Under Your Skin Read online

  The grocery store at the end of most people’s workday was not the place Norah wanted to be. Over the past few weeks, she’d only gone to the store midday when there were no crowds. This sucked. Halfway through her trip, she had to find the bathroom to empty her bladder. Again. Besides not being able to see her feet, having to pee approximately every ten minutes had to be the worst part of pregnancy.

  She pushed her cart through the store and checked things off her list. She grabbed some more yogurt for herself as long as she was there. Her back ached as she stood in line to pay. Usually the self-checkout moved faster, but today her luck had run out. People moved slowly, the scanner bleeped more often than necessary. Norah began to question if she was ever going to get out of the store.

  By the time she returned to Kai’s house and unloaded the groceries, she was ready for a nap. She sat at the kitchen table for a minute to rest her feet and ease the ache in her back.

  “Hey, girl.”

  Norah’s head snapped up. Had she dozed off? How embarrassing. She pushed to her feet and went to the living room.

  “I need my leg out of this thing.”

  Norah moved toward the couch. “I’m more than happy to help you, but my name isn’t girl. It’s Norah, Ms. Ellis.”

  “I just met you the one time. I didn’t catch your name.”

  More like she couldn’t be bothered to remember it. Her father was the same way. Snapped at people to prove he had some kind of authority. Norah undid the straps, lifted the woman’s leg, and set it back on the floor.

  “Get me my cane.” She pointed toward the floor near the edge of the couch. Sure enough, a cane lay on the floor.

  Norah raised her eyebrows at her. “You commented on my good manners. I assumed that was because you had them too.”

  “Please.”

  Norah half bent, half squatted to get the cane. Once it was in front of Ms. Ellis, the woman gripped it and tried to stand.

  “Do you need help?”

  Pressing hard onto the cane and using the arm of the couch, she rose a few inches off the cushion. Then sank back.

  Norah let out a slow breath. “Come on, then.” She held out her arm and helped hoist Ms. Ellis to her feet. Norah had told Kai she couldn’t lift anyone, but his mom was far from heavy and she’d pulled enough of her own weight to make it possible for Norah to help.

  “You shouldn’t be lifting me or anything else in your condition. You look ready to burst.” She inched forward and step-shuffled toward the kitchen.

  “I have weeks left. Almost a month. Can I get you something from the kitchen?”

  “I need to walk. Part of my exercises.”

  Norah sat on the chair near the couch and waited for her to come back in case she needed help sitting down, which was exactly what happened. “I’ll go to the bookstore now. I don’t know if they’ll have all of these books. Do you want me to get as many as they have or would three be enough for now?”

  “It’s getting late. It’ll keep until tomorrow. You can come back then and I’ll let you know how many to get. It’s almost dinnertime. Did you buy food to cook?”

  “I just bought what you gave me on the list. Kai didn’t tell me to plan meals for you.”

  Ms. Ellis sighed. “That boy. Jaleesa, that’s my girl, Kai’s sister, she brought lunch earlier. There might be leftovers. Could you warm them up?”

  Norah nodded. She went back to the kitchen to figure out dinner. Norah saw what was happening. Ms. Ellis was lonely. If Norah did all of the shopping today, she probably wouldn’t have a reason to come back tomorrow. It wasn’t quite the deal she’d made with Kai, but Norah couldn’t just leave.

  She knew the pain of that kind of loneliness and she wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

  * * *

  Kai finished giving aftercare instructions to his client and yelled to Tommy that he’d be back in an hour or so. He rushed out the door and drove as quickly as possible to his house. He’d tried calling his mom and she didn’t answer, so he got worried. He shouldn’t have left her alone.

  He burst through the front door to find her sitting on the couch, already in her nightgown, a book on her lap.

  Norah came in from the kitchen.

  “What are you doing here?” they asked each other simultaneously.

  His mom looked annoyed by them.

  Norah pointed over her shoulder. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

  “You okay, Mom?”

