Page 14 of Fast Fury

A measure of relief hit her. Yeah, Kai did get it. He’d been through it himself. “I know you do.” She cocked her head. “Why did you hang in there with Shelley for as long as you did?”

He sighed. “She was…fragile, I guess is the right word. I felt protective of her. Kept thinking that once she learned to trust me and our relationship, that she would stop being insecure and things would get better. But no matter how hard I tried to reassure her, it just never happened. If I didn’t text her back within thirty minutes she automatically assumed I was pissed at her about something. Or when I was away for work she thought I must be off cheating on her with someone else.” He shook his head at himself. “She just flat out didn’t trust me, is what it comes down to. Well, not just me. Every guy she’s dated.”

It was really sad, actually. Looking at her from the outside, Shelley had everything going for her. Looks, brains, a killer body, money, a successful career. Yet she had sabotaged her own happiness with Kai because of her insecurities. “What finally turned the light bulb on for you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“You.”

Abby blinked, surprised. “Me?”

“That night when you were at my place and Shelley barged in to throw more drama my way. You saw what it was like—she thought I was cheating on her with you.”

Yeah, Abby hadn’t appreciated the insult to her integrity, but she’d also felt bad for Kai, who hadn’t done anything wrong. It physically hurt to think of Kai being treated that way by someone he loved.

“It was what you said to me after she left. About how you’d enabled a toxic relationship before. I’d never thought about it like that until then, but it’s exactly what I’d been doing. What we had was totally dysfunctional, and I’d not only allowed it, I’d willingly participated in it. That hit home hard and woke me up, made me realize she was never going to change, that I had to be the one to end it once and for all. So thank you.”

She smiled at him, gratified that she’d been able to help him see all that. “You’re welcome. I hated seeing the way she treated you. Reminded me of what I’d gone through.” Having your partner chip away at your foundation as a human being until you forgot who you were was a pretty shitty way to live. “So no, in answer to your question, I guess there was never really any fire there at all between my ex and me, even at the start.” More like a pilot light instead of flames.

Kai shook his head slowly and set his fork down, staring at her. “Well, you deserve a hell of a lot better. You know that, right?”

“Yes.” She reminded herself of it every day. “And so do you.”

He nodded. “Yeah. But trust me, heat matters. I don’t ever want you to settle for someone without it again.” Taking a sip of beer, he lowered the bottle to his lap and regarded her. “You need a guy who will pick you up, pin you to the closest wall and kiss you until you can’t even think, because he can’t get enough of you.”

Abby’s fingers tightened around the stem of her wineglass, her mouth going dry. His words resonated in a hidden place inside her, a soft, defenseless spot she’d long ago locked up and fortified with armor that she didn’t allow anyone to get close to. And suddenly all she could think about was Kai, his strong hands winding in her hair, one muscled arm wrapping around her hips as he hoisted her in the air and pinned her to the wall with that powerful body, his mouth fused with hers.

Holy. Shit.

There was no way she could pretend to misunderstand his intent this time. She sat up taller, drew in a badly needed breath of air. “Kai, we’re friends.”

“I know. But we could be more. A lot more.” His dark stare never wavered, and the intensity there sent a tendril of heat through her. “All the pieces are there.”

There was no denying she wanted him, was insanely attracted to him. But she didn’t trust her judgment about men any more than she did his about women. “I value our friendship. And I’m not willing to risk that for the chance to be your rebound girl.”

“You wouldn’t be, because I know and care about you. I just wasn’t sure whether you were attracted to me.”

She barked out an incredulous laugh. “Are you insane? You know what you look like. But for me, it’s not that simple.” Much as the offer tempted her, as much as they liked and respected each other, and both knew what a relationship shouldn’t be…

This wasn’t as easy as simply making the decision to lower her guard and take a chance on a hook up with him. Because sex always complicated things. At least in her experience. And usually with disastrous consequences.

“I’m not willing to risk losing you if things don’t work out.” Even if she was certain she would appreciate him and treat him the way he deserved. Part of her desperately wanted to show him what that looked like.

“And what if it did work out?” he challenged, his dark stare unwavering.

She didn’t have an answer to that. Didn’t trust that it might be possible. So it was time to leave. “It’s getting late. I’d better get going.” Standing, she carried her wineglass to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher.

When she turned around, Kai was standing between the kitchen island and the front door, that deep, dark gaze locked on her. He held out her backpack and keys to her.

“Thanks,” she murmured, not meeting his eyes as she took them and slipped her shoes on.

He didn’t touch her as he walked her down the hall to the elevator and stepped inside it with her, but the moment those doors slid shut, the invisible tension between them intensified so much she could feel the latent electricity crackling along her skin. He stood at her back, close enough for his body heat to lick at her spine, the back of her neck. And God help her, part of her wondered why the hell she was denying herself. Why she shouldn’t just turn around and kiss him the way she was dying to.

Sanity prevailed, and she pulled in a deep breath when the doors opened at the parking garage. “Well, thanks for dinner. I’ll let you know if I get the call about Maui—”

She broke off when Kai gripped her upper arm and spun her around. Before she even knew what was happening, he’d pulled the backpack off her shoulder, locked one arm around her hips and hoisted her into the air.

Abby gasped and automatically grabbed his shoulders for balance. A heartbeat later he had her pressed against the concrete wall around the corner from the elevator, one large, strong hand cupping the back of her head.

Unable to breathe at the feel of him plastered against her in such a blatant, possessive hold, she stared helplessly into those molten dark chocolate eyes.

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