Page 11 of Devilish

He wouldn’t have gotten much sleep there either.

“I’m glad you like it.” I drained the rest of my coffee before it went lukewarm and stood up, catching the way Kai’s eyes flared when he saw what I was wearing. “How do you take your coffee? Or do you prefer tea?”

“Either,” he said. “Whatever you’re having.”

I paused, brow furrowing. “That’s not what I asked. What doyoulike?”

“I…I don’t want to be difficult.”

“If it was going to be difficult, I wouldn’t ask.” I cocked my head. “Come on, let’s see if I can’t find something to tempt you.”

I headed toward the kitchen, leaving him to join me if he wanted, and the sound of soft footfalls followed mine.

I’d just circled the center island toward the cabinets, when I heard a soft gasp, then, “Oh my God.”

I rounded back to see what the problem was and saw Kai had come to a dead stop at the entryway, his eyes as big as saucers.

“You have achandelierin your kitchen.”

My eyes drifted up to the elaborate lighting fixture I’d had flown in from France. Its dark iron arms and candles complemented the black cabinetry and marble that made up the rest of the cooking space.“I do. It fit the aesthetic I was going for, adding just enough light to keep things sexy.”

“In the kitchen?”

I chuckled as I headed for the cabinet above one of the counters. “In every space. No one wants glaring lights spotlighting every flaw, whether it be in the bedroom or the kitchen. Wouldn’t you agree?”

I waited for Kai to respond, but when he didn’t, I glanced back to see his eyes roaming down over the back of my robe. I let him look his fill, but when those pretty eyes came back up to mine, he looked away.

“Um… I…”

“Ah, there it is.” I reached for the beautiful purple-and-gold coffee and tea set I’d picked up in Turkey on one of my many visits and pulled it down, along with several small cups. I placed the tray down on the island and gestured for Kai to come closer. “Isn’t this exquisite?” I ran a finger around the gold edge of one of the cups. “Let me boil some water and show you my tea collection. It’s not too extensive, but if you’re a fan of any, we can brew you some—orwe can have coffee. The decision is yours. Okay?”

Kai’s lips quirked a little, and he nodded.

“Good. Now where is the tea…” I hunted around a couple of cabinets and then pulled out the small tins and put them on the counter for Kai to take a look at. He was on the opposite side of the island to me, but I purposely put the tins toward my end, hoping to draw him closer.

I filled up the kettle and placed it on one of the burners before leaning back against the cabinet beside it.

Just as I’d hoped, Kai had come closer to inspect the tea.

“Anything take your fancy?”

He glanced up at me from beneath his dark lashes, and that look just about took my breath away.

“They’re all so fancy sounding.” He ran a gentle finger over the labels. “White ginger pear, Sahara apple spice, wild cinnamon chai. I usually just take mine black.”

“I can make black tea, if that’s what you want.”

Kai gnawed on his lower lip, his finger hovering over one tin in particular.

“But if there’s something you want to try?—”

“The wild cinnamon chai.”

Pleased that he’d actually made a decision, I pushed off the cabinet and reached for the tin. Kai held it out to me, and when he didn’t release it, I raised a brow.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

“Making tea?”

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