Page 63 of Exile

After the incident in the cabin, while Dom lay comatose in the hospital, Kai and his family helped me move my belongings from Dom’s house back into my own and pulled our furniture out of storage. It’s almost like I never left. Except for one major detail. I live here alone. Mom refused to leave her apartment at Whispering Grove, insisting that she wanted to stay because of the recovery she was making with her memory. I think she wanted to give me space to finally be on my own. No matter how hard I tried to talk her into moving back home, she refused.

It was hard at first, living here alone. I miss having her here with me, but we have a weekly date where I pick her up and bring her over to have dinner and play spades with Mrs. G and Grace. Lately she’s been talking about a gentleman friend she’s been spending time with, and my heart swells with the possibility of my mom finding love again.

Kai spends most of his time here with me. He doesn’t officially live here. He still spends some nights at his house, but we both know it’s only a formality. He wants us to take things slow and not rush our relationship, even if we’ve been each other’s person for so many years. We had one passionate night, but since then he’s kept it mostly to snuggling, a few heavy make-out sessions and lots of tender kisses.

“ReRe, you know how I feel. You are my sun, my moon and my stars. My everything. I’d do anything for you. After everything you’ve been through, I want to make sure you’re in a good place mentally and emotionally before we take it to the next stage. I don’t want our new beginning to be built on a foundation of trauma and pain. I don’t want to be the crutch that makes you feel better. I want you to be whole and healed and ready for love. I want to be your forever, and I am willing to wait for it. And if you decide I’m not it once you’ve taken your time to heal from this, that’s okay. I’ll still be here as your friend, always.”

The memory of the night Kai said those words to me floats through my mind. It was the day we got the news about Dom’s indictment, and we were laying on the couch after fucking against the kitchen wall. I asked him to stay with me. Kai agreed, but when I tried to initiate another round with him, desperate to hold on to this euphoric feeling, Kai had given me that speech. The sting from his rejection hurt. It hurt so much it felt like my heart was breaking, but Kai held me and let me soak his shirt with my tears. I fell asleep in his arms that night on the couch, and when I woke up the next morning, I had a new sense of clarity and knew he was right. Our friendship was too important, and I had to work on healing myself before I would be ready to put my heart into a romantic relationship with him.

We’ve spent a lot of time together since then, carefully walking the tightrope between friends and more than… Tonight I plan on changing that. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I’m ready. I want to give Kai everything. He already has my heart. I’m pretty sure he earned it that night when he held me and let me bathe him in my tears. Now I want to give him the rest of me. My body. My soul. I want us to be together in every way. He is my forever, and it’s time for me to tell him.

Back in the kitchen, I finish dressing the salad, and the aroma of garlic and tomato sauce fills the house as the lasagna I baked cools on the counter. My plan is to surprise Kai with a romantic dinner before asking him to make things official between us. A small part of me is afraid he will reject me again, that maybe he’s changed his mind and decided we should just remain friends, but I lock that quiet nagging fear away in a box in my mind. I can’t fully start living again until I stop letting fear dictate what I do, and I am ready to start living.

The sound of the front door opening alerts me to Kai’s presence. “Hey, ReRe, I picked up some of that ice cream you like. I thought we could have a movie ni…” Kai trails off when he enters the kitchen and sees me standing by the counter. I’m facing him, leaning back against the counter with my hands behind me, giving him an unobstructed view of my body in the revealing dress. I do not want to leave him with any doubts about how I want tonight to go. His eyes widen in surprise for the briefest of moments before lust darkens them. Biting his bottom lip, he takes his time raking his eyes over me, the heat in his stare burning me with its intensity. A wave of dizziness comes over me, and the room suddenly feels stifling. When his eyes finally meet mine again, it feels like the air in the room is charged with electricity.

“Hi.” My voice is husky from desire. My plan for a romantic dinner before making a move on him flies from my head. All I want is Kai. Kai’s lips on mine. Kai’s body pressed against me. Kai’s hands roaming over my curves. Touching me. Holding me. Kai’s tongue dancing with mine. Kai’s dick entering me. I want Kai. No. I need Kai.

“Serena.” He says my name like it’s a prayer. Reverently. Like I’m a goddess he intends to worship. It short-circuits my brain, and I say fuck it to the plan. I push off the counter and slowly stalk across the room, letting him devour me with his eyes. I see the way his breath hitches in excitement and how he licks his lips like I’m his favorite snack. That lingering trace of fear of being rejected by him is washed away by the naked desire written all over him. He wants me as much as I want him.

Stopping directly in front of him, I rise up on my tiptoes and press a firm kiss to his full, luscious lips as I wrap my arms around his neck. I pull away enough to whisper against his mouth, “I’m ready, Kai. I’m ready to give you everything.”

My declaration is all it takes to snap Kai’s last thread of control holding him back. In the next heartbeat, his lips crash against mine. He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist, his strong hands gripping my ass as he carries me out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my bedroom, the dinner I spent hours on forgotten.

We don’t come up for air the whole walk up to my room. He’s all the air I need. We don’t break apart until he lays me down on the bed. He pulls away long enough to whip his shirt off before he resumes his thorough exploration of my mouth. His tongue dances with mine, his hands cupping my face gently as his body comes to rest in the cradle of my thighs. I can feel the stiffness of his erection pressing into me through the rough denim of his jeans and the damp lace of my thong.

He stops our kiss before we get too carried away. Looking into my eyes, he asks, “Are you sure this is what you want, ReRe?”

“Yes, God, Kai, I’ve been ready. I don’t want to be just friends. I want to be everything with you.” I grind my center against him, desperate for more friction. “I need you inside of me.”

“Fuck, Serena, you’re killing me. I want to make this good for you. I want to take my time and taste every inch of you.” Kai peppers kisses along my jaw and down my neck as I writhe under him, my body on fire from the heat of his touch. “I want to hear you come on my tongue and my fingers before you come on my dick.” His kisses trail lower, along my collarbone and down to the valley of my cleavage. Slowly, he pulls my dress down, exposing my breasts. Sucking one peaked nipple into his mouth, he pulls a needy moan from my lips. He doesn’t stop lavishing my breasts with attention as his hands work to remove my dress and thong, leaving me bare underneath him.

Once I’m naked, he sits back on his knees, admiring the view. His eye lasers in on my pussy, soaked and gleaming, ready for him. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” He speaks those words while staring directly into my eyes. Into my soul. It’s enough to bring the familiar sting of tears pricking to the back of my eyes. I can’t believe it took me so long to realize how much Kai loves me, but in this moment, I make a vow to myself to spend the rest of my life drinking in his love and giving it back in return.

I watch with greedy eyes as he unbuttons his jeans and slowly pushes them down his hips. His body is gorgeous. His warm brown skin unmarked by ink and scars stretches over a body built from years of playing football in high school. Thick thighs, muscular abs, strong arms. A line of dark hair trails from his belly button to the waistband of his boxer briefs, and I can’t wait to see what kind of treasure it leads to. Before I get to see more though, he lays down again, settling his shoulders between my thighs, his face tantalizingly close to my pussy. I let out a disappointed whimper, and he silences me with a swipe of his tongue up my center.

“Oooh…” My body reacts on its own, arching into him, seeking more. He lets out a low chuckle that sends a shiver up my spine.

“Greedy little pussy. God, you taste so good.” Kai dives back in, eating me with enthusiasm. Licking me like I’m his favorite flavor of ice cream. His hands grip my hips, holding me in place as he feasts. He fucks me with his tongue before circling my clit, flicking it lightly, sending shocks of pleasure to my core. He alternates like this until I’m a needy, trembling mess, desperate for release.

“I’m so close…Kai… I’m there…” I grip his curls in my fingers and grind my pussy against his face. Sliding two fingers inside me, he curls them as he sucks on my clit, and I detonate. My body jerks as my orgasm lays siege to my every nerve ending, and he does not relent in his ministrations until I finally go limp under him.

Pulling away, Kai looks at me, the heat in his eyes burning hotter, his face covered in my release. Watching him lick my wetness from his lips is the single sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life.

“Was that too much? Have you had enough?” Too delirious to form words, but unwilling to tap out, I shake my head side to side.

“Good, because we’re just getting started, baby.” Kai shoves his boxer briefs off, and his dick springs free. It’s beautiful. Thick without being intimidating, long enough to hit exactly the right spot. My mouth waters at the memory of taking him as I watch him give himself a few lazy strokes.

“Condom?” he asks, knowing how important this choice is to me.

I think about it for a second but shake my head. I was tested after my ordeal with Dom, and I still have my IUD, so pregnancy isn’t a concern. I want to feel Kai inside me with no barriers.

“Say it baby. Say what you want.” Kai doesn’t move, just continues to stroke his length, his eyes locked on mine. He’s giving me the power, and it makes me feral for him.

“I want to feel you inside me. I don’t want anything between us.”

“That’s my girl.” A proud smile lifts his lips before he leans down, kissing me, seeking entry into my mouth with his tongue.

I open to him as he settles his hips against mine, tasting myself on his lips. I feel the tip of his dick pressing lightly against my entrance, but he doesn’t push in. He savors our kiss, taking his time with me, just like he said he would. My body squirms under him, seeking more. Ready to be filled. I hook one leg around his waist and pull him towards me, and he sinks in another inch.