The Pregnancy Proposition

by Andrea Laurence

  It was nice to sit so still and close to him. His skin was warm to the touch from the sun and when the breeze blew just right, she got a whiff of his scent. It was something earthy and masculine like sandalwood and leather. It made her want to lean closer and press her nose against the line of his throat to draw it fully into her lungs. As much as she was tempted, Paige resisted. Instead, she studied the interesting lines and angles of his face without worrying that he would notice her staring.

  He had such an interesting face. The scar across his brow and the flat distortion of his nose could be considered flaws to some, but it gave him so much character. He had his glasses on now, but that morning, she’d gotten her first glimpse of his eyes. They had been more striking than even the sight of his bare chest. They were a dark brown that seemed to see right through her despite their lack of focus. She could just imagine those eyes looking at her through the dark lenses. She could watch him like this for hours.

  Well, at least until he mentioned the awkward silence between them. “What?” he asked, turning to look in her direction.

  “Nothing,” she said as she cleared her throat and turned her attention back to his muscular and inked forearm. “It’s just such a beautiful piece.”

  That made Mano smile. “I’m glad you think so. It’s almost a rite of passage for the men in my family to receive their tattoo. I went through almost nine hours of traditional Hawaiian tapping to have it done. I’d like to think it was worth it, although I’ve never seen the results, myself.”

  Paige was surprised, although she supposed she shouldn’t be. He’d mentioned losing his vision as a teenager, so if he’d gotten the tattoo as an adult, he wouldn’t have seen it. “That’s a lot of pain to protect yourself from sharks when you never get into the ocean.”

  Mano nodded softly and pulled his arm away from her touch. He ran his hand hard over the skin, almost scrubbing away her touch, before moving it out of her sight. “There are plenty of sharks to be wary of on land, as well.”

  She certainly knew that to be true. She wished the music from Jaws had played when Wyatt started circling her. Maybe then she wouldn’t be in the predicament she was in—a predicament she still hadn’t confided in Mano about. She wondered if it would really matter to him. They had a week together, not a lifetime. He’d likely never even know if she didn’t bring it up. Yet at the same time, the grave seriousness with which he’d just spoken was the voice of experience. She didn’t know everything he’d struggled through in his life, but she would do her best not to add to it. She should definitely tell him about the baby. At least before things got any more serious.

  Paige turned to the ocean, searching for a way to mention it before they got too close. Instead, she caught a glimpse of a pod of dolphins buzzing past a few surfers. “Oh!” she cried out, gripping Mano’s arm.

  “What?” he asked with an edge of panic in his voice. Mano came across much more confident at the resort than he was out with her today. Being unable to see the world around him seemed to make him a little edgy. He must know every inch of the Mau Loa like the back of his hand, yet out here he was at a disadvantage.

  “Nothing bad,” she said soothingly. “Dolphins. There’s about twelve or fifteen of them.”

  The tension disappeared from Mano’s body. “Oh yeah. They’re all over out here. It’s too early in the season for the humpback whales, but spinner dolphins are here year-round. If you go out on the water while you’re visiting, you’ll get a chance to see them up close for sure. They like the wake of the boats.”

  That was an interesting idea. She hadn’t given much thought to that yet. Including Mano in her plans had both enhanced and limited her options. He was a very capable man, but there were just some things that were either difficult or pointless when you couldn’t see. But there were still options... “You know, I saw a brochure at the hotel for a dinner cruise that departs from the pier near the Mau Loa.”

  “It’s a nice operation. I recommend it to a lot of hotel guests. Half of Hawaii is underwater. You’ve got to get out there or get in it to have the full island experience.”

  Snorkeling or kayaking with Mano might not be feasible, but Paige thought a dinner cruise was very doable. “What about tonight?”

  “What about tonight, what?”

  Paige frowned with a touch of irritation. “What about you and I take that dinner cruise tonight?”

  “Hmm.” It was a thoughtful yet noncommittal sound that nonetheless drew her attention to his full lips and made her more interested in kissing him again than going out on a boat. Of course, there was no reason why she couldn’t do both. The dinner cruise might be romantic.

  “Please?” she asked with a hint of begging in her voice.

  Mano twisted his lips in thought then finally sighed in defeat. “Okay. I’ll call the concierge and see if I can book for tonight. They fill up early sometimes, though, so don’t get your heart set on it yet. We might have to go another day.”

  He pulled out his cell phone and Paige sat with baited breath while she listened to him complete the call. He asked several questions, all positive from her side of the conversation. In a few minutes he hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

  “You’re one lucky lady, pulelehua. They just had a cancellation for tonight, and I confirmed that they’re okay with service dogs on board.”

  “Yay!” Paige cheered and wrapped her arms around his neck. She startled him, but he quickly recovered by returning the embrace. His arms were warm and strong around her, the hard muscles of his chest pressing against her small breasts. She felt her body start to respond to the simple hug and began to pull back, but he wouldn’t let go.

  Instead, his lips met hers. It was an easy kiss, sweet but firm. His lips tasted like watermelon shaved ice and his tongue was still slightly cold against her own.

