It's All Relative

by S. C. Stephens

  Kai grinned at her, admittedly, dumb objection. “Which is why you should dress warmer,” he said with a soft smile.

  Jessie cringed, knowing Kai would be colder than her, even whipping through the wind on a bike. That wasn’t really her objection anyway. Seeing her reluctance, April finally piped up from the couch. “Hey, if she’s too scared, I’ll go to lunch with you, Kai?”

  Jessie tossed April a quick glare, more at her trying to snag her afternoon with Kai than her comment, although, she hoped April didn’t realized that. Hoping to throw her off that thought, if she hadn’t gotten there yet, Jessie calmly said, “I’m not scared.”

  Kai shifted his stance as he watched her, his eyes amused at her reluctance, and also looking a little worried. Maybe he was wondering if she just didn’t want to spend time alone with him anymore. Not wanting him to think that, Jessie smiled at him. “I’ll just layer up, then we can go.”

  He smiled brilliantly, relieved again. “Great.”

  Jessie darted to her room to add more layers and a jacket to her outfit. As she was slipping the fluffy outwear on, Harmony lightly knocked on her open door frame. “Hey, you got a minute?” she asked softly.

  Jessie tensed, but slapped a smile on her face. Oddly, her first thought with Harmony entering her room was, Kai’s alone with April now. She shook her head to knock that thought away. They were going to be very alone when they started dating. She’d have to get used to it sooner or later. Smiling as realistically as she could, Jessie said “Sure, what’s up?”

  Harmony leaned against the door frame. She glanced back down the hall to the living room, and then shifted her attention back to Jessie. “Everything okay?”

  Jessie paused in zipping up her jacket. Had Harmony noticed something? Shaking her head, Jessie smiled brighter. “Everything’s fine, Harm. Why?” Jessie resisted the urge to cross her fingers.

  Harmony narrowed her eyes at Jessie, then glanced back at where Kai was. Sighing, she swung her eyes into the room again. “Nothing, it’s just been weeks since…the breakup, and I like to check in with you every once and awhile.” She gave Jessie a halfhearted smile, like she felt bad for bringing it up.

  Jessie smiled truthfully. “I’m so over Jeremy, Harm. No worries there.” She walked over to her friend, placing a hand on her arm. “Thank you though, for being concerned for me.”

  Harmony rolled her eyes as they started walking back down the hall. “Of course I ‘m concerned about you. With all your family but Grams gone, it’s up to me to bug you about men.” She grinned and laughed a little.

  Jessie laughed with her, then stopped when she saw April and Kai talking, Kai keeping a respectful distance from the provocative woman. In a whisper, Jessie unintentionally added, “I’m not alone…Kai’s here.”

  Jessie smiled when he twisted to look at her. He smiled back, and even through their distance, Jessie felt the warmth between them. Harmony was silent for a moment then said, “Sure…but…you can’t date him. Maybe you should try and find your Ricardo.” Harmony laughed as she said the name, so Jessie knew that she was teasing her.

  Her face flushing from her comment about Kai, Jessie smacked her best friend across the arm. Little did Harmony know that she actually had found her Ricardo…and Harmony was right, she couldn’t date him.

  Ignoring the sadness in that, and Harmony’s bellyaching at being smacked, she walked up to Kai’s curious eyes; he’d seen her hit her friend. “Okay,” Jessie sighed dramatically, “I’m ready.

  Kai smiled and laughed at her reluctance. “Let’s hit the road then.” His eyes twinkled playfully. It was astoundingly attractive and Jessie felt her heart surge for more reasons than just the fear of piggybacking on a motorcycle.

  Ignoring it, she groaned again. “Oh, we’re not literally going to hit the road, are we?” She gave him a raised eyebrow, her face twisting nervously.

  Kai sighed, his hand coming up to grab her upper arm lightly. Jessie felt the heat of the touch, even through her padded jacket. “Would I let you down, Jessie?” His eyes searched her face and Jessie could have sworn he wasn’t really talking about dumping her on his bike.

