“Mmm.” Mali headed out of the kitchen and down the hall toward the room in question. He and Taz both followed for the moment, pulled along in her wake. As much as he did have other things to do, he was loath to leave her company just yet. “It’s not her room, really. Her stuff is here for now, but she told me she’s looking for a place of her own. She’s been really picky, though.”
“I hope it doesn’t take me long to find a place.” He considered the possibility with some trepidation. “Hotels can get pricey. Plus, it’d be good to get a place where Taz can stay with me.”
He and Taz were partnered well. It’d only strengthen their bond to have a common place to go home together.
Mali entered the room Arin—and she—were currently using. “I think women take certain factors into consideration that men may not prioritize as much.”
Danger. Red flag.
He studied Mali. She stood there, slightly rumpled and adorably hot. He was glad he knew her age because her petite height and the slight roundness of her cheeks made her look on the young side. But inside that beautiful head of hers was a sharp, PhD-level mind.
“Most people do their best to balance cost of rent with commute time when it comes to where they live. A majority of my undergrad and graduate-level friends were looking for places to live off-campus through the years, and for the men, those two things were the highest priorities. But crime rate was something I gave equal consideration.” Her eyes held an awareness and a fatigue that went beyond the last twenty-four hours. “There are plenty of gender studies out there illustrating the differences in worry or fear between men and women. All it takes is a sudden moment and your sense of personal safety is shattered forever. I’m betting you and my sister have seen awful things so, intellectually, you know they happen. I’m also certain she absorbed those lessons in a different way and will create her private place taking those things into account.”
He was sure she was right, and he didn’t want to take away from her stance on the subject so he chose his next words carefully. “We all have different priorities. I’m sure Arin is going to choose the right place for her, the kind of place she feels is safe and has the atmosphere she wants.”
The corner of Mali’s mouth quirked upward. “Glad you acknowledge it’s not an easy thing.”
He leaned against the doorframe. “A place to call home isn’t easy to find.”
She nodded and took a step or two closer to him, leaning against the edge of the doorframe, too. “Not all of us are looking for a stationary home. Our definitions of home could be a lot of things. Could be a person or group of people, a particular travel bag, or an actual building. Hard to say what each person needs as a center of their world.”
He chuckled. “I hadn’t ever thought about it that way. It’s an interesting perspective.”
She was inches away, her head tilted as she looked up at him. All he had to do was bend his head and taste her lips. He very much wanted to.
She smiled. “I’m glad you like the way I see the world.”
“I like the way you taste the world, too.” He wanted to tease her a little, considering how much she was tempting him right now. “You don’t ever seem too full to try something new.”
Her mouth formed a surprised O as her eyes widened. “Like you weren’t eating everything in sight right along with me.”
He shrugged, tipping forward until his forehead touched hers. “True. You make it fun.”
She bit her lower lip, her lashes dropping to hide her eyes as her gaze left his and settled somewhere around the region of his mouth. He gave her a slow smile. “It’s been interesting being around you, wondering what you’re thinking. It’s like I can see wheels turning inside your head.”
“Yeah?” She sounded maybe a little disgruntled.
“Yeah.” He let his voice drop lower. “I don’t know if I get to find out what’s going on inside your mind, but I sure hope you’re going to let me know.”
Her hands came up, taking his shirt in her fists as she tugged him to her and around the edge of the doorframe. Their lips met in a clash of teeth and tongue and hungry kisses. Blindly, he reached out and closed the door to the room to give them some privacy. It wasn’t as if anyone was going to think he was anywhere else with Taz waiting out in the hall.
Whatever. Not the top thought in his mind at the moment.
Mali’s hands released his shirt, smoothing the fabric as she reached up and around his neck. He wasn’t idle with his hands either. He encouraged her to mold herself against him, enjoying the press of her hips.
Hungry to taste more of her, he released her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck and over her collarbone. She gasped and held onto his shoulders, leaning back and to the side to give him better access. The two of them stumbled away from the wall, maybe in the direction of the bed.
