by Elle James
“No, you’re not. All the more reason to let me have your six.” He stared down into her eyes. “At least, let me do my job. I have people who can help us find out who’s doing this. Once we figure it out, we can put a stop to it. When you’re safe again, you can choose to send me back to the mainland. I’ll be out of your hair, and you can carry on with your life as you see fit.”
Sizzling synapses raced from where his fingers curled around her arms throughout her body. She could barely think past the fact they were naked in the water together, almost close enough for their private parts to touch. All she had to do was move a fraction of an inch closer…
She sucked in a deep breath, drawing on the little bit of control she could muster and lifted her chin. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“No, you don’t.” His lips curled in a sexy smile. “You’re a fully grown, beautiful woman. But you need an extra set of eyes in the back of your head if you’re going to go it alone. Let me be that set of eyes. I might not be familiar with Hawaii and the Parkman Ranch, but I know my way around horses, and I’m trained in combat skills that could come in handy should you be attacked again.” His hands slipped from her arms down to her hands. He lifted them up in his. “Please, let me help you.”
Her heart pounded against her ribs, and her breasts tingled at the thought of rubbing up against his bare chest. How could she think when she was so close to all that…that…manliness?
“Okay,” she blurted. So much for thinking. She looked down at where their hands were clasped together. She couldn’t continue to look him in the eye without falling deeper into his gaze and getting lost in the mire of her muddled thoughts. “You can keep your job. But now that we both know you’re a bodyguard, we can drop all pretense of training you as a paniolo.”
He hesitated, his hands tightening on hers. “That might not be a good idea. The only people who know why I’m here are you, me and your father. The attacker doesn’t know. As long as he thinks I’m just a hired hand, he might not consider me a threat or hindrance to getting to you.”
Kalea’s brows drew together. “I’m not so sure.” She loved the way her hands felt so small enclosed his big, strong grip. What was she saying? Oh, yeah. “We made no secret that you’re a former Navy SEAL.”
“True.” His thumb rubbed circles against the inside of her palm.
“I have other commitments that will take me away from the ranch that wouldn’t make sense for a paniolo to tag along with me.”
“You make a good point,” he said, his voice deep, resonant and just a bit on the gravelly side.
It sent shivers across her naked, water-soaked skin.
“How about this…” he said. “We could make people think we’re becoming a couple. That would explain our desire to be with each other at all times.”
Her core coiled at his words couple and desire. His hands were close enough to her breasts, all she had to do was inhale deeply, and they’d come into contact.
What was wrong with her? She never lost control like she was at that moment, standing there in front of her bodyguard. She blinked several times, trying to focus her thoughts. As long as he held her hands in his and stood so close, she couldn’t begin to make sense of anything.
With a strange sense of regret, she tugged her hands free of his and pushed back into the deeper water. “Let me think about this,” she said, turned and swam away.
If she agreed to play the couple card, she’d have to be with him pretty much twenty-four-seven. Now that she’d seen all of him, could she even hope to keep it purely professional and hands-off? Hell, he worked for the Parkman Ranch. She had no choice. He was an employee. Which automatically meant keeping a professional distance.
Kalea swam around the pool in a slow breaststroke, her mind racing her, body no less heated than when she’d first entered the water. “If I agree to this, we’re on a purely professional basis.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I make it a point not to date employees of the ranch.”
“Have you told anyone of your position on dating?”
She turned and tread water. “No. It’s just one of my values I’ve always lived up to.”
He shrugged. “As long as you haven’t made it known to others, it won’t be a problem.”
Not to the other members of the Parkman Ranch team, but to Kalea, it was an issue she’d have to live with.
“If we’re going to pull it off, we have to show some PDA,” Hawk said, his lip pulling up on one side in a gentle smirk.
Kalea frowned as she waved her hands in the water to keep afloat. “PDA?”
