Revealing Kia (16 page)

I opened the door for her and we were greeted by a wall of spices, BBQ sauce, roasted meat and steamed vegetables. I wanted to bath
e in the stuff, but I stole a glance at Kia, curious to see what she thought.

She smiled at me, but said nothing.

We were led to a corner booth and left to wait for our waitress. I reached for my menu.

“Okay, spill.”

I started. “What?”

Kia arched a brow dryly. “Don’t give me that. I know something’s been on your mind since we got into the car. What is it?”

I dragged the plastic encased menu over to me. “Am I that easy to read?”

“You’re reading your menu upside down.”

So I was.

I sighed
and dropped the menu. “First tell me what you wanted to talk about.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Avoiding the question. Not sure how to feel about that.”

“I’m not avoiding the question. I’m still going to answer, but I need some time to put the answer together.”

Her smile faded. “That’s never good to hear. What happened?”

I shook my head. “You first. Please.”

She wet her lips and sat back. Her fingers picked at the corner of her menu. Her nervous fidgeting made me nervous.

“I know about Claudia and Taylor,” she mumbled at last. She paused and rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t
know
about them, but I know you’ve been seeing them. I guess that’s kind of the same thing, isn’t it?”

I put a hand over her menu, stopping the clapping noise the two pieces of plastic were making
under her tense fiddling.

“What are you talking about, Kia?”

She inhaled deeply, visibly stealing herself before meeting my eye. “Are you seeing anyone, specifically Claudia and Taylor? But if you have a list, I’d like that, too.”

I drew my hand away.
“Who told you I was seeing Claudia and Taylor, or anyone else?”

Her gaze dropped away from mine
and the answer was like a slap—Van.

“Nessie mentioned that you’d been seeing Claudia since that afternoon at school and you and Taylor had been seeing each other for
a while…” she broke off. Her throat muscles worked. There was uncertainty in her eyes when she lifted them to me again. “I just want to know if—”

“No
!” I said with a bit more bite than I meant. “I have never been with Claudia. I did go to meet her the day after the school incident, but only because she promised me answers and you weren’t talking to me. I went to her house. I was there for twenty minutes. She got grabby and I left. As for Taylor.” I rifled a hand through my hair. “We slept together once. It was a year ago and it was the biggest mistake I ever made. It never happened again. As for any other girls you might be worried about.” I peered closely into her eyes, letting her see the truth as I spoke. “I can count on three fingers the number of girls I’ve been with. Taylor was the only one I hadn’t been in a relationship with. She was the last person I was with and, as I said, that was a year ago. There is only one girl I’m interested in and she’s sitting here at the table with me.”

I could almost feel her searching through my subconscious, digging for even the tiniest sliver of untruth, but I kept her gaze, unflinching.
She must have found what she was looking for, because she slowly smiled.

“So your exes, I don’t have to worry about them coming back for seconds?”

I grinned. “You have no one to worry about,
nena.
I’m all yours.”

A faint flush darkened her cheeks, but she kept my gaze. “Now, your turn. What’s on your mind?”

I was saved by the waitress coming to the table asking for our drink choices and if we’d decided yet. We got our drinks and asked her to come back.

“Adam?”

I looked up from the menu I knew like the back of my hand, already feeling her eyes boring into me.

“Yes?”

Carefully, she reached across the small amount of space separating us and rested her hand over mine.

“Whatever’s it is, you can talk to me about it. I might not be able to fix it
whatever it is, but I’m pretty smart. I can at least help you think of some ideas on how to fix it.”

I smiled before I could stop myself. “Even if
I was to tell you that I might have to cut our date short because I have to be up at four for basketball practice?”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Four in the morning?” She snatched her hand away. “Whoa, that’s just too much crazy for me. I don’t think I can see you anymore.”

I snorted. “Then I won’t tell you my hockey hours.”

She laughed. “How many sports are you in?”

I exhaled. “Too damn many.”

“You don’t sound too happy about that.”

I shrugged. “My parents think it’ll help me get into a really good Ivy League university.”

“Do you at least enjoy playing?”

“No.” I laughed at how quickly the single word burst from my lips.

“Then why do you?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Because my parents expect it. They push hard to strive for achievement and success. They mean well, but sometimes … it’s just too much.” I scrubbed both hands over my face. “I never told anyone that.”

I felt her hand on my arm.
“You shouldn’t play if you don’t like it, even if it’s what your parents want.”

I dropped my hands.
“It’s not that I don’t want to play. I just don’t want to play so many. It’s too much pressure and so tiring. Plus, I have no time for anything else between all my teams and my school work. Vina expects a four point oh average at all times and that’s hard to do when I come home exhausted.”

“Have you tried
talking to your parents about it?” she asked.

