CHAPTER TWELVE
Ivy took me to a day spa called Civility. I’d never had someone paint my nails, let alone get an actual manicure. And that wasn’t all we had done. Ivy told them we wanted the works. I tried to argue, but she cut me off with a look I didn’t dare go against. So I shut my mouth and enjoyed being pampered for the first time in my life.
I was officially a fan of girl time. “Promise me we’re going to do that again sometime,” I said to Ivy as we left the spa. Just as I was about to slip into my seat a car drove passed in front of Ivy’s, I could have sworn it was Trent driving. But that was impossible. He lived on the other side of the city, and he never came to this side. He said everyone who lived around he were stuck-up pricks. I shook my head, no, it couldn’t have been him.
“You bet. I’ve been trying to get Stella and Sloan to do a spa day with me for ages, but we can never find a time that works for all three of us.” Ivy said as I clipped my seatbelt.
I blinked at her, “Sorry what?” I was too caught up in my own thoughts to remember what we were talking about.
“The spa, we’ll definitely be doing this again. Regularly if I have anything to say about it. And maybe even with Stella and Sloan too.” She smiled.
I nodded remembering I’d asked to come again, “Axel mentioned the twins were sleeping over at Stella’s house. Is she a good friend of yours?”
“I’ll introduce you tonight. Stella and Bray are bringing the girls home around six. So you can meet her then. She’s gorgeous, inside and out. You’ll love her.”
“Cool and Sloan?” I asked.
“She’s Stella’s sister. They’re actually identical twins. Like exactly the same. If Sloan didn’t have a mouth on her like a sailor and a completely different hairstyle, I’d get them mixed up. But they’re complete opposites personality-wise.”
I nodded again. “More twins. I’ve never known any twins before, and now they’re everywhere.” I laughed.
“I know, it’s weird, huh? I’d known Stella and Sloan for a while before I found out I was pregnant, but we didn’t really get close until later. They both had it pretty tough, and they helped me get through everything that Gabe and I went through.” She paused. I didn’t say anything, just nodded.
Then she continued and my mouth went dry. “I was stalked and kidnapped. It was awful. Beyond awful. The man who took me also took my cousin. She was my best friend. He killed her, and I killed him,” she said softly.
I swallowed. Did Ivy just tell me she killed somebody? No, impossible. Ivy is too sweet and lovely. I blinked a few times, then pinched myself, yep this was real. “I, uh, I don’t know what to say,” I told her honestly. “I’m sorry doesn’t really cut it.”
Ivy seemed to be somewhere else, lost in her thoughts. So I reached over and gently touched her arm. She blinked and shook her head. We’d been stopped at a light, and it had already turned green. She shook her head again and put the car back into drive. “Sorry about that, I kinda zone out sometimes when I talk about it. I don’t talk about it much. Well, actually, I never talk about it. But I thought you should know. Just so you realise how close we all are. When you’ve been through something so traumatic, it brings a closeness that I can’t describe. Kai and Tessa were really close, and when we lost her, we lost Kai too. But somehow you’re bringing him back to us, Mia.”
I couldn’t speak. I had no words. None.
Ivy didn’t notice my silence, or maybe she did, and she chose to continue speaking to cover it. “I’ve never seen him like this with anyone, you know. Not even Tessa. It makes me think I was wrong about what it was between them. Gabe and I thought they were together or something, but he’s different with you than he was with her. He won’t talk about what happened. Not with me, not with Gabe, not with anyone. And I think he really needs to talk about it to be able to move forward.”
“He told me about his sister and about a woman called Tessa, but I didn’t realise it was your cousin. I’m really sorry, Ivy. I don’t know what to say. I wish you didn’t have to go through all that, and I’m sorry about your cousin. I have no idea what that was like for you. I don’t really have any family, so I don’t know what it would feel like to lose it.”
Ivy glanced at me as she drove and said, “Well, sweets, you do now.”