“Public display of affection,” Hawk explained. “You know…holding hands…smiling…acting like we like each other…kissing—”
Kalea’s arms stopped moving, and she sank up to her nose before she remembered she was treading water. “Kissing?” she squeaked.
“Of course.” He frowned. “If we’re going to make it look real, we have to do more than hold hands.”
“I don’t know.” Kalea shook her head. “Seems like a lot to go through. How about I just call my father’s bluff and send you back to the mainland? I’ll be fine on my own.”
Hawk shrugged. “It’s your funeral. Knowing your father, he’ll keep trying. Can’t blame him, either. You’re all he has. It would kill him to lose you.” Hawk turned again to climb up the bank.
With his naked ass staring her in the face, Kalea couldn’t think straight. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Hawk started to turn toward her.
Kalea spun in the water. “I’ll put on a show. But you and I will know it’s only a show. We take it no further than what you said…PDA. In private, it’s all back to a professional level. You’re the bodyguard. I’m the client. Got it?” She made her demands with her back to him so she couldn’t see if he was nodding.
A long pause followed her words.
Had he left?
Kalea twisted around in the water only to find Hawk in front of her, close enough to feel his breath on her cheek.
“Don’t you think we should kiss on it?” he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“I most certainly do not,” she said her voice breathy, barely more than a whisper.
“How will we make it look real if we haven’t even tried a single kiss? Even stage actors have to practice kissing to get it to look natural.” He took her hand and dragged her back to where she could plant her feet on the bottom of the pool and still keep her head above water.
“I’d rather practice when we’re both fully clo—”
Hawk pulled her into his arms and bent until his lips hovered over hers. “No time like the present, I always say. Ready for the first act?”
“If we must,” she said, her gaze on his lips, her hands flat against his chest, neither pulling him closer nor pushing him away.
“We must,” he said, his warm breath feathering across her lips.
When his mouth connected with hers, she opened on a startled gasp.
He took the opportunity to sweep into hers and caress her tongue with his in a long, earth-shaking kiss, that left Kalea struggling to stand on wobbly knees.
The longer he kissed her, the weaker her resistance. Eventually, her hands slipped around his neck, drawing him closer, deepening the kiss that was never meant to be.
When her breasts pressed against his chest, an explosion of senses set off a firestorm of lust raging through her body.
One of his hands tangled in her hair, while the other slid down to the small of her back, pulling her hips against his. The hard evidence of his desire nudged her belly.
Kalea sank into him, her pulse pounding hard in her veins, while the voice of reason was shoved firmly into the back of her head.
When at last they both needed to breathe, Hawk lifted his head and stared down at her. “I think…” he cleared his throat, “…that will be convincing.”
“Now, if you’ll turn your back, I’d like to get out of the water,”
Kalea said.
He nodded. “As you wish. Just don’t take off without me.”
Kalea waited until Hawk had his back to her and the shore. Then she slipped out of the water and ran for her clothes.
What had she committed to?
Being with Hawk was like dancing with dynamite. One step in the wrong direction and they’d both explode.
Chapter 7
Hawk treaded water, waiting just long enough for Kalea to get to her clothes. He’d be damned if he stood by and let her take off without him again. He’d been hired to keep her safe. He couldn’t do his job if she wasn’t even close to him. Hopefully, she was good at her word and would allow them to fake a relationship. It would make it easier to keep an eye on her.
When he turned around, she had just stepped into her panties and was pulling her bra straps up over her shoulders. “You can come out of the water now,” she said, and grabbed her shirt.
Hawk walked out of the pool, shoulders back, head held high. He had nothing to be embarrassed about. If she wanted to look, so be it.
Kalea turned her back on him and tugged her shirt over her wet hair and down her damp torso. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her T-shirt hanging down to the tops of her thighs, she looked more like a little girl than a grown woman. However, those long, curvy legs were anything but childlike.
Hawk could imagine them wrapped around his waist as he drove into her.
