight and body shaking with soft sobs as I wrap my arms around his neck.

“You are the reason for everything, Isla.”

Kai’s love for me makes me want to be brave.

I’m ready to face our parents.