by Layla Frost
“Can’t keep the bed waiting.” Kase closed the door and got in on his side. Starting the car, he switched the radio from hard rock to a popular hits station.
“Go back, I love that song”
He changed it back. “I never took you for a rock ‘n’ roll fan.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You just don’t seem like it.”
“That’s pretty judgmental. I like what I like. My love of all things glitter and fashion doesn’t mean I can’t rock. There’s a lot about me that doesn’t fit in one tidy little box.”
“I’m learning that.” He was quiet for a moment before continuing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“I know,” I interrupted, giving him a lazy smile. “So how are things at the Hot Dude Garage?”
He glanced at me, his dark brow raised. “Jake change the name?”
“He really should. I think your business would skyrocket. Maybe have a gift shop with shirtless picture calendars, keychains, life-size cardboard cutouts. Oh, and mugs.”
“Also with us shirtless?”
“No, of course not. They’d be the heat activated ones. You’d start out in shirts, then when someone poured their morning coffee, bam! Shirtless. It’d be an instant double pick-me-up.”
“Somehow I don’t see Jake going for that idea.”
I sighed. “It’s a shame, my marketing genius being wasted. But I suppose you’re right. What’s been new at boring Hyde?”
For the rest of the drive, he told me a bit about what he did. I knew next to nothing about cars but I was fascinated at the artistry of it.
When we got to his house, Kase wrapped his arm around me again as we walked up the path. The smell of the water was stronger, a breeze carrying it to us.
I have the overwhelming urge to strip down to my underwear and run into the freezing water.
When we got inside, he steered me into the kitchen. “When’s the last time you ate?”
“Uhh…”
“That’s what I thought.” Turning, he opened the fridge and pulled out what was in.
Literally.
Two containers of Chinese takeout and two beers was all that was in there.
“Did a polar bear break in and eat all of your food?”
He laughed, the sound sending an unexpected heat through me. “No.”
“Did you forget to go grocery shopping?” I asked as I hopped onto the kitchen island. Opening the carton, I grabbed a fork and started eating the cold lo mein noodles.
“Nope. Want me to heat that up?” he asked as he dished out something spicy and veggie filled.
“No, I like it cold. Here.” I scooped some onto one of the plates. “So what’s with the lack of… everything?”
“Hey, that’s not true.” He opened a cupboard filled with more than a few boxes of marshmallow cereal and toaster pastries.
“Oh my God, talk about sugar overload. Don’t you have any food without a cartoon mascot?”
“We’re eating it.”
“What do you do for meals?”
Kase glanced at me over his shoulder as he checked the food in the microwave. “Delivery, takeout, out to eat, drive-thrus.”
“You never cook?”
“Nope.”
I looked around his kitchen. Like the rest of his house, it was modern and the appliances were a high quality.
“Why do you have such kickass appliances? Were you married?” Closing my eyes, I scrunched up my face. “Sorry, that was rude.”
By the time I opened my eyes, Kase had used his super ninja speed to get right in front of me. He tucked my hair behind my ear, his knuckles skimming down my neck.
“Not rude, ipo. You were just asking a question.”
“I still could’ve been a little smoother about it.”
“Never been married. I had this house built and, surprisingly, they don’t offer a bachelor option where the kitchen is just a beer room and a stack of takeout menus.”
My brows shot so far up I was sure they were part of my hairline. “You had this place built? Why?”
At my blunt but innocent question, Kase’s expression changed. His smile seemed forced and the teasing, lightness in his eyes was gone. “The polar bear needed plenty of space. Speaking of which, I better go take the boys out. Grab the food, I’ll be right back.”
While I got the food and utensils, setting them on the small kitchen table, I wondered why building a house was such a touchy subject. As much as I wanted to know, I wasn’t going to push it.
Mighty big of you. Since you never, ever keep secrets.
Yup, totally running with a whole let-it-all-hang-out policy.
Chapter Five
Hipster Fantasies
Harlow
“Wake up, Zuul.”
“No. No Zuul. No one here but us mice,” I mumbled, pulling the blanket over my head. When Kase yanked it away, I gripped the fitted sheet and rolled, taking it with me.
“You can sleep all you want, no need to trash my room.”
“I’m a rock star.”
“I thought you were a mouse.”
“Right now I’m feeling more like a burrito.” Kicking the sheet off, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Maybe a sushi roll.”
Leaning down, Kase put his fists to the bed on either side of me. His dreads slid across his shoulders to hang down. “You always this difficult to wake up in the morning?”
Not wanting to breathe my morning breath funk in his face, I just shook my head.
I might not enjoy getting up, but the longer I stayed in bed, the more chaotic the morning became at my house.
Plus, my bed didn’t feel like a cloud.
Kase smirked. “You always this cute?”
Once again, I shook my head.
“Awful fuckin’ liar.” Standing, he grabbed the t-shirt he’d set on the bed and pulled it on over his undershirt.
I really should steal a shirt during one these sleepovers.
Maybe all of them.
“If you want coffee, you’d better get going.”
Needing no further incentive, I hopped up and hauled ass to the bathroom.
