“Are you sure you’re okay?” Paige asked as they stepped off the beach and across the walking path to the Mau Loa.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. They washed their feet off and slipped their shoes back on. “I’ve only bruised my pride.”
Thankfully, Paige didn’t press him about it again. They didn’t even speak as they made their way through the grounds to the resort tower elevator.
“I’ve been thinking,” Mano said at last. The words slipped out before he could really think it through.
“About what?”
Mano considered emptying his head into her lap. Maybe he was wrong and she could give him some insight or hope that they could have a chance together. Or perhaps not. She could shoot down the whole idea and the short time they had left together would be overshadowed by the dark clouds of her rejection. He needed to let the whole idea of a future go.
“About you wearing that necklace and not a stitch else.” He covered with a sly smile.
“You’re a naughty boy,” she said with a laugh, clinging to his arm.
Better than a fool, he decided, as they headed back upstairs.
Nine
Paige didn’t feel comfortable wearing this necklace in public. Not because it wasn’t beautiful or because she wasn’t proud to wear it, but because she was afraid of getting mugged. She’d seen this necklace in the window of the resort jewelry store when she was walking around after the pool incident. Smaller, far less impressive necklaces had dropped her jaw with the price, so she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he’d paid for this.
When she got home, she’d have to look into things like insurance and a safety deposit box. This wasn’t the kind of thing you tucked away in your underwear drawer with your class ring and the tiny diamond earrings your parents bought you for graduation.
Once they were safely back in his hotel suite, however, Mano went to take a shower and she could finally let herself enjoy it. She sought out her reflection in the sliding glass doors and admired the necklace. It was amazingly beautiful with different shades of gray and sparking stones that would be cubic zirconia on anything she bought herself, but she doubted that was the case here.
“Paige?” Mano asked after exiting the bathroom sand-free a few minutes later.
“I’m at the balcony doors admiring my new pretty,” she said.
Mano made his way over to where she was standing. He pressed his bare chest against her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. The palms of his hands rested protectively across her newly rounding belly.
She watched their reflection in the glass as he planted a kiss on her bare shoulder. It was a little surreal to watch herself in the door with a man like Mano holding her. No matter how he flattered her or how many times he worshipped her body in bed, she couldn’t believe how she’d ended up right here, right now. She was supposed to be spending a week reading a paperback on the beach.
Mano was an unexpected and very welcome surprise in her life. They’d only been together for a week, and yet, it felt like so much longer. It seemed like he’d always been a part of her life. She honestly didn’t know what she was going to do when that was no longer the case. They’d agreed to a no-strings fling—a vacation romance to keep her mind off reality for a while. That didn’t include a future. And yet she couldn’t stop herself from wishing for it.
Unfortunately, what she wanted didn’t exist. Mano had offered to take care of her. As nice as that might sound on paper, there was no way she could accept it. She couldn’t be around him, accept his money, raise her child, but not have him really in her life. If she moved to Hawaii, it was because Mano loved her and wanted her here with him. After their discussion in North Shore about Jenna and his emotional unavailability with women, she knew she was doomed. She’d made a joke out of it in the moment, but inside she’d realized that she was falling for a man who would never fall for her.
Mano’s hands ran over her bare arms, his kisses sending a shiver through her body that made her skin break into goose bumps. Paige leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
“I’m not ready to let you go yet,” he said, echoing her own thoughts.
She only wished he truly meant it, in more than just the physical sense. All she could do was make the most of the time they had left together. “You don’t have to,” Paige said and turned in his arms to face him. “You can hold me all night if you want to.”
She pulled her tank top up and over her head, revealing her bare breasts beneath it. She tossed her top aside so they could stand skin to skin. He was so hot to the touch. Paige was always cold despite the temperate climate of Southern California. Being wrapped in Mano’s heat was like coming home to a warm blanket.
He kissed her then. It was the softest, most tender kiss they’d ever shared. There was no hesitation or resistance, no desire-fueled desperation, just a sweetness that made her eyes start to tear up. She was glad he couldn’t see it. She didn’t want to ruin this moment because her emotions were getting the best of her.
Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones. Yes, that must be it.
Paige took his hand and led him into the bedroom. She tugged away the towel from around his hips and then sat him down on the edge of the mattress. Her denim shorts followed the towel. Then, as they’d discussed, she was finally wearing nothing but the necklace.
The idea that he fantasized about her like this made her feel bolder. She stood between his thighs and took his hands in hers. She moved them all around her bare skin, then brushed his fingertips along the pearls at her throat. “As you requested,” she said.
Mano’s jaw clenched and he took a deep breath. Easing back farther on the bed, he took her hand and pulled her with him. Her body covered his as they lay on the bed together. Every inch of her molded against his hard muscles. He cupped her face and brought her lips to his again.
“What do you want me to do?” she whispered against his lips.
“Whatever you want to do.”
