A Little Harmless Ride

by Melissa Schroeder

  Do not go there, Crysta. No playing for you.

  Another reason she was interested in him was his relationship with Joe. Her uncle had admired Eli.

  “Must have been a lonely upbringing.”

  It took her a second to remember what they had been talking about. She shrugged. “My Grandma Bessie was with us. She’s the one who taught me to cook. Dad was deployed a lot, of course. After Mom died, there was talk of him leaving the Navy, but my grandmother wouldn’t hear of it. She decided to stay on with us.”

  “Stay?”

  She glanced up. “When mom got sick, she came.”

  “Oh.” He said it as if he didn’t understand. He might not. She didn’t know much about Joe’s partner, but Joe had said he didn’t have any extended family. To a woman who grew up with a large family—not to mention the military family for backup—it was a foreign concept.

  “Would you like some salad?” she asked.

  “No. I need to get out and check on a few things. You be sure to let me know if you need anything.”

  The way he said it made her think it was a double entendre. His expression gave nothing away and Crysta figured the jet lag was starting to get to her.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  He picked up his cowboy hat and left without another word. The long, slow walk was so stereotypical of a cowboy, she wanted to laugh, but she didn’t. He was dressed in jeans, and she couldn’t help but admire the way they cupped his ass so wonderfully. Did he wear leather? God, he would be gorgeous in leather pants. She could just imagine seeing those long strong fingers wrapped around the end of a crop.

  The screen door slammed, breaking her daydream. She shivered and tried to get that image out of her mind. It wouldn’t be smart to get all googly-eyed over a man like that. Besides, he had been like a son to her uncle. He’d always said that St John and she would get along well. Crysta didn’t know what her uncle had been talking about, but she doubted St John and she had much in common. He was quiet while Crysta well…wasn’t.

  With a sigh, she decided not to worry about it. She was on the Big Island for a short while to honor her uncle and spread her mother’s ashes. Then, she would return to DC and sort out her life.

  Chapter Two

  The memorial service had been uneventful, which would have disappointed Joe. Eli shifted from one foot to the other knowing it would tell people he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t care at the moment. He didn’t go for big family get-togethers. Growing up in foster care like he did, Eli hadn’t had much to do with these kinds of things.

  Joe would have been happy with the attendance. Several folks from the mainland had come and even Micah Ross made the hop over from Oahu to pay his respects. Eli knew with the new baby keeping him up at nights, making the trip was probably hard on him. Ross offered him a firm handshake.

  “Sorry to hear about Joe.”

  “Appreciate you coming,” he said as he took a sip of his beer. One thing he enjoyed about Joe was the things he had insisted on for the service. He’d made it mandatory they have beer.

  “No problem. Dee wanted to come, but she’s asleep on her feet so I told her to stay home. Oh, and there’s a package of cinnamon rolls that Cynthia sent over. She said they were your favorite.”

  They were and it was just like one of the women in the group to remember. It was an odd position he was in with the Rough ‘n Ready group. Micah owned the popular BDSM club on Oahu with his friend Evan Chambers. The quasi family he had built with his friends and their extended family was endearing and confusing at the same time. The women now treated him like a big brother and at one time he would have been irritated. Now, he was amused most of the time.

  For a man who never wanted family ties, Eli was finding himself all but shackled to people in Hawaii.

  “You didn’t eat any, did you?” he asked.

  Micah gave him a look of mock innocence. “Now why would you say that, my friend?”

  Before he could answer, he felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stir. It wasn’t the type of feeling that warned him of an attack. Worse, it was the type of feeling that warned him of a woman. Micah’s attention moved beyond his shoulder and Eli saw him offer one of those rare smiles he only gave women.

  He knew without a doubt it was Crysta. She stepped up beside Eli. The scent of her hit him without warning. It was subtle, something sweet but not too sweet, with a hint of musk. He tightened his hand around the beer bottle.

  “Micah this is Crysta Miller. Crysta this is Micah Ross.”

  “I’m really sorry about your uncle.”

  Her eyes softened. “Thank you.” Then she cocked her head to the side and studied Micah. “Your name sounds familiar but I don’t think Joe ever mentioned you. You’ve never spent any time in DC have you?” Crysta asked.

  Before Micah could answer, Eli said, “He’s married.”

  She gave him a confused look but said nothing. When they both turned back to Micah, the club owner was smirking. Damn. Eli’s attraction would be something he would have to deal with, but he didn’t need anyone at Rough ‘n Ready to know about it.

  “Not that it matters about my marriage, but no, I have never been to DC. Although, Dee, my wife, wants to go soon.”

  “I swear I’ve heard your name. Wait, do you own Rough ‘n Ready?”

  “Yes I do. Been there before?”

  She shook her head. “No, but a friend of mine lived on the islands for awhile. You know Damon?”

  “Ah, of course. I heard he moved back to the mainland.”

  She nodded. “He was offered a really good job. Couldn’t pass it up.”

  Eli was still trying to get his head wrapped around the idea that Crysta was openly talking about BDSM at her uncle’s memorial service with two men she barely knew, when Micah pulled out a card.

