Page 75 of Shattered Dreams

“How can I help?” Cal asks, like him standing up for me didn’t do everything I needed from him.

“Do you think Dad would come visit?” I ask in a small voice. I miss my dad. He moved out of state when he divorced my mom. Texting just isn’t the same as seeing him in person.

“If you want Dad, I’ll get you Dad,” Cal says with absolute certainty.

“You can’t send me a text like that, you asshole!” Kai yells at Cal the moment we walk through the door.

Kai has me in his arms before I can ask questions. His warmth and strength immediately calm me.

“What happened, mo chridhe? Are you ok?” he asks into my neck, gently placing kisses after each question.

I mutter a summarized version, keeping myself in his hold. Cal fills in any missing information. I can feel Kai stiffen the moment I mention the article and then relax when Cal tells him he already called Frank. It would be funny if it was happening to someone else, and it wasn’t my life filled with the drama.

“What did he text you?” I ask Kai after we’d told him everything, and he’s moved us to the couch with me sitting across his lap and Cal in the recliner across from us.

“The asshole said I need to get here immediately because you needed me. Then didn’t answer when I called him. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer either.” I can hear the slight panic in his voice, and I feel guilty, even though I wasn’t the one who texted him in the first place.

I glare at my brother, who just shrugs. He really can be an asshole sometimes.

“I’m sorry. My phone is in my purse, and I didn’t hear it.” I don’t mention I was probably too busy sobbing to hear it. He’s already ready to go to war with anyone hurting me. I don’t need to add ammo.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he says with a pointed look at Cal, who just ignores him. “But I was going to take you on a date. We can do it on a different day if you just want to stay home. We could even watch a movie with that idiot,” he offers, gesturing at Cal with his chin.

“Hey! I said you needed to be here, and you are. You’re welcome,” Cal says, standing and stomping off dramatically.

I laugh for the first time since lunch, feeling a little lighter just from being near Kai. “I want to go on the date.”

“That’s my girl,” he says, kissing my temple and scooping me up into his arms. “Don’t wait up!” he yells to Cal. I can hear my brother’s disgusted groan coming from the kitchen, and that just makes me laugh some more.

“They look closed,” I point out as Kai pulls us into the empty parking lot of our favorite childhood hangout.

“They are.”

I look at him, knowing full well he can see how confused I am, but he just smiles and gets out. I watch as he walks around the car to open my door for me. His ass looks amazing in the tight jeans he’s wearing. The navy Henley that stretches deliciously across his muscles is making it difficult to want to go anywhere other than a bed.

“I’m not really sure that breaking and entering is a good date idea,” I tell him, accepting his offered hand to help me out of the car. That just makes him laugh. His laugh makes me weak in the knees, and I’m helpless to follow him into whatever illegal activities he has planned.

He leads me into the building. The smudged glass doors are unlocked. The familiar smell of burned cheese and hot plastic permeate the air of the arcade. The purple and gold carpet hasn’t changed since we were kids. It’s like a memory hitting you in the face. We spent hours here, all five of us, trying to beat each other’s high scores on the machines and track times on the go-karts.

“How is no one here in the middle of the day on a Saturday?”I ask, looking around and realizing I don’t even see any staff.

“I rented the place out for the day,” he says, flipping the lock on the door behind us. “It’s hard to go out and have fun like this when you have a recognizable face. I appreciate our fans, but sometimes it’s nice to be left alone.”

“This is perfect. Thank you for doing this.” I lean up on my toes to kiss his jaw and the rough stubble tickles my lips. He turns his head to capture my lips in a quick and sweet kiss.

“What do you want to do first? I can kick your ass in mini golf. Or I can kick your ass on the go-karts. Maybe you want to get your ass kicked playing ski-ball?”

I elbow him in the ribs playfully. “I think there’s something wrong with your memory if you think you beat me in any of those.” If we were really being honest, Willa beat all of us. But out of just Kai and me, I was definitely the winner.

“Willing to put your money where your mouth is?” he asks, a sly grin taking over his face.

And because I’m feeling bold, I say, “I’d rather put your dick where my mouth is.” I watch his jaw drop and the fire alight in his eyes before I take off running. I’m out the back door and halfway down the path to the go-karts before I hear him chasing me.

Kai crashes into my back and sweeps me off my feet right before I reach the gate to the track. I’m giggling like I haven’t in years.

“You’re mean, baby,” Kai murmurs in my ear. He puts me on my feet, but immediately grabs me by the back of my neck and pulls me into a searing kiss. Just a simple peck from this man makes my heart race, but he’s kissing me nowlike he wants to devour my very being. By the time he pulls back, I’m breathless and ready to ride him like a rodeo champ.

“We’re going to have some good, clean fun first. Then I’m going to take you home and show you what you can do with that dirty mouth of yours.”

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