  “Okay,” he muttered against her lips as they came apart. Mano pressed a button on his watch, announcing the time aloud as just after four. “I think we’d better head back to the hotel. I don’t think cargo shorts will meet the dinner dress code. And besides that, I think you need to put on more sunblock.”

  Paige sat back and looked down at her pinkening skin. “How do you know that?”

  “Your skin is hot to the touch. Either you’re sunburned or feverish.”

  Paige smiled. She was always amazed by how much he noticed when it seemed like he would miss most things. “How do you know I’m not just all warmed up from that kiss?”

  Mano laughed and pushed back from the table. “It’s possible, but if you get that hot from a simple kiss, you’re going to be in trouble later.”

  Five

  Mano couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d gotten on a boat. He might have been on one catamaran since the accident. Kal had made him do it, but that had been enough for him. The charter to Lanai from Maui was on choppy seas and he’d clung to the railing for dear life. It had seemed like a stupid thing for a blind man to do.

  Kal was never really interested in acknowledging Mano’s limitations. He tried to stay positive about the whole thing, insisting that Mano could do anything he wanted to do. His brother didn’t like the idea of him being trapped inside the Mau Loa. Paige favored his brother a lot in that way. He supposed it was her work with veterans. They overcame disabilities every day. Why should Mano be any different?

  Because he was different. He’d learned to function as well as possible in the world he knew now. Part of that was knowing his limitations.

  As Hōkū led them up the ramp to the dinner yacht, Mano hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. It was hard to say no to Paige, though. It was just a dinner cruise around the south side of the island. The boat likely had stabilizers to keep them from rocking everywhere or guests might end up wearing their dinner instead of eating it.

  “Thank you for doing this. I know it isn’t your first choice for a way to spend the evening.”

  Mano pushed aside his doubts and tried to give her his most co
nfident smile. “I don’t have to steer the boat, so we should be fine. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to try the cruise, but I figured the view would be lackluster.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Well, it’s true. The company makes up for it, however.”

  “Mr. Bishop,” a man’s voice greeted them as they neared the deck. “Thank you for joining us tonight. Just take one big step up, sir, and you’ll be secure on the ship.”

  Mano sensed Hōkū move ahead of him and felt out his step before climbing onto the boat with Paige at his side.

  “If you’ll come right this way, I’ll show you to our rear deck where we’re serving wine and canapés.”

  They followed the host around the ship, where they were greeted with their choice of beverages and some small bites to tide them over until dinner. Paige opted for sparkling water once again and this time, he opted for the same. Alcohol seemed a poor choice given the situation.

  Mano held Paige tight at his side as they mingled with other guests on the cruise. Everyone seemed enamored with Hōkū, who basked in the praise. Mano was far more interested in the bare skin he ran across when his palm came to rest on Paige’s lower back. His fingers felt around, casually searching for fabric, and found the silky edge just shy of indecency. Moving up, he realized she hadn’t worn a bra tonight, either. Her back was one bare expanse of skin. The realization made his blood hum in his veins, and he wished dinner would go ahead and start so it would end. He was far more interested in getting her back to his hotel suite.

  When they were finally shown to their table, he was happy to find they were at a private table for two. He would rather talk to Paige alone than continue the small talk. She read the menu choices to him since a braille menu wasn’t available and they gave their selections to the waiter.

  “Is the table nice?” he asked once the server was gone.

  “Oh yes,” Paige said. “Our table is right at the window so we have the best view of the water. The sun is just starting to set.”

  Mano nodded. “Sounds nice. What about you? How do you look tonight?”

  “Well,” Paige began thoughtfully, “I think I pale in comparison to an Oahu sunset, but I tried.”

  “I don’t know,” Mano said thoughtfully. “I felt a whole lot of skin earlier. I’m envisioning you in something pretty slinky.”

  “I’m wearing a halter gown. It ties around my neck and it’s open in the back. It hangs fairly loosely to the ground.”

  “What color is it?”

  “Red.”

  “I like it. What shade of red?”

  “A dark red. Not quite burgundy. I’m just now noticing how it’s highlighting the sun I got today. I probably look like a lobster.”

  “Stop it, Paige,” he said softly but firmly. He didn’t understand why she always cut herself down. A lot of women were prone to dismissing compliments, but she took it a step further. She didn’t seem to think very highly of herself at all, and that was a damn shame. Here he was envisioning her in a sexy red dress and she thought she looked like a boiled crustacean.

  “Stop what?” she asked.

  She cut herself down so easily, she didn’t even know she was doing it. Reaching across the table, he sought out her face with his hand. “Don’t pull away,” he insisted and finally felt her cheek against his palm. “I’ve spent enough time with you, Paige, to know you are a beautiful woman, inside and out.”

  “You don’t know anything,” she said flatly.

  “Don’t I? I’ve touched your face, kissed your lips, held your body... I’ve drawn the scent of you into my lungs and tasted you on my tongue. I’ve heard your soft sighs and melodic laughter. I don’t need eyes to see you, Paige. Every word out of your mouth convinces me more and more how lovely you are. It pains me to hear you insist otherwise.”