He buried his face in the hollow of her shoulder, breathing in her subtle scent. He coasted his hands up the sides of her rib cage until he was framing her breasts. They fit perfectly in his palms, and he found the firm nubs of her nipples through the fabric of her shirt.
A tiny mew of pleasure escaped her throat.
He lifted his head to chuckle softly in her ear, grazing the shell of it with his teeth. “Like that? I want to lick these. Suck. I want to taste you.”
Please say yes. He wouldn’t move unless she did. It couldn’t be implicit in her actions. He needed to hear the words. And even then, a tiny part of his brain still warned him that her older sister was going to kill him.
Worth it.
Mali clung to him, nipping at his jaw. She dragged in a breath of air. “Y—”
A door somewhere in the house banged open. “Mali?”
Arin was back.
Chapter Nine
Mali?”
At the sound of her sister’s voice calling a second time, Mali stepped back from Raul quickly—maybe a little too quickly. She lost her balance and stumbled. She probably would’ve fallen but Raul reached out and caught her, grabbing her by the upper arms. His grip was firm, sure, and pulled the attraction between them taut with vibrating tension. His dark gaze clashed with hers, and she wanted to wrap herself around him.
Of course, her sister came barreling into the room so that was a bad idea. Arin paused, narrowed her eyes and then focused on Raul. “Explain.”
To Mali’s relief, Raul didn’t let her go immediately. He steadied her on her feet and kept his hands loosely gripping her upper arms until he was sure she wasn’t going to tip over. A perverse relief rushed through her as she realized he was more concerned about her well-being than incurring her sister’s wrath. Which was formidable.
They both turned to Arin and started talking at the same time.
“She was falling…”
“He caught me…”
Arin held up her hand. “Okay. Obviously, you two have gotten to know each other. Let’s not talk about how well just yet. I don’t think I’m ready.”
Raul took a step forward but Arin shook her head. Instead she turned toward Mali and opened her arms.
Mali had been safe. She’d been safe this entire time with Raul. Still, the sight of her big sister unwound an inexplicable knot of anxiety deep in her chest. It was like suddenly being able to draw on a huge breath of fresh, clean air. Mali dove into Arin’s arms and wrapped her own around her big sister’s waist. She’d called for her, and maybe Arin hadn’t been the first to come, but she was here now.
“I was worried when they told me you called for help.” Arin’s voice was rough, the way it was when she’d been working too hard or hadn’t gotten enough sleep. “We wrapped up as quickly as possible and headed straight back.”
Truth was, Arin probably hadn’t slept. There were nights from their childhood that Mali could remember when her sister had sat up all night at her bedside when Mali had been sick or too stressed about an upcoming test to be able to do anything but shake herself to pieces. The next morning, this is what her big sister’s voice had sound
ed like.
“I’m okay now.” Mali spoke into her sister’s shoulder, her voice muffled, but she was sure her sister could hear her. “Raul came to get me.”
Arin’s arms tightened around Mali for a long moment, and then her big sister released her and stepped back.
“He got you, brought you here where you were supposed to stay put, and took you back out into danger again.” Arin’s tone had turned hard with an edge to it. “I called, and Miller filled me in on the situation.”
Mali froze. This was a different voice, not one she remembered from their childhood. Her sister’s face had gone blank, a cold mask, and she was suddenly a stranger. Arin’s lips were pressed in a hard line, and she leveled a cold gaze at Raul.
Mali opened her mouth to respond but Raul placed a hand on her shoulder. “She’s here safe. We’ve also got information about the rest of her research team and why they’re still missing. It’s already been more than twenty-four hours. You can take the rest out of my hide later.”
He’d been short, concise, and Mali watched in shock as her big sister came back in place of the hardened professional who’d been standing there a moment earlier. There and gone again, that glimpse of the person her sister had become, and Mali wasn’t sure she’d really seen anything.
