by Lakes, Lynde
She tried to understand her flash of outrage. If she didn’t want to go, Cort couldn’t force her. Yet, here she was hurrying to get ready. It was her decision. So, why was she annoyed? Julie, of course.
The ends of Lani’s hair were still damp from her shower when she heard Cort’s car in the driveway. She surveyed herself in the mirror. Red was a good color for her. The dress was a classic off-the-shoulder peasant style, nice enough to go to dinner without looking like she was trying too hard to impress him. Lani stepped closer to her reflection. Bright lights shimmered on her hair, giving the illusion of dancing flames. Was it by chance that she looked like the fire goddess? A shiver slid down her spine.
“Lani,” Grandfather called.
She headed toward the murmur of male voices. Grandfather was bragging about the fish he’d caught that day. Cort, tall and handsome as any Hawaiian Alii, leaned against the porch railing totally engrossed. The collar of his silk black and white flowered aloha shirt lay open, exposing a simple gold cross on a chain and dark blond curly chest hair.
When their gazes locked, her knees went weak. Cort’s eyes brightened to luminous green pools. Lani steeled herself. She didn’t want him to affect her this way. He moved forward. Don’t touch me. I won’t be able to bear it.
Cort bent and kissed her cheek. His warm breath sent a tingling through her. “You’re beautiful,” he said. He tucked a red hibiscus in her hair, his finger grazing her ear.
She shivered deliciously and considered returning the compliment until she remembered Julie’s warning. “Thank you,” she said warily.
Cort smiled down at her. Electricity shot between them. She yearned to throw herself into his arms. She’d have to keep her guard up against Cort’s magnetism and charisma. She was only going out with him to talk about the spiritualist. Lani frowned at the lie she told herself.
He had tucked the flower on the left side of her hair, the side that declared she was taken. She switched it to the other side. If he meant to make her believe he’d claimed her as his own, it wouldn’t work.
After they said good-bye to Grandfather and were on their way, Cort glanced at her and winked. Her heart pounded. That damnable seducing wink again. Well, she refused to be seduced.
“Do you like bubbles?” he asked.
Was he thinking of a bubble bath? Jacuzzi? “Champagne bubbles,” she quipped.
“I have another kind in mind.”
She could well imagine, but held her tongue. She wasn’t playing his game—whatever it was. Cort’s face creased in a wider grin as he pulled into the parking area of Kawaikui Beach Park.
For a moment the early evening sun glinted on the windshield and blinded Lani, but she refused to be blinded by Cort’s charm. She was surprised when he grabbed two jars of kiddie bubble mix from a duffel bag between their seats and stepped around to her side of the car. She fought the rush of adrenaline as his warm hand closed around hers.
Cort gave her one of the bubble jars and a circular wire wand. “Making bubbles works up an appetite.”
“We’re actually going to make bubbles?” she asked, feeling off balance. Whatever Cort was up to, she had to be ready to nip it in the bud.
“Take your shoes off.” He removed his.
What comes off next, the dress? “What now, bubble instructor?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she stepped out of her sandals.
“Just do what I do.” He began jogging along the shoreline with the wand held high, bubbles trailing. His snug white slacks emphasized his lean buttocks and long, agile legs.
Lani followed his lead, letting the bubbles flow behind her. In spite of herself, she was getting into the spirit of the bubble-making. She laughed. The soapy orbs floated out over the water, the trade winds taking away her anger along with the tiny spheres.
Cort sent a stream of bubbles into the air. Some of his bubbles rained down on her, bringing joy to her heart. She circled in a skipping dance, letting the rainbow colored orbs flow in a long curved stream behind her.
Cort eyes crinkled in the corners, and he laughed merrily. “You look like a sweet little girl of about four.”
His voice sounded deep and definitely all man, making her feel anything but childlike. She flipped her wire toward him so bubbles landed on his hair. “You look rather boyish yourself.” It was another lie. Nothing about him looked boyish.