I stared at her, what else could I do? In the short time I’d spent with them, I had come to care deeply for them, but for her to say I have a family now, that was, it was, I… “Thank you,” I said on a sob.
She reached over, took my hand in hers, and gave it a squeeze. “You’re one of us now.”
I bit down on my bottom lip to stop myself from making those horrid crying noises as more tears ran down my cheeks.
We stopped at a Chinese restaurant on the way home and ordered enough food to feed an army, in my opinion, but Ivy assured me there wouldn’t be many leftovers. I had my doubts.
It was a quarter to six by the time we got home, and Ivy excused herself to make a phone call while I got plates and cutlery out for dinner. She came back into the kitchen a few minutes later and announced, “Sloan and Dex are going to come over for dinner too now. So you can meet everyone tonight.”
I froze. I’d already had such a big day, and although it was relaxing and I loved it, the conversation on the way home had really taken it out of me. I didn’t know if I’d be ready to meet new people tonight. Let alone ones that were clearly important to my new family. Maybe even a part of it.
“Don’t stress, Mia, you’ll be fine. This will be low-key, just dinner and a few drinks. Alright?” Ivy said as she placed a hand on my shoulder.
I took in a deep breath. “Okay, but do I have time for a shower? My hair is all oily from the massage.”
She smiled. “Sure you do.”
I hurried off to my room. I opened the door quickly and flung it shut behind me as I scurried towards the bathroom. It slammed closed, and I winced. Oops. That’s when I noticed a sleep-tousled Kai stick his head up from between the pillows. Wearing nothing but his underwear.
My mouth watered instantly. I hadn’t seen him like this. I’d felt what was beneath his clothes, but I hadn’t actually seen it. And oh my god! The sight before me had me transfixed. I couldn’t move, I just stood there staring at his almost naked body.
“Like what you see, Pretty Girl?” Kai’s sleep filled voice hit me like a bucket of cold water.
“I, uh, what?” I stuttered.
Kai laughed and started to sit up. I, however, could not stick around to enjoy the show. I had to have a shower and if I kept watching the way his muscles moved under his taut skin, I was going to orgasm on the spot. I spun around and ran into the bathroom, and this time, I slammed the door on purpose. I could hear Kai’s full belly laugh ring through the door.
Locking the door for good measure, I stripped off in record time and jumped into the shower before the water had time to warm up. I squealed and slipped over in the tub, hitting my head on the edge, effectively knocking myself out cold.
When I came to, I was no longer alone. The bathroom door was now hanging at an odd angle with a huge dent in the middle of it. I didn’t move for a few moments as I regained my bearings. My head hurt like a mother, and I was really hot. Cautiously lifting my hand to assess the damage, I came into contact with warm, hard muscled skin. Obviously it was not mine.
I started at the feel of someone else’s body under my palm. Then Kai’s voice broke through the fog still clouding my mind. “Mia, baby, talk to me,” his voice full of urgency.
I blinked up at him and realised he was holding me in his arms on the floor beside the tub, and we weren’t alone. Gabe stood in the doorway. Ivy was kneeling down on her knees, holding a towel or something to my head, and I could hear voices coming from the adjoining room. Voices I didn’t recognise.
Panic surged through me when I realised what had happened. My eyes shot down the length of my body, and I was instantly relieved to see I was coved in a big, fluffy towel. Kai shook me gently in his arms. “Mia, I need you to say something, Pretty Girl.”
I licked my lips. “I’m okay,” I whispered.
Kai didn’t look convinced. He glanced at Ivy. “What do you think? Should I take her in?” He directed his question at her.
Ivy watched me closely for a moment. “Where do you hurt, Mia? How does your tummy feel?”
My tummy? That was an odd question since I’d clearly hit my head. But then it dawned on me, my tummy, Nugget. My hand flew from Kai’s chest to my stomach, and I clutched at it with desperation. Hoping for some kind of sign that my Nugget was alright. I didn’t feel any different other than the thumping headache. I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on assessing the damage to my body.