*******
The car ride was blissfully quiet on our way for coffee. Once I got some caffeine into me and became human again, the silence began to feel a little less blissful and a lot more awkward.
What kind of conversation do you start with someone that you’ve slept with twice?
‘Hey, sorry I keep passing out as soon as my head hits your pillow, but I hope we can sleep together in a totally different way soon.’
Hmm, maybe too subtle.
“Living on the beach has to be pretty awesome,” I said instead.
Kase turned down the music. “Yeah. Ya know, minus the occasional polar bear escapee.”
“Ha. Ha,” I deadpanned. “I bet the dogs do love all that open space and water.”
“Sometimes too much.”
“How so?”
“Like Boba making me chase him down the beach in my underwear. Or Chewy scaring the shit out of drunk trespassers.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I shifted to look at Kase. “Let’s back up to you in your underwear.”
Kase’s lips tipped up. “How’d I know you’d wanna focus on that? Should I describe the boxers so you can properly picture it?”
I rolled my eyes. “The story. I just wanna hear the story.”
Though this visual is far from bad.
“Last summer, Boba got out and I had to chase after him. But the more I ran, the more he thought it was a game. So he’s weaving in and out of the water, turning around to look at me before jetting off again. His fuckin’ tail was wagging so hard, I swear, it was propelling him. Finally he tires out and I catch up with him, but not until we’re way the fuck down at the public part of the beach. The place is packed, and I’m in my boxers with a fluffy fuckin’ dog.”
“Oh my God.” Laughing hard, I set my coffee down so I didn’t give myself third degree burns.
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“No.” Kase shook his head, his expression somber. “That’s not the worst part.”
“There’s more?”
“He stops in the middle of this huge picnic, and they’re all wearing matching shirts with the name of their church.”
My response was somewhere between a laugh and a snort.
“Still, not the worst of it.”
I hiccupped as I tried to breathe. “What could be worse?”
“Boba is a runner. Poms are active dogs, and this wasn’t the first time he’d taken off. I don’t like it, and I do what I can to get him back in, but I don’t usually chase him.”
“Why did you?”
“‘Cause before he took off through the doggy door, he’d decided to grab a strip of condoms from my room. And since he also likes to chew on things, I couldn’t risk him eating them.” He shook his head, grinning. “Here’s this nice church group thinking they’ll enjoy a picnic at the beach. And instead their party is crashed by an inked up man in his boxers chasing a fluffy dog that’s dragging a strip of condoms. Which, of course, he decides to drop right as I’m approaching.”
“Okay, okay, you’ve gotta stop.” Wiping at my eyes, I tried to deep breathe.
When Kase didn’t respond, I looked over and saw him studying me as we stopped at a red light.
“So which laugh is this?” he asked.
I shook my head, my lips turning down in a slight frown. “What?”
“Well you’ve got the fake laugh I see you give the customers at the club. Then the one you give your friends ‘cause you’re either too tired to really laugh, or you were too distracted to hear what they said. So which one is this?”
I narrowed my eyes, all of my good mood fleeing. “For someone that thinks he’s so smart, you really don’t know anything.”
Making a quick right turn, Kase pulled off onto a quiet side street before twisting to face me. “Know you like to lie to avoid talking about shit. What I’m surprised about is that you’re lying to yourself, too.”
“I’m not. Can we get going? I have—”
“A lot to do. Yeah, I got that. Is it taking care of the sister no one knows you have? Or the mom no one knows about? David? School? Internship? Work?”
“Okay, I get it. I’m a shitty friend, a shitty liar, blah blah blah.”
Kase’s face softened, and it killed me to see it because he was right.
He was also wrong.
When I was with him, I wasn’t so distracted. My laugh was real, and the weight seemed to ease.
I forgot.
For whole minutes, hours, whatever bit of time, I forgot my life.
“Ipo, I’m sorry, that was—”
“It’s okay. I really do have to go.” When Kase made no move to start driving again, I shared, just a little. “I usually miss Hadley in the morning, but I like to leave notes in her backpack.”
Jerking his chin up, Kase started driving, though he did it silently.
This is for the best.
It is.
I really am a bad liar.
*******
“Low Low, wanna play outside with me?” Hadley yelled as she climbed onto my bed Sunday afternoon.
Putting my head up, I looked around, disoriented. “What?”
Abbey, Hadley’s nanny, moved into the doorway, her hands on her hips. “I told you to let your sister sleep.”
“But she was reading.” Hadley pointed down at the textbook.
The open pages were crumpled, including a smear of makeup and a possible spot of drool.
Well, that’s just embarrassing. I’m betting I’ve got indents all over the side of my face, too.
“Reading with her eyes closed?” Abbey asked.
“I don’t know!” Hadley said, throwing her hands up in the air. “I’m five. I don’t even know how to read.”
Abbey shook her head. “Sorry, Harlow.”
Somewhere in her thirties, Abbey had been working part-time since Hadley was born. When her hours started increasing, she left the other families she worked for so she could be here when needed.