Paige bit her lip, considering her freedom. She drew her legs up to sit astride him. It wasn’t really a position she’d ever been comfortable in, but this was her chance to really, truly let go without feeling self-conscious.
Mano reached for one of their last condoms and slipped it on. She didn’t need to wait for him. Paige had been ready the moment he touched her. His hands cupped her hips as she eased up and lowered herself onto him. The position pressed him deeper than ever before, filling her to where she was almost hesitant to continue. She slowed and let her body relax into it, finally seating herself fully against his hips.
Mano groaned and pressed his fingertips deep into her flesh. “Oh, Paige,” he managed between clenched teeth. “You feel so good.”
She did feel good. Her confidence increased with his reaction urging her on. She planted her palms on the hard wall of his chest and slowly rocked forward. Thrusting him deep inside her, she curled her lips into a sly smile. She liked this. A lot.
Paige watched every flicker of emotion on Mano’s face as she moved, studying what got the best reaction out of him. When he was on the brink, she backed away, coaxing him closer and closer to the edge. She, too, grew nearer her climax with every move she made. Their bodies seemed perfectly fit for one another, with no move possible that didn’t feel amazing.
She’d never been this in control, this confident in the bedroom. It was a rush of excitement that urged her on. She wanted to know exactly how to move to make Mano crazy, how to touch him to make his jaw tighten and body tense.
But most importantly, she didn’t want this moment to end. There was a finality about their coupling this time. It wasn’t likely to be their last sexual encounter before she returned to the mainland, but the sands of the hourglass were slipping away. Tomorrow would be about her grandfather and saying goodbye. Then her life would pick up where she’d left it off. A life without Mano.
The tears returned to her eyes. Paige couldn’t help it. Even as she moved s
lowly and tortured him, she felt the emotions start to overwhelm her. How had he become such an integral part of her life in such a short time? How was she ever going to make it without the man she loved?
Paige hesitated for only a moment when she realized where her thoughts had turned. There was no point in denying it. She was in love with Mano. She’d broken the rules of their fling and fallen head over heels for a man she could never, ever keep. There was no joy in the realization; her heart didn’t overflow with elation and adoration the way she’d imagined it would when she finally fell for someone.
It was just as she’d told Mano that night after their first kiss. She couldn’t get involved because her life was complicated. Now she’d gone and made it ten times more complicated than ever before.
Mano reached for her, pulling her back into the moment. “Kiss me, pulelehua,” he said.
She leaned down and gave herself over to his kiss. Paige surrendered everything she had because she didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t know what the next year would bring, but she had this moment with Mano, and she would treasure every second of it.
As their lips joined together, his fingers pressed into her hips and moved her harder against him. The friction created a delicious tension inside Paige that she knew she couldn’t resist for long. Within seconds, they both found their release and their voices mingled and echoed in the open air of his bedroom suite.
She collapsed onto the bed beside him, and he curled her body against his. “What am I going to do without you?” he whispered into her ear.
“Life goes on,” she replied, knowing that for him it would. For Paige, living her life without him would be much harder.
* * *
“Why does the time go by so quickly in Hawaii?”
Mano turned to Paige with a frown. “What are you talking about?”
They’d been sitting on the balcony of his suite together while they drank juice and Paige watched the sunrise. It was hard to believe this was the last Hawaiian sunrise she would see. It seemed like only yesterday that she was standing alone on the beach at sunrise, wondering how she was going to spend all this time in Hawaii by herself.
“A week anywhere else would’ve taken far longer. It feels like I’ve only just arrived and yet I go home today.”
He smiled and sought out her hand. “Have you considered that’s because you’ve spent a good part of your trip in my bed? Time flies when you’re having fun and all.”
“Is that the problem?” she asked with a laugh. “It’s all your fault, then.”
Mano just shrugged off her accusations. “I told you I was a terrible tour guide.” His expression grew more serious. “It is hard to believe that you leave tonight. What time is your grandfather’s service at Pearl Harbor?”
“Two in the afternoon. Then it’s time to pack up and head to the airport this evening.”
“This is our last day together, then.”
The words seemed to hang in the air between them. She didn’t want to let go of this moment here with him. And yet she knew she had to. She’d cherished every moment of their last night together, especially when she’d fallen asleep cradled in his arms. Waking up had been bittersweet. Tomorrow would be back to reality. Back to home and plans for the baby. Back to her shift at the VA. Back to tell Wyatt he was going to be a father.
It had become too easy to lose herself here. She’d gotten used to room service and amazingly high thread count sheets. Her shower at home wasn’t filled with coconut soaps and fluffy, freshly laundered towels. Her grandfather had given her this moment of paradise, but soon it would be time to face the life she’d ignored for the past week. She wished she could put off that eventuality for a little while longer, but she knew it would just hurt more if she did.
“I wish you could stay longer.”