  “If you get a chance, I’d be happy to give you a day pass and show you around.”

  “That would be fabulous but I’m not sure how much time I’ll have here. Dad’s going to have to get back to the mainland for a checkup.”

  “Just in case, you have my number.” He took the card back and grabbed a pen off the table behind him. He wrote something on the back. “Better yet, you have my cell. I know Dee would probably love to meet you. She had a real fondness for Joe and he talked of you a lot.”

  Her eyes softened. “Aw, that’s so sweet. Thank you.”

  She took the card and tucked it into a pocket in her skirt. It took all of Eli’s control not to demand the card from her. It was stupid. First, there was no reason to be jealous of a man like Micah who was insanely in love with his wife. But, worse, he had no right to the jealousy. Crysta wasn’t his sub. She wasn’t his anything.

  “I better get going. My brother-in-law is waiting out at the airport. He’s not happy I commandeered his jet. Make sure to stop by if you’re on Oahu. Eli, let us know if there is anything you need.”

  They watched Micah walk away. Just like in the club he owned, he garnered attention. The Native American Dom was hard to miss in any crowd, but just like any other Dom, people seemed to part, giving him a path to make it out of the house.

  “His brother-in-law has a jet? Well, damn,” she said. The way she said it was so close to the way Joe said it that it had him smiling.

  “Yeah. He invented some kind of computer game thing. Made him a millionaire or something.”

  She nodded and looked around. “I’m happy so many people came. Joe would have gotten a kick out of it.”

  “You knew him?”

  She glanced at him. “Of course I did.”

  “No, I mean, really knew him. He…”

  “Didn’t talk much about our relationship? Yeah. Dad is kind of wary of the rest of the family. I know something bad happened when Mom and Dad got married, but there’s more to the story. It took him years to not suspect Joe.”

  Eli knew part of the story. Crysta’s grandfather, Joe’s father, was a proud Hawaiian to a fault. And, he lost his only daughter becau
se of it. He refused to acknowledge her marriage to a black Navy man, and told her to never come back. As far as he knew, she never did, and this was the first time Crysta had been here in her life. It was one of the things that Joe said made him hate his family.

  “We might as well get something to eat before the reading of the will. It will take forever and there are bound to be unhappy people.”

  She glanced at him with a half smile. His body heated when he saw the twinkle in her eyes.

  “You mean the family’s going to be pissed when Joe leaves you all his land? Tell them to suck it up.”

  He fought the laugh that bubbled up. She was more like her uncle than Eli had expected.

  “Tough words from a former teacher.”

  She shrugged as they made their way to the table of food. “I’m a Navy brat. There’s no room for weakness in that—or teaching.”

  He nodded and glanced over to where her other uncle sat. He was old, and the years of hard living had taken their toll on his body. It was sad that Joe had lived through his life as a Navy SEAL and worked on the ranch, but he didn’t look as old as his much older brother. Of course, Sam did nothing. He hired people to work his land while he sat around.

  It was a damn shame Joe was the one who’d died of cancer.

  “Stop scowling.”

  The order took him by surprise and he glanced at Crysta. She was looking out over the crowd of people, a smile playing over her lips.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Stop scowling.”

  “And I should listen to you, why?”

  She leaned so close he could feel her breath on his ear. “Because everyone is watching you and gauging your reaction. And the Kaheaku family would like nothing more than to upset you. One thing I learned from Texas beauty queens during my time there was never let them see you sweat. If you let them know how much they pissed you off, they won.”

  She offered him a triumphant smile when she pulled away. The fact that she was offering him advice was amusing at best, but there was one thing she didn’t understand.

  “I guess that would matter if I cared what they thought. But the truth is, I’m like Joe. I don’t give a bloody damn if they’re amused or irritated. Their behavior or reactions have nothing to do with me. And—if you are the sub you just claimed to be—you would understand that any self-respecting Dom would say the same thing.”

  She said nothing for a while. They stood side by side as if they didn’t know each other. Then, she leaned closer and said, “Just so you know, it isn’t about caring what they think. It’s about fucking with their heads. And I would think any self-respecting Dom would know that.”

  She didn’t wait for an answer. She walked away and he was pretty sure she knew he was watching her.

  And damned if that didn’t make her more attractive.

  He heard someone clear his throat and found Joe’s lawyer standing beside him. Okay, that wasn’t good. Someone who was former Special Forces shouldn’t let a little old Hawaiian man sneak up on him—especially because of a woman.

  “I think we should get this over with, Eli,” Mr. O’Keefe said.

  He nodded. “I agree. Let’s gather everyone up.”

  And then he could see what Joe had planned for him. He knew it wasn’t going to be the typical will. Joe did nothing normal.

  Eli glanced around the room. He knew one thing for sure. Someone was going to be very happy and someone was going to be very angry. Either way, there would be some kind of ruckus.

  He took one last sip of beer trying to fight a smile. Joe really never did anything as expected.

  Chapter Three

  They sat in stunned silence after the attorney read the will. It was as if someone had sucked all the air out of the room. She looked at her mother’s family. Her Uncle Sam was glaring at her, as was his son, Sam Jr. She swallowed trying to contain her panic. She’d never felt such hatred before in her life, and that was saying a lot since she’d taught high school.