He ran ahead, then returned to her, falling in with her shorter stride. “I called you at work this afternoon.” He met her gaze with concerned eyes. “Chinn said you left early for a doctor’s appointment. Nothing serious, I hope?”
“General check up.” It was the perfect opportunity to mention the spiritualist and ask Cort to attend the séance, but her request sounded so ridiculous she needed time to work up to it.
“Good.” He looked at the sky and touched her shoulder. “Look at that sunset!”
Lani’s breath caught. The sun set in a blaze of golden tangerine and satiny pink. The clouds and ocean caught the reflection in a magical kaleidoscope. “It reminds me of the strawberry-mango shave-ice I had as a child.”
“Sounds tasty.” Cort dropped to the sand and pulled her down next to him. His arm felt light and natural around her. He squeezed her shoulder. “People should only share sunsets with those they care about. I sense there’s going to be something special between us.”
He was moving too fast for her. It was probably a line anyway. But what if it were true? Cort was fun to be around, and she couldn’t deny the powerful attraction between them…
Lani took a deep breath. I may regret this, but I’m going to ignore what Julie said about Cort and accept him at face value. “I’d like that,” she said.
Cort pointed. “There goes the sun, pouring its gold into the sea. Doesn’t that grab you in the gut? It’s like, like, infinity…a whole eternity, in a single sunset.”
Cort’s hold tightened and she leaned back, settling into the comfort and warmth of his arms, feeling no need to reply. He’d said it all.
Sharing the passage of daylight with Cort, seeing it through his eyes, as well as her own, was like seeing a double rainbow. She smiled, feeling a transcendent well-being. It touched her to see a man get as excited over a sunset as she did. Regardless of whatever pain or disappointments may lie ahead, for the moment she felt a oneness with this man, and she refused to deny herself that.
As the hint of darkness settled around them, Cort helped her to her feet. “Work up an appetite?” he asked.
“Starved.” Her overblown enthusiasm sent heat rushing to her face. As though he suspected her hunger was for more than food, he threaded his fingers through hers, holding her hand firmly as they walked toward the car. Happiness warmed her heart. “I’m glad we came here.”
He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers, then held the car door open for her. “I made dinner reservations at the Hau Tree Lanai. Okay?”
“Fine.” Anything he suggested would be fine.
During the drive, Cort entertained her with poetry quotes. It still amazed her that a construction boss would know any poetry at all, not to mention knowing so many poems by heart. He was a unique man, complicated, intriguing. “I love the poem you wrote for me.”
He smiled. “You inspire that side of me.”
Unaware, Lani touched the lava stone nestled between her breasts. She’d feared from the beginning that some unworldly force had inspired him. Suddenly the fear grew stronger. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced it back into a dark corner of her mind. “What’s your family like?” she asked to distract herself.
“The exception—one mom, one dad. Middle class.” His brusk tone told her he didn’t want to go there. She was sure of it when he turned the tables and said, “I’m guessing your adoptive parents are well-to-do.”
“They do okay. But their money has nothing to do with me. I make my own way. Do women who come from wealthy homes ring your chimes?” She didn’t try to hide the resentment in her tone.
“No way. I never dug r
ich chicks. Always wanted to make my own place in the world.”
“Well, I’d suspected that about you until you came up with something so crass.”
“Before you boil me in oil, I’d better explain. It was my crude and admittedly tasteless way to slide into a compliment. My guess was based on your teeth. They’re perfect, straight, white with a million-dollar smile.”
Lani’s anger died a quick death. She couldn’t help beaming. It wasn’t every day that a man gave her such glowing praise.
They pulled in front of the New Otani Kaimana Hotel, and the valet parking attendant helped Lani from the car. She couldn’t resist flashing a big smile.
Cort joined Lani at curbside and grinned at her. “Take it easy. Don’t spread that million around so freely.”
She laughed. “Gee, I don’t know, I’ve always enjoyed being generous.”
“Me and my big mouth,” he said in a teasing tone.
