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Therin set her away suddenly and blinked. That familiar voice in his head reminded him of their distance and the demands of their lives. How could they work?
“I really need to go,” he said, keeping his hands firm at her elbows to keep her and him at bay. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Will I see you again?”
He kissed her forehead and let his mouth linger there. “I’ll be at your door for breakfast.”
“If you stay, you could wake up to breakfast.”
“Kianti…” he pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re killin’ me.” He kissed her cheek. “Good night.”
Chapter 5
Brody’s handsome face registered frustration when he arrived at Kianti’s early the next morning and smelled breakfast in the air. When he asked what they were having and was told he wasn’t invited, the disappointment emerged.
Kianti was in full gear when her doctor arrived to check in on her. She’d totally forgotten about the house call and hoped he’d be gone by the time Therin arrived. Tossing the dish towel she held to the counter, she promptly thrust out her wrist for him to check her pulse.
Brody saw to his duty, though his dark gaze gradually narrowed and he took a closer look around the airy lavender and white kitchen. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“Not yet,” she sang.
“This is good,” he said in reference to her pulse, but squeezed her wrist. “For now,” he added.
Kianti rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” He took a seat at one of the stools near the breakfast nook. “And don’t bother acting like you don’t know what or who I’m talking about.”
“Brody, please.” She stalked back to the stove and made a pretense of checking the eggs in the warmer. “I’m about to have breakfast with an incredible man and…see where things go from there.”
“And the direction you’re hoping for is the bedroom.”
She slammed her hand to the counter and turned. “Damn you.” Her temper peaked when she felt the pressure of tears.
“Damn,” he hissed when she rushed from the kitchen. Leaving the stool, he caught her before she cleared the doorway. “I’m sorry.” He pressed both hands to his chest in a show of sincerity. “The last thing I want is to upset you.”
“Oh, that I believe, since feeling upset is a lively emotion. Feeling alive is the last thing any of you want me to experience.”
“Do you really believe that?” His voice was hushed.
“Prove it, then. Let me have this—don’t interfere.”
“Key—”
“You promised you’d back off.”
Brody smoothed a hand across his low-cut Afro. “That promise was in reference to the pills.”
“Hmph.” Kianti shoved both hands into the back pockets of her snug capris and began a slow pace of the kitchen.
“Pout all you want, but we plan to be focused in hard and heavy on every other aspect of your life.”
“Stay out of this Brody—that goes for you and your cronies. There isn’t even anything going on. The man lives in Vancouver, for Heaven’s sake!”
“All right. All right.” Brody bowed his head and decided to give it a rest. He walked over to kiss her cheek and turned her toward the stove. “Your bacon’s done,” he said, before leaving.
Kianti watched him pull keys from his khakis and go. Then she went to handle the bacon. Brody’s cautions returned though. Exactly what did she think she was doing? She’d done a fine job of ignoring the question, which had made a nice little camp in the back of her mind.
She thought back to her behavior when Therin visited the day before. She’d never been shy with men. She believed in being up front about what she wanted, as opposed to playing coy games to go after it.
Where Therin Rucker was concerned, God, she wanted him. Perhaps that was simply because her sex life was so lacking. Perhaps it was because he was so very appealing.
Perhaps she wanted to test how ready she was to live life to its fullest without the aid of her trusty meds. And what if she wasn’t ready? A relationship—hell. Any sort of involvement with the very sexy ex-ambassador or anyone else, for that matter, would be out of the question.
Then there was her playing—her passion. Was she really ready to risk that by unchaining herself from those pills?
And what of Therin himself? Didn’t he deserve to know of her condition? Kianti shook her head and began wiping down the already spotless countertop. She didn’t need to think of that just then. Perhaps she wasn’t as ready to live this part of her life as she thought.
