care of himself.
And there it was. There was that nasty kernel of anger. He thought it had gone away, thought time and distance had healed the wound, but the flame had merely been banked.
There was a knock on the door, pulling Kai back from his thoughts. That was happening a lot this morning. He’d thought about staying in bed, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop himself from kissing her and he had plans for that later on today.
Kori was going to find out what being his sub meant.
Because he damn straight wasn’t about to be her “play partner,” whatever that meant. He was fairly certain “play partners” got no kisses.
He wanted some kisses. Like stupidly wanted them from her. It seemed wrong to him that he’d touched her pussy, brought her to orgasm, and hadn’t kissed her yet.
“I’ll go and see who’s here at a ridiculously early hour.” Sarah hopped off her chair.
“I should go.” He was the guy here. The neighborhood was safe enough, but bad things still happened.
“No, breakfast boy, you’re needed here. Trust me. I’ve opened the door many times.” Sarah flounced off. He wondered if she wore a full-length satin gown and robe with fluffy feathers and kitten-heeled slippers every morning. Sarah looked like she’d rolled out of a 1950s pinup girl’s bed. If said pinup girl wore full makeup and had perfect hair every morning.
“So you and Kori are an item now, huh?” Mia was wearing what she’d had on the night before. When he’d woken up earlier, she’d been using Sarah’s shower, the blankets and pillows neatly folded up.
He wished he could have gotten into her purse, but then again, he wasn’t an investigator. That didn’t mean he couldn’t help the cause. “I don’t think she would put a label on it.”
Mia smiled and nodded. “Ah, so you’re playing around. I guess I didn’t think you were the playboy type.”
So she was protective. That was interesting. Or she simply didn’t like men who weren’t committed. He shrugged. “I definitely wouldn’t call myself the playboy type. I kind of hate that type. Rich. Privileged. I’ve known a few. They’re practically their own stereotype. You know what I’m talking about, right? The young billionaire who thinks he owns the world because he thought up some silly app. Yeah, I’m definitely not like that.”
Her brother was though. From what he’d read, her brother had gone from foster care to the richest man in Austin in a short period of years. Of course he’d also found out that her father had killed himself and Mia’s mother in a murder/suicide. That kind of childhood trauma could fuck a person up.
Her mouth turned down. “They’re not all that way. Some of those developers work hard. Some of them use that money to pull their families out of poverty. You can’t always judge a book by its cover, you know.”
Definitely protective. But definitely not honest. “I don’t know. I only know what I see in the media.”
“The media often paints people in a bad light,” she said primly. “It depends on what they think will sell. They’re all about making money these days. No one seems interested in real journalism.”
“How’s the job going?”
According to her paperwork, she was a receptionist at a dental office. He, of course, knew her status as a freelance reporter. He had to wonder about that. He thought Big Tag and Case were too quick to think she was a Collective plant. Their own tragedy might be clouding their judgment in this case.
“Great. It’s really nice. Keeps me busy.” She leaned forward, her eyes on the pan. “I think the work you do is extraordinary. It’s important to help people. Not many people get that. It’s a calling, I think. People like doctors and therapists and the ones who put themselves on the line to get to the truth. Sorry, I’m still waking up. I’m probably not making a ton of sense. I just wanted you to know I admire you.”
And she felt guilty about lying to him. He would also bet she felt a kinship with him. It was there in the way she held herself as though she wanted to tell him her secret, thought he perhaps would understand. He added the egg mixture now that the spinach had gotten nice and soft and the ham was warm. “It’s important to help people in more ways than one. We all do our part. I’m sure you’re very good at helping people