  “Yes.” She acted as if it were a stupid question. He went to the kitchen. Norah leaned against the counter. He had no idea how she managed to make that look sexy and inviting, but she did.

  She held her hands up as if to stop an argument. “I’m not trying to milk hours. In fact, you probably don’t need me. I mean, you can order groceries online and have them delivered and you can get your mom an e-reader and she can one-click to download all the books she wants.”

  “She scared you off already?”

  Norah snorted at him. “Hell, no. You’ve never met my dad. Google ‘cantankerous old man’ and an entire wiki is set up in his honor. She doesn’t need a whole lot of care. I helped her off the couch and into and out of her machine, but mostly, I think she’s lonely.”

  He hadn’t thought of that. His mom was used to being around Jaleesa and the kids all the time.

  “Anyway, I bought the groceries she asked for, but she neglected to say that you have like no food in your house, so you still need to buy groceries for dinner and lunch and stuff. I was going to go to the bookstore but she said it would keep until tomorrow. Instead, I made her dinner and hung out a while.”

  “Thank you.”

  Her eyes widened. Was he that much of a dick that she thought he wouldn’t thank her for taking care of his mom?

  “Kai,” his mom called. “I’m ready for bed.”

  “Be there in a minute,” he yelled over his shoulder. Turning back to Norah, he asked, “You willing to stay on?”

  “For what?”

  “Whatever my mom wants. If she hasn’t scared you off, she must like you. And she probably is lonely. The schedule will be weird because I work at all hours. You’ll still have to run errands because I’m not going online to order groceries.” He waited.

  “You’re going to pay me ten bucks an hour to sit around here with your mom?”

  “And run errands. And make sure she does her exercises.”

  “Deal.” She grabbed her purse and rummaged around. “Here’s the receipt for the food and the change. I can use that for her books tomorrow if you want.”

  He looked at the crumpled bills and loose change. He pulled a credit card out of his wallet. “Use this for whatever she wants.”

  Norah smiled and winked. “Ooo . . . Aren’t you afraid I might run off on vacation with all your money?”

  “If you steal from me, I’ll break your brother’s hands, so no, I’m not worried.”

  She sobered quickly. “It was a joke. You need to lighten up.”

  “Kai.”

  He looked over his shoulder and back to Norah. “She’s going to bed, so you can leave now.”

  “Okay. I’ll finish the dishes before I go.”

  He went back to the living room where his mom was trying to push herself off the couch. He quickly bent and scooped her to standing.

  “I can do it myself.”

  “So I’ve heard. She’s not supposed to lift anything. She’s pregnant.”

  “Think I don’t know that? I might know a thing or two about being pregnant. I used her for balance. We did fine. Help me get into bed.” She shuffled toward her room. She added, “Grab my book there.”

  He picked up the paperback and followed her to the bedroom.

  When they got there, she stood beside the bed and said, “I like her. She nags a little, but she’s good.” Lani lowered her voice. “But don’t tell her I said so.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  She sat and he helped get her legs up. “Did you have your meds?”


  “Yes. Your friend made sure I took the right ones.”

  “Why do you say it like that?”

  “What?”

  “Friend.” He refused to use the same inflection she had. It would just encourage her.

  “Because you can call it what you want. She’s not a friend. Your souls know each other. She’s like you—troubled.”

  “You’re talking like a crazy woman. She’s pregnant with another man’s child.”

  “Is that man around? I think not or she wouldn’t have spent her day with me.”

  “She was doing me a favor. She’ll be back tomorrow, so be nice.”

  She sniffed. “Take your own advice. I’m fine.”

  He bent over her and kissed her cheek. “Good night, Mom. I have one more client coming in tonight, so I have to go back to work.”

  He got as far as the door before she called, “Send your girl in.”

  “Her name is Norah and I told her she could go home.”

  “But she hasn’t left yet.”