“Damn.” He chastised himself as he tugged his jeans up his wet legs and over his buttocks. He had to stop thinking that way. Kalea was his client, not his girlfriend. Yes, they’d have to pretend otherwise, but other than showing the world they were together, in private, they had to remain professional. Bodyguard…client.
Kalea slipped into her jeans and turned to face him. “Did you say something?”
“No,” he said in a short, clipped tone. Hawk jammed his feet into his boots and dragged his T-shirt over his head. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “We should get back to the barn. I have work to do in the office. I’m heading to Oahu tomorrow for a Hawaiian Tourism Commission meeting.”
“Tourism?” Hawk raised an eyebrow.
“We don’t just raise cattle on the ranch. We also have a pretty big tourism branch connected to what we do here. Did you know this ranch is one of the oldest ranches in the U.S.?”
His brow furrowed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. My ancestors were given the acreage way back in the 1800s by a Hawaiian king for rounding up the feral cattle roaming free, destroying the native vegetation. People like coming for the Hawaiian dude ranch experience. You know, horseback riding, cattle roundups, cookouts and more. We’re a significant part of the Hawaiian experience.”
Hawk shook his head. “I never expected to find a ranch like this in Hawaii.”
“Oh, we add a luau and traditional Hawaiian dance and stories. It wouldn’t be Hawaii without them.”
“Of course, it wouldn’t.” Hawk jammed his cowboy hat onto his head. “And do you dance for the guests?”
“Not every week, only during the annual King Kamehameha Day, when we celebrate our greatest leader who united all of the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom. It’s actually a weeklong celebration, but I only dance here at the ranch. It’s our busiest week of the year.”
She untied Pupule’s reins from the bush. “Do you want to ride in the saddle?”
“No, ma’am. I’ll ride behind you.”
For a moment, she hesitated then shrugged. Because she was short, she held onto the side of the saddle and pulled herself up enough to stick her foot into the stirrup and then swung her leg over the horse’s back.
Once she was seated, she removed her foot from the stirrup and leaned forward. “Your turn.”
Relieved she wasn’t going to run off without him, Hawk grabbed the saddle horn, slipped his foot into the stirrup and swung up behind Kalea, landing with a jolt on the horse’s hindquarters. He slipped his foot out of the stirrup and adjusted his position.
Pupule danced in a circle with the added weight.
Hawk wrapped his arms around Kalea’s waist and held on.
“Whoa, boy,” she said, pulling the reins taut.
The animal came to a stop and snorted.
“Ready?” Kalea asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Hawk answered.
Kalea nudged Pupule’s flanks with her heels at the same time she said, “Don’t call me ma’am.”
The horse leaped forward, nearly unseating Hawk.
He tightened his hold on Kalea, hugging her body close to keep from sliding off.
Pupule picked his way along the trail until the trees parted, and they were once again out in the open pasture filled with tall grasses and sunshine.
As if he knew they were going home, Pupule picked up the pace, trotting along at a decent clip, the jarring gait rattling Hawk’s teeth.
Kalea nudged the horse again, and he broke into a canter, the smoother motion easier to handle while sitting bareback.
Hawk held on, his arms around Kalea, and enjoying how close he was to her…far too much.
When they approached the gate where she’d left him earlier, she slowed their ride to a slow walk until they came close enough she could lean over and slip the latch free. “How are you doing back there?” she said, glancing over her shoulder.
“Never better,” he lied. His tail bone ached, and the insides of his legs were strained from gripping the horse with his thighs. But he loved the feel and smell of good horseflesh, and the way Kalea felt in his arms. He was so close, the loose strands of her hair tickled his cheeks and nose.
Pretending an attraction to the rancher’s daughter would be no problem. Keeping from falling for the woman would prove to be a major challenge. What was not to like? Kalea was tough, beautiful and could ride as well or better than he could. She liked horses and raised cattle, wore blue jeans and cowboy boots.
Add to that her exotic looks, courtesy of her Hawaiian ancestors, and she was by far the most interesting and desirable woman Hawk had ever met.
And off limits.
After they passed through the gate, Hawk leaned over to close and secure the latch. When he straightened, he smiled. “Ready?”
Kalea nodded. Before she could touch her heels to the horse’s flanks, a loud blast sounded near them and a puff of dirt kicked up at Pupule’s hooves.
“Gunfire,” Hawk said.
“Gunfire? You’ve got to be kidding,” Kalea said.
“No, ma’am.” Wrapping his arms around Kalea, Hawk gathered the reins in his hands and dug his heels into the horse’s flanks.
Pupule took off like a bullet launched from a rifle. Another shot rang out, the sound barely audible over the pounding of hooves against the dirt.
A moment later, an ATV burst out of the tree line, driving parallel to the path they were on. The driver wore all black and a black helmet. He raced across the field, directly toward them.
Pupule saw the vehicle coming toward him and dodged to the side in time to miss being hit.
Hawk held tightly to Kalea with one arm around her middle, fearing he’d fly off the horse, taking her with him.
She gripped the saddle horn with both hands, keeping her seat and Hawk with her.
With no weapon with which to fight back, Hawk only had his hands and wit.
When the ATV driver circled around and came at them again, Hawk was ready.
He waited until Pupule dodged sideways away from the vehicle and driver. At that moment, Hawk slid off the horse’s back, dropped to the ground, rolled to his feet and was up and running after the man on the ATV.
He caught up to the man as he tried to circle again and head back toward Kalea and Pupule.
Hawk dove through the air, grabbed the man around the shoulders and hung on, dragging the man out of his seat and onto the ground.
As soon as their attacker left the ATV, it rolled to a stop not too far from where Hawk had knocked its d
river to the ground.
Before Hawk could rise, the driver scrambled to his feet and ran for the ATV.
Determined to catch him and yank off the black helmet, Hawk rolled to his feet and gave chase.
The driver made it to the ATV, leaped onto it and cranked the engine.
It roared to life and the driver hit the throttle. The back end of the vehicle spun sideways as the driver tore out.
Hawk ran toward Kalea and Pupule, keeping his body between the ATV and the horse and rider. If the attacker tried to get to her again, Hawk would be ready to jump him and bring him down for good.
However, the ATV headed for the woods. When the driver had gone a hundred yards, he pulled out a gun and raised it to aim.
Hawk’s heart leaped into his throat. “Get down, Kalea!” He spun toward Kalea, grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the saddle as the crack of gunfire ripped through the air. Hawk caught Kalea when she hit him full in the chest. He staggered backward and fell on his ass.
As soon as he hit the ground with Kalea on top of him, he rolled her over onto her back and covered her body with his. “Stay down.”
The man on the ATV fired another shot.
Anger burned through Hawk’s veins. He waited for the man to fire again. When he didn’t, Hawk looked up.
The ATV and rider were headed toward them again.
Hawk channeled his anger into action. “Stay down,” he commanded. Then he climbed up onto his hands and knees and rushed toward the man driving the ATV, zigzagging erratically, to keep from catching a bullet.
The man fired another shot, hitting the ground in front of Hawk, then he shoved the gun into his jacket and hit the throttle, sending the four-wheeler racing toward the tree line.
Hawk would have gone after him, but he couldn’t run as fast as the vehicle, and he couldn’t leave Kalea alone in case there was more than one person hiding in the woods, waiting to strike. His best course of action was to get Kalea back to the ranch house surrounded by walls and people.
Hawk ran back to where he’d left Kalea lying on the ground. It took him a moment to locate her in the field of hay.
She had risen to her knees and was peering through the tall grass when he located her. “Oh, thank goodness!” she exclaimed when she spotted him. Kalea staggered to her feet and flung herself into his arms. “I thought he’d shot you.”