Aloha

by Laurie Roma

  ALOHA

  Bad Boys of Ever After

  Laurie Roma

  BAD BOYS OF EVER AFTER

  LUCKY

  ALOHA

  ALOHA

  Kade Kapono has always been a quiet man, though that had once been out of necessity more than preference. His slight stutter made him a target for bullies when he was young, but now, his sheer size and quiet demeanor are enough to intimidate most people. As a Marine, he’d learned that silence could be one of his greatest assets. However, he’s never regretted not being able to say all the words that are in his heart more than when he is with the one woman who matters most.

  Giselle Doyle is his best friend’s little sister, and Kade knows he shouldn’t cross that line. She deserves someone younger and less cynical, but none of that matters when it comes to true love.

  She belongs to him, and it’s time to make sure everyone knows it.

  ALOHA

  Cover Design by Black Butterfly Designs

  Copyright © 2020 by Laurie Roma

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission, except for the case of brief quotations in reviews and articles. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI, and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. It is fiction, so facts and events may not be accurate except to the current world the book takes place in.

  DEDICATION

  To my family in Hawaii…

  Thanks for all the great memories we shared on the islands.

  Aloha!

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ALOHA

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kade kapono hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans as he stood in the shadows watching Giselle Doyle. It was barely five in the morning and the sky was still dark, yet there was enough moonlight to clearly see her dragging an enormous duffle bag around the side of her brother Griffin’s house. If given a choice, any sane person would have been sleeping at this hour. Added to that, she was far from a morning person, so he knew she was definitely up to some kind of mischief.

  Her long, black hair was pulled into a thick braid that fell down her back, but a few of the shorter strands had come loose in front to frame her stunning face. It should have been impossible to look that damn good so early in the morning, yet she managed to pull it off effortlessly. With flawless skin, high cheekbones, and ocean blue eyes, she had a natural beauty that didn’t need to be enhanced with makeup.

  A tight pair of black leggings were molded to her long legs and the rest of her lush curves were hidden beneath the long-sleeved flannel shirt she had borrowed from him. It was long enough to be a dress on her, and she’d had to fold the sleeves back to expose her hands. He’d given the shirt to her when she had gotten cold during a cookout they’d been at last weekend, and she hadn’t returned it at the end of the night. It didn’t bother him that she’d kept it. She might have enough clothes in her own closet to fill a department store, but he loved seeing her wearing something that belonged to him.

  Even dressed casually, she looked unbelievably gorgeous. Then, he glanced down and had to fight back a chuckle. She might have chosen her clothes for stealth, but her hot pink and silver running shoes were all but glowing in the moonlight.

  Curious about what she was up to, he strode forward and folded his arms across his chest. “What are you doing?”

  Elle let out a startled gasp as she skidded to a halt on the dew-covered grass. When she turned to face him, she lost her grip on the strap she was holding, and the duffle bag dropped to the ground with an audible thunk. Overbalancing, she started to fall on her delectable ass. He lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

  He was immediately surrounded by her intoxicating scent. She smelled like coconuts, vanilla, and sultry summer nights. He fought the need to bury his face against her neck, to breathe in more of her. Since he was already holding her in an iconic lover’s embrace, it would have been so easy to give into temptation. She felt so good in his arms, and he couldn’t help fantasizing about leaning down and covering her mouth with his. Desire shot through his body, making his grip tighten.

  He wanted her kiss.

  Craved it.

  But he couldn’t give into that need, even if it killed him to hold back.

  Clearing his throat, he pulled back and looked down at her. “Elle.”

  “Hi, Kade.” She smiled up at him, completely unconcerned that he was holding her so intimately. “What in the world are you doing here so early?”

  “Breakfast at Griff’s before we start demo.”

  “Oh, you’re doing demo on Cooper’s bungalows today? I must have forgotten that was on the schedule.”

  She blinked up at him innocently, but he wasn’t fooled. She knew every detail when it came to Brennan’s construction company. She didn’t particularly enjoy the manual labor portion of things and would bitch about it for days if she broke one little fingernail. Still, she was just as involved in the company as all three of her brothers were. Besides helping with the paperwork and managerial details in the main office, she often stopped by the work sites to make sure everything was running smoothly.

  The entire crew counted her as one of them, and they often went to her with their questions and complaints instead of going to her brothers. But she wasn’t there to work, and she certainly wasn’t planning on joining them for breakfast.

  “What are you up to?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked defensively. “I’m not doing anything.”

  God, she really was beautiful, and far too alluring for his own good…even when she was lying to him. Not that it was working. While she seemed oblivious to the fact that she was rubbing his chest, he was painfully aware of what her hand was doing. He felt her touch like an electrical current surging through his body and knew he was in dangerous territory.