  He sighed and went back to the kitchen. Norah was in the refrigerator pulling out containers of yogurt. “Stealing food?”

  Her shoulders drooped. “I bought these when I was at the store. Check your receipt. I paid separately.”

  Damn. He needed to lighten up? Maybe he needed to forgo trying to joke. “I was kidding.” He grabbed a carton. “Lime?” Sounded disgusting. His face must’ve shown his thoughts.

  She snatched it back. “The baby likes it. Never in my life have I liked lime anything. But I can’t seem to get enough of this.”

  “You can leave it here if you want. It doesn’t make sense to carry it back tomorrow.”

  She bit her lip as if she needed to think about it. Taking three containers, she turned back and put them on the top shelf. Then she shoved the other three in a plastic bag.

  “My mom asked you to come to her bedroom before you leave.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. He watched her move, carrying her yogurt and purse, careful to give him a wide berth as she walked by. His mom wasn’t far off the mark when she’d said Norah was troubled. He knew the baby’s father wasn’t in the picture. He didn’t have to ask and didn’t care when Tommy came into work weeks ago bitching about his sister.

  The rest of the crap about his soul knowing hers was crazy. He’d never believed in that kind of bullshit. He only believed in what he saw, what he knew, what he understood. He’d admit there was chemistry between him and Norah. He felt it every time their eyes met or she tossed out a flirtatious smile. He also knew it wouldn’t go anywhere because she was pregnant.

  On his way out, he stopped in his mom’s room and found Norah sitting in a chair beside the bed with a book in her hand. When he walked in, she looked up.

  “Thought you were going home.”

  “Your mom asked me to read to her.”

  “The light is too dim in here,” Lani said.

  “What time you want me back tomorrow?”

  Kai thought about his schedule, but he couldn’t remember when his first appointment was. “Probably not until noon, but I’ll call you and let you know.”

  “You have my number?”

  “No, I have your brother’s.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “I’ll leave my number on the kitchen table.”

  He turned to leave and heard Norah’s voice as a quiet murmur as she returned to reading. He stood in the middle of the living room as the sound of her voice coasted over him. The words she spoke were unnecessary because the rhythm and melody tugged at him. He didn’t know how long he stood there not really listening but wanting to. His phone vibrated in his pocket, jolting him back to reality. Puck texted him to let him know his client was at the shop.

  Something about this arrangement with Norah made him believe he’d made a mistake. But knowing his mother was safe and content was worth whatever the error in judgment would cost him.

  It was near midnight by the time Kai parked in front of his house. The light was off in his mom’s room, but a small lamp glowed in the living room. He unlocked the front door and was met with silence. His day felt like it had lasted the length of four. In the living room, he stopped in his tracks. Norah lay sleeping on his couch.

  He stepped closer and thought about touching her, but she looked peaceful. Not at all the troubled girl his mom saw. Her hair brushed her cheek and his finger twitched wanting to slide it back behind her ear. He shook his head and pulled out his phone. She was obviously tired so he didn’t know if it was better to wake her up and send her home or just let her sleep.

  He texted Tommy. Norah fell asleep on my couch. Should I wake her?

  A moment later Tommy responded. Up to you.

  Kai stared at the shadows playing across her sleeping face. It wouldn’t be safe for her to drive this tired. I’ll let her sleep.

  Thanks for letting me know.

  Kai stood there for a few more minutes debating carrying her to his bed. His dick responded with a hell yes. His mind had control over the rest of his body, however. He wouldn’t touch her. If for no other reason than that she carried a baby inside her. If he picked her up she would wake and he didn’t think she’d stay so he left her on the couch.

  He crept to the bathroom and took a quick shower and did his best to forget Norah was in his house in the middle of the night. He was fucked up to be thinking about getting in bed with her. The complications alone would be enough to strangle him.

  His mom was right. She was a girl in trouble who was doing him a favor by helping with his mom. He’d barely have to see her. He’d just treat her like any other employee.

