Hell, used to? Right now, just watching the way his lips curled into a smile had her body heating, her heart beating so hard against her chest she was afraid she would pass out.
He set the tray on the table and slid in opposite of her. “What?”
She shook her head and tried to get her mind back to the now, but it was hard. It took every bit of her control to do it, but finally, she did it.
“Nothing. I think I am still trying to get over the jet lag.”
He nodded. “It takes some people months to adjust to the time difference.”
“So, are you going to tell me how Hawaiians got hooked on spam?”
“During World War II. They had a warehouse here and with supply lines sometimes in danger, it became a staple.”
“I don’t think I’ll become a spam girl no matter how long I live here. I was amazed at the different varieties they had in the grocery store.” She took a bite of her pork and hummed. “That is wonderful. Chris always says no one knows pork like Hawaiians.”
When she looked up, she found him watching her in that way that made her stomach muscles tighten. His attention was on her mouth and she wanted to say something, but the look in his eyes stopped her.
After a few long moments, he seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. “We’ll have to get you to a real luau.”
“I can’t wait,” she said digging into her food again reminding herself to tread lightly with him.
Kai pulled into her driveway a few hours later and tried his best not to smile. Granted, he wasn’t truly counting this as a real date, but if he had been, it would have been one of the best he had on record. He glanced at Jocelyn. Her head was back against the headrest, a smile curving her lips, her eyes closed.
“You’re home.”
She opened her eyes slowly and he felt the punch all the way to his gut. If she had been a pain in the ass or self-centered, he could have handled it. Knowing Chris the way he did, Kai had known she would be decent. In the small time they had spent together, he had found her to be absolutely beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside.
“Would you like to come in for a drink? I don’t have much, but I do have some cookies.”
He knew it was an invitation to thank him with only cookies. No matter how much his body was begging for it to be more. Still, he wasn’t ready to let the day end.
“Sure.”
He slipped out of his seat and walked around the front of May’s car and opened the door. Slowly, in that unconscious sensuality that filled her every move, she rose. He knew it was just something that was innate in her, something that she couldn’t help. It drew him to her. He always liked a woman who had no problem with her sensuality.
He followed her up the steps, cursing himself. He should have gone home and taken a cold shower. But instead, he was following her up the steps, her full ass swaying at eye-level. God, he could just imagine bending her over in bed, slipping into her from behind.
She stopped and he almost ran into her. That wouldn’t have been a good thing, because he really didn’t want her to know he was half-aroused. Again, the heat of her hit him, then the decadently enticing scent that he now associated with her. Before meeting Jocelyn, he would have never thought sugar and vanilla would be a turn on.
She unlocked the door and held it open for him as she stepped inside.
“Make yourself at home. I need to freshen up.”
“Sure.”
He toed off his shoes in the Hawaiian custom and started to look around the living room. Cynthia hadn’t done much to change the small house since she’d moved in with Chris, but he could already see some of Jocelyn’s things here. On the shelves there were pictures of her with her family, her brothers and what looked to be a younger sister. Then there was a picture of her, white coat, hat, her arms crossed over her chest, and a whisk in her hand. The smile she offered the camera said she was ready to take on the world.
“That was when I graduated with my masters.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Masters?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I wanted to be one up on everyone else.”
He laughed and turned to face her fully. “Chris always did say you were a little competitive.”
“That’s what he says because he knows he couldn’t make it through culinary school.”
He frowned. “Really? I thought he had a college degree.”
“He does, in business though. He would have never made it in a school where you are berated and belittled every day. Chris has a slow temper, but when it lights up, someone gets a nose broken.”
He laughed. “But not you.”
She shook her head, a small smile curving her lips. Damn, it struck him right there how much he wanted her.
“Oh, I got pissed, that’s for sure. But for me, I wanted to prove that they didn’t get to me, and I would succeed, despite what they do to you. It was a matter of pride and proving every one of the bastards wrong.”
“Is it like Hell’s Kitchen?”
She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms beneath her chest. Luscious flesh rose above the neckline of her sundress. “Pfft, that’s a cake walk.”
He laughed at her dismissal.
“Why don’t you have a seat at the bar here and I’ll get us some cookies. What would you like to drink?”
He slipped into a seat and watched her move about the kitchen. He liked it. He wasn’t some Neanderthal who thought women should be tied to the stove. In his family, if anyone thought that would happen, May made sure they understood she wasn’t their maid or cook. He had been handling the kitchen duties even before his mother had been killed.
This was more. This was hers. She was in her element. She wasn’t even doing anything big like decorating a cake, but it was the way she moved around that told him that no matter what, this was where she belonged.
“I’ll just take some milk.”
She smiled as she reached up to get a cup. The shirt she was wearing moved up, revealing her slender back. There was a dip in the small of her back that told him her full ass would be gorgeous in the flesh. He bit back a sigh. The woman was a work of art.
