“Okay. Let me get some travel mugs for the coffee. We could probably hit Rainbow for some breakfast to go.”
“Hmm, okay, but we can’t eat there.”
“Sure thing.”
Without warning, he swooped in for a hot, fast, wet kiss that ended as quickly as it had begun. He walked away as if it was an ordinary thing for him to melt her brain with a kiss. The man was going to kill her with lust before this was all over.
Watching from across the street, she saw Drew leave his apartment building with a woman. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but now, she couldn’t place her. It didn’t matter who she was. What mattered was that she had spent the night. She did not doubt it. A red haze of rage filled her vision as she watched him follow the other woman to her car.
Jealousy and anger twisted in her gut, as she watched Drew stop and kiss the woman before getting into the vehicle. It was sweet, and it left a bad taste in her mouth. This man had pretended to get his way. He had said he was looking for love. A liar, like all the rest. Always lying. He was involved with a woman, that woman. The intimacy she witnessed told of a longer relationship. It wasn’t just a one night stand. There had been affection, and it had left her shivering in anger.
And for that, she would make him pay.
15
Adam tapped his fingers on the table as he waited for Jin to show up. He’d taken Elle’s advice and called Jin. Truthfully, he was amazed she had taken his phone call. Since he’d gotten her into rehab, he’d had minimal contact with her. She had said she needed the time to heal, and he had let her have it. So, when she suggested Wailana Coffee House for breakfast this morning, he wasn’t going to argue. Sadly, he’d shown up ten minutes early.
He saw her outside the window on the street. She looked, good. Clearly better than she had the last time he had seen her. And Elle was right. She had gained wait and it looked good on her.
She stepped into the diner and spotted him immediately. A rush of excitement filtered through him as he watched her walk to the booth where he was sitting. He couldn’t help it. Even though it had been years since they’d had a romantic relationship, the feelings he’d had for her were still there.
Her face had filled out, and she now had her hair cut short again. Yes, she was definitely looking good. Adam remembered his manners and slipped out of the booth to wait for her to be seated.
“Adam,” she said, smiling at him. Then she slid into the booth opposite of his seat. He followed suit.
She opened her mouth to say something, but the waitress had hurried over. “I would love a cup of coffee, with cream.”
The waitress left them alone.
Jin grinned at him. “You look good, Adam.”
“As do you.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you called. I wasn’t sure if you would be interested in talking to me again.”
“Why would you feel that way?”
She sighed and her smile slipped away. “You kept having to bail me out of jail.”
He shook his head. After her assault, Jin had a rough time coping. Hell, anyone would. First, she’d refused to leave the house, then she became the life of the party. Her drinking had landed her at HPD a few times before he could convince her to go into rehab.
“You’re my friend, Jin. I wouldn’t turn my back on you.”
She smiled as the waitress put the cup of coffee in front of her.
“Would you like to order?”
Jin nodded and ordered pancakes, which Adam did as well. When they were finally alone, she doctored her coffee.
“It’s good you have your appetite back.”
“Thanks to rehab, yes. Lots of counseling. I have to thank you for that. I lost so many friends over the last couple of years. Even before I became a belligerent drunk.”
“I would have to say they weren’t friends then.”
She took a sip of coffee, then set her cup down. “I think you’re right. I’ve been thinking about calling you, but I didn’t know how you would take it. Elle encouraged me to, and I know it’s one of the steps.”
“To make amends.”
She nodded. “I do owe you an apology. For before my abduction and after.”
He hated that she felt like that. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“No, I do. You know when I first saw you, what I thought?”
He shook his head.
“I thought, now how is this fine man walking toward me? All the women watched you walk across the lawn. Even better, you made a beeline for me.”
He felt his face heating and she laughed, a true genuine laugh. It was corny to say, but it was music to his ears. He hadn’t heard it for well over a year. Before the attack, she had always been so happy.
“Oh, my. Seeing you blush just made my day. But it’s true. And then, I used you.”
“Now—”
“No, I did. You and I both know it. I used you as a source for my reporting, and I always regretted it. For that I want to apologize. And I want to thank you.”
“For what?”
“You kept contact with me when everyone else left. After I was no longer a storyline, my old friends dumped me, left me without any lifelines. Elle was there…thank God for her. That woman deserves a medal for the work she does. But there was also you.”
“You don’t drop friends because they go through a rough patch.”
She studied him for a long moment. “Some people do. You didn’t. And every time I wanted to end it all, to make the pain go away, you’d show up.”
The idea that she wanted to commit suicide left him cold. She was a vibrant woman, with so much to offer. The thought that she would have taken her own life was sickening.
“I owe you so much.”
“I don’t want that.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I just want to be friends. If I go through a bad time, then be there. You don’t owe me anything.”
She studied him, searching his gaze with her own, then she nodded. “You got it. I can’t promise I won’t be a total idiot again, or that every day with me will be easy. There are still days I want to crawl into a dark space and stay there for a thousand years.”