A minute passed and I was sure my Nugget was fine. I could feel it in my bones. “It’s just my head. I think I hit it pretty hard.”
Ivy’s small hand brushed my hair away from my face. “Alright. I think we’ll just get you some Panadol and an icepack for that head and put you to bed.”
I smiled at her. These people kept astounding me with their kindness. “Thank you. But what about your friends? I wanted to meet them.”
Kai finally spoke up again. “You can rest on the couch if you want. We can eat in there.”
I went to nod my head but winced at the pain that shot through my temples at the movement. “I’m good with that.”
His eye narrowed when I winced. “Maybe bed would be better.”
“No! I’m alright, really. Just no more sudden head movements, and I’ll be fine. Promise.” I had gotten myself so worked up about meeting their friends and then seeing Kai half naked and look what I’d done to myself. I’d never had a problem meeting new people before, so why should now be any different?
In my gut, I knew why it was different this time. These people mattered. These people could possibly be my new family. And I so desperately wanted that.
I really wanted to put Mia to bed, but she was pretty adamant about not being rude to our guests. I tried to tell her there was plenty of time for her to meet and get to know everyone, but she wouldn’t have it.
I looked back to Ivy and she was already getting to her feet. “I’ll go move the take-out to the lounge room,” she said as she walked towards Gabe, who was still lingering by the doorway. “Come and help me, babe,” Ivy said as she drew nearer to him.
He nodded once at her then looked back to me. “You sure you don’t want to take her to get checked out?”
His concern was evident from the look in his eyes. “She says it’s just her head that hurts. I’ll keep her close, and if that changes, I’ll take her straight in.”
Gabe rubbed the back of his neck, looking between Mia and me for another minute before he finally agreed to go help Ivy. He was a good guy, better than a good guy, he was the best I knew.
When we were alone, I gave Mia’s body a gentle squeeze. “You scared the shit out of me, you know,” I told her honestly.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking right, and I wasn’t expecting the water to be cold when I climbed in, and I guess I just slipped,” she explained.
“Why weren’t you thinking right? What’s wrong?” I asked.
As a pink blush spread up her chest and neck, she shook her head before saying, “It’s silly really. I was a bit freaked out about meeting your friends. Then I came in here so I could shower and I guess I just wasn’t expecting to see you, in all your almost naked glory, lying in the bed, looking all hot and sleepy. It messed with my hormones and my head. I was all discombobulated, and I wasn’t really in the moment when I went to get under the water. So I got a bit of a shock when it was cold.”
I was smiling like a fool. She thought I was hot. That made me feel pretty damn good. I bent my neck and kissed her temple. “While I’m glad I have that effect on you, I’d really rather you find other ways to deal with it. Like not slipping over in the shower and knocking your sweet arse out. You could have just climbed into bed with me, you know.”
Her blush deepened. “No, I couldn’t! Your friends were about to arrive, and who knows what I would have done if I’d gotten into bed with you when you looked like that.”
My smile widened. “Oh, really? I’m pretty sure I would have preferred that option,” I teased.
Mia slapped my shoulder playfully and glared at me. “You’re not as funny as you think you are, Kai.”
“Who says I was joking?” I said while bouncing my brows.
Finally, her frown broke, and she started laughing. God, I loved that sound. But all too soon, she stopped laughing and fell stock-still. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?” I asked panicked.
“No, no, it’s, did you see me naked? Oh my god, you had to have seen me when you came in. I’m so humiliated. Here I am, wanting to take it slow, and the first time you see me in the nud is when I was unconscious,” she whined and covered her flaming face with her hands.
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Honestly, Pretty Girl, I was too concerned with making sure you were alright to even check you out. I can’t believe I missed such a solid opportunity to get a look at the goods.” I feigned annoyance with myself.
She peeked through a small gap between her fingers and eyed me. “You really didn’t see anything?” she asked quietly.
