He repeated Mal’s kiss, and this time, she could not stop the tears. They filled her closed eyes and dripped out over her cheeks.
“Aw, baby, don’t cry,” Mal said, his voice sounding a bit hysterical.
Jack chuckled as she opened her eyes. “Mal freaks when a woman cries. He can’t take it.”
He kissed her cheeks, his tongue taking a tear into his mouth. “You want to tell me what is upsetting you?”
She sniffed, and she groaned. “Just what you two want. A sniffling, bawling woman.”
He shook his head. “As long as it’s you, that is fine with me.”
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The way he made it sound…well, it was if they were planning on more than a fling.
“Stop worrying. Rest.”
Mal pulled the covers over the three of them as Jack pulled her close to him. The heat of his body warmed her, comforted her. Mal crowded behind her, and she sighed.
She had never felt so satisfied and safe.
On that thought, she drifted to sleep.
Chapter Nine
The sound of the front door squeaking open brought Mal to full awareness within seconds. He looked over and saw Jack still lying on the other side of Sophia. He heard footsteps and then the door closing.
Carefully, he slipped from the bed, grabbing his pants and pulling them on with as little sound as possible. He noticed Sophia’s phone sitting on the side table, the red light blinking. He went to pick it up, but his grandmother’s voice stopped him.
“Ms. Cantwell?”
He groaned now. Damn, they hadn’t called her to tell her they were here, but apparently, she knew. There was no doubt about it. She would not have come into the condo if she had been just checking on Sophia. She would have left a note. He buttoned his pants and then went to the bedroom door. Thank God they had closed it or who knows what would have happened.
He opened the door and found his grandmother standing in the small living area with a man he didn’t recognize. Perfectly cut hair, straight white—almost sparkling—teeth, and a wrinkled suit. He looked the part of the snotty executive, except for the condition of his clothes.
His grandmother frowned at him. “I have been calling both you and Jack for hours.”
Mal glanced at the clock and smiled.
“There is no way you would have been calling us for hours. It is only eight in the morning.”
“Who are you?” the man asked.
“I could ask the same of you.”
“I want to know where Sophia is. I have been trying to get a hold of her for several hours. When I got here, they said she never checked into the hotel, and after talking to her friends…although they were not that forthcoming, I find out she is staying here.”
“Rick?”
Mal looked back over his shoulder and almost swallowed his tongue. Damn, she was a sight to see. Her cat green eyes were still sleepy, her face flushed, and she was wearing his shirt. Right now he could wish his grandmother and the idiot with her to perdition.
Then it hit him what she said. Rick. He turned to face her.
“You know this ass?”
She nodded. “He’s my boss.”
“Who didn’t know where you were when I called. When I arrived, I got the idea you might have been abducted.”
Her face flushed with embarrassment. She looked around Mal, and he did not like that at all. She was focusing on another man and, well, it pissed him off.
“And just what the hell are you doing here? Did you not think I could close the deal?”
“No. It isn’t that.” The man was practically whining.
“Wait a minute. What makes you think you are closing the deal?” Mal asked as icy fingers speared into his gut. Was that her plan? Seduce them, then get the condos? A flash of pain came and went in her gaze so fast he wasn’t sure if he had even seen it.
“I don’t have time for this right now,” she muttered. “I’m going to go get dressed.”
She turned on her heel and passed a confused Jack, who apparently had just joined them. The bedroom door slipped shut with an almost silent snick.
“Someone want to bring me up to speed?” Jack asked. “And is there any coffee?”
“I’ll tell you what happened. We have been had.” Jesus, he could not believe they had been so stupid. He should have known. She had been corporate, just like Ginger…who had sold him down the line so she could marry the boss’ son. Guilt and regret, with a fair amount of pain, sliced through him, cutting open wounds he thought he had healed.
“What do you mean?” Jack asked, his frown darkening.
“This idiot here still thinks there is a chance they can buy these condos.”
Said idiot opened his mouth, but Mal tossed him a nasty look. “I would think twice before you say anything to make me hit you.”
“Mal?” Jack asked.
“I’m out of here. I should have known this had disaster written all over it.”
Without another word, he grabbed his keys off the table. He didn’t look back when Jack called out his name. He gunned the engine backing out of the space, then floored it as he headed back to his own condo. He would take a shower and clear his head.
Before the end of the day, he would have forgotten everything about Sophia.
* * *
Sophia’s hands shook so badly she couldn’t pull up the zipper on the back of her dress. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her heart. Pain seeped into her, choking her. She would not cry. She had heard Mal leave, knew that no matter what she said, he would never believe her. After last night, she thought they were a little closer. But apparently, they were not. The words he had given her, shown her, none of it mattered in the light of day. She could have begged, would have done anything, but when she saw that horrible cold look in his eyes, she had known he would never believe her. And why did she feel guilty? She did nothing. So, she hadn’t talked to Rick. She had been a little bit busy the last day. He wouldn’t expect a report until after the New Year. Thinking of that brought one big question to mind. Why the hell was Rick here in the first place?
The door opened and shut behind her. Without looking, she knew it was Jack.
“Are you okay?”
