It doesn’t help that he’s sex incarnate. When he was nineteen he was athletic so he had muscles, but now he is a well-defined machine. The sleeves on his shirts emphasize his hard-earned biceps, and the veins in his forearms pop with every movement. He used to wear nothing but white or black tees, but now he walks around in casual short-sleeved shirts, leaving the buttons undone far enough for me to see his muscular chest with the smattering of hair there, looking like he should be on a beach vacation somewhere. The cross he wears around his neck is hard to look at though. I knew the moment I looked at it that it was the same one I gave him all those years ago. I’m not even particularly religious, but it was the last thing my mom gave me before she left. She said I should pray before every game. I didn’t then and I don’t now. I gave it to Kai because I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it, but I couldn’t keep it either. I thought maybe if he prayed for me God might actually listen. I can’t believe he kept it.

The ear jewelry is new too. I didn’t think I would be attracted to a guy who wears earrings, but Kai wears the shit out of them. He wears one small hoop in his right ear and a cuff on his right helix. They’re understated but make him stand out. I wonder if he’s pierced anywhere else.

And that right there is exactly why I need him to get out of my space right now. I can’t go there with him ever again. He still doesn’t know the whole truth about what happened when I left. He deserves better than me and the complications I bring. I can’t promise him anything but a broken heart and a ruined career.

I walk down the hall to my guest room where Kai is already making himself at home, putting his clothes in the closet.

“You’re unpacking like you’re welcome here. How long do you plan on staying?”

I catch the smirk spread across his face but he doesn’t turn in my direction. “Let’s play it by ear.”

Oh hell no. “Let’s not. I don’t need assistance. I’m giving you a week then you’re outta here. Period.”

A hum of disapproval fills the room but he’s otherwise silent. I know what he’s doing. He wants to bait me into showing my ass, but I won’t give in. No matter how badly I want to grab the clothes he’s holding out of his hands and toss them in my front yard.

“Do me a favor?” he asks so casually it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“What?”