  “I don’t understand,” Crysta said, her brain still trying to work out the situation.

  “It’s very easy, Ms. Miller,” Mr. O’Keefe the executor said. “Your uncle left you half of the ranch. You must stay here for six months, then you have the option to sell to Mr. St. John or to someone else. If you don’t, it will be handed over to charity who will sell it to the highest bidder.”

  She glanced at Eli, who wasn’t looking at her. From the stony expression on his face, she knew he wasn’t happy with the situation. Hell, that was an understatement. He was furious. But he said nothing.

  The rest of the family only waited a few more seconds before they erupted with anger.

  “What the hell was Joe thinking? She’s not one of us, not a real Kaheaku.”

  “I think you misunderstand,” Mr. O’Keefe said. “This will has nothing to do with family and everything to do with Joe’s wishes.”

  “She has no right,” Joe’s brother Sam bellowed. “This is my land.”

  “Sir, I would like you to sit down,” Mr. O’Keefe said, but her uncle paid no heed.

  “Do you think some haole should have a right to this land? She isn’t a real Kaheaku.”

  “I think you might want to settle down, Sam,” Eli said. There was no change in the expression on his face and his voice was so soft she could barely hear it. There was no doubt in Crysta’s mind that he had just issued a threat. She glanced around the room. Apparently, everyone else picked up on it too.

  “I will take care of all of this if you want to skip on out of here,” the lawyer said. It wasn’t until then that she realized he had walked over to her and her father. O’Keefe nodded and looked at her father, who gestured with his head.

  Once they were out in the hall, she couldn’t get away from that room fast enough. By the time she burst outside, she wanted nothing more than to run away.

  “You can’t keep running, Crysta.”

  She turned and gave her father a look that told him she wasn’t happy with his common sense again.

  “I know I can’t.” She studied her father. “Did you know about this?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Dad.”

  “No, I promise. I did not know about this. I had a feeling he was up to something because of some of the things he said the last few months when we talked.”

  She sighed and collapsed into the wicker chair. Her father leaned against the railing on the lanai.

  “Like what?”

  He shrugged. “Things like his time was getting short. That the one regret he had was that he didn’t show you your homeland. Things like that. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. He’d mentioned it in the past. I thought maybe his illness made him think about the past. I knew the feeling.”

  She sighed. Her father’s cancer had turned her life upside down. He had always been her rock and when he had been diagnosed, she had barely been able to keep it together. The woman who never let life intrude on work, walked away from it. She had realized that her father was the most important person in her world and she had to take care of him.

  “So, I guess I have to stay here.”

  “I’m sure you’re not trapped on the ranch and you will have time to go back to the mainland and get your things. Joe wouldn’t have left you without some time off. He knew what the last year had been like.”

  “I don’t like leaving you.”

  Her father laughed. “Now you’re making me feel old. Really old. I can take care of myself.”

  “But what if the cancer comes back?”

  He shook his head. “First, I refuse to have my daughter put her own life off because I might have a relapse. Secondly, you know Joe. There will be a provision in there. You have to stay.”

  She sighed again. “Yes. If anything, Joe knew doing what he did…I wouldn’t allow it. I know how he felt about Eli. He did this for a reason and it wasn’t to screw him over. It was to get me back here.”

  “Back to what you love.”

&n
bsp; She hadn’t been riding in months and she did miss it. But…

  “Stop worrying. You stay for six months. Spend the time learning about Hawaii.”

  “I already know about Hawaii, Dad.”

  “No you don’t. What you know you’ve learned from Joe, books and movies. You need to be here, learn about it. Keeping you away at the time was the only option, but I regret I didn’t plan a trip for both of us once you were older. Now you have this chance. Take it, Crysta. Your mother would be happy with it.”

  She slanted him a look. “You are such a butthead. Using Mom to convince me to stay.”

  He laughed. “She would have used it too, and it wasn’t like you weren’t going to stay. And it is true. She would have been thrilled that you were back on Hawai’i for six months.”

  It was hard to remember her mother, remember the way she was. The memories she had of her were warm and happy, but it was mostly embellished by a man who had never remarried.

  “I can’t let those bastards have the land.”

  The stipulation if she left was that Eli lost everything and the Kaheakus took over the ranch. They would run it into the ground and she knew Joe had done that on purpose. She would not allow that to happen and he used it against her, the old fart.

  “That’s always good to hear,” Eli said.

  She jumped at the sound of his voice. How did a man that tall walk so quietly in boots across a wooden lanai?

  “I guess there are some rules about it?” her father asked.

  Eli nodded, though he kept looking at her. She couldn’t tell if he were mad at her, at the situation, or just not letting her read his thoughts. Probably all of the above.

  “You have time to go back to the mainland to get your stuff. After that, you can’t spend any more than seven days away from the ranch, unless there is a medical emergency.”

  At that point, he glanced at her father and she knew Eli understood the situation. Then he looked back at her. For a second, all the worries and most of her thoughts, slipped away. Those green eyes had her head spinning. She forced herself to look at her father.