  He was a man who prided himself on his composure, but he had no control over his own body whenever he was around her. Her voice made his pulse race, her laugh mesmerized him, and her touch made the blood surge straight down to his dick. He was a big man in every way, and it wasn’t exactly easy to hide the erection straining against his jeans. It was still dark enough that it wouldn’t be as noticeable, yet the thought of one of her brothers seeing him holding Elle so intimately helped him regain some of his control.

  He respected them far too much to be caught lusting after their sister, especially right outside of Griffin’s house. Loyalty, honor, and duty weren’t just words to him. He was one of the few people they trusted completely, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that by acting like a lovesick schoolboy hyped up on hormones.

  To Kade, ohana meant everything.

  And that was exactly who they were to him…family.

  That said, what he felt for Elle was obviously different. Fuck, he wanted to haul her over his shoulder and carry her off so he could make love to her until neither of them could move. He didn’t mind being labeled a caveman. Actually, it amused him whenever she called him one. However, their situation was slightly more complicated than simply allowing him to drag
her off to his cave so he could have his way with her.

  Elle was his friend’s little sister, which should have automatically put her on the do not touch list. If that wasn’t enough of a deterrent, he was far too cynical, too mentally and physically battle-scarred for someone as sweet as Elle. Kade was also several years older than she was, and he knew someone closer to her own age would suit her better. However, he couldn’t let that shit happen. Not if he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison for committing murder.

  He should stay away from her, but he simply couldn’t help himself.

  She was like the sun, and he needed her warmth and light.

  Unfortunately, she had no idea how he felt about her, and he couldn’t tell her…yet. They both had a lot of stuff going on in their lives and adding relationship drama into the mix would complicate things. She was also damn close to fulfilling her dream of graduating with honors from college, and he would not distract her from her goal.

  However, after she graduated, things were going to change.

  Right now, he was simply Elle’s friend and confidant. But for him, she had become his whole world. She was sweet, intelligent, and had a core of kindness that made her a joy to be around. Sometimes she could be so damn stubborn that his teeth hurt from grinding them in frustration. She also had a wicked sense of humor and a fiery temper when riled.

  But she couldn’t lie worth shit.

  People were often intimidated by his size and quiet demeanor, but Elle wasn’t—at all. He wasn’t sure if he appreciated or lamented that simple truth. He couldn’t force her to explain what she was up to, but she would eventually tell him what he wanted to know. She always did. He couldn’t wait since someone was bound to come looking for him if he didn’t return soon, so they didn’t have time to play their usual game.

  Kade made sure she was steady on her feet before he let go of her. Bathed in moonlight, she was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. Just looking at her was enough to steal his breath. He took a step back, trying to put some distance between them.

  “Why are you sneaking around dressed like a ninja?”

  “Ha! If I were a like a ninja, I’d be wearing something much cooler. You’re the one who is sneaking around.” Her chin jutted up defiantly as she poked him in the chest. “What are you doing out here besides scaring me to death?”

  “Forgot my phone in the truck.” He used his own hand to block her from poking him again. “Now, what are you doing out here in the dark?”

  “Quit scowling at me. I promised I wouldn’t run alone at night anymore.” She waved her hand in a vague gesture. “My car is parked over there. I dropped the bag off, then came back after I parked.”

  Since he hadn’t noticed her car when he’d gone out to his truck, he turned to glance back toward the street. Scanning the area, he could barely see her prized red Audi R8 Coupe since she had parked a good distance from her brother’s house.

  Headlights lit up the area as a truck turned onto the quiet street. Kade’s attention turned back to Elle when she yanked on his hand. Considering he was almost twice her size, he wasn’t budging unless he wanted to, and he wasn’t inclined to go anywhere until she told him what she was up to.

  “Who are you trying to hide from?” he asked, not bothering to hide his exasperation.

  “What? I’m not hiding.” She laughed nervously. “You’re imagining things.”

  Since her claim was utterly ridiculous, he didn’t bother commenting on it. Instead, he just stared at her and waited for her to spill.

  “For the love of—fine, I’ll tell you what I’m doing if you just move! Why do you have to be as big as a damn house?” she hissed as she pulled him with her. “Crap! I forgot the bag!”

  Tugging his hand free from her grasp, he went to retrieve the bag for her. He let out a grunt of surprise when he lifted the heavy duffle and slung the strap over his shoulder. No wonder she had been dragging the thing across the grass. He carried it back to where Elle was waiting for him in the shadows by the row of tall trees near the edge of the property.

  “What do you have in here? A body?”

  A startled laugh escaped before she could stop it. “You think I’d bury someone in my brother’s backyard? I can’t freak Vivi out before she actually becomes my new sister-in-law,” she teased. “We need to ease her into the craziness of my family. Not throw her into the deep end.”