“No, baby. I didn’t even get to sneak a peek. I grabbed this towel and wrapped you up as I lifted you out of the tub. Scout’s honour.” I placed my hand over my heart and added, “But I wouldn’t mind taking a peek now.” Then I shot her a wink.
I watched her smile appear as she moved her hands away from her face. “Maybe later,” she murmured. “I want to meet your friends.”
I sighed and blew out a deep breath. “Fine.” Then I got to my feet before carefully placing Mia on hers. I held her shoulders for a few moments longer to make sure she was steady before releasing her. “You right?” I asked.
She took a deep breath and released it slowly then I saw a flash of pain in her eyes. “I might take that Panadol now, please,” she said softly.
I nodded. Taking her arm, I rested my hand against her lower back and guided her out to sit on the bed while I went to get her some pain pills “I’ll be right back.” Then I realised I was still in nothing but my underwear. “Uh, give me a minute,” I said. I rushed to my closet, pulled out a pair of cargo shorts and a marvel T, I threw them on as I stumbled to the bedroom door.
Mia’s laughter could be heard from the other side of the door when I closed it behind me, and I was glad she could still laugh even though she was clearly hurting. Just as I rounded the corner to the kitchen, I nearly collided with Ivy, who was coming from the kitchen with a glass of water and some pills for Mia.
“Whoa, shit,” I exclaimed as we both came to a sudden halt. Water sloshed over the edge of the glass and onto Ivy’s shirt. “Shit, I’m sorry, Ivy. I was just coming to get those for Mia.”
Ivy smiled. “It’s okay. You take these to Mia and I’ll go change.”
“Right,” I said as she shoved the glass and pills into my hands.
When I got back to the room, Mia was standing in front of the mirror in a long, baggy black and white striped shirt that could have been a dress—I wasn’t sure. She had long black leggings on under it covering her slender legs, but she could have gotten away without them I thought.
She glanced back at me in the reflection of the mirror as I stood there staring at her. A small smile lifted her gorgeous lips, and I knew in that moment, I was sunk. She wasn’t wearing anything special or fancy, her face was clear of makeup, and her hair was in a messy bun kinda thing on the top of her head. But I’d never seen anything more beautiful.
I took three large strides towards her, putting the pills and water on my desk as I passed it. As soon as she was within arm’s reach, I grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her towards me. Then I slid my arms around her back and brought her body up close and flush with mine.
Mia didn’t pull away or say anything at my sudden movements, she just looked up into my eyes and waited.
“You’re so goddamned beautiful. I’ll never not want you,” I breathed against her skin as my mouth descended and met her lips. As soon as my tongue touched her plump bottom lip, she opened for me, and I slid it inside. She tasted so good. I’d never get enough.
I finally let up when her tiny hands pressed against my chest. “Kai, your friends,” she whispered as if they could hear us making out in my room.
“You just hit your head pretty badly, baby. I’m sure the last thing they’re expecting is for us to be making out right now. Besides, they’re all in the lounge room, not right outside my bedroom door.”
She rolled her chocolate brown eyes at me. “I know that. But I want to meet them, remember? So how about we reschedule this little interlude?”
God, the way she was looking at me with those big doe eyes, looking all adorable and shit, there was no way I could deny her. I dropped my hands from her arse where they had found themselves while I was trying to devour her. “Fine,” I grumbled and turned away from her to grab her pills and drink. “You should take these. They’ll help.”
She took them from me and swallowed them down with the water. “Let’s do this!” she said as she handed the empty glass back to me and pushed past me and left me standing alone in my room. She was such a determined little thing. I liked that, too.
With a huge grin on my face, I followed her like a lost puppy. I guess in some weird, metaphorical way, I was like a lost puppy. And now that I’d found my person, I was never leaving her.
I caught up to her as she was passing the kitchen and wrapped my arms around her from behind. “Not so fast,” I told her as I redirected her into the kitchen. “You’re going to need a lot more water and an icepack for that head of yours.”