“A few times, but quitting would make me a quitter and…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “I sometimes envy Van for being so carefree. She doesn’t care what our parents think, which is what leads to the majority of the problems at home. But a year ago, she was in a million clubs, dance, jazz, piano and a bunch of others. Then, one day, she just walked out and never looked back. Our parents were furious. I’ve never seen them
hit the roof so hard. They badgered and threatened and bribed, but she stuck her ground. I think, as the eldest, they always thought I would be the one to rebel. Then she beat me to it and suddenly they were working me twice as hard, as though punishing me for not being able to stop her.” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I’m sorry. Just forget I—”

“Hey.” I heard before I felt the u-shaped leather bench beneath me shift. A moment later, her hip and thigh was pressed into mine and she was shoulder
ing me playfully. “I wouldn’t have liked you half as much as I do right now if you were a rebel.”

I raised my head and peered at her. “Why’s that?”

She shrugged. “Because you’re plenty dangerous without trying. I don’t think I’d be able to handle you if you were deliberately trying to be bad.”

It was such a weird thing to say that I burst out laughing.
Still beaming, I dropped my brow until it rested against hers and her scent was all I could smell and her eyes were all I could see.

“And what’s your excuse, hm?”

“My excuse?” she whispered.

I reached up and lightly wrapped a strand of hair around my finger. I tugged on it teasingly. “You don’t think you’re dangerous?”

She blinked in surprise. “Me?” She laughed. “I’m not—”

“Oh you are,
nena
. The fact that you don’t know it only makes it worse.” My gaze went to her lips, already parted and beckoning. My gut hurt. My chest ached and I had to grit my teeth to keep from plundering her mouth. I knew there would be nothing stopping me from pushing her down right there and taking her if I did. “You have no idea how hard it is to restrain myself around you, especially when you’re looking at me like you are right now.”

The tip of a pink tongue slipped out to slip over those haunting lips and I groaned inwardly. “
How am I—?”

“How are you looking?” I forced my attention up to her eyes, big and wide like a doe’s and equally innocent. “
Like—”

“Here we are!” The waitress set down our drinks with an audible clink. The sound was soft, but it had the power to pull me and Kia apart. The waitress never noticed the glower I cast her. “Have you decided what to order?”

We gave her our order and watched her walk away. But even with her gone, the moment had been shattered and I sat back against the booth. Kia remained next to me, but she could have been a million miles away.

“I’m sorry,” I said at last, pulling her back from wherever she was lost in her mind.

She looked at me. “For what?”

I had no idea for a moment, but the feeling remained. “
I promised that I wouldn’t push you.”

She frowned. “You haven’t pushed me.”

That was a relief. I didn’t need anything else on my plate to worry about.

“So is the four am walkup call the only thing bothering you?” she pressed when I remained quiet.

I lied and nodded. “And a few other things, but nothing to worry about. I’ll handle them.”

And I would. I’d already decided that I would play Van’s games because Kia
was
that important and being with her was something I was willing to pay any price for. I just wasn’t sure where this would leave me and my family when it was over.

“
I’m sorry about the other day,” Kia said as I drove her home later that night. “You know when I left the cabin. I wanted to leave you a note, but I wasn’t sure where to put it so you would find it…”

I spared her a
split second glance in the passenger’s seat. “Mom told me when I got back and you were gone. I really need to give you my number so you can at least text me next time.”

She laughed, the sound holding a pinch of embarrassment. “Yeah, that might be a bit hard to do as I don’t have a cell phone. I know, I must be the only person in the world, but there you have it.”

I frowned. “Why don’t you?”

“Well, my mom wanted to get me one last year, but that’s when she and my dad were getting a divorce and money was tight so I refused.
After that I never went anywhere or talked to anyone so I never saw the need. But now, I might need to get one.”

I nodded. “It would be nice talking with you throughout the day.” I made a careful turn on a sleek sheet of ice making the road a rink. “So how’s your mom’s
… partner?”

She laughed. “
Joanne is fine. A broken arm and a few bruises, but totally fine.”

“That’s good. What happened?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t ask. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know.”

“So you never told me what happened at the restaurant today with you and Gary.”

I heard her groan and nearly smiled.

“I was stupid,” she mumbled at last. “I heard about the stuff he was saying about Nessie and I just got so angry.
Plus he had a date with him, this cute little brunette. She was the same girl from the pictures someone sent Nessie so I was doubly pissed. Next thing I knew I was standing over their table and reminding him to apply the rash cream twice a day before it spreads and he can’t sit again.”

I was laughing before she even finished. I had to slow the car as I all but doubled over. Thankfully there were no other cars behind me as I fought to regain composure.

“Baby, that was not stupid. That was brilliant.”

She chuckled. “
Yeah well, it was about to get me killed if you hadn’t been there.”

I sobered. “I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

We pulled up to her house and I killed the engine. I gave her a quick smile before pocketing the keys and climbing out into the nippy chill. My boots crunched on snow as I rounded the hood and pulled open her door. I gave her a hand out and led her up the driveway to the two story structure glowing beneath the single light shining from the porch. Our combined footfalls thumped on the steps leading to the door and I turned to her.