Paige sat up, startled, and pulled her hand away from his. He’d spoken the words that were on her mind, but she didn’t dare say them aloud. He couldn’t possibly mean what he’d just said. At least, not the way she wanted him to mean it. He probably wanted her to stay another week, not the lifetime she hoped for. “Don’t say that,” she chastised. “It will only make it harder for me to go home and deal with reality. Staying in Hawaii isn’t an option, and you and I both know it.”
“I don’t know it. Who made that rule, anyway?”
“The universe did, Mano. And even if I could stay, what would it mean for us? Not much. You yourself said that you don’t do relationships that last longer than a week.”
Mano sat forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “You’re the first woman I’ve met that makes me want to break that rule.”
His words of longing for her made her chest ache, but she knew she couldn’t let her feelings for him overtake her like they had last night. They’d urge her to make a hasty decision that she’d regret later, and in the end it would only complicate the matter further. “You say that now,” she insisted. “I guarantee you’ll be relieved when I’m gone.”
Mano flinched as though she’d hit him. His brow furrowed deeply as he turned to her. “Why would you say something like that?”
Paige knew that she had to convince him of the truth. He would forget about her, and she’d rather he remember her fondly for a short while than grow tired of her and wish her away. “Because I know it’s true. As much as I might like to be, I know I’m not the woman for you, Mano. We’ve come together for a short, beautiful moment in time, but it won’t last. It can’t. I’m sure there’s someone here on Oahu that’s perfect for you. Someone whose life isn’t quite as complicated as mine.”
“How do you know who’s perfect for me?” There was an irritated edge to his voice.
“I know what I look like and you don’t. I know you can do better. I want to thank you for everything you’ve said to me this week. It’s really worked wonders for my self-esteem, but the truth is that you’re out of my league.”
“I am not,” he snapped.
“Mano, if you really knew how I looked, you never would’ve laid a hand on me.” That was the truth and she knew it. Those women by the pool had reminded her of the unavoidable reality of it.
Mano shook his head as he sat back in his chair and turned away from her. “That’s not true. I know exactly what you look like.”
Paige regarded Mano with suspicion. “Please tell me how such a thing is possible.”
“Well, for one thing, I’ve touched you. Every inch of you. There’s nothing boyish about you, Paige.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Perhaps. But I also have a staff of a thousand here at the hotel. They are my eyes and ears. I asked around about you those first few days. They told me exactly what you looked like.”
Paige’s mouth dropped open. Could he really have known this whole time? It couldn’t be true if he was sitting here, asking her to stay longer to be with him. And yet, she knew how often he wore that earpiece, how frequently he was in communication with his staff. It seemed perfectly natural, since they acted as his eyes around the hotel, that they would report on her to him if he’d asked.
“You think I’ve been operating under some kind of delusion this whole time, but I haven’t. I know exactly what you look like, outside and in. Even a blind man can see the pure light that shines from inside you. You’re a good person. I have spent this week with you, I’ve made love to you, because I like you just as you are, Paige.”
She tried not to cry at his words. Never in her life had a man said that to her. All his assurances that she was attractive, all the compliments this week...she’d taken it all with a grain of salt because she didn’t believe he knew the truth about her. Could he really have meant it all? He sounded so sincere.
“Do you want to know what a lot of my staff told me about you?” he asked.
Not really, but she supposed he would tell her, anyway. “What?”
“It really frustrated me at first because several of them didn’t notice you at all. They would see me
talking to you but couldn’t tell me a thing about you. It seemed as though you were almost a ghost, invisible to everyone around you but me. I couldn’t understand why so many of them didn’t take notice of you. You certainly commanded my attention from the first moment we met.”
“I ran into you. I’m sure those other people would remember me if I did that.”
“That’s the best way to get me to notice you, of course. But I couldn’t help but wonder if you were deliberately wanting to be invisible and I was the only one you couldn’t hide from.”
“I don’t deliberately try to hide,” Paige began, but stopped herself. That was a lie and she knew it. “Okay, maybe I do. I’ve heard so many cruel and hateful comments over the years that maybe I’ve just wished myself out of existence and forgotten all about it. I’ve become accustomed to people not seeing me now. And really, I’d prefer that people didn’t see me if all they have to offer are rude critiques. I’d rather be invisible than bullied.”
Mano was quiet for a moment, turning back to the dark ocean as he seemed to be considering his words. “Paige, do you think that telling me all this is going to change my mind about wanting you to stay? It sounds to me like you’re trying to convince me to let you go.”
She sighed. In a way the exact opposite was true. She wanted to stay, to give in to the feelings she was holding back and throw away her whole life to remain here with him. But Paige had already made one major relationship mistake this year. She couldn’t afford another. What would she have if she gave in to this and he changed his mind? Mano’s whole adult life had been spent avoiding real intimacy. Did she really believe she was the woman who could change him for good? No. She didn’t.
“I’m just beating you to the punch, darling.”
Mano shook his head, his lips turned down in a disapproving frown. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe, but I know how the fairy tales end for girls like me.” She sighed. “Do you want to know what happened with the baby’s father?”
The Pregnancy Proposition Page 11