After filling up two cups, she joined him at the bar.
“There is nothing like milk and cookies,” she said. “Mama always had some waiting for us when we got home. I know that most people go on and on about obesity today, but I think that comes more from sitting in front of the computer or TV. One or two treats a day won’t kill you if you stay active.”
He watched her dip the cookie in the milk then lean forward to take a bite. He drew in a deep breath and started to concentrate on his own treat and not the one sitting beside him.
“So have you decided what you wanted to do?”
She swallowed a bit of milk. “I think I’ll work for Cynthia then decide. She’s going to need some extra help because of the baby.”
“Wait, she’s pregnant?”
She smiled. “Yeah. I thought everyone knew about it.”
He shook his head. “Nope.” At least he didn’t think so. Truth was, he had been so busy thinking about Jocelyn every day, he had avoided Dupree’s. May had a full schedule this week, so she hadn’t been by the family home much.
She gave him an evil grin. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Yeah.”
“Chris is having sympathy morning sickness.”
He laughed. “Oh, this is going to be good.”
“You have no idea. I’ve been holding it over his head for days now. He doesn’t want Malachai or Sean to know about it, let alone his friends here. Not sure he will be able to hide it much longer.”
“May must not know.”
She took another bite of cookie. “I doubt that. She is pretty sharp. And knowing her, she would use it the same way I am.”
Kai nodded. “Blackmail. You sisters are all alike.”
She smiled. “You know it.”
An hour later, Jocelyn followed Kai as he walked to the door, oddly deflated
that he was leaving. The day had been wonderful, the company better, and everything in her wanted to invite the man back to her bedroom. She knew better, knew it was a bad idea. But even now, her body yearned to touch, to taste to—
“I’m glad you had a good time. Anytime you want another trip around the island, on or off my boat, just let me know.”
“I will. I really had a great time today. Thanks.”
He nodded and turned toward the door, but then paused. He turned around to face her.
“I promised myself I wouldn’t do this.”
He stepped closer, cupped her face and gently brushed his mouth over hers. For a second, she couldn’t think. Not out of fear but out of bone-deep surprise. She had thought he wasn’t that interested in her, but now his mouth was moving over hers and she couldn’t seem to think. So instead, she opened her mouth and returned the kiss. He groaned, the sound of it vibrating against her lips. She slipped her hands up his arms and over his shoulders. He stepped closer now, his entire body against hers. His heat enveloped her, pulled at her. She could feel the ridge of his erection against her belly and she wanted. Oh, God, how she wanted. His tongue stole inside, and she pressed closer. The taste of him entranced her as he slipped his hands down her body to cup her rear. Her nipples were hard, her body hotter than Louisiana asphalt, and she could feel the low hum of lust pulsing through her blood.
Then he was pulling away. She moaned in irritation and he chuckled.
“Jocelyn.”
She slowly opened her eyes.
“I think it best I go now.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because we just met and it wouldn’t be right.”
Dammit, she hated good men. “Wouldn’t be right?”
“Yeah. There are a lot of complications and I am not sure you are ready for something like this.”
Irritation, embarrassment and a healthy dose of anger replaced the arousal he had so easily flared deep inside of her.
“So you don’t want to finish? I think your body says another thing.”
Her nasty tone brought her down to earth. What the hell was wrong with her? Here was a decent man, a nice one, who had gone out of his way.
She opened her mouth to apologize, but Kai stepped forward one more time, pressed his body against hers. Wet heat slipped down from her belly to her pussy and her body became one big pulse of need with that simple action.
“There is nothing more I would like to do than to turn you around and take you against this door. I have a powerful need for you that wouldn’t be quenched with a quick, hard fuck. I understand that you might not understand, but I do have some decency and if there is anything between us, it isn’t going to be a one-night stand.”
He bit out each word. She could hear the desire threading every word.
She drew in a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes as shamed washed over her. She didn’t need to be acting like this, like some kind of ass.
“Hey.” His voice had gentled. She opened her eyes.
He cupped her face. “I want you. But like I said there are complications.”
Pain and sorrow twisted in her chest. “I’m a basket case.”
He shook his head. “That isn’t so much of a problem, unless you mean by basket case you are going to go all Glenn Close on me and boil rabbits.”
She snorted. “Not hardly. I have issues, but I am not a psycho.”
He nodded. “And when you’re ready to talk about them, you let me know. But the complications I’m talking about are our families. We’re sort of entangled with May working for Chris. And I would hate to ruin a new friendship because we jumped into bed right away.”
She should be grateful, but something inside of her was irritated. She squashed it. She knew she wasn’t ready, knew that it could end up as a disaster if she tried.
“Now,” he said, brushing his mouth over hers again. The simplicity of the kiss stirred more than lust. It had her heart quivering. “I have to go before all my good intentions are forgotten.”