With a firm grip, he guided her through the lavish lobby to the restaurant on the lanai. They were immediately seated at a table overlooking the darkened surf. A guitarist strummed “Beyond The Reef.” Flames of tiki torches licked the sky, throwing splashes of light into the dark shadows lurking along the edges of the sand. Lani stiffened. From within one of the leaping flames, Pele glared at her.
“What is it?” Cort’s eyes clouded.
As quickly as the image appeared, it disappeared.
Her throat went bone dry. She swallowed. “Nothing, nothing at all,” she said, trying to keep the hysteria out of her voice. She concentrated on breathing slowly—in and out.
A shadow fell across the tablecloth. Lani jumped.
“Sorry, mademoiselle,” the waiter said with a melodic French accent. “I’m Marcel, your server for this evening.”
Heat rose in her cheeks.
Cort glanced at her, his eyes questioning. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded and forced a smile. He studied her for a moment before turning his attention to the waiter. After Marcel eloquently described the specials and took their wine order, he disappeared silently into the shadows. He returned almost immediately with a bottle of Pinot Noir and poured some of the rich, red wine in each glass.
Cort stared at the menu. “Lobster, okay? It’s great here.”
“Then of course, it has to be lobster!” She laughed, relieved Cort hadn’t pressed her about her jumpiness.
After the waiter moved away, Cort stared at Lani with a half smile on his face. His sultry eyes seemed to be peeling away her defenses, layer by layer, until she felt completely naked. Her face grew hotter. “What are you smiling about?”
“You’re very exotic. I’ve never seen eyes like yours before. Right now they’re a rich brown velvet with an amber blaze of fire in them.”
Only an artist or poet would describe them that way. Lani lowered her eyes. Moments ago he’d seen her fear there. Now they probably revealed how much she already cared.
Seconds passed. She felt his relentless gaze. She could only scrutinize the silverware for so long. She looked up into Cort’s waiting eyes. He placed his warm hand over her cool one and stroked her fingers. Hot, quivery sensations rose and exploded within Lani, startling and exciting her.
“I’ll bet you dance the hula. With such long graceful fingers, you must.”
Lani eased her hand away. “I…I used to dance with Mama when I was very young.”
“Does my touch make you nervous?”
Her heart surged warmly. “A little.” Why did she admit that? Wasn’t it enough that her eyes were telling him too much?
“Beautiful and honest.” A thread of amusement played in his words. “Rare combination.”
Lani sipped the wine to calm herself. The silkiness of the heady liquid caressed her tongue and spread a warmth through her. Cort’s touch, the wine, and the music in the background carried her to a place where her defenses fell away.
“Tell me about you, Lani. What do you like to do?”
She swallowed. “I belonged to a hiking club in California. Looking forward to exploring some of the great hiking trails here.”
“I’m an excellent guide.” His deep, seductive tone vibrated within her. “I can take you to a secluded forest with a pristine pool we can bathe in.”
His thickly lashed eyes sparked with intensity, drawing her into those bottomless pools, enticing her to chance the danger lurking beneath the surface.
Her pulse raced. She lowered her gaze and stroked the stem of her wine glass. “Sounds like an ideal place to capture on canvas.”
He smiled and lifted an eyebrow. “If you’re trying to ease the conversation away from the two of us alone somewhere, it won’t work.”
The heat in her cheeks grew hotter.
Cort leaned back, looking like he owned the world. “Maybe we can paint together.”
A nervous laugh bubbled in her throat. “I’m no painter.”
“No problem. I can show you things to do with brushes that will tickle and amaze you.”
Responding to that would only get her in trouble. Still, his attentiveness and uplifting sense of humor was what she needed right now. “You paint like you’ve done it all your life.” Lani shivered, recalling the frightening vividness of his painting of Kilauea.
Cort touched her arm, warming it to her bones. “Cold?”
She shook her head, feeling off balance from the shifting emotions.