“But you don’t.”
“Sometimes, I do go to the dark place. I don’t want to hurt myself anymore, but there are moments when I need a break. I need the quiet.”
“As long as you come back out of it when you’re ready, that’s all that matters. One day at a time.”
“Yes, as goofy as that sounds. Taking it one day at a time helps. It makes my life manageable.”
“So, tell me what you’re working on,” he said.
She gave him the thousand-watt smile that he remembered. “I’ve decided to freelance, and I’m going to start a blog about the islands.”
He sat back and listened to her talk about her plans for the next few months, contented that she seemed so sure of her life.
Drew enjoyed the drive over to Cat’s house. He liked the windward side of the island, and had lived there until moving into the condo. Well, first he’d stayed with Charity in her guest room, then he moved into the condo. It had been easier for work, but he had missed the different feel of this side of the island. He loved the rolling hills, all the green trees, and the waterfalls that came to life in a heavy rain.
He particularly liked taking the Pali with Cat driving. It was kind of dorky, but he loved that he was spending this time with her. It was away from work, just the two of them with FM100 on the radio, and the sweet morning air blowing through her SUV. She’d pulled her hair back so it wasn’t blowing in her face, but the wind would occasionally pick up strands.
“You’re not mad I want to keep our relationship a secret, are you?” she asked.
He glanced at her, then smiled. “No worries. I like the idea of keeping it from the work ohana. They can be a bit too nosey like you said.”
She snorted as she took the exit to her neighborhood. “That is sort of calling the kettle black.”
“Both of us are guilty, but I think you’re right. We need to keep this just between us. It would put too much pressure on us. Plus, if everyone knows, it could really cause problems with the case.”
Damn, he talked a good game. He wanted everyone to know they were together now. It was going to take the entirety of his self-control not to blurt it out to Charity, but he would do as she asked. It had been a little unnerving when everyone was watching them last time. They could take their time and not have to worry about what anyone else was thinking.
She pulled into her driveway and he smiled. He loved this little house. He knew people would think he was crazy, but this was the real Hawaii to him. It was nice to have the view he had at the more modern condo apartment, but this spoke to his soul. It always did. He didn’t need a massive house, although, he knew he could afford one. He liked this house sitting on a corner lot with neighbors who had probably been there for decades. This is what made Hawaii real to him.
The house was over eighty years old, built in what they called a plantation style of house. She had painted it the traditional green last year. There were two plumeria trees out front, which only added to the charm. She now had flower beds and a few shrubs too, including a rather large hibiscus bush.
Then, he noticed the other changes.
“Hey, I like those shutters.”
She glanced at him, then slid out of the SUV. “I did that a few months ago. I thought it would look nice.”
“It does.”
He followed her up the walkway to the front steps. Someone shouted her name, and Cat said something under her breath. He turned and saw a smiling woman wearing a moo moo standing in the yard across the street. Her mostly gray hair was down to her waist, but she had it pulled back into a ponytail. She was holding a coffee cup in one hand and waving with the other.
“Hey, Auntie Koko,” she said. “Howzit?”
“Doing great.”
She looked like she wanted to be introduced to Drew, but Cat had other plans.
“I have to get to work, so I’ll chat with you later.”
The woman wasn’t offended, from the smiles she kept giving them. Drew glanced back at the older woman a couple of times as she stood on the corner smiling at them.
Cat unlocked the door and stepped into her house. Drew followed her in.
“Sorry about that. I just hope she doesn’t call my mother.”
“No problem. You know I know how to handle aunties.”
She smiled at him. “I think most Hawaiians are born with the ability, or you learn it before grade school at least.”
They stared at each other and something changed. A charge lit the air and right then and there, he wanted her again. He took two steps to reach her. She came willingly into his arms. Without hesitation, he crushed his mouth down on hers. It was insane that he wanted her this much, it almost consumed him. He slipped his tongue between her lips, allowing it to glide against hers. He needed to be closer to her, so he skimmed his hands down to cup her ass to draw her against him. When he did, he felt the hard points of her nipples through their layers of clothing.
He wanted her. Then, and without thinking of the consequences. He wanted nothing more than to strip her clothes off and bury himself inside of her.
That thought had him pulling back. When he did, they both stared at each other, breathing heavily.
“Well,” she said as she gulped in huge amounts of air. “That escalated quickly.”
Even though he was painfully aroused, he chuckled. “Yeah, it did. But we need to get to work. I would much rather stay here, but I want this case over as soon as possible.”
“Yeah.”
Yet, she didn’t move. She stood there and stared at him. Drew curled his fingers into the palms of his hands.
“Go before I change my mind.”
She gave him a smile that had so much power in it, he felt it down to the soles of his feet. The woman really had no idea how amazing she looked. He knew she didn’t because she would surely let it go to her head. Cat seemed unaware of what she did to him. That confident grin had his fingers itching to touch her body again.
“Okay.”