No one had asked her to, but that didn’t mean we weren’t all grateful. Mom loved the company and, though she hated to admit it, she needed the help.
Stretching, I waved away her apology. “It’s fine. I’m supposed to be studying anyway.”
“Are you coming out?” Hadley asked.
“Isn’t it freezing?”
“No, the sun’s out and it’s warm. Abbey said I still have to wear a coat, though.”
“I can’t play, but I can read outside while you do.”
“Yippee!” She ran from the room.
“No running in the house!” Abbey called after her.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the night off?” I asked as I gathered my books and put on a hoodie.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Go see your husband before you forget what he looks like.”
“He doesn’t come home from work until later, but that would give me time to surprise him with dinner.” I could almost see her planning her shopping list and menu as she headed out the door. “Thanks, Harlow. I’m going to go say bye to your mom first.”
Going outside, I sprawled out on the hammock in the backyard while Hadley played. The book was boring enough to put me back to sleep, but the frigid air kept me alert.
I knew my study time was coming to an end when Hadley ran toward the fence, squealing her little heart out.
“Kase!”
“How’s my favorite redhead?” Reaching over the wood, Kase unlatched the gate and entered the yard.
“No, that’s cool. Make yourself at home,” I called to him as I sat up.
“Nice glasses, hipster.”
I pushed my thick black framed glasses up on top of my head. “Shut up, I’ve had these since before they were in.”
“And that’s exactly what a hipster would say.” Stopping at the hammock, he crouched down and tucked my hair behind my ear. His eyes were brighter in the sun, the blue more dazzling. When his gaze dropped to my lips, my head tilted back without my consent, my breath catching.
My body is a traitor.
The moment was lost when Hadley started wiggling the hammock as she climbed up to sit with me. “What’re you doing here?”
“I came to take Low Low out to dinner. Wanna come with us?”
Hadley’s face lit up, her smile growing so huge I thought her chubby cheeks would crack. “Really?”
“As long as your ma and Low Low say it’s okay.”
She whipped around to look at me. “Can I?”
“Go ask Mom, Hadley Freckle Face Cooper,” I said, though she was already running across the lawn.
“That’s not my name!” she yelled over her shoulder, her red hair flying in the wind.
As the back door slammed shut, Kase turned to me. “How’s it going, ipo?”
“Why are you here?”
“To see you.”
“Why?” I pushed, watching him through narrowed eyes. Though I was crazy happy to see him, I was also more than a little suspicious of his motives.
Without answering, Kase grabbed my hands and stood, pulling me up with him. Instead of moving back, he slid his grip to my hips and held me close. “We’ll talk about that later.”
“I can’t sleep with you,” I blurted out. My cheeks heated and I scrunched up my face. “I mean, I can’t spend the night with you. In a platonic way. As in no more sleepovers.”
“I know.”
My eyes widened. “You do?”
“Yup. Part of our later conversation.”
“Oh.”
This is exactly what I wanted. I’ve got enough on my plate and I can’t have him mucking up the works.
Yup, totally happy.
You know, under the crushing disappointment.
Before I could say anything else, the back door slammed open and Hadley came racing out.
“Come on, Mama! He’s here and they’re hugging!”
“Balls,” I muttered. I could hear and feel Kase’s low chuckle. “This isn’t funny.”
“It’s pretty fuckin’ funny.”
I tried to shift away, but Kase kept an arm wrapped tight around my waist.
“Mama said I can come with you,” Hadley said, grinning huge.
Kase returned her grin. “That’s good news.”
My mom cleared her throat.
Reluctantly, I looked at her. “Mom, this is Kase. Kase, this is my mom.”
He stretched his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cooper.”
I tensed as I watched Mom closely, only relaxing when her mood didn’t change.
I’m a flippin’ idiot.
“Actually, it’s Ganes,” she said, taking his hand. “And, please, call me Helena.” Her smile went crooked, a mischievous expression taking over her face. “So, you’re the one that’s been keeping my daughter out all night.”
“Mom. Oh my God, no. Just… no.”
“Well, it’s not like I blame you. His eyes really are Queen Elsa pretty.”
“I didn’t say that!” I whipped around to look at Kase, frantically shaking my head. “I didn’t say that.”
Kase’s grin was amused. “Ipo, I have no clue who that is.”
“Oh, then I envy you,” Mom said, pretending to look earnest. “I truly do.”
“What’s a poo?” Hadley asked.
“Ipo,” Kase corrected patiently. “It’s means sweetheart in Hawaiian.”
“Is Low Low your sweetheart?”
“We’ve gotta get going,” I blurted, not wanting to hear his answer. Actually, I desperately wanted to.
I just couldn’t allow myself to.
Peeking up at him, his eyes were on me, lit with humor and warmth. Mostly hidden by his beard, a small smile pulled at his lips.
At least one of us finds this entertaining.
“What’re you hungry for?” I asked Hadley, swooping her up. As soon as I got her into my arms, she lunged for Kase.
He caught her easily, tossing her up in the air, much to her joy.
Thankfully, his super ninja instincts are sharp as ever.
*******