Page 6 of You Were Always Mine
Kai’s smirk widens, slow and deliberate, but there’s no warmth in it. He tilts his head, eyes narrowing just slightly, and for one terrifying second I think he’s going to push harder, strip me bare right here in front of her. Instead, heleans back in his chair, stretches out like a king surveying his kingdom, and murmurs, ‘Careful, Scarlett. Your mouth’s showing.’
I tear my gaze away before he can see what that does to me, stride to the counter, and yank open a cupboard. The slam of wood is louder than I mean it to be, but I don’t care. I pull things out — eggs, bread, a pan — moving with quick, jerky motions, anything to keep my hands busy, anything to stop myself from shaking.
The sizzle of butter in the pan fills the silence, the smell cutting through the heavy air. I crack eggs too hard, shells breaking wrong, yolk sliding over my fingers, and I curse under my breath as I wipe them on a dish towel. Behind me, Ava’s laughter rings out again, too bright, too sweet.
‘You’re intense in the mornings,’ she teases Kai, her voice dripping with sugar.
‘You’ve no idea,’ he says, low, smooth, and I nearly drop the spatula.
I flip the eggs with more force than necessary, the toast popping up with a sharp click, the kitchen filling with the sound of my rushed movements. My back is to them, but I can still feel his gaze drilling into me — hotter than the stove, heavier than the air I can barely breathe.
I pile the eggs onto a plate, add the toast, and set it on the table in front of the empty chair across from him. My hands are steady now, but only because I force them to be.
Kai glances at the plate, then up at me, eyes glinting like he knows exactly what I’m doing. ‘I didn’t know you cared enough to cook for me.’
‘I didn’t,’ I snap, dropping the spatula back onto the counter with a clatter.
Ava giggles softly, swinging her legs. ‘This house is fun.’
Kai doesn’t look at her.
He’s only looking at me.
I drop into the chair opposite him like I don’t care — like I’m not choking on the air, like my stomach isn’t already in knots. The fork feels too heavy in my hand, the eggs on the plate already cooling, but I stab a bite and shove it into my mouth anyway, chewing like it’ll keep me from saying something I can’t take back.
Across from me, Kai leans back, one arm stretched along the back of Ava’s chair. He doesn’t look at her when his fingers graze the bare skin of her thigh, but I see it. I see the way she jolts a little, the way she giggles nervously before relaxing into it.
My fork scrapes hard against the plate.
Kai’s smirk curls deeper, lazy and sharp. ‘So,’ he says, voice low, casual, but his eyes are on me. ‘Tell me about this friend you’re meeting.’
I lift my chin, force my fork steady. ‘I already told you — it’s nothing.’
‘Nothing doesn’t keep you out of the house at dawn,’ he murmurs, tracing a slow circle on Ava’s thigh with one finger. She squirms, laughing under her breath, but he doesn’t even glance at her. His eyes dare me to react.
My chest tightens, heat crawling up my neck. ‘Maybe I don’t want to tell you everything.’
He tilts his head, teeth catching his bottom lip in a mock-thoughtful look, then shrugs. ‘Maybe you should.’
Ava leans into him, batting her lashes, her voice light. ‘God, you two fight like an old married couple.’
The words hit like a slap, but Kai doesn’t laugh. He just takes a slow sip of his coffee, mouth brushing the lipstick stain again, eyes never leaving mine.
I stab another bite of eggs, chew hard, and swallow theburn in my throat. I should get up. I should walk away before I break, but I don’t.
Leaving would mean losing — and I don’t lose to Ava.
Not when Kai’s fingers are still on her thigh, but his attention belongs entirely to me.
I can’t swallow with a lump in my throat. His hand slides higher on her thigh, slow, deliberate, and she doesn’t even flinch — she leans into it, her laugh bubbling out as if she’s drunk on the attention. My fork clatters too loud against the plate, and Kai’s smirk deepens, like he’s feeding on the sound, on the way my fingers shake when I reach for my glass of water.
‘So who is he, Scarlett?’ Kai asks, voice smooth, dragging the question out like he already knows the answer. ‘This friend you’re so desperate to run off to.’
‘Maybe you don’t know everything about me,’ I mutter, hating the way my voice cracks at the edges.
‘Maybe I do.’ His thumb strokes slow against Ava’s skin, his gaze locked on mine, never hers. ‘And maybe I don’t like being lied to.’
Ava shifts, her smile too bright, trying to break the taut silence snapping between us. ‘God, you’re intense, Kai. No wonder you scare people off.’ She laughs, nudges his shoulder. ‘But not me. I like it.’
