His eyes narrowed. “What do you want?” He figured he may as well see if they were still on or if this little incident was going to cause her to walk.
Danica pondered the question, while sucking in a deep breath. Till half an hour ago, what she wanted was for them to be together and make it work. Now she wondered if they could when faced with their first real disagreement, once they had gotten past his initial reservations about her being there. Was this part of a pattern of mistrust he had for everyone? Would that ever change?
“I don’t know,” she spoke softly, averting his hard stare.
Boyd’s lips pursed. “So what are you saying? All of a sudden you don’t want to live together now?” He didn’t want to believe that this situation with home ownership that had nothing to do with their relationship could undo everything they had built up in the past few weeks.
Danica made herself meet his eyes. “Please don’t put words into my mouth.”
“Then spell it out for me in your own words,” he pressed. “We have a good thing going. Whether or not Ashlyn or I decide to sell or keep the house, or our halves, has nothing to do with that. I hope you feel the same way.”
She wished it were that simple, but Danica found she did have mixed emotions. It was as if the entire issue regarding who should control the property where they were standing only brought to the surface underlying or unspoken issues. Did he trust and respect her enough to want to own any house together? Or should he be the one to call all the shots in that regard?
Did he really expect her to simply move in with him without a firm commitment for the future? There had been no talk of love, marriage, much less joint home ownership. Yet he wanted her to pull up stakes from Chicago and the life she’d built with no guarantees that things wouldn’t fizzle once the passions had died down.
Or that they would see eye to eye in the areas of trust and devotion.
“I still want to be with you,” Danica prefaced her words. “But maybe we shouldn’t rush into anything. We’ve only known each other for less than a month and obviously we’re still learning things about one another.”
Boyd didn’t like the sound of that. Was she changing her mind for all the wrong reasons?
“We know the things that matter most,” he countered.
“Maybe we don’t.” Her lashes fluttered as she averted her gaze. “It takes more than good sex and sightseeing trips to get to know someone.” She thought about the good—no, great—sex, in particular. It was something she had gotten used to and dreaded being without for any period of time away from him. But if she didn’t take a stand now, she never would.
Boyd frowned. I can’t let this get away from us. Not if I can help it. “So we can learn as we go, but only if we stay the course and not backtrack.”
“That’s not what this is about,” Danica tried to assure him.
He turned her face toward his to gaze into her eyes, remembering the sweet words they had whispered in each other’s ears for her birthday. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.” She locked in on his gaze. “I just need to get back to Chicago and catch up on my business and sort some things out.”
“Am I still invited?” he asked tentatively. Or was this her way of trying to put some space between them without him getting a say in it?
“Of course,” she said with a faint smile. “Just give me a few days to get myself together.” And reassess what I want out of this relationship and what you can give me. She also wanted to talk to Ashlyn face-to-face and see where her head was with her brother and his seemingly staunch position where it concerned their joint property. Was this something she should worry about? Or should she refrain from getting involved too deeply in something that was not really her call one way or the other?
“No problem.” Boyd tried to read Danica’s mind, but could only focus on her smoking body in a tight shirt and formfitting capri jeans. “While you’re getting yourself together, think about what you’re leaving behind. This…” He held her cheeks and gave her a passionate kiss, meant as much to reassure him as her.
Danica had wanted to resist the kiss, feeling it was too distracting from other issues, but she quickly fell under Boyd’s spell, nearly melting from the potency of his mouth conquering hers as only he could.
Even hours later the kiss still left its effect on Danica’s mouth. Not to mention her heart, body and soul.
But weighing equally heavy on her mind was whether or not it was enough to ignore the fact that Boyd seemed perfectly content to deny her partial home ownership. Or give up his share of the property to Ashlyn and Hunter. Was making a profit really that important to him, even if it came at the expense of her and his sister?
If so, what did that say about the relationship Danica saw herself forging with Boyd? Could she truly count on him through thick and thin to do right by her? Or was it only to be on his terms?
It gave her some important things to mull over in Chicago, with no sure bet that she would return to Hawaii. At least not as Boyd’s significant other.
Chapter 12
Danica’s flight home was a bumpy ride and it had nothing to do with turbulence. She had departed Hilo and Boyd as though a veritable stranger to both. Though she and Boyd had been civil after the stress and strain that erupted between them concerning housing issues, the romantic vibes that had brought them so close together were decidedly lacking in intensity. She wasn’t sure who was to blame. Or what this meant for their future.
She spotted Ashlyn and Hunter waiting to greet her at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. They were holding hands, looking very much like two people in love. Danica knew the feeling, making her even sadder that she had left the man she loved behind, at least for now. Never mind the barriers that had come between them.
She flashed her teeth as they said in unison, “Aloha!”
“Back at you,” Danica said, setting her bags down to give them both a hug.
“Looking fit as a fiddle with a gorgeous tan, I see,” Ashlyn told her.
