Page 28 of Unearthed Dreams

“Well? What did you think?” The words scratched my throat.

He maintained that penetrating stare, the silence stretching between us like a rubber band about to snap.

“Kai!” My voice cracked on his name, desperation and frustration bleeding through.

He shook his head a bit, like he’d zoned out.

One hand raked through the hair at his nape, silver strands catching in the golden bar lights. His forearm flexed with the motion, veins taut beneath skin.

“Sorry. I, uh—” His hand dropped back to the bar top. “I thought it was amazing, Charlie.”

Relief flooded through me, my tense muscles releasing their death grip on my spine. The weight of anticipation that had been crushing my chest lifted.

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

Behind him, the wall of bottles sparkled, creating a backdrop that made him look even more imposing. His hazel eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

“No, I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I have some comments.”

My stomach clenched. The sweet cocktail turned sour on my tongue. “Oh? Like what?”

His lips twitched into a crooked grin, a dimple broke through the stubble on his cheek. “Well, you pissed me off in chapter eight.”

A burst of hysterical laughter escaped my throat, the sound bouncing off the bottles behind him. His answering grin transformed his entire face, softening the hard edges into something warmer, more approachable.

My finger shot across the bar top, nearly knocking over my drink. “That”—the tip of my finger almost grazed his chest—“was on purpose.”

He leaned in, closing the distance between us until I could smell him—something subtle and masculine that made my head swim.

“For someone who’s never been kissed, you wrote their first kiss very well.” His eyes dropped to my mouth.

I forced myself to hold his gaze despite the flutter in my stomach. “Thank you. I’ve read enough to know what to repeat.”

“Or maybe…” His voice dropped lower, rougher; the sound skittered down my spine like a physical touch. “You’ve imagined it enough to know exactly what you want.”

Kai’s tongue darted out, wetting his lips. When he pulled it back, his top teeth sank into his bottom lip.

God, what would it be like to be kissed by this man? I’d almost found out. Would I have another chance? Even after I’d called him an asshole? Would he even want someone as inexperienced as I was?

“I’m sorry I called you an asshole. You’re not.”

“Mmm, thinking about that day, pretty girl? I know I am. I’m always thinking of that day.”

I squeezed my thighs together in effort to ease the dull ache that had bloomed there.

“I-I?—”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it. It’s written all over your face.”

My hands came up to my cheeks, and they felt hot to the touch. “It is?”

Kai nodded. “Do you have any fucking idea how beautiful you look when you’re turned on?”

How could he possibly know that just by looking at me?

I didn’t even have to voice the question—he answered it anyway.

“Your cheeks turn the prettiest pink. And your eyes, so big and blue and stunning, they flare and darken as your pupils widen. Those pink, kissable fucking lips part as your chest, those perfect tits, rise and falls faster. Can’t keep my eyes off you.”