Still, she took her time, walking slowly down the hall. He watched the sway of her hips, then she paused and he raised his gaze to hers. For a long moment, he felt it there, the connection he had never felt with anyone else. It was like that one and only date they had had. The memory of that one kiss still left him half aroused. He had never been what anyone would consider a player when it came to women, but he’d dated, and he wasn’t a virgin. But that kiss…it had been a life changing moment for him. Cat had felt it, he was sure.
He stood there for a second trying to calm his arousal down, and wondered just what that last look meant. He knew it had been one night, but he also knew it was the same feeling as before…only stronger. The expression on her face told him as much, but it said something else. She knew her power, or was just gaining it. She was confident in every aspect of her professional life, but Drew knew she didn’t see herself as exceptionally pretty.
He heard her turn on the water in the shower, and almost gave in. It would be so easy to make his way to the bathroom and take a shower with her. Water, soap, and Cat. That would make for an interesting morning following their most amazing night. With a sigh, he tore his mind away from that image. They had to get to work, and he needed to keep his head on straight.
To distract himself, he looked around her house. Drew had been to Cat’s house before. She’d had a few parties, but he hadn’t been able to look around much. Mainly because it would have looked creepy skulking around like that. But now that she was in the shower, he took the time to investigate, to familiarize himself with her a little more.
There was a small but orderly kitchen with a dining area. She had Hawaiian accents there, from the towels to the oven mitts. The kitchen spilled out into a living area where she had a big couch that he knew was beyond comfortable. She had shelves and more shelves in there. Some held books, which consisted of mainly manuals about crime scene investigation. There were pictures everywhere. It was easy to see how much she loved her family. All girls without a father, and Cat was the one who held them together. The girls all seemed to love Cat; although, he knew it was a hard role to take. She wasn’t the oldest, but they always looked to her to fix things.
Then, he saw a picture of Cat and her mother. It had to be the day Cat graduated from the Academy. Cat was smiling into the camera, but the look on her mother’s face only spoke of worry. He was certainly acquainted with that feeling. He wasn’t lying the night before. Every time she went out, he worried. But then, there were other pictures. They were standing at the top of Diamond Head, mother and daughter with their arms around each other, and they were laughing into the camera. She might complain about her mother, but there was no doubt after seeing that picture. They loved each other.
Another thing that made him love her even more. She might not believe him right now, but he did love her. He’d been infatuated with her since the moment they’d met.
It hadn’t been just her looks, but it was the whole aura of the woman. Tough, smart, but as time went by, he had found that hard exterior as fascinating as the soft side she tried to hide from him and everyone else in the world. It made him feel special in a way. And that is why he loved her. It was probably what made him so angry over the last year. He hated himself for loving her.
As he debated if he should make coffee or not, there was a knock at the door. Seems Auntie Koko didn’t want to wait until later, he thought with a smile. He was still grinning as he opened the door and found Cat’s mother standing on the stoop.
His smile faded as his brain stopped working for a moment or two. Mrs. Kalakau stood there, a frown on her face, and her eyes sparking with wrath.
Oh, this was bad. Cat’s mother was half Hawaiian and half Korean. She leaned toward the side of Korean when it came to her daughters. Very traditional, and a bit of an authoritari
an.
“Mrs. Kalakau.” Damn, his voice almost cracked.
“Andrew.” She nodded. “I hear you just brought my daughter home, and I want to know what is going on.”
16
Cat was tugging her shirt on when she heard her mother’s voice. That couldn’t be right. Her mother never just popped over to see her. Ever. Then, she remembered Auntie Koko yelling over at her. She was one of her mother’s spies.
And, if her mother was there, Drew was having to deal with her. Dammit. For a very long moment, she thought about waiting it out. It didn’t make her proud that she seriously thought about leaving Drew to cope with her mother.
She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She didn’t want to lose Drew over this. Not many men could deal with her mother. With much trepidation, she opened the door to her bathroom.
“Cat did not tell me that you were helping her with the case.”
“Oh?” she heard Drew say. “She probably isn’t allowed to do that. It’s kind of hush hush, you know. Do you take sugar in your coffee?”
“No. Sugar makes you fat.”
“I like a woman who knows what she wants.”
There was a long silence. At that point, she decided to quit being a coward and save Drew. She walked down the hallway, dread weighing heavily on her shoulders. She was not prepared for what she saw. Drew was sitting at her small dining table with her mother, talking about his mother and father, as if they were at a Sunday social at church.
“Catherine,” her mother said.
“Mom. What are you doing here so early?”
“I got a call from Koko.”
“Of course you did. I’m going to write her up for those expired tags on her car.”
Her mother frowned. “You will not.”
Her mother never did understand Cat’s dry sense of humor. Her sister said it was generational, but it wasn’t that. Her mother took everything literally. All humor flew over her head.
“What are you doing here, besides her calling you?”
Tangled Passions (Task Force Hawaii Book 4) Page 14