  The silence answered him back. He withdrew his hand and waited for her response.

  When it finally came it was quiet, nearly a whisper. “You’re right. Thank you.”

  It wasn’t very convincing, but it was a start. They might only be spending a week together, but he wanted Paige to return to the mainland feeling like a million bucks. It wasn’t normally his style to double as lover and therapist, but he’d never met a woman so...broken before. She had no reason to be. He was the broken one, and he had more confidence in his little finger than she had in her whole body. It simply wasn’t right, and he was determined to fix it.

  At the same time, he started to regret chastising her on their evening out. Whether or not what he said was true, it seemed to quiet her. Their dinner went by with him trying to make conversation and her giving as many one word responses as she could muster. It was nearly painful. When the crew announced that there would be dancing and live music on the upper deck, he jumped at the chance.

  “Would you like to dance, pulelehua?”

  More silence. “I’m not a very good dancer,” she said at last.

  “That’s okay. I can’t see how bad you are.”

  That earned a chuckle out of her. “All right. What about Hōkū?”

  “He has four left feet. We’ll leave him to the side for a little while.”

  He took her hand and he let her lead them around the ship to the stairs and up to the main deck. There, the warm breeze ruffled his hair even as he could feel the night start to cool with the setting of the sun.

  One of the servers offered to attend to Hōkū, so Mano passed off his lead and followed Paige onto the dance floor. The band was playing something a little jazzy and slow. He slipped one arm behind her back and took her hand in his. They rocked in a slow, easy motion to the music. He could feel the hesitation in Paige’s every step, but after a few minutes, she finally relaxed against him.

  “This isn’t so bad, is it?” he asked.

  “No,” Paige admitted. “It’s nice. I’ve never really slow danced with a man before.”

  “Really?” Mano didn’t know why he was surprised after all she’d told him, but he was. “Not even in high school?”

  “Definitely not in high school. I wasn’t very popular. What about you?”

  “I was very popular,” Mano said. “All the girls loved me. And I loved them. Things were going great for me in that department until the accident.”

  “Did the girls really walk away from you when you lost your vision?” She sounded aghast at the mere idea.

  “Some,” Mano said. One in particular, but he wasn’t in the mood to tell her about Jenna. He’d rather Paige think he was a playboy than a broken-hearted teenage boy who lost almost everything he loved in a single moment. “I think I pushed most of them away. I was so angry for so long that I hardly wanted to be around myself. I don’t blame them for taking a step back.”

  “I see that a lot in my patients,” Paige said. “So many of them intended to be soldiers for life. It was what they felt they were made to do. Then some IED blows their arms off and they’re shipped home to live a life they never envisioned. It’s hard on them. A lot of them don’t adjust well. I spend a lot of my time not only helping them heal physically, but emotionally. Too many walk out the door and put a bullet through their head. But if you can get through to them, they can really live a full life. They have to make adjustments, but they can still do anything they put their mind to.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Mano asked.

  “I do. I’ve seen it happen. Determination can take you far. I mean, look at you. You run that hotel like a well-oiled machine. It’s amazing. I have no doubt that if you wanted to take on some new challenge, you’d succeed.”

  “You remind me of my brother.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Not entirely. Only when he’s pestering the snot out of me. He was always very positive about how I could still lead the life I wanted to lead after the accident. I’ve never been as certain. I think for him, it was mostly guilt. He wanted me to do everything I’d wanted to so he wouldn’t feel like he cost me my dreams.”

  “Cost
you your dreams? How would he be responsible for that?”

  Mano stiffened. They’d already put a bit of a damper on the night. He didn’t want to drive another nail in the coffin by talking about something that dark. “Let’s not discuss it anymore tonight. I promise I’ll tell you all about it another time.”

  “Okay.”

  The tempo of the music slowed and Paige surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her close and they swayed together on the dance floor. Through the thin fabric of her dress, he could feel every inch of Paige pressing against him.

  Suddenly, he wasn’t interested in talking anymore. Or even dancing. He couldn’t wait for the ship to return to the marina so he could slip off this dress and make love to Paige.

  * * *

  As they exited the elevator at their floor, Mano reached out and captured Paige around her waist. She allowed herself to press against him, relishing in the feeling of being in the arms of a man so strong and masculine. Walking with him this afternoon was nothing compared to how he made her feel now. He insisted that she was beautiful, and she almost believed it when he held her like this. Being as commanding of presence as he was, it was hard not to agree with anything he said. She couldn’t understand how anyone could see him as handicapped. He simply couldn’t see.

  Everything else about him was amazing. He made her feel amazing and desirable. Just the touch of his hand against the bare small of her back tonight had sent a sizzle of need through her whole body. She could still feel the heat of his touch lingering there, as though his handprint had seared into her skin, branding her as his property.

  She’d never imagined that she could capture the attention of a man like Mano, and yet here she was outside her hotel room, on the verge of asking him in. This wasn’t like Paige at all. She’d never been one to indulge in casual sex, mostly because it was rarely offered. But something about the beauty of Mano and Hawaii mixed with pregnancy hormones made her feel braver than usual.