by Kaylea Cross
“Aloha, Mrs. Maka. Mahalo for inviting me,” she answered, using the full extent of her Hawaiian vocabulary in those two short sentences.
The woman’s sharp brown eyes darted to Kai. “You didn’t tell me she’s as pretty as a fairy princess,” she said with a heavy accent.
“Well, I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Abby blushed and didn’t know what to say, relieved when Kai led her inside to the entryway.
“Take off your shoes,” he whispered, sliding off his flip-flops.
Abby did the same, lining them up neatly at the door. His grandmother was already in the kitchen, and whatever she was cooking smelled so good that Abby’s stomach growled. She followed Kai into the cozy, tidy space, taking in all the bright colors and tropical plants lined up in vivid clay pots on the windowsills. “Can I help with anything?” she asked.
“No,” his grandma answered, smiling at Abby over her shoulder. “Kai told me how much you love food. I like a girl who likes food.”
“Well then you and I are going to get along great.”
The old woman grinned. “He also said what a fabulous cook you are, but tonight, we want you to just relax. We want you to feel at home, so we cooked you our favorite Hawaiian dishes to sample.”
“We?” she said, looking at Kai. “You made this together?” It was sweet that he’d told his grandmother that she was a good cook. If he’d been talking to her about Abby, that had to mean something, right?
“Yes, ma’am. I wanted your first home-cooked Hawaiian dinner to be memorable.”
Warmth filled her chest. None of the men she’d been with had ever appreciated or understood her love of food. She wasn’t sure whether Kai had done this in a deliberate attempt at seduction, but that’s exactly what it was. And it was working.
“Well I can’t wait to taste everything.” She was fascinated by the various foods laid out on platters, thrilled at the prospect of eating local cuisine prepared by Kai and his grandma.
The older woman flapped a hand at Kai without looking up from what she was doing at the counter. “Go pour her a glass of plantation tea and take her out onto the lanai.”
Kai winked at Abby and moved to the fridge to pour her a glass from a chilled pitcher. “It’s iced tea with pineapple juice,” he said, handing it to her.
“Freshly squeezed pineapple juice,” grandma interjected, stirring something over by the stove. “None of this juice from a carton nonsense. Fresh Maui pineapple and home-brewed tea.”
Abby resisted the urge to put a hand over her heart. She was all about making things from scratch and ditching the processed crap. “I think I already love her,” she murmured to Kai.
He grinned back. “Knew you would. Come on.” Setting a hand on her lower back, he guided her through the small living space that adjoined the kitchen, and out through a large set of sliding glass doors onto the lanai.
“Ohhh,” she breathed when they stepped outside onto the wooden deck. “This is incredible.”
“Yeah. Tutu has a real gift.”
It was like a little wonderland back here. The wood deck led to a small brick patio, and everything was enclosed by a wall of green, lit up by strands of fairy lights. And the smell. She’d never get enough of it.
Palm trees anchored the corners, their curved fronds rustling gently in the warm breeze, carrying the sweet scent of flowers and bringing the soft music of wind chimes to life. A variety plants in various shades of green, red, orange and pink surrounded the space, giving it the feel of total seclusion. Little statues and figurines peeked out from their hiding places where they’d been tucked in amongst the plants and pots.
“It’s so private and peaceful,” she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to better enjoy the lush scents.
“Here’s the best spot,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers and tugging her to a swinging bench set in the far-left corner, tucked beneath a wrought iron arbor dripping with some kind of multi-colored flowering vine. Bougainvillea, Abby thought it was called.
She sat next to him, savoring the private moment and the chance to lean into his hard frame, the glass of ice-cold tea in her hand. Draping an arm over the back of the swing, he played with the back of her hair gently, setting the suddenly oversensitive nerve endings in her nape on fire. “Look up,” he murmured.
Feeling a little drugged by his nearness and the gentle caress of his fingertips, Abby tipped her head back. There in the midnight blue sky, a half-moon glowed through the palm fronds, bathing everything with a pale silvery light. “This is unbelievable,” she whispered. Romantic. Magical. A thousand times more poignant because she was sharing it with Kai.
“You should have seen her old place, where I grew up. It was close to the ocean, so at night we would sit out back in the garden and look out over the water. It was really something.” He glanced down at her. “How’s your tea?”
She took a sip, sighed at the refreshing, not overly sweet taste. “It’s my new favorite drink.”
His low chuckle made her insides flutter. “I thought you’d like it.”
What wasn’t to like? This…date, if that’s what it was, wasn’t what she’d expected, but it was better. And something she never would have had the chance to experience if they’d gone for dinner back in town somewhere.
Abby studied him, letting her gaze travel over every line of his proud, chiseled face. She needed to know where they stood before this went any farther, what he wanted. Because she didn’t want to risk her heart all on her own, and there was no way she could keep her heart out of the equation if they continued down this path.
She’d just opened her mouth to ask him where they stood when his grandmother called out from the house. “Time to eat. Bring Abby in here so we can show her what we made.”
She and Kai shared a private smile. This time she reached for his hand, her heart skipping a beat at the way he squeezed hers in silent acknowledgment. Anticipation and arousal built inside her, every brush of his arm against her, every time she breathed in his scent adding to the heat between them.