“I did a lot of walking around.” Danica thought of just how much of a workout Boyd had given her in and out of bed. “As for the tan, I didn’t think I had much of one.”
“You get used to it after a while,” she said. “Trust me, I know.”
Hunter grinned. “I was hoping you’d bring Boyd with you, so I could finally get to meet Ashlyn’s big brother,” he said, grabbing her bags.
Danica frowned. “He should be here next week and is looking forward to meeting you, as well.” Would Boyd really come? Or had the uncertain way they’d left things soured him on continuing to pursue the romance with abandon? Aside from that she had to wonder if he and Hunter could ever become friends. Or would that depend on the fate of the beachfront home currently in dispute on the Big Island?
They went back to Danica’s loft and had a glass of wine while she acclimated herself to the surroundings.
“It’s a great place you have here,” Ashlyn remarked. “But I have to admit that lately I’ve been spending a lot of time at Hunter’s.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Danica said, noting that they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off one another. It was a script that had been written for her and Boyd as well, as she’d spent her fair share of time waking up in his bed. Except for her last night when neither seemed in the mood for sex.
“I have you to thank for bringing this gorgeous woman into my life,” Hunter said, smiling from ear to ear.
“No, we have you to thank.” Ashlyn’s smile matched her lover’s.
“Actually it all goes back to you,” Danica said to her friend. “If not for your crazy idea of trading residences, nothing that followed would have happened.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I believe fate has a way of working things out someh
ow—one way or another,” Ashlyn declared.
Danica sipped her wine while considering that. Would things still work out for her and Boyd? Or had fate suddenly decided to work against them?
“Maybe you’re right,” she told Ashlyn, suspecting that her words had a dual meaning.
“I’ll let you two have some time to catch up.” Hunter said, giving Ashlyn a nice, long kiss on the lips, then placing a friendly peck on Danica’s cheek.
“See you tomorrow,” Ashlyn told him eagerly.
“You can be sure of that.”
“Bye, Hunter,” Danica said, admittedly taking pride in seeing him happily involved again. And with her dear friend, no less.
After he was gone, Ashlyn walked up to Danica and gave her a big hug. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Danica’s eyes twinkled. “Same here.”
They took their wine goblets, went into the spacious living area and sat on the Italian-made two-piece sectional.
“I talked to Boyd,” Ashlyn said uneasily. “I hope I haven’t messed up things too much with you two.”
“We did get into a little fight,” Danica admitted. “With no clear resolution, I’m afraid.”
Ashlyn’s brows creased. “I didn’t expect him to have a conniption about my selling half the house to you.”
“Neither did I, to tell you the truth.”
“I think I might have softened him up a bit, though,” Ashlyn said, tasting the wine.
“Really?” Danica tried not to get her hopes up.
“He realizes he overreacted.”
She rolled her eyes. “You think?”
“I told him if he doesn’t want me to sell my portion of the house to you or sell his to me and Hunter, we can just keep things as they are. No big deal.”
“But it is a big deal,” Danica begged to differ. “It’s not every day that I’m offered the chance to buy into a million-dollar oceanfront property in Hawaii.”
“I know and I’m sorry Boyd didn’t jump at the chance for co-ownership,” Ashlyn said. “It’s just his nature to have his mind set on something and not want to bend. I promise you, it doesn’t mean he cares for you any less.”
“That’s what he says, but I’d feel better if he backed that up with more than just words.” Or sexual gratification, she added silently.
Ashlyn narrowed her eyes. “You mean like a proposal?”
The thought had crossed Danica’s mind on more than one occasion. “Well, that would be nice,” she admitted, “given my feelings for Boyd. But if he isn’t there yet, for now I’d settle for just knowing we’re on the same wavelength beyond just living together.”
“And owning a home together would do that?”
“It would show me he’s in it for the long haul,” said Danica.
Ashlyn sipped more wine. “Would you want to buy into his current house?”
Danica wasn’t averse to that, though she still liked the thought of them living in Ashlyn’s place, if Ashlyn wasn’t going to be there. “You think he would object to that?”
“Not necessarily.”
“That doesn’t sound too convincing,” Danica said.
“Look, home ownership isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, girlfriend. You and I both have learned the hard way that finding a good man who cares for us is even more important. My feeling is that you need to take a leap of faith with Boyd. Just as I am doing with Hunter.” Ashlyn paused. “I’m moving in with him and, if it’s truly meant to be, as I believe it is, you can be certain we’ll work out the details on joint ownership of his house or wherever we end up staying. I’m sure the same will be true for you and Boyd.”
“You really think so?” Danica just didn’t know anymore, though she was certainly happy to see that her friend was so confident and secure in her relationship with Hunter.
Ashlyn reached over and took her hand. “Yes. He loves you, whether he’s expressed that in words or not, and wants to make you happy. Besides, you’ll always be welcome to stay at my house, whether you own part of it or not.”