Sadness flooded Arin’s eyes, and the line of her mouth softened as the corners turned down. “My family has never needed this part of who I am. This happened, and I wasn’t here.” Arin’s voice was strained, tired, defeated.
Her sister had tried to explain over the years. Arin was a different person than the family had known, she’d said. No examples or explanations. She’d always seemed the same. They’d all nodded wisely and assured her they understood but they hadn’t. Not really. Perhaps this was just the beginning of grasping the reality.
Mali trembled. Maybe she was thinking too hard. Or perhaps she was seeing things. The strain of the last day or so hit her hard. This was her fault. She was bringing out this part of her sister through her actions, from being here. Arin had never wanted this for her family.
“Whoa.” Raul looked from one to the other of them with growing panic in his eyes. He raised his hands. “I can definitely see the family resemblance here. Both of you need to quit beating yourselves up. Right now. We’ve got a situation to handle.”
Silence. Neither Mali nor Arin responded. Mali stared at him and then glanced at her sister, just in time to meet her sister’s startled gaze. Then both of them looked back at Raul.
Arin nodded. “You have a point. Let’s get some coffee for Mali, and we’ll go over what happened and what you two know.”
Mali blinked and sucked in a quick breath. That fast and her sister had recovered, pulled herself together, and was moving forward. Old resentment soured her mouth. “Just like that. Easy peasy.”
“Here we go.” Arin met her gaze, and there Mali saw a tired resignation. “It’s not simple, and it’s never been easy. A lot of people think it means I don’t care much if I can just move on this way. They’re wrong. I do care. That’s why I’m acting, now, to make as much of a difference as possible before it’s too late to help anyone.”
A lot of people. Arin meant Mali and the family, and she was right. Mali didn’t know what to do. She wanted her sister here, but Arin’s presence confounded her logic. It’d been simpler, more straightforward, when it’d been just her and Raul deciding what steps they’d take next. Mali was sure her sister was going to take charge. It was what Arin always did. Most times, it’d been a relief not to have to worry about all the decisions.
Now Mali wasn’t sure she was going to be okay with what Arin decided. Her stomach churned with the conflicting thoughts racing through her head.
Raul’s voice broke through the cacophony in her head. “Let’s head to the kitchen and work out the rest as we go.”
* * *
Getting the two sisters down the hallway and into the kitchen was harder than herding a pair of feral cats. Raul figured that dealing with actual cats likely to bolt or rip him to shreds might be safer.
Arin was calm for now, but he had recognized her serious look earlier. She’d set it aside for her sister but there would be a reckoning later. He didn’t blame her. This was Arin’s little sister. They’d sat out long nights on watch, and Arin had told him all about her brilliant, bright little sister. He had a crap memory so a lot of those talks blurred together to impressions of a young kid in school, at odds with the adult here now.
Mali was beginning to tremble—she wrapped her arms around herself even as she walked—and he wondered if she might come apart. He’d worried when it started but he’d also caught the obvious relief on her face when Arin arrived. Mali had barely been holding her shit together, and now that her sister was here she felt comfortable enough to let down the brittle walls and feel for real.
It was an honesty with oneself he admired about Mali. He and Arin could both learn something from her. He admired the earnest way she thought the best of everyone and wished this entire situation wasn’t showing her how awful people could be. She was doing her research because she believed people were worth saving. He’d spent the better part of his last assignment proving to people that there was a hell, and it didn’t take demons to send them there.
As they entered the kitchen Kalea was just removing a glass pan from the oven. The rich smell of butter and toasted coconut permeated the space. Somebody’s stomach growled, and Raul glanced to his side. Arin’s face was blank, and Mali’s eyes were wide and blinking with feigned innocence.
He halted.
Usually he could read Arin. Right now, he wasn’t sure if Arin’s stomach had gone audible and Mali was blinking in surprise or if Mali’s belly was about to jump up to eat them and Arin had gone blank to avoid giving her little sister away. Being around them both was going to break his brain.
