They continued their stroll, with Josie stopping to admire the various plants and flowers still in bloom. “This is unreal. Is it rude to ask what your friend does for a living?”
“Sixx is an investor. He’s a genius when it comes to money. He helped me invest my money when I first moved to the States, and now I have a very nice nest egg.”
“Do you think he’d take a look at my portfolio? It’s doing fairly well, but if he’s a genius, I’d love to hand over my business to him.”
“I know he would. I’ll give him a call later, and the two of you can discuss business. But first, how about we head inside so I can start dinner?”
Josie agreed, and Kai led her to the back patio and inside. Josie’s mouth dropped when she saw the interior. “Holy smokes. If I lived here, I’d never want to leave.” That was music to Kai’s ears.
“That can be arranged,” he said.
Frowning, she said, “I can’t afford this place.”
“No, but I can. Come on; I’ll show you around.” It took half an hour for Josie to take it all in. When they returned to the kitchen, he pulled out a stool for her at the island. “You sit your pretty self here. Would you like something to drink? There’s wine, beer, liquor, sodas, just about anything you can think of.”
“Beer would be nice. I’m not much of a wine drinker.” Josie propped her elbows on the island and cradled her chin on one palm. When Kai opened the cabinet and reached for a glass, she stopped him. “If you won’t think less of me, I’ll drink from the bottle.”
His mate kept getting better and better. “How do you feel about hot wings?”
“I love them. Is that what we’re having to eat?” She took a long pull from the bottle when he handed it over, and when she came up for air, she let out an “Ahhh, so good.”
“No, I’m making a special dish my mama helped me with. It’s fish – without the head – ginger rice, and broiled green beans.”
“Sounds yummy. Speaking of home, where do you hail from?”
“Home is a little island in the South Pacific called Manono. Most of my family lives there, with the exception of two of my brothers and their families.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“Six. All boys, and I’m the youngest. I’m also the only one who’s still single. When I called my mama last night, I told her about you. She wants to know when we’re coming to visit.” Kai winked, taking the sting out of the “meet the parents” idea, but his mama was already planning their wedding. Even though they were Gargoyles, his family loved the human tradition, and every one of his brothers had married their mate.
“Hmm, let’s see. A vacation on a tropical island with a hottie? I can probably be bribed. But it’ll have to be planned well in advance. I can’t take time off from work without plenty of notice.”
With the fish prepared and in the oven, Kai sat on the stool next to Josie, giving her his full attention.
Tipping her bottle toward him, she asked, “Why did you ask about hot wings if we’re not having them?”
“Because I love hot wings and beer. There’s a great little hole-in-the-wall pub with pool tables and dancing. I was hoping to take you there soon.”
“I’d like that. Do you dance?”
“I sure do. As a matter of fact, when we go visit my family, you’ll see me and my brothers dancing together in a traditional Samoan routine.”
“Ooh, sexy. I can see you dancing, shaking that tight ass of yours, but maybe not in a local bar, because then I’d have to fight off the other women who are trying to get their grubby hands on you, and I’m a lover, not a fighter. We better not go.”
Malakai shook his head, grinning. “You wouldn’t have to fight any women off because they would all know I only have eyes for you. And I can’t wait to find out what kind of lover you are.”
A blush stained Josie’s cheeks, and she did what she did best – changed the subject. “How long until dinner’s ready?”
“About thirty minutes. Why? What did you have in mind?”
“How about a game of pool? That way I can see how good you are and know whether or not to play with you when we go out.”
“You like shooting pool?” Kai shouldn’t be surprised. So far, Josie was as close to perfect as he could have asked in a mate.
“I love it. I dated a guy who was a professional. It was either learn to play the game, or sit at home all weekend.”
Kai didn’t want to hear about anyone Josie had dated, but he knew that wasn’t fair. He only found out about her a couple months ago. Still, he wanted to think he was her first everything. At least he would be her last. “Color me intrigued. Let’s go see how well you were taught.”
The only thing that saved Kai from embarrassment was the oven timer going off. “Holy shit, Sunshine. You forgot to mention you’re a pool shark.” Josie had flounced around the table in her sexy little dress, shaking her ass as she lined up each shot. She called each pocket, often looking over her shoulder, winking when the shot looked impossible. Josie slipped off her cute black shoes after the second game, and Kai couldn’t keep his eyes off her ass or her red toenails. “Yeah, forget going to the pub.”
Josie laughed. “Aw, don’t be like that.” She hooked her fingers in the straps of her shoes and preceded him down the hallway. Kai adjusted his dick while