  Gazing up at him, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

  He smiled softly, his hand drifting down her arm. His fingers passed over hers and Jessie had to stop herself from grabbing his hand. As one, they both looked back at her roommates. “Have a good afternoon, ladies,” Kai said politely.

  Harmony smiled brightly and told them to have fun. April pouted, then smiled seductively at Kai. Walking right up to him, close enough that Jessie had to take a step back, April cupped his cheek. “See you Saturday night, Kai,” she said breathily. Jessie cringed that they’d made plans while she’d been getting ready. But Jessie gaped at what April did next. In an all too obvious maneuver, she leaned up to his mouth; she was going to kiss him, right in front of Jessie.

  Kai’s eyes widened a little, but he didn’t pull away. Jessie’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t stop watching. April lightly pressed her lips to his, enclosing them in a soft kiss. Jessie knew that her friend was forward, but she kind of thought that April would at least hold out until they’d gone on a date before feeling comfortable enough to casually kiss him goodbye. Although, it was really more of a peck than a full-on kiss. Even still, Kai’s eyes half-closed and he seemed affected by it when she pulled away.

  Jessie finally looked away, walking past Kai to the front door. She could hear Kai murmur goodbye and then hurriedly follow her out the door. Jessie felt the tears stinging, but pushed them back. He should be with April, they made sense together. She shouldn’t be negatively affected by seeing them kiss. She couldn’t kiss Kai, April could. And Kai deserved to be kissed, deserved to be loved, in that way.

  But still…that didn’t mean she liked watching it.

  Chapter 12

  A Taste of Heaven

  Kai wasn’t sure what he was doing, showing up at Jessie’s place the day after they’d sort of decided to go their separate ways. But not really. They’d never truly go separate ways, not with what they meant to each other. And not with the fact that they were family. That would never change. Even if the feelings brewing were hard and confusing, they would eventually fade, and the family ties would be all that was left.

  As he watched Jessie walk out to his bike in front of him, he wondered how she really felt about the whole April thing. She couldn’t have liked her kissing him. Even if Jessie was only mildly attracted to him, she probably hadn’t liked watching it. Kai wished he’d had the fortitude to pull away, but her roommate was alluring, in her own way. Plus, if he’d pulled back, it would ruin the perception that he was open to a relationship with her. He couldn’t send April mixed signals before they’d even had their first date. Not when Jessie had asked him to try. And he was. He was trying. For her, he was trying.

  He smiled as Jessie stopped at the back of his bike, looking unsure of what to do. Regardless of that awkward situation, he was very glad that she’d said yes. Kai missed being alone with his cousin, and he wanted her to share in something that was important and soothing to him. He wanted them to be closer…even if, in some ways, they had to be even farther apart.

  She sighed at him and frowned. Kai frowned too, hoping that she wasn’t too upset about the kiss. Her eyes flicked over him, brown, warm, and beautiful. Biting her lip, she looked about to say something, but then she stopped herself and shook her head. With a quick exhale, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  Kai was pretty sure that wasn’t what she’d originally been about to say. He thought to bring up the brief kiss, thought to ask her if she was okay with it, but really, she either was, which would hurt Kai, or she wasn’t, which would hurt her. There really was no easy way around the pain of this forced space between them, and she didn’t seem to want to comment on it, so Kai didn’t either. Instead, he stepped up to the back, unstrapped the second helmet, a bright red one, and handed it to her. “I thought I’d show you where I spend my day
s.”

  She smiled as she grabbed the helmet. “Your work? Really?”

  Kai smiled softly and nodded while she stared at him, surprise and happiness apparent on her face. She broke away from his eyes to glance down at the helmet in her hands, looking like she wasn’t sure just what to do with it. Kai grinned and helped her slip it on, fastening the belt under her chin. Once she had it on, Kai watched her eyes through the open visor. She was smiling until she seemed to register something that he’d told her earlier, then her brow furrowed adorably. “Did you buy the helmet…for me? Is this what you got for me?”

