Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 116254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“Yeah. Don’t you remember?” Breck’s smile turned wry. “I teach you the ways of basketball and you feed me food.”
Dindy and Jin glanced back and forth between them, their expressions a mix of confusion and suspicion, but mostly out-and-out envy.
“Damn. I’ll feed you food,” Dindy offered brazenly.
“Hell, yeah. Me, too,” Jin quickly chimed in. “I make a mean bowl of noodles.”
Breck tamped a laugh. “Sorry. Only got time for one apprentice.” He shot Kai a grin that said, imagine being my pupil for a change.
Kai’s lips twitched. “Tough break,” he muttered to his helpers. “Now, please see to your tasks so I can close this place up.”
They sighed but didn’t look too surprised.
“Oh, well. Had to try.” Dindy turned to Jin. “Let’s get this done. Last one finished buys Chipotle. I’m in the mood for a burrito bowl with lotsa black beans and steak.”
“Pfft,” Jin grunted as they headed off. “I’m not agreeing to that. Last time you cheated, so you still owe me Taco Bell.”
Kai’s grin quirked as he tracked them over his shoulder. He was going to miss those two now that they’d graduated and were leaving soon.
“So…” Breck rocked on his heels. “My bad about that traffic jam with your students. I guess I should’ve waited until they’d left before—”
“I’m glad you came exactly when you did. I was impatient to see you.” Kai offered him an affectionate smile. In truth, he’d been jonesing to see Breck since… well, since he’d left his apartment. Which incidentally, was only just this morning. Like, eight hours ago.
God Almighty, he had it bad for this kid.
Breck smiled and shifted his weight. “Yeah… same.”
Hmm. It seemed his aspiring NBA hopeful had it bad for him, too.
In less than ten, his helpers were headed for the door. Kai respectfully swapped bows with both of them, then set the passcode behind them and flipped the door sign to ‘closed.’
Turning to Breck, who’d been patiently waiting, Kai grinned and gestured to the exit at the far side of the room. “Your dinner awaits.”
Breck’s smile turned sheepish as they started walking. “Yeah… about that. I wasn’t really expecting you to make me a meal. That was just my excuse.”
“Excuse for what?”
“You know… for me stopping by. I mean, I guess I could’ve been more specific… Next time, you want me to say I came to hang and have some sex?”
Kai laughed and slid him a look. “That might be a bit too specific. They know I’m a rigger, so ‘hang and have sex’ could be taken quite literally.”
Breck laughed, too. “Oh, damn. Yeah, TMI.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I like the notion very much.”
Breck bit his lip and fought back a smile.
They reached the exit and Kai set another code. Breck led the way up the stairs to his apartment. And, yes, Kai took advantage of the enticing view. Those dark, thick calves. That lush, round ass. Those lean hips that tapered down from that broad, strong back.
Again, his body stirred with desire. And no, he hadn’t missed the backpack over Breck’s shoulder. If he was correct, and he hoped that he was, it meant Breck planned to stay the night.
Another notion he liked very much.
In fact, he very much hoped that it became a regular affair.
His heart thumped at the thought of such companionship. A partner. A lover. Enjoying every day together and every sensuous night.
They reached the landing at the top of the stairwell. Kai entered the code and led the way inside. Breck followed him in and removed his shoes. Kai, still in martial arts garb, was already barefoot.
“Grab a seat.” Kai gestured to a stool at the island. “Regardless of the reason for your ‘excuse,’ I still plan to feed you.”
Breck smiled and took a seat. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“You’re most welcome, but as you’ll soon learn, I’m just thinking ahead.”
Breck eyed him with a questioning look. Kai grinned, untying the belt of his dobok. “Whenever we ‘hang,’ jeja, we burn an astonishing number of calories.”
Breck’s eyes flashed as he adjusted his crotch.
Unable to resist, Kai moved in and took his mouth. Then, after a long, unhurried kiss, he headed off to change his clothes. When he returned, he put on a teapot of water, collected the components to make their meal and got busy assembling. Assembling, because he wasn’t actually cooking. Tonight’s dish was sushi and the rice was already prepared.
Breck watched as he laid out the rolling mat—then tentatively eyed the sheet of nori Kai placed atop it. “That’s seaweed? As in, like, literal seaweed?”
Kai fought a grin, amused by his barely disguised tone of unease. “Yes. Roasted and positively delicious.”
He covered it with a layer of vinegared sticky rice, then flipped it over and laid strips of cucumber down the length of one side. Beside those, narrow slices of avocado. Then lastly, tender crab meat in succulent slabs.