hands me a chair and smirks. “But something tells me you already knew that.”
I lower my voice for only her. “Maybe I just like hearing you talk.”
She turns away blushing and grabs another chair. “In that case let me tell you all about behavioral thermoregulation used by ectothermic species.”
“Such dirty talk.” This time when I take a chair from her I almost grab her wrist and pull her into my chest. Friends give hugs, don’t they? But with Riley’s eyes on us I know it would only upset Bex so I resist.
“My gosh, Bex, you’re such a man.” Riley’s comment has all the humor draining from Bex’s face. “We come from a family of all girls…” Riley acts as though she’s only talking to her surrounding sorority sisters, but she’s speaking loud enough for all of us to hear. “Our family use to say Bex was the closest thing to the son they always wanted.” The girls explode into giggles.
Bex’s spine stiffens and she turns around to fire back. “And Riley was the—whoa!”
Kaipo swoops in and takes Bex off her feet. He grips her thighs so that she has no other option but to wrap her legs around him and hang on to his shoulders. “Lunch break!” He carries her across the patio while she laughs hysterically.
I ball my fists as he takes her through the backdoor and they disappear inside.
“Oh my God, is he taking her away to have sex with her,” Lily asks acting mortified but clearly jealous.
“Doubtful,” Riley, scoffs.
I force myself to stay put for as long as it takes to put out a few more chairs before excusing myself. “I’m going to hit the bathroom,” I say without looking at the women at the table. “I’ll be right back.”
Rather than scout out the guest bathroom downstairs I take three stairs at a time to Bex’s room. I hear Kaipo’s deep voice from the other side of the door and freeze before I turn the knob when I see the Pythong sticker I gave her on the corner of her whiteboard. Written in her handwriting it reads What do snakes do after they fight? Hiss and make up.
I twist the handle and push inside. Kaipo is standing at the terrarium with one of Bex’s snakes wrapped around his massive hands. “Look at this!” He holds up the black and red serpent. “I’m holding a snake.”
I look at Bex who smiles proudly at her slithering friend. When I close the door, I get her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Her jaw clenches as if she’s frustrated by my overprotection. “I’m fine, you guys. Riley’s little jabs don’t bother me.” She drops her gaze back to the snake and I have to wonder if she did that so I won’t see the lie in her eyes.
I don’t care how thick-skinned she is, being repeatedly humiliated in front of other people by your own family has to hurt.
I give in and allow myself to do the one thing I’ve wanted to do since I saw her that day outside the coffee shop. I snag her hand and pull her into my arms. She comes willingly, as if she needs this just as badly as I do. I drop my nose into the top of her fluffy ponytail and breathe in the clean herbal scent of her hair. “It might not bother you, but it pisses the fuck out of me.”
“Me too.” Kaipo rolls his hands around, fixated on the snake. “I’d never hit a woman, but I was tempted, cuz.” He eyes Bex in my arms, her fists bunched into the back of my t-shirt and her cheek pressed against my chest. He grins. “Sorry for over steppin’ but I had to get her out of there.”
I nod into Bex’s hair, press a kiss to the top of her head, and melt into the feeling of her warm body against mine. “Naw, man, I’m glad you did. I owe you.”
He smiles knowingly at me with Bex in my arms.
“You’re a really good hugger,” she says in a way that has me imagining late nights in the dark.
She relaxes deeper against me, enveloping me in a sense of rightness because I want to be the one to bring her comfort, to be her safe place.
“They’re all yours, whenever you need them.”
Kaipo puts the snake back in its habitat. “I’m going to get back to work.” He gives me a chin lift as he passes us to the door. “I’ll hold them off as