Page 122 of Just Between Us

He tells me everything. He doesn’t skip any of the details and my heart beats too quickly. Uncharacteristic hate swirls through me like a dark tornado. The noise in my head rises an octave as he speaks. He doesn’t cry and he doesn’t look angry, just withdrawn and I hate it.

I can’t say I’ve ever had a real urge to kill anyone. Sure, I’ve wanted to kill Anant plenty of times, but this is unbridled rage. I want him dead for what he’s done to Kai, for how he made him believe he does not deserve to be loved or wanted deeply. I know Cole feels the same.

“Kai?”

He looks at me and smiles. “Yeah?”

“You know you deserve to be loved right? You know we can’t give you an inch of the love you deserve but we’ll do our goddamn best. I fell for you so quickly and it was terrifying but you’re so easy to love, Kai. You are my everything, not Kenny, not Adam and not even God Himself could take you away from us.” I hold his chin. “Understood?”

He nods and kisses me deeply, his tongue prying my mouth open. I let him take charge, let his hands explore my body. There is a confidence to it, a self-assuredness I could just eat up. I feel my dick thicken in my sweats and Kai chuckles against me. It is way too easy for him.

“We should stop. The doctor said you need to rest.”

I smile. “You can always ride my dick; I won’t have to exert myself too much.”

Kai snorts. “Sure, because you’re so great at just lying down and taking it.”I laugh. He has a point. “Are you okay though?” he continues, looking at me carefully.

“You know it’s funny, Adam said I should have chosen him not Cole. He was my best friend, and he ruined that before I even met Cole. He never saw that. Maybe he finally did when he chose to kill himself.”

“I’m sorry he did that to you and I’m sorry you lost your friend,” Kai says.

I smile. Adam may be gone but I am left with so much more. “It’s okay, I got to meet Cole and subsequently you. I get to be with two people who I’m obsessed with. Not many people get to say that. As scary as last night was, I think I’ll be fine.”

He shakes his head, biting his bottom lip. I want to bite it for him and maybe mess up his hair a little more. I halt that line of thought. Doctor Green said rest not sex.

“Levi,” he says quietly. “I love you.”

My heart flutters and my entire body relaxes. It’s like slipping into a warm bath after a long day. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that. I love you too, Kai. So, so much.”

He smiles. “I still need to figure out what to do about Kenny,” he says. “I don’t want him to hurt you, but he said I shouldn’t go to the police.”

Way to ruin the mood, Kenny, I think rather petulantly because Kai’s mind should only be occupied by Cole and I. I tell him as much, “I know it’s hard to believe but you really don’t have to worry about him anymore. You trust us?” I ask. Kai nods. “Good, so don’t think about him. He won’t hurt you or your family. Promise.”

I’m not sure how exactly we’ll make that happen but both Cole and I know plenty of people who can make sure Kenny is sent back where he belongs. He doesn’t get to torture Kai, not anymore and not ever.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Cole

The estate is quiet, the evening air still and cool. Two guys smoking outside eye me as I head up the stairs with Daniel behind me, but they don’t stop us. Both Daniel and I clearly work out, they aren’t dumb enough to start something.

Kenny lives on the third floor and when I knock on 21, there is quiet shuffling on the other end of the door before a voice grunts, “Who is it? What do you want?”

“I’m here on behalf of Kai. I have your money.”

There is a beat of silence, then the sound of a lock twisting. Kenny stands in front of me. We’re about the same height but he’s wider, his body bulked from prison I assume. Thinning hair sits at the top of his head in a dishevelled mess and he’s in a loose t-shirt with a yellowish stain near his chest.

Empty eyes glare back at me before his mouth spreads into a grin.“Oh, you’re one of the boyfriends. Cole, right?”

I match his smile, tilting my head slightly.“I’m happy you know me. That means I don’t have to waste time on introductions.”

Kenny looks past me to Daniel who is leaning against the railing of the balcony. “Who is he?”

“Don’t worry about that. Do you mind if I come in?” I ask.

He watches me for a second then moves aside. When I enter the tiny hallway, the stench of trash and days-old beer hits my nose. Discarded shoes and a coat lie haphazardly on the stained floor.

Kenny leads me into the kitchen and points to a white plastic chair on the opposite end.

“So, where is my money?” he asks, sitting down with his legs stretched out in front of him.

---