  Smiling, he nodded. “Yeah, I thought you might like riding with me…sometimes.”

  Jessie shook her helmeted head. “Oh, well, thank you, Kai.” She glanced down at the bike uneasily. “Once this stops terrifying me, I think I’ll appreciate that.”

  Kai laughed and flipped down her visor. “Just hold on tight. I got you, cousin.” Casually swinging his leg over his bike, he felt perfectly at ease on the molded leather. Jessie hesitated at his side and Kai wasn’t sure if she was still nervous about being on a bike, or nervous about being with him. He hoped it was only the bike.

  He patted the raised section of the seat behind him, where a passenger could easily fit. Jessie seemed to slump down a little before she awkwardly climbed on behind him. Kai held the bike as still as he could as she jerked her way into her spot. Smiling, he twisted his body to look at her once she was in place.

  Rigidly upright, she sat with her hands resting on her thighs. He couldn’t see her face through the visor, but Kai was pretty sure she was worrying her lip. Speaking loud enough that she could hear him through the helmets, he gave her some last minute instructions, since she’d never been on a bike before.

  “Just hold onto me tight.” He indicated his waist, so she would know where. Tilting her head, she slowly shook it. Kai had the feeling that she was silently telling him that she wasn’t an idiot. He grinned again and added, “Lean into the bike with me. You’ll want to lean away, but it’s easier for me if you don’t.”

  She looked down briefly then nodded. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them around his waist. He felt the rest of Jessie mold to his back. For a moment, he paused, just enjoying the feeling of her clinging to him. Then he started the bike, revving it a few times to warm the engine. That made Jessie’s arms around him cinch tight. He inhaled a sharp breath as she squeezed the air out of him. Patting her arms encouragingly, Kai yelled back, “Relax…have fun. I got you, Jessie.”

  Then he took off.

  Jessie clung to him like a lifeline for the first several miles. He took it easy, swinging wide on the corners so she wouldn’t feel like they were going to fall over. But once they got out of the city limits, and Jessie’s hold on his waist eased up a bit, he opened it up. Smiling, he felt the wind whip past them. It was chilly but not nearly as bad as it had been, thanks to several new layers of Under Armor.

  Kai felt Jessie laugh into his back as she got more and more comfortable with being on a bike. Grinning, he decided to show her just how exhilarating a motorcycle could be. Dipping low into the curves as they approached the windy mountain climb, Kai watched the concrete seemingly rise up to just under their knees. He could feel that the bike was perfectly balanced, nowhere near losing control, but for those not used to it, it could be a little frightening. And Jessie did clench him tightly again, but he felt her laugh again too.

  By the time they were at Kai’s work, Jessie was leaning with him, almost anticipating the curves like he did. Her hands had relaxed their death grip too. Actually, as Kai slowed the bike to coasting, her hands had drifted so low on his waist that they were more over the top of his jeans than anywhere near his stomach. It did odd, arousing things to have her hands so near him, but he did nothing to move them as he rolled to a stop and shut the bike off.

  Just as he was turning to ask her if she had fun, the spunky, wiry Missy started walking their way. Kai felt Jessie slide off the bike and taking off his helmet, Kai swung his leg over, just as Missy walked nearly into his face.

  “Kai! So good to see you on a Sunday! And I thought my weekend was going to be a long and uneventful one, having to go without seeing that body for two straight days. And don’t you look hot on your motorcycle.”

  As Missy was clearly within hug distance and looked like she was considering it, Kai held his helmet in front of his body, effectively cutting off the temptation. Tilting his head at his horny coworker, he shook his head. “Missy, talking to you is such an ego boost.”