In the kitchen, his grandma stood holding out a large plate to Abby, a proud smile on her kind face. “We’ll do a big cookout with a kalua pig another time, but for now…enjoy.”
There was so much food Abby might have been astounded if she wasn’t used to the size of Kai’s appetite. He explained what every dish was, and she tried some of everything. Lomi-lomi salmon, ahi poke, steamed mahi mahi fish wrapped in banana leaves. Laulau, little bundles of pulled pork wrapped and steamed inside taro leaves. Spam musubi—a kind of sushi made out of actual Spam, from a can and everything—fried rice, assorted Hawaiian fruits, and…poi.
“Always wanted to try this,” Abby said, spooning some of the purple paste onto her plate.
“Eat it with a bite of something, not on its own. Otherwise it’s like wallpaper paste,” Kai said.
She laughed and continued filling her plate. He had a mound of food already piled on his. “What’s your favorite?” she asked grandma.
“The mahi mahi,” she answered. “I got it from the market this morning. They catch it fresh every day. You’ll never taste anything better.”
Abby believed it. “And what about you?” she asked Kai.
“Kalua pork,” he answered without missing a beat. “You’ll probably have it at the windup luau at the resort at the end of the conference, but if not, I’ll make sure you get some before you leave the island.”
Sounded like a plan to her.
All three of them sat at the table outside on the deck overlooking the magical oasis grandma had created. Abby didn’t love the poi, but everything else was incredible. “Oh, I’m so full, but I can’t stop eating.”
Grandma smiled, delighted. “I’m glad you like our food.”
“I love it.” She eyed Kai, who was halfway through his second plate. “And here I was made to believe you could only cook steak and salad.”
He shrugged, one side of his mouth ti
pping upward. “Can’t give away all my secrets at once, can I?” The way he looked at her, the unmistakable male hunger for something other than food in his eyes, had her whole body buzzing with arousal.
Abby grabbed her tea and swallowed a few mouthfuls to cool herself off. It would be way too easy to give into the need he created in her. She had to keep her head on straight, have that talk with him before they were past the point of no return.
After dinner Abby insisted on helping clean up, asking grandma countless questions about the recipes and cooking methods. Once everything was put away, grandma told her stories about Kai and even pulled out old photo albums for them to look through.
“This is Kai and…Hani,” grandma said, faltering slightly on the mention of the second name as she stopped at a picture of the two bare-chested boys with fishing rods over their shoulders. “Kai was around twelve or so here, and Hani ten or eleven. They were on their way down to the beach to catch something for dinner.”
Abby glanced at Kai, next to her on the couch. His expression was unreadable, a slight tension in his square jaw that hinted at inner turmoil.
“They were like brothers and best friends all in one,” the old woman continued, a wistfulness in her voice that tugged at Abby. “He promised to come by and see you while you’re here,” she said to Kai.
The hand on Abby’s shoulder tightened slightly. “Tutu…”
She shrugged, her expression and posture becoming defensive. “I asked him to. You’re ohana, Kai. And ohana is the most important thing.”
Kai didn’t respond, and Abby didn’t dare ask any questions, instead pointing to the next picture to change the subject. “How old was Kai here?” He was in his high school football uniform, already head and shoulders taller than most of his teammates, the proud expression on his face and confident posture hinting at the strength that would make him into the man he was today.
“Fifteen,” grandma said, her face softening into a fond smile. “Look how handsome he was, even back then.”
A little under an hour later, Abby bit back another yawn and blinked to clear her blurred vision. She was so damn tired, but didn’t want the night to end.
“I think the time change is catching up with Abby,” Kai said, the hand cupping her shoulder rubbing gently. “I’d better get her back to her hotel. Conference starts early in the morning.”
Abby didn’t argue. At the door she slipped on her shoes, thanked her hostess for a wonderful evening, and reached out a hand.
Kai’s grandma looked down at it, snorted and held out her arms instead. Abby’s heart melted. She stepped into the embrace, the feel of those thin but loving arms around her making her throat tighten. She was such a sweet lady. “Thank you for having me.”
“No, thank you,” grandma said, squeezing her tight. “I hope you’ll come back again before you leave.” Then, in a whisper, “You’re good for my boy.”
Abby hoped so. But were they good for each other? She’d gotten that wrong before, with disastrous results.
It stayed on her mind the entire drive back to Wailea. She and Kai got along well, but so had she and Roger, at least in the beginning. Did she and Kai have enough in common to have something that would last? She wanted to believe they did.
They were quiet at first, but then the questions in her mind became so loud she couldn’t contain them any longer. “Can we talk about us?” she asked him.
He glanced over at her as he steered down the mountain road, the silvery light of the moon frosting his inky hair. “Sure.”
“Okay, so where do we stand right now?”
The hint of a smile played around the edge of his mouth as he focused back on the road. “You want an actual label for it?”
No. Yes. “I want to know what’s going on here, so I’m sure we’re on the same page.” Because I don’t want to make a fool out of myself and get my heart broken again. And he was the one man who could definitely make a fool out of her.