She actually harrumphed and crossed her arms under her impressive breasts. “If that’s supposed to be a sign of insubordination, it’s not going to work. It’s actually really hot. Makes your boobs look awesome,” I told her frankly.
Her jaw dropped. “You did not just say that.”
I smirked. “Uh, yeah, I did.”
She narrowed her eyes on me, and I chose that moment to turn my back on her and snatch a cold water bottle from the fridge and an icepack from the adjoining freezer. When I turned around, she was still attempting to glare at me. “You know you just look cute when you do that, too, right?”
“I’m not cute! I’m bad-arse,” she said with confidence.
“I didn’t say you weren’t bad-arse, I said you’re cute. There you have it, you’re a cute bad-arse,” I said this as I searched the kitchen drawers for a clean tea towel to wrap around the icepack.
The look on Mia’s face said she was thinking, thinking really hard. “A cute bad-arse, you say?” I nodded and she continued to ponder. “Okay, I’ll take it.”
I made the official introductions, and then we all ate in the lounge room. The girls were already in bed since they’d had a huge day with Bray and Stella at the water park.
“You should have heard them squealing all the way down the slides,” Stella said.
“We’ll all have to go next time,” Axel said throwing a glare towards Stella. “I can’t believe you didn’t invite me.”
“What! So you could stare at Stella’s tits all day? Yeah, I don’t think so,” Bray shot back with only a hint of sarcasm.
Axel’s eyes went wide. “I would never!” He even went the extra mile and put his hand on his chest like an offended southern belle.
We all cracked up laughing, even Mia, who had been quietly observing our interactions for the past half an hour and not really getting involved in the conversation. That was quite possibly one of the best things about Axel, he could lighten anyone up and make them feel comfortable.
“So, you and Kai, huh?” Sloan went straight for the kill, directing her question at Mia.
Mia stopped laughing immediately and looked to me for guidance, so I spoke for her. “Yeah, I didn’t really give her much of a choice. It was me or Axel—” I shrugged, “and we all know I’m the better catch out of the two of us.”
“Like hell you are,” Axel spat. “You snavelled her up before she even met me. It could have been me sitting where you are right now.”
My arm around Mia’s shoulder tensed. I didn’t like the thought of anyone else touching her but me. I narrowed my eyes at Axel, but the fucker just laughed at me. Whatever. His day would come, and then the laughs would be at his expense.
“Okay then, where are you from?” Sloan pressed. Sloan didn’t take to new people easily. She had some serious trust issues that caused her to be weary of anyone new. Dex, on the other hand, was laid back and easy going. They balanced each other out perfectly.
“I’m, umm.” Mia cleared her throat. I knew she wanted to make a good impression. I could feel her nervousness radiating off her body in waves as she gathered herself to speak. “Not far from here. On the other side of the city actually. Just before the mountains.”
Sloan continued her line of questioning. “What made you move away?”
Mia swallowed. “Uh, I’m pregnant. I wasn’t in a very good place where I was, so I left.”
Sloan nodded, seeming to understand Mia’s unspoken words. Then Stella piped up, “Oh well, our gain then, huh? A new baby in the family, how exciting. I love babies.” She smiled at Mia, and I felt her body relax against my side.
“I don’t know anything about babies other than they’re usually ugly when they’re born,” Sloan put in.
Dex elbowed her in the ribs. “Sloan,” he growled close to her ear.
“What?” she shot back. “They are. Well, except for my girls of course. They will always be the cutest things ever.”
“You have kids?” Mia asked.
Sloan had just taken a sip of her drink, and it sprayed from her mouth at Mia’s question. “Fuck no!” she exploded. “I was talking about Tessie and Gracie.”
I burst out laughing at Sloan’s reaction. “Jesus, Sloan, anyone would think you don’t like babies,” I said through my laughter.
Her answer was a silent glare, and if looks could kill, she would have slayed me where I sat.