She looked at him in the small dresser mirror.
“Yes. I just can’t get my dress to zip up.”
He smiled. “That is something I can help with.” He watched her when he walked toward her. He made easy work of her zipper and kissed her shoulder.
“What is your boss doing here?”
She shrugged. “Truly, I have no earthly idea, so I better go find out.”
She squared her shoulders and then walked to the outer room. Rick sat at the breakfast bar area, having a cup of coffee that apparently Ms. Akaka made him. She smiled at the older woman and saw her grandsons in her face. The blue eyes were Mal’s, but the quick and ready smile was Jack’s.
“Rick, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Well, can we talk alone?”
“Rick—”
“No, you should have some privacy. Jack, don’t look at me that way. Let’s go outside. I have a few things to say to you.”
Sophia gave the woman a grateful look. Once they were alone, she waited for Rick to explain, but he did nothing but walk up to her, one of his apologetic smiles on his face.
“It is so good to see you here.”
She stepped around him. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought we could have some time alone.”
Time alone? She turned and faced him. “Just what are you talking about? Time alone?”
He nodded. “I know that eighteen months ago you called off our…relationship, but I thought a few days in Hawaii together would be a great idea.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. It was easy to see what had attracted her to him. He was in good shape, he dressed impeccably, and he was handsome. Not ruggedly, get-your-panties-wet beautiful like Mal and Jack. But had it been
because she had known that she could never truly love him? Because, even knowing the Akaka cousins for one day, she had felt closer to them…knew what their expression meant, how they liked to be touched. Her relationship with Rick had been longer, and she barely knew him.
“What about your wife?”
He smiled. “We separated.”
“And?”
“What?”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“I thought we could spend Christmas together.”
Her mind could not figure out precisely what he was saying. His mouth was moving, but the words just did not compute in her brain.
“What are you talking about?”
He sauntered toward her. “I arranged this little get-together.” He moved to pull her into his arms, but she stepped back from him.
“You planned this? What about the Akaka condos?”
He shrugged. “We were considering it, but the truth is that corporate was really leery of buying anything in this economy.”
“You fucked up my holidays because you thought I would get back together with you?”
“Back together?” Jack asked from the doorway.
She glanced at him and felt her face flush with embarrassment. “Rick and I slept together for a while.”
“It was more than that.”
She snorted. “No, it wasn’t. You were married, one thing you forgot to tell me.”
Jack looked at her, then to Rick, then back to her. “So there was no deal.”
“Apparently not.”
“I don’t understand why you would care,” Rick said.
“Because he and his cousin wanted to make sure that their grandmother wasn’t screwed over by you or Nouveau.”
“I—”
“Let’s get one thing straight, you uptight, cheating jackass.” She settled her hands on her hips and walked toward him. “I do not want to have anything to do with you. The only reason I kept working at Nouveau was because I knew you would give me a bad reference if I quit.”
“That’s not true,” he protested, but there was enough guilt in his eyes to tell her she had been right.
She kept advancing on him until he was backed up against the wall. “And here is another little bit of information. I quit.”
She turned around and marched back to her bedroom.
“You cannot do that.”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “I can do anything I want. Sad I just figured that out, but I did. So, I quit. And if you think of giving me a bad reference, I will tell the company you used their funds to try and arrange a sex week with me. Fuck off, Rick.”
With that, she slipped into the bedroom and slammed the door. All the emotions that she had been holding back came crashing down on her. Pain and Mal’s accusations, embarrassment that she had been with such a vile man, and the thought she would never see Mal or Jack again blasted through her. The last idea was just too much to take, and she sat on the bed, letting the tears fall. She covered her face with her hands and started to cry.
The door creaked open, and she looked up to find Jack looking at her. “I’m sorry, Sophia.”
She nodded. “There isn’t anything to do really. Although, if you beat the crap out of him, I would be happy.”
He chuckled. “No, but I wanted to. My grandmother wouldn’t let me.”
Her face burned. “Oh, God, your grandmother. She knows what we did.”
“Uh, I would think so. She birthed six kids and has about fourteen grandchildren…along with a great-grandchild.”
“I don’t mean about sex…well, I mean me, you, and Mal.”
“She knows what we like. We have never hidden it.”
“Well, at least that is something.” She sighed, realizing she had no reason to stay. She would pack up, leave today, and go back to Baltimore. Although she hated the idea. She wanted to stay, feel the sun on her skin…but it wasn’t for her. No fantasy vacation for her. She needed to get home.
She rose off the bed and went to the dresser.
“What are you doing?” Jack asked.
“Well, I need to pack.”
“Why?”
“Why do I need to pack? I need to take my clothes with me when I go.”
Panic moved over his face. “No.”
She looked at him. “No?”
“You need to stay. Stay with us.”
“Us? Who is us? Because if that includes Mal, I have a feeling he won’t care one way or another.”
“You’re wrong.”
She snorted to hide the pain. “Yeah. I could see that the way he ran out of here.”
“You have to understand, at one time Mal wanted to be in corporate, loved it. But then he got involved with Millicent. The woman was a grade-a bitch. She used him, and when she screwed up a big deal, she dumped him, blamed him, