Page 39 of Loving Kalvin
“It worked though. Like a treat.” I titter as the memories flood my mind. “Man, you are such a cranky pants in the morning.”
“Hey.” He nudges my hip. “Don’t be mean. I’m not cranky now.” His hand darts out, and he removes my book bag without invitation. “Ride with me?”
“Are you even going my way?” I suddenly realize I have no clue what major he’s pursuing.
“Nope,” he says, popping the P. “But I have plenty of time to drop you off at class first.”
“How long are you going to do this?”
“As long as it takes.” His expression is defiant and resolute. “I heard what you said last night, Lana, but I don’t agree. It’s not going to deter me. I came here foryou, and I’m not giving up. You’re too important to me.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Even if it’s not what I want?”
He leans down slowly, pressing his delectable mouth to my ear. The familiar citrusy scent of his cologne swirls around me, and my knees turn weak. “You can protest as loudly as you like, but we both know the truth.” His sexy voice, combined with his warm breath and his mesmerizing scent, fry my brain, and I can’t even form a response. “You want this too.” I sway slightly on my feet, and he chuckles, holding onto my elbow to steady me.
Clearing my throat, I step away, snapping out of it. “What am I going to do with you?” I wail.
He closes the gap between us again, peering into my face. His eyes bore into mine, and I get lost in his gaze. His breath trickles over my skin, ensnaring me in a mystical web of desire. Every part of my body craves his. My eyes flit to his mouth, and I bite my lip, my mouth watering deliciously. His eyes follow the movement, and his tongue darts out, licking his tempting lips. A little whimper escapes me. “I can think of plenty of things.” He moves his face closer, until his mouth is only a hairsbreadth from mine. It would take nothing, literally nothing, to breach that tiny gap and kiss him. I’m terrified of how much I want to. I hold my breath and my body rigidly still, afraid to move a muscle. “None of them PG-rated,” he whispers.
Oh dear Lord. Everything south of my belly is rejoicing at his insinuation, and a hot flush creeps up my chest and over my cheeks.
A myriad of emotions flitters across his face. His smile falters a little, and he moves back creating some space between us. I’m already mourning the loss, and it’s that moment when I acknowledge I’m a lost cause. I’ve always been powerless to resist his charm, and, once again, he has sucked me in, almost effortlessly. “Please, let me take you to class?” There’s a vulnerability in his tone that melts the remaining icicles in my heart, and I figure there isn’t much point protesting any further, so I let him lead me around the corner to where his truck is parked.
“Have you declared a major yet?” I ask when we are both seated in the truck, desperate to stick to less-threatening topics.
“Yep. Architecture.”
That doesn’t surprise me. Kal always had an eye for good design, and he was constantly drawing when we were younger. Where most kids drew people or scenes, Kal sketched buildings. “Good for you.” At least one of us is pursuing our ambitions. He shoots me a strange look as the truck glides out into the traffic. “You know I still have the drawing,” I say.
“Our house?” he asks, instantly understanding. He’d been twelve when he created the vision of our future home, complete with a stylish library and workspace for me. He let me keep the drawing, and every so often, I take it out and cry. I’d been so sure when he’d designed it that we would be together in that house at some point in the future. Married and with children to fill all the space. It soon became abundantly clear that was a childish dream that would not come to fruition.
I nod, trying to mask my sadness.
“No way.” He runs his fingers through his hair, smiling. “I’d like to see it sometime.”
“That can be arranged.”
An awkward silence settles over us.
He clears his throat a few minutes later. “Did Olivia mention I stopped by last night?”
I shake my head. “She was already asleep when I got back, and I didn’t get a chance to talk to her before she left for the track this morning.”
“She runs?”
“Yeah. Not seriously or anything, mainly to keep in shape.”
“I haven’t seen her at the track at all. Like ever.”
I twist in my seat, staring at him in shock. “You go to the track?”
Slapping a ball cap down on his head, he chuckles. “You don’t have to sound so surprised.” I send him a knowing look, and he chuckles again. Kal is one of the laziest people on the planet. His idea of exercise is lifting the remote. He’s lucky he’s got good genes and a fast metabolism which allows him to eat like a horse and still look like he’s stepped off the pages of GQ magazine. “I run a few times a week and do a couple sessions in the gym in the fitness center.”
“Ah, that explains all the”— I stop before I embarrass myself—“eh, stuff you’ve got going on.” I gesture flippantly at his body. Heat floods my cheeks. It’s a feeble recovery but the best I can come up with in my current sleep-deprived state. My brain cells tend to take a hike when confronted by Kal’s uber-hotness anyway.
“Someone’s been checking me out.” He winks, and his grin turns wolfish.
“Hard not to when you keep turning up everywhere.”