“Mahalo.” Danica offered her a smile and thought about Blair’s generous offer to move in with her. Had the circumstances been different, she may have seriously considered it. But if she were to live with anyone in Hawaii, it would have to be with the man Danica had given her heart to and wanted to give so much more. “I feel the same way, assuming I hang on to this loft. You never know if I’ll need it as a place to stay when visiting the city. Or I could rent it out.” She was counting on the fact that she and Boyd would still work out their differences and have a life together in paradise. Or were the bridges they had built not strong enough to withstand some friction?
“You will always have a place to stay when you’re in Chicago,” Ashlyn told her flatly, “along with Boyd. As you know, Hunter has tons of room at his house. Even then, we’ve talked about moving to a bigger place.”
“Wow!” Danica chuckled. “Looks like you two are truly committed to a long and lasting life together.”
Ashlyn laughed. “Of course. I wouldn’t be making the move from the Big Island and all that sunshine if I didn’t feel the end would more than justify the means.”
“I guess not.” Danica studied Ashlyn’s face. “So what about marriage?” Surely her friend must have thought about it. How could she not?
Ashlyn shrugged. “What about it?”
“Do you see that in your future with Hunter?”
“We haven’t talked about it, but why not? We love each other enough to gravitate from living together to marriage and beyond, like the possibility of having children to dance around us.”
“You’d be a great mom,” Danica declared.
“So would you,” Ashlyn told her. “Just as Boyd would be a great father.”
“I agree.” She believed his strengths as a man were just what her kids would need to help make them strong and productive human beings.
“He would also be a great husband to someone who gets him,” Ashlyn said. “Obviously that wasn’t the case for his first wife.”
“Not that I can honestly say I get him all the time,” Danica admitted. “Not lately anyway.”
“You don’t have to try and figure out his every thought or inclination. Men always seem to hold back a little on their feelings. It’s par for the course. But you two have something very special and not even an occasional pothole in the road will keep you apart.”
Danica laughed. “You’re pretty confident about us, aren’t you?”
“As confident as I am about Hunter and me,” Ashlyn stated. “I’m sorry if something I did gave you the impression otherwise. I didn’t mean to. Sure, I may have touched a sore spot when I brought up selling you half the house, but that’s my fault, not Boyd’s. I did promise him I’d sell to him if I ever wanted to sell—and the successful businessman in Boyd called me out on that. Understandable. But he knows what he’s got in you and no property will stand in the way of that when all is said and done. Trust me.”
“I do,” Danica told her, trusting herself as well that her feelings for Boyd were not misplaced, even if she’d sort of left things in the air when she departed Hawaii. But if Ashlyn was right, he would see past that and come as scheduled and they would pick right back up where they left off.
Ashlyn smiled. “Then relax and wait for your man to come and get you. In the meantime we can have some girl fun and I’ll tell you everything that’s been happening in your old stomping grounds while you were away.”
“Sounds good to me.” Danica had her own things to share about all the good times she’d had on the Big Island. She already missed its magnificence and allure, though not as much as she missed Boyd.
Ashlyn lifted her empty glass and took Danica’s. “Great! Then why don’t I refill t
hese and we can talk.”
“Go for it,” Danica said, even though her mind raced elsewhere. More than anything she wanted to call Boyd, find out what he was doing and thinking at that very moment. She hoped he was as preoccupied with her as she was with him.
* * *
Boyd sat on the covered lanai at Lowell’s upscale home in South Hilo drinking a bottle of Mauna Kea Pale Ale with his friend. It had only been a day since Danica had gone back to Chicago and already Boyd missed her like hell. They had not really come to terms with his stand against selling a piece of the property he and Ashlyn shared, much less his own half. Nor had Danica seemed nearly as agreeable to moving in with him as his lover-tenant rather than having a stake in the estate.
Though he wanted to put this all on Ashlyn, Boyd knew that her heart was in the right place when she’d offered to sell Danica her half of the house. It seemed a suitable way to give her best friend and brother a means of preserving the home’s legacy and building their own. So why had he rejected the notion, more or less, and opened a division between him and Danica that hadn’t been there before? Had co-owning a house made this seem too real with Danica, scaring him? Or had it really come down to simple dollars and cents for the businessman in him, wanting to fetch top dollar for the property so that he could then turn it around and donate to some very worthy causes?
“Must be some deep thinking going on inside that head of yours,” Lowell remarked, taking a swig from his bottle.
“Yeah,” Boyd admitted gloomily. “I’m wondering why I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot.”
“I feel like one,” he muttered, drinking his beer. “I let stubbornness get the better of me in losing a proper perspective that I’m still trying to find.”
“You’re human,” Lowell said. “You’re also one of the smartest men I know and amongst the most successful. It didn’t come overnight. We both know you’ve long had your eye on selling the house you grew up in once Ashlyn flew the coop. We also know what you hoped to do with the proceeds. The fact that Ashlyn offered her half to Danica didn’t necessarily mean you needed to roll over on that just because Danica’s your lady. You don’t need two houses and neither does she.”
Aloha Fantasy Page 15