“Since we have a family reunion going on, I made a batch of butter mochi.” Kalea reached for a plate stacked high with golden bars and placed it in the center of the kitchen table. The bars smelled of toasted coconut and butter. “I’ll be making loco moco for dinner in a few hours, too, so keep that in mind.”
He had no idea what butter mochi was.
Arin crossed the kitchen and placed her hand on Kalea’s shoulder, giving the big woman a quick kiss on the cheek. “Mahalo.”
Kalea smiled and leaned into Arin momentarily. “You always appreciate good food. I like making your favorites.”
Arin chuckled. “Zu’s going to appreciate the loco moco, too.”
Note to self, Zu’s favorite dinner was loco moco. Raul glanced at the kitchen table. Mali had seated herself with her back to the entrance and him, leaving the other seats, with a better view of the room, to him and Arin. He wondered if she’d just taken the nearest chair or if Arin had taught her to make the choice. Either way, he prudently opted to walk around her and the table to seat himself opposite her, leaving a chair between them for Arin.
“I’ll look forward to dinner then.” A deep voice preceded the man who stepped through the doorway.
Raul was back on his feet without a thought. He managed to remain relaxed once he was standing, instead of stiff at the position of attention. He didn’t usually have this kind of reaction, even when he’d been active duty, but Zu Anyanwu elicited strong reactions from people, and Raul’s former military habits had been riding him hard over the last day or so. Zu wore a natural air of leadership like a mantle and inspired confidence. Even if Arin hadn’t recommended Raul to this team, Raul would’ve signed up if he’d met Zu first.
“Speak of the devil.” Arin, on the other hand, had no such response. She turned from Kalea and flipped one of the kitchen chairs around to sit on it backward, then reached for a piece of the snack food. When she took a bite out of the treat her eyes fluttered closed, and a look of pure pleasure crossed her face. “You’re just in time for heaven. Kalea made us butter mochi.”
Zu leaned back against the doorframe and crossed his arms. He was a
big man, and even sideways, he almost filled the entryway to the kitchen. “I can see that.”
Mali had leaned forward, studying the stack of golden rectangles the way a curious kitten would. One hand was on the table surface, inching forward, as if she was fighting the urge to poke one of those mochi. “What are they? They smell amazing, and I love mochi from Japan, but these look different from any mochi I’ve ever had.”
“Mmm.” Arin finished chewing another bite. “They’ve got all the chewy mochi goodness with the added bonus of butter and the coconut flakes rise to the top during baking to give them a sort of macaroon browned crust on top.”
Mali finally chose a golden bar and took a big bite, obviously trusting her older sister’s assessment. Mali’s lashes came down to half-mast, and she uttered a wordless groan.
Raul panicked and looked at the ceiling, the wall, even the kitchen sink as he tried to squelch his reaction to the sight of the pleasure on Mali’s face and the sound he was wishing he’d caused her to make in a completely different situation. Between Arin and Zu, he was a dead man. Hell, Zu had the exit blocked. And Arin was totally capable of eliminating Raul all by herself.
Arin grinned at Mali and waited until her little sister finished chewing and came back to the world. “You remember Zu?”
Mali blushed and turned in her chair, waving the butter mochi in her hand by way of greeting.
Zu gave her an easy smile, bright white teeth flashing in contrast against the intense black of his skin. It was warm and friendly, a smile Raul hadn’t seen before in his brief experience with Zu. Then again, he’d only had a few phone interviews and a single face-to-face back on the mainland. He’d seen enough to know this was a team he wanted to join but he hadn’t gotten to know Zu well yet.
Zu approached now that Mali had said hello and gone back to devouring her treat, and he reached over her to snag a piece of his own. He towered over Mali, and Raul pondered whether Zu’s thigh might be bigger in circumference than Mali’s waist. She was a waif next to a man with a warrior build like Zu. “Good to see you back here in one piece. We had a moment when we heard you’d gone out again.”
Total Bravery (True Heroes Book 4) Page 9