With that he opened the door. “How about dinner tomorrow night? My house.”
“Safety in numbers?”
He smiled and she fought back a shiver.
“Hey, a guy has to be careful. Plus, I think my granddad has a crush on you.”
She laughed. “Your grandfather has a crush on Dee. What time?”
“Six?”
She nodded. “Thanks again for the wonderful day.”
He said nothing more as he shut the door and left her alone. She heard the car start up and drive away as she collapsed on the sofa. She leaned her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Damn, the man was lethal. Hot enough to burn her up, and just about sweet enough to make her melt.
She waited for the self-hatred to crash in on her. Ever since her issues with Greg, even thinking about a date had left her feeling lower than scum. Dr. Sawyer had helped her understand that none of it was her fault. Logically, she had known it. All of the gentle counseling she had been through had apparently worked. The guilt didn’t come this time. This time, the only thing she felt was the fading hum of arousal and the knowledge that if she had a chance to go to bed with Kai Aiona, she would definitely do it.
Chapter Five
“What bug’s up your butt?” Vince asked.
Kai barely bit back a growl. But they had passengers coming on board. He was ready to explode. All day long Kai had been a pain in the ass, griping, bitching and snarling at everyone. And he knew the reason.
Jocelyn.
He never knew he possessed the kind of control he’d had last night. He had been within a second of talking her into bed. And he could have done it. He had been with enough women to know that she wanted it. But he felt she might have wanted it for the wrong reasons. And that had never really bothered him before Keisha.
“Hey, boss, why don’t I take over the tour today?”
He nodded and said nothing else. He knew his crew was confused. Hell, he was confused. He didn’t get tied up in knots over a woman he had just met. But he was. She had one of those soulful smiles that knocked him in the gut, and he knew when he got her into bed, that he wouldn’t probably want to leave it for a week.
As he went through the preparations for the cruise, he started to think over his attraction, his need for Jocelyn. He knew better than to get involved with a woman who was hurting, who needed someone to prop her up. Keisha had been like that. Hell, a lot of women he’d dated had been like that. But until Keisha, it hadn’t hurt when she decided to go on her merry way. She had told him two days before she moved back to the mainland. Two days. They had been dating for a couple of months, old high school sweethearts who had started dating again, and he had thought it would be fun to get to know the grown-up version. The problem was she had entangled him. He had been close to discussing moving in together when she’d told him she was moving back to the mainland.
Damn, he didn’t want to deal with that again. Didn’t want to deal with the fact he knew that Keisha was now back with the abusive boyfriend she had been dating before they met. And he couldn’t even blame her for using him. The truth was, until this year, he had never had a problem with it. He was known for mending broken hearts. But after Keisha… Well, he hadn’t dated another woman since.
“You need to watch your temper around the crew,” Vince admonished.
“Yeah, I know.”
“You need to make sure that next time you go out with that hot woman from New Orleans, you get her into bed.”
He glanced at Vince, then back down at his work. “I didn’t say that was the problem.”
“Son, all problems in life originate with women.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, and how would you know? I rarely see you with a woman.”
“Oh, I have women, but I make sure to keep them at a distance. You let them too close, they fuck you up.”
He glanced up, intrigued. Vince had never been forthcoming with much of his background. Kai knew
he’d been in the merchant marines, he was originally from Seattle, and he liked chili. Any more requests for information had been shut down immediately.
“Really? There’s a story there. Who was the woman who taught you that lesson?”
A blush stole over the older man’s face and Kai laughed. In all his time with Vince, he never thought to see something so, well, sweet on the hardened sailor.
“We’re going to have to get you drunk and get it out of you.” Kai shook his head. “And stop being a mother hen. I’m fine.”
“If you are going to be in front of the passengers, you better tame that tongue of yours. Lots of kiddos on board today.”
It always amused him that Vince gave him orders and always expected them to be followed. For the most part, they were. “Hey, who owns the boat?”
“You do, but it doesn’t mean you know what the hell you’re doing.”
With that, Vince turned and walked back down the ladder, leaving Kai smiling after him. He was a pain in the ass, but Vince had taught him everything he knew about working on a boat. And he knew just what to say to get his mind off his troubles and back to business.
Jocelyn was a problem he would have to figure out later. He wanted her, but neither of them were ready. It was best to tuck his thoughts away until he could actually do something about it.
Jocelyn frowned at her brother as he matched it with one of his own.
“What do you mean you’re going to Kai’s for dinner?” he asked.
She shrugged. “He invited me to dinner with his family.”
“And you just said yes?” he asked, his voice rising.
This was overboard, even for Chris. He had been bad since the incident with Greg, but this was downright freaky. She noticed one of the busboys slowly wander past. Mindful that some of the employees of his restaurant might overhear, she closed the door.
A Little Harmless Addiction Page 6