Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Kai, burning.
My soul, yearning,
My desire churning.
That was a juvenile attempt. I can’t remember the rest. It was a little sloppy but also true.
We go into the diner, a few truckers sitting at one end, a family at the other. The floor and surfaces gleam as the sun shines through the window walls.
“Let’s sit over here.”
Kai walks quickly to the opposite corner, a booth with its back to the kitchen, most of the diner in sight. He does it instinctively as if he’s always expecting something to go down and wants the best vantage point. I imagine him thinking, I’ll see the fight coming. If we need to run, we can go through the kitchen and out the back.
We sit opposite each other, Kai seeming even bigger in the tight confines of the booth. When he removes his jacket, I try to look anywhere except for his arms. He’s wearing a gray tank, his muscled shoulders on display, the red, roaring Titan tattoo shifting on his shoulder as he changes his position. Each muscle is massive, hard, and outlined like a rock, as if touching him could snap a fingernail.
If I notice it—big time—I can’t be surprised when the waitress does, too. She’s blond and wears a short skirt, her athletic legs on display. She’s got a full face of expertly applied makeup, blending and sculpting as I could only dream of. Her nipples are poking through her shirt. There’s nothing wrong with any of this. It’s her choice. Maybe it helps her get more tips. Perhaps she feels more confident.
However, I don’t like the way she eyes Kai. She doesn’t glance at me as she asks what we’d like to order. Her voice is bright, bubbly, and inviting. I can’t hate an innocent waitress just because she looks at Kai as if she’d devour him here and now. It’s not her fault I’ve crushed and am still crushing hard on him.
“I’ll take three burgers, no bun, no sauce, with a side of scrambled egg and five rashers of bacon. Kay?”
He looks up at me, eyebrow raised. I might be imagining it, but I think he’s a little uncomfortable with the waitress ogling him. She’s not even being subtle about it, staring at his arms, still not looking at me even when Kai says my name.
“Uh, is this dinner or a late lunch?”
“Late lunch. We’ll eat later, too, but get whatever you want.”
He says this like he’s reading my thoughts. He knows I’m hungry and want to eat, but I don’t want him to think I’m greedy. When I hesitate for a moment, he narrows his eyes at me.
I always wished he’d look at me with this level of attention, as though nothing else mattered or existed, as if it was only us, not this waitress, not my big brother, not the guilt. Now that he is, I feel spotlighted, and it’s worse when the waitress turns to me with a subtly mocking twist to her lips. Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.
Screw it. Nothing’s going on here. Nothing ever will. Let the waitress ogle him.
What do I care?
“I’ll take pancakes with chocolate chips,” I say, “and a milkshake.”
“What’s wrong?” Kai asks once the waitress is gone.
I look out the window at the dusty landscape of Vegas, at the Strip just about visible in the hazy, shimmering sun. “Nothing.”
He opens his mouth, then thinks better of it, closes his mouth and shrugs. “Okay then.”
“I won’t be mad,” I tell him.
This is going to be seriously immature, but hey, I’m less than half his age. If I can’t act a little immature occasionally, what’s the point? It’s not like he’s above that sort of thing, hence his payback prank at the gas station.
“Mad?”
“If you want to, you know, try your luck.”
I nod over to the waitress.
Kai glances at her standing at the counter. She leans against it, kicking one leg up, drawing the gazes of the truckers. Even the father of the family in the corner looks over before his wife scowls at him.
Kai looks at me. “I’m not interested.”
I lower my voice. “She’s clearly interested. Seriously, I won’t mind.”
He picks up the menu and places it down. It’s more like he slams it down, honestly. “Why do you want me to hit on her so badly?”
There’s no way I can answer this honestly. Maybe I should reach into my bag, take out the notebook, and shove the Kai & Kay in his face so he can understand.
“No reason.”
“Hmm.”
“What’s hmm about that?”
He smirks, then laughs as he shakes his head. “Are you always so damn suspicious? A man can say hmm without going through an inquisition.”
“Maybe we should just sit here quietly.”
He shrugs and looks out the window. I fold my arms and stare out the window, too, feeling like I’ve played this completely wrong. It doesn’t matter anyway. I have to remind myself—over and over, it seems—that this is a favor for him. He’s performing his duty to my big bro as his right-hand man, nothing more.