  “The wedding is already driving both of them crazy.”

  “Planning a secret wedding isn’t easy, especially in such a short amount of time.”

  Some people in town had been shocked to hear that Griffin had gotten engaged to Vivienne Bisset, an artist who had come to Ever After to paint the beautiful scenery. They’d only been dating for a short amount of time, but Kade understood that there was no set agenda when it came to finding true love.

  It had taken him a single heartbeat to want Elle.

  A minute to admire her.

  And one night to completely fall in love with her.

  It had been the same for Griffin. All it had taken was one look at Vivienne for him to fall madly in love, but she had taken a little longer to admit she felt the same. Their whirlwind romance had caused quite a stir in town. Some people were still skeptical of their relationship and continued to be watchful of Vivienne. That was to be expected since most of the residents of Ever After were very protective of the Doyles.

  Besides being a hometown hero, Griffin had also become a celebrity of sorts when he’d won one of the largest lottery prizes ever awarded. That kind of money was a blessing, but it also made him and his family targets. Because of that, Kade, Cooper Novak, and Nashville Kline had moved to town in order to help protect them.

  However, things hadn’t exactly gone as they had planned.

  They had all become reluctant millionaires when Griffin had given them a portion of his winnings. That kind of generosity was astounding, and pride had made it difficult to accept the gift. It still made Kade uncomfortable whenever he thought about his bank accounts, though part of that was entirely his own fault.

  Since he read a lot, studied trends, and was interested in new technology, his friends had dared him to invest some of their savings. Even though he was far from the financial expert everyone thought he was, he’d still made everyone a lot of money through some smart investments and lucky timing. Truthfully, he would rather spend his time doing manual labor than working on a computer, but he had enough free time to do both whenever the urge struck him.

  He’d prefer not doing it at the ass crack of dawn, though.

  The demo they were doing today was part of Griffin and Vivienne’s secret wedding plan. They wanted to host it in the backyard of their mansion by the water, but they hadn’t wanted to deal with the fuss that came with throwing the type of elaborate wedding that was expected of wealthy couples.

  Since most of the town was already invited to their engagement party, Griffin and Vivienne had decided to surprise everyone with a wedding instead. Arranging it in secret was the only way to ensure that everything turned out the way they wanted, even though it made the planning portion of things slightly more difficult.

  To give them the extra space they needed for the wedding, Cooper Novak had finally agreed to tear down the bungalows located on his property next door. The buildings were old, and frankly, an eyesore on the otherwise exclusive street filled with large, impressive estates. Once the bungalows were torn down, there would be enough room to put up the massive tent where the reception would be held.

  Construction sites were dangerous, and Kade was damn glad Elle chose to use her computer over a chainsaw. She was strong and capable, but he didn’t care if she could wield a sledgehammer like a Valkyrie in the middle of a battlefield. Something could still happen to her. He knew from experience that he’d hover and obsess over her instead of paying attention to what he was supposed to be doing.

  Not that he’d ever tell her that.

  All of the men and women wh
o worked for Brennan were professionals, but accidents still happened no matter how careful people were. There was only so much he could do to protect her from a stray piece of debris or someone else’s careless mistake. He didn’t want to take any chances, not when it came to Elle’s safety.

  His fucking heart couldn’t take it if anything happened to her.

  Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about her getting hurt today, unless one of her brothers tried to strangle her for whatever scheme she was up to. He stiffened when she stroked her fingertips over the tribal tattoos on his bare arm. He was only wearing a black tank with his jeans and heavy boots, but despite the chill in the air, his skin felt hot.

  “Shouldn’t you wear long-sleeves for demo?”

  “Left it inside,” he answered gruffly. “Where do you want this?”

  She let out a little sigh and stepped back. “I was looking for the—wait! The truck is heading this way. Don’t move. Don’t even breathe.”

  Her order made him want to laugh, but he stayed quiet.

  “Who is it?” she whispered, poking him in the back.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he realized that Elle was using him as a shield. He waited until he was facing away again before he let himself grin. Damn, she really was adorable. As the truck came to a stop, Kade instantly recognized the two men inside the vehicle.

  “Sawyer and Jensen.”

  He silently watched as the two men got out of the truck and made their way up the walkway toward Griffin and Vivienne’s front door. Once the guys were inside, Kade turned around and started to speak again only to have the words get caught in his throat.

  Fuck, she really was trying to kill him.

  The top few buttons on the flannel shirt she was wearing had come undone, giving him a tantalizing view of the pale pink bra she was wearing. The pretty, lace bra that barely covered her perfect, full breasts that he ached to get his hands on…and his mouth. Son of a bitch, he knew he should look away, but he couldn’t even force himself to blink.