  Missy grinned at him, a smudge on her cheek betraying the fact that she’d actually been working hard in the countryside today. Eager as she could be, she was also very good at her job. “Honey, trust me, talking to you does way more for me.” Her eyes skimmed down the front of him, not subtly.

  Laughing at her, since that was all Kai could do with the situation, he twisted his head back to Jessie. She still had her helmet on, not having figured out how to remove it, but her hands were on her hips as she looked Missy’s way.

  “Sorry, Jess.” Kai slipped his helmet on the bars and walked back to her. Tucking his hands up underneath her helmet, he loosened the slide. Pulling the helmet off of her, he expected to see an exhilarated-from-the-ride smile, but…she was frowning.

  Frowning himself, Kai noticed that she staring at Missy as she frowned. Knowing Missy was probably checking out his ass, Kai wanted to roll his eyes and tell Jessie that his coworker just liked to objectify him, but Missy spoke first.

  Walking up to Jessie, a suspicious frown on her face, Missy sullenly said, “You cheating on me, Kai? Who’s the girl?” Adjusting her glasses, Missy eyed Jessie up and down in the exact same way she’d analyze a potential threat to the ecosystem.

  Kai wanted to sigh at her unreasonable jealousy. “Missy, this is my cousin, Jessie.”

  He indicated Jessie with his hand, and Missy’s entire demeanor changed. Brightening considerably, she walked up to Jessie, slinging her arm around her shoulders like they were suddenly best friends or something. “Cousin? That’s great!” Squeezing into Jessie’s side, she eyed Kai seductively. “So, cousin, tell me all about Kai. Likes, dislikes, turn offs…turn ons.” She raised her eyebrows and Kai shook his head.

  Releasing Jessie from Missy, who was too busy gaping at the woman to respond herself, Kai pulled her close to his side. “I’m going to give Jessie a tour.” Missy nodded, like she thought that was a great idea too, and moved to follow them when Kai stepped forward. Stopping, Kai looked back at her. “We can go alone, Missy. I wouldn’t want to slow up your work.” She pouted and Kai couldn’t help but grin. As he grabbed Jessie’s hand, leading her to the front doors, he tossed over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Missy.”

  After showing Jessie the various rooms and labs that Kai spent his days in, she seemed to thaw out from the Missy encounter. He wasn’t sure if she’d just found Missy’s aggressiveness off-putting, or if she just hadn’t liked him being mentally undressed right in front of her; probably a little of both.

  After checking out a large portion of the wilderness behind the research center, carefully avoiding the damn bee hives, Kai and Jessie came back into the center through the rear of the building. Both laughing at their little trek through the woods, Kai stopped when he noticed his boss at the end of the hall. Kai had made sure that he’d kept Jessie away from any protected areas, so he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t get into any trouble for bringing her by. Even still, with as strange as Mason could be towards him, Kai sort of wished that the man hadn’t been here today. But…he usually was there. He practically lived at the research center.

  Straightening his shoulders once he was spotted, Kai grabbed Jessie’s hand again, pushing back how nice it felt to hold her fingers. Walking up to where Mason was paused in a doorway, a clipboard in one hand, coffee in the other, Kai lifted his free hand to him in a wave.

  “Mason, I’m glad you’re here.” Kai still naturally wanted to call him sir, b
ut that was one thing the man had insisted on, informality.

  Mason seemed to sigh a little at seeing Kai, before bringing his lips up into a clearly forced smile. Kai wanted to frown at the man’s obvious reluctance to be around him, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. “Kai…I didn’t think you were coming in today.” His tone seemed a little disappointed that Kai had decided to show up, like Kai was ruining his day, just by being there.

  Ignoring that feeling of not being wanted, Kai smiled and looked over at Jessie. She seemed to be puzzled about something and was staring at Mason like he looked familiar to her. “I was just showing my cousin, Jessie, around the center.”

  Mason’s eyes widened as he took in Jessie beside him. Extending his hand, he murmured, “Cousin? Well, nice to meet you, Jessie.”