Page 50 of Unearthed Dreams
My heart raced as I worked. This was really happening.
I was really doing this.
Time to make this dream real.
The past weekhad fallen into a delicious pattern. Stolen moments at the bar before opening, lazy afternoons in his apartment while I worked on revisions, and late nights exploring each other with increasingly bold touches. I’d gotten better at sneaking around—waiting until Mom’s TV shows ended and Dad’s snoring started before slipping out, then returning before dawn.
Kai climbed into bed with me, my head resting on his stomach while he sat propped against the headboard. My knees were bent, feet planted on the mattress, laptop balanced precariously as I worked. The quiet was broken only by the occasional turning of pages as Kai readA Court of Mist and Fury—he’d devoured the first book in two days.
“So,” Kai said casually, one hand absently playing with my hair. “I reached out to someone about your book.”
“Hmm?” I was deep in a scene revision, barely registering his words.
“My foster brother, Matthew. He does freelance fiction editing now.”
My fingers froze on the keyboard. “What?”
“He said he’d do a sample edit for you. First chapter, see if you?—”
The laptop nearly went flying as I launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. “Are you serious? Oh my god, Kai!”
“Careful, pretty girl.” He laughed, catching my laptop before it could slide off the bed. His other arm wrapped around my waist, steadying me. “Don’t break your computer before Matthew can see your work.”
“I can’t believe you did this.” I pulled back to look at him, my heart racing. “Wait—did you tell him about... us?”
“No.” His fingers traced lazy patterns on my lower back. “Just said I had a friend who’d written something incredible. He doesn’t need to know more than that.”
“A friend?” I raised an eyebrow, unable to keep the grin off my face.
“Mmm.” His hand slid higher up my back. “Is that what we’re calling this?”
“Well, most of my friends don’t dothis...” I leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips.
“Thank god for that,” he murmured against my mouth. Then he pulled back slightly, his expression turning serious. “You don’t have to do it if you’re not ready. The sample edit. I just thought?—”
“No!” I grabbed his face. “I want to. I’m ready. I just... can’t believe you did this for me.”
His eyes softened. “I’d do a lot more than that for you, Charlie.”
His words made my chest tight. I shifted in his lap, suddenly very aware of everywhere we were touching. “Yeah? Like what else would you do for me?”
His hands tightened on my hips. “Dangerous question, pretty girl.”
“I like dangerous.” The breathiness in my voice surprised me as his thumbs slipped under the hem of my t-shirt—well, his t-shirt that I’d stolen to sleep in.
“Do you?” One hand traveled up my spine, leaving fire in its wake. “Like how you’ve been sneaking into my bed every night this week?”
“Mmm.” I arched into his touch. “Like how you’ve been teaching me things.”
His breath caught. “Fuck, Charlie. The way you say that...”
“What? That I like learning from you?” I rocked slightly in his lap, relishing in his sharp inhale. “That I practice what you teach me when I’m alone in my?—”
His mouth crashed into mine, cutting off my words. The kiss was hungry, desperate, nothing like the careful exploration of the past week. His hands tangled in my hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss as I pressed closer and closer and he grew harder and harder between my legs. The friction was exquisite.
“Wait,” Kai gasped against my mouth, his hands stilling on my hips. “Charlie...”
“Don’t stop,” I whispered, chasing his lips. “Please.”
