Page 70 of Ink & Stardust

“You can’t be serious. There’s no way you’ve never brought a female home.”

“Oh, I’ve brought plenty home. Just not when she was there.” He chuckles.

My stomach sours at his words, at how casually he says them to me like it shouldn’t bother me to hear him say things like that.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special.” I attempt to tease, trying not to let the sting of jealously show in my voice.

It’s irrational, of course, to feel jealous about a past I was fully aware of going into this. But that doesn’t mean I have any control over it whatsoever. I’m finding I have very little control over any emotion I have when it comes to Kai Elliot.

“She’s a little up and down.” He falls serious, and it occurs to me for the first time that maybe he’s actually worried about what I might think. “She’s the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet on a good day.”

“And on a bad day?” I push for him to continue.

“Let’s just hope it’s a good day.” He blows out a hard breath.

“We don’t have to do this.” I stop abruptly just as we clear the outdoor steps. “If you’re—”

“If I didn’t want to do this, I wouldn’t have asked you to join me.” He’s quick to cut me off. “I want you to meet her.”

My heart does a full somersault in my chest and I instantly feel guilty for letting my own stupid insecurities take away from the fact that this maninvitedme to meet the woman who raised him. Which even if he hadn’t told me so, I would guess he doesn’t do often, if ever.

Though, the flip side to that is not letting my mind run away with thoughts that this means more than it does. He probably just didn’t want to hand out candy alone and I was the most convenient ask. And the fact that he can take me home and have his way with me afterward probably didn’t hurt.

Casual, Lyric, I remind myself for the millionth time over the past few weeks.Just two consenting adults having sex with no commitment and no hope of a future. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

But how can I not get ahead of myself? When he touches me like he never wants to stop. When he looks at me like I’m all he can see. When he kisses me like he feels it too. When he says things like he’s obsessed with me, that he basically stalked me for weeks. When he invites me to meet his only living family. How am I supposed to temper my expectations when every move he makes says this is real, when he told me from the beginning that it wasn’t.

“So how many kids do you usually get?” I wait until we’ve resumed walking to ask.

“A lot.” He glances over at me. “My grandma does full-sized candy bars, so every kid in the neighborhood makes her house one of their priority stops.”

“Full-sized candy bars? Those things were like gold when I was a kid.”

“Apparently, they still are,” he tells me, opening the passenger door of his car the moment we reach it. He waits until I’m tucked inside before closing it.

He crosses around the front of the car, and a smile I try to hide touches my lips. I can’t help it. He just makes me really... happy. Which is such a stark contrast to how I felt just a few short weeks ago.

Honestly, I’ve barely even thought about Leo since I started spending time with Kai. Sure, it still stings when the memory of what happened seeps in, but it’s not all-consuming like it once was. With Kai, I don’t feel like I’m struggling for air. For the first time in a long time, I can actually breathe, and my God, does it feel amazing.

“You good?” he asks as he slides into the car next to me, immediately reaching for my hand, which I happily give.

“I’m great.” And for the first time in a long time, I actually mean it.

Lifting my hand, he kisses across the backs of my knuckles.

“This is going to be difficult,” he murmurs across my skin.

“What is?”

“Trying not to think about you naked all night while we’re handing out candy to a bunch of kids.” He gives me a wicked grin and my stomach instantly tightens in anticipation.

“Well, lucky for you, you only have to wait a few hours and then I’m all yours.”

He abandons my hand for my face, his fingers sliding across my cheek before locking in the back of my hair.

“All mine,” he repeats, eyes growing dark as his mouth closes down around mine.

Yours,I think but certainly don’t say.

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