The waiter brought the lobster, removed it from the shell, and served it to them. Before he moved away, he refilled Lani’s wine glass. She didn’t really need alcohol; just being with Cort intoxicated her enough.
Lani desperately wanted to relax and enjoy their date, but beneath the easy conversation and escalating undercurrent of sexual magnetism flowing between them, she sensed danger. Her fear was supported by the sinister faces in the candlelight, in the tiki torches, in the leaping flames, taunting her, warning her. Millie had told her to stay away from fire…
“Lani, what’s wrong? You look pale.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “I’ve never looked my best in candlelight.” Impulsively, she blew out the table candle licking the air between them. She had an urge to kick over the torch just beyond the lanai, drive it into the sand and snuff it out too. “Have you ever visited a spiritualist?”
Amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Don’t believe in them.”
She wiped a path of dew from her water glass with her finger. “Lots of island people do.”
“Not me. No way.”
Lani released a long, quiet breath. “What if I asked you to go to one with me, as a favor?”
The smile on Cort’s face faded, and he put his hand over hers. “Tell me you’re not serious about this.”
Hurt, she shrugged. She’d expected, hoped, he wouldn’t balk when she requested it as a favor. She touched her lava stone necklace, seeking its solidness, its reassuring warmth.
“What’s the big deal?” she asked. “Is it against your religion or something?”
“Something like that, not to speak of common sense.”
She felt like he’d slapped her. She forced a laugh. “It was merely a what if question. Forget it.” She didn’t know if she could. She didn’t ask favors often or take them lightly. But with Cort’s skepticism, what help would he be anyway?
Darn Cort. He’d ruined everything. She should grab a cab and go home alone. Something deep within told her not to blow this out of proportion. Perhaps his reason for turning her down was more complicated than it seemed. What if he wasn’t as certain as he claimed that people couldn’t communicate with the dead and didn’t want his beliefs tested? That could tie into the religious issue. Lani sighed. To be happy, even for a little while, she had to swallow her hurt feelings and cling to what they had tonight.
The unfamiliar romantic melody the guitarist played sounded poignant, compelling. Cort hadn’t stopped looking at her, even during the tense silence that settled between them. The heat in his stare overwhelmed her. Suddenl
y, she needed him to hold her—now. As though he’d read her mind, he drew her to the tiny dance floor and into his arms. They fit so well, molding to each other’s bodies as though fate had meant them to be together. Alone in their invisible cocoon, they barely moved to the music. She felt safe in his arms. If only he really could protect her. However, if her dreams were any indication, he couldn’t even protect himself. Was the purpose of the faces in the flames to remind her of the danger? Remind her that she had to protect him?
Later, as they sipped their Kona coffee, Lani realized that the faces in the flames hadn’t appeared for a while and she was beginning to feel fluid and relaxed. She finished the last crumbs of her favorite coconut-custard haupia cake, wishing the evening could go on forever.
“I hate to cut this short,” Cort said with regret in his voice, “but I’m shorthanded at the site and have to go in before the crack of dawn. How about we do some nightclubbing Friday night?”
“Love to.” Lani’s quick acceptance surprised her. But she’d never been one to hold a grudge.
On the drive home they sang island songs and laughed when they couldn’t hit the right note or remember all the lyrics.
Cort parked in front of Grandfather’s house, then took her hands in his. “You’re fun to be with, Lani,” he said huskily.
“I had fun too. Thanks.” It had brought joy to her heart to play with the bubbles and frolic on the beach with him.
Looking at her in that familiar sexy way of his Cort touched her face gently and surprised her with only a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
They walked arm in arm, and when they reached the door, he helped her unlock it. He turned and stared at her for several heart-stopping seconds, then drew her into his arms with a fervor that took her breath away. His clean, musky male scent enveloped her. Her pulse raced as Cort’s hands slid slowly down the curve of her back, burning through her silky dress. He lowered his head and captured her lips with a hot, demanding mouth. She melted against him, luxuriating in his heat and strongly aware of his throbbing arousal.