“I was thinking that I might let her walk off her temper before I tackle her,” Kai replied as she reached the door. She pulled it open as he spoke again. “Then again, maybe not. Wait up, Sturgiss.”
Flick ignored him and allowed the door to bang close behind her. As she walked down the road, she heard the muted roar of voices discussing her, as they would be doing for a long while...
Yeah, Old Flick, she’s still nuts, you know. That day was the day that tipped her over the edge. Never been the same since.
Flick huffed her way up her favorite trail and dropped onto the rock at her lookout spot, the same one where she and Kai had sat and talked. Everything she did, everywhere she went reminded her of him and she hated it. Flick pulled her long-sleeved cotton shirt away from her sweaty chest. Autumn was rolling into winter but jeans and a warm t-shirt and cowboy boots were not suitable gear for hiking. She was upset enough, she didn’t need to add hot and sweaty to her current levels of discomfort.
God, she’d made such a fool of herself by allowing her temper to boil over. She could imagine the gossip flying around town, the speculation, the laughter. Would Kai be laughing along with them, thinking that he’d dodged a bullet, and had a narrow escape from the crazy person?
Flick pushed the heels of her hands into her burning eyes. God, her life was so screwed up.
“You okay?”
Flick’s head snapped up and she blinked as she saw Kai standing on the path, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, sunglasses covering his eyes. He didn’t look sweaty or hot or even ill at ease, the bastard.
She’d had more than enough, more than she could cope with. She just wanted to sit here alone and lick her wounds. “Go away, Kai.”
Kai walked over to her and bumped her shoulder with her hip, a silent order for her to shift. She glared at him but she moved sideways. He sat down, stretching his long legs in front of him. He looked around and shoved his sunglasses up on his head. “Appropriate.”
“What is?” Flick demanded.
“We’ve had some pretty good conversations on this rock.”
It figured that he’d think that the conversation that would follow—something along the lines of how they were going to deal with each other going forward—would be important. He wouldn’t want her making any more scenes, drawing him into her drama. Kai didn’t do drama. It wasn’t her favorite thing either, she’d just had a really bad morning. And it wasn’t over yet.
“Can you just say whatever it is you want to say? Let’s get this over with.”
“You sure you want to hear what I’m going to say? You ready for that?”
His tone was solemn and loaded with an emotion she couldn’t identify. Intensity was there and determination but that wasn’t it...there was something else and it wasn’t good.Rip the band-aid off, Kai.Quick and clean, wasn’t that his style?
“Just get on with it, Manning.”
“Okay.” Kai nodded. He sucked in a breath and then his words rushed out. “I love you, and I want to live with you and spend the bulk of my time in Mercy. With you.”
Flick’s jaw hit the ground and when she pulled it back up she sent him a laser-sharp glare. “That’s not even remotely funny, Kai.”
“Yeah, I happen to agree with you. I don’t think it’s funny that I think about you all the time, that I dream about you, that I feel like I have a bullet lodged in my heart when I’m away from you. It’s not funny. It fucking sucks.”
Flick’s placed her elbows on her knees, pressed her fingertips into her forehead, and closed her eyes. Hope and excitement swirled in her stomach, her throat tightened, and pure undiluted joy threatened to melt her joints. She couldn’t give in to it, couldn’t believe it. If this was a joke...
“If you’re messing with me—”
Kai’s hand, big and broad, rested on her back. “Nobody is allowed to mess with you or hurt you, babe, and that includes me.” Kai’s hand drifted up her back and into her hair. “I’ve hated every second of being away from you. I really missed you, and I never miss anyone.”
She couldn’t open her eyes because she was petrified that if she did he’d disappear as fast as he arrived, that she’d realize that he was a miasma, the first of her psychotic episodes. She’d lost her mind back in the bakery, remember? But his hand felt so real, and she could smell his cologne, could feel his heat.
“Are you ever going to look at me, Fee?”
It was the gentle tone that got to her, the insecurity she heard in his voice. She dropped her hands and slowly, ever so slowly turned to look at him, waiting for him to evaporate before her eyes. Yet, there he sat, strong, tall, and unless she was having auditory hallucinations as well, telling her that he loved her, that he’d missed her.
“Say that again?” She just wanted to make sure.
Kai’s hand came up to cup her face, his thumb skimming her cheekbone. He swallowed and the corners of his eyes crinkled. “I love you. So damn much.”
Flick placed her hand on his chest and felt his rapid heartbeat, and heard his shallow breathing. Yeah, he wasn’t half as sanguine as he wanted to appear. He loved her. Thank God.
Flick scooted over to him, draped her arms around his neck, and burrowed her face into his neck, inhaling him. She wanted to climb inside him and rest awhile, allowing the sunbeams of happiness to dance over her skin. Kai gathered her close, pulling her thighs over his to cradle her on his lap. His lips tasted her ear, her temple, and he dropped kisses on her cheekbone before finding her lips. It was a soft kiss, exploratory, tasting her all over again. Tasting her with love, with hope for the future, with the knowledge that being with her was where he needed to be. Deeper, hotter, wetter...fantastic.