  As he left the bathroom he glanced into the living room. Just another employee. Yeah, right.

  * * *

  Norah sighed as a soft touch caressed her cheek. With her lids still closed, she tilted her face to seek more. Her eyes fluttered open and she was staring into a pair of dark, nearly black eyes.

  “Hey.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

  Startled, she bolted upright, but Kai caught her arm. “Slow down. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She blinked rapidly and focused. She was in Kai’s house. She must’ve fallen asleep. Her fingers brushed a soft blanket she knew she didn’t have when she lay down. Bright sunlight glared through the window. Crap. She’d spent the entire night?

  Kai was still staring at her, not saying anything, just watching her figure out what the hell she was doing.

  “What time is it?”

  “Eight. I was going to let you sleep, but I thought you’d want to go home and change before coming back to be with my mom.”

  She rubbed her eyes. Her brothers would be worried if they noticed she hadn’t come home. She swung her legs off the couch and they bumped into Kai’s. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  The way he continued to watch her made her wonder if she’d been talking in her sleep. What could she have said? Something that invited him to caress her cheek and whisper to her? Her heart thumped with worry about the many ways her hormones could’ve embarrassed her.

  “I texted Tommy last night and let him know you’d fallen asleep.” His voice was still low and thrummed along her nerves.

  “Thanks.” At least her brothers wouldn’t be looking to hunt anyone down. Her gaze met his and held. Something arced between them and she could no longer tell if her hormones were in overdrive acting autonomously or if he was sending out signals. She shifted to the side and stood, breaking all contact. As she moved, the book she’d been reading fell to the floor. Her face flamed.

  Ms. Ellis read some sexy books. Norah wondered if Kai had any idea. When he retrieved the book, he barely glanced at it, so she was sure he had no clue. He tried to hand her the book.

  She shook her head. “It’s your mom’s. I was passing time and fell asleep.” In truth, she very much wanted to see what happened between Bret and Carrie, the characters who had sucked her into their world.

  He stood, too close for co
mfort, but not threatening. “You will be back, right?”

  “Of course. I’m going to shower and change.” Yeah, tell the sexy man how your bloated body will be naked. That’s a hell of an image to leave him with.

  “Take your time. I’ll be here.”

  She nodded and grabbed her stuff and went to her car. As she drove home, she tried to screw her head on straight. She didn’t know what was going on. Kai held a certain appeal, but he was not the kind of guy she normally fell for. Add to that the fact he barely spoke to her and thought she might have an inclination to steal from him, there was no way he could be interested in her. Even if she wasn’t pregnant. Which she was. Very.

  But then there were moments when he was kind and gentle, like when he handed her his house key and said she wasn’t tainted or when he woke her with a sensual caress this morning. She couldn’t figure out how much was real and how much she was imagining.

  When she unlocked her front door and walked into the living room, her dad looked up from the newspaper.

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Work.”

  “In the clothes you left in yesterday.” It wasn’t a question, more like an accusation.

  “I fell asleep at work.”

  “Don’t you think you’ve gotten into enough trouble?” He pointed at her belly.

  Her stomach clenched. Her dad hadn’t spoken at all about her pregnancy. He acted almost as if it didn’t exist. Until now. “It’s nice to know what you really think of me. I made a mistake and I’m feeling the repercussions of that. Maybe if I’d had better parents, I wouldn’t be here now.”

  She leveled the blow quickly and left the room. He sputtered as if he planned to respond, but she was already on the steps to her room. The baby kicked and elbowed her, not liking the new tension and stress. Norah would take shit from Jimmy because Jimmy had practically raised her after their mom was killed. Jimmy had always been there for her, taught her everything she needed to survive, supported her every way he knew how.

  Her father, on the other hand, provided for her, but never offered anything else. She lived with him for the first twelve years of her life, but she had few memories of him being in her life. Her childhood had been filled by her brothers, and her dad was a fleeting image. She wouldn’t listen to him berate her now.