“What do you want?” he countered.
Grrr. She frowned at him. “Oh, no. You first.”
“Pretty sure I already made that plain around the corner from the elevator the night you came to my place.”
The mention of the kiss triggered a total sensory recall of it. Screw subtlety. “You made it plain you want in my pants, yeah. Is that all you want?” It better not be.
He shot her a disbelieving look and raised a coal-black eyebrow. “No. I want you.”
Those words, in that deep, sexy voice, sent a shiver through her. “What does that mean? For the duration of this trip? Longer? And how do we know it would even work between us? Is it worth risking what we’ve already got, when we might find out we’re not compatible?”
“Isn’t it worth giving it a chance, and finding out for sure?”
She considered that for a moment. “Only if you swear to me we’ll still be friends if it doesn’t work out.” Even though no one could promise that, she needed to know he valued their friendship as much as she did, or no dice.
He inclined his head. “I swear.”
Easier said than done, once people had been intimate and feelings had been hurt when one person broke it off down the road. “So what—”
She broke off when he raised her hand to his lips, pressed a slow, damp kiss to the backs of her knuckles, sending a rush of goosebumps up her arm. “Look. I know you’re still hesitant about this, and I’m trying not to push. How about we just take it one day at a time, enjoy each other’s company while we’re here, and see where things go?”
Because I’m not wired that way? She needed to know the details in advance. “And if they go well, we’d be exclusive?”
He gave her a heated look, his intense gaze dropping to her lips. “We’re exclusive starting now. I would never share you.”
Another wave of heat cascaded over her at the possessive tone in his voice. The idea of being Kai’s alone, the recipient of all that intense masculine focus and heat… Her insides squeezed, that all too familiar throb reigniting between her thighs. “Okay,” she agreed, trying and failing to stem the excitement coursing through her. “One day at a time, and we’ll see where things go.”
“Okay.” He kissed her hand again, the hint of dampness as he trailed his tongue across her knuckle insanely arousing.
The drive back was gorgeous, the warm night air whipping around them in the open convertible. Abby glanced at him, drinking in the sight of his profile, the power of his arms and shoulders. He turned her on big time, but he also made her feel safe.
Safe in a way she hadn’t with anyone else. He would take care of her, protect her if need be. And it meant so much to her that he’d planned that wonderful, unforgettable meal for her. Her stomach was full, she was warm, and in good hands.
By the time they reached the Grand Wailea, it was nearly midnight and she was almost asleep. She sat up in her seat, fighting another yawn. “Sorry. I guess my internal clock hasn’t adjusted yet.”
“It’s okay.” He got out and hurried around to open her door for her, then took her hand and helped her out.
Abby gazed up at him in the flickering light of the tiki torches, indecision tugging at her. Should she ask him to come upstairs, rather than him driving back to his grandmother’s for the night?
Her thoughts scattered when he wrapped one thick arm around her waist and pulled her close, her breasts pressed to the solid wall of his chest. His other hand came up to cradle the side of her face as he leaned down and placed his mouth on hers.
Shocking heat bolted through her, taking her off guard. She’d sworn to take this one day at a time, but her body hated that plan. It wanted Kai, relief from the ache he created inside it, and it wanted that now.
She clung to his shoulders, slid her hands up into his short, thick hair and met each velvet stroke of his tongue, each caress of his lips. The way he held her, hungry and possessive but still gentle, turned her inside out. Within a minute she teetered right there on the edge of control, on the point of
caving and asking him to come up to her room.
But Kai surprised her by ending the kiss and releasing her. “I know it’s late, and you’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow, plus your internal clock’s all screwed up right now. You need a good night’s sleep.”
At first she wasn’t certain she’d heard him right. She barely caught herself before she could blurt out the words that would seal their fate and change everything irrevocably.
Stay with me tonight.
The tiny amount of self-control she still possessed held firm. She put on a smile for him, nodded. “Yeah. See you tomorrow?”
His dark eyes heated to molten pools in the torchlight. “Shortcake, that’s a promise.” And with that he climbed back into the Mustang and drove away.
Abby stared after him, her body aching with unfulfilled need. The deflated, overwhelming sense of disappointment as his taillights faded away in the distance sealed the deal for her.
She wanted Kai. She trusted him. What was the point in denying herself any longer? She’d been alone for long enough and had her head on straight, was going into this with clear eyes.
So, no. Her mind was made up. New Abby was woman enough to take what she wanted.
Next time she had the chance, she was climbing that sexy mountain of muscle like a goddamn tree.
Chapter Eight
Hani wiped the shoulder of his T-shirt across his upper lip, watching the alley he’d just come out of. His pulse tripped, his eyes burning from lack of sleep. Even the uppers he’d taken to help combat the fatigue weren’t working anymore.
Juan was here on the island. He’d heard it from some of his contacts on the street. The meeting—or summons—would happen soon.
He was strung out, twitchy as hell. Someone must have talked. It was the only reason why someone like Juan would want to come and check up on him personally.
Fear curdled in his gut. How much did his new handler know about him and what he’d been up to? How much did the cartel know about him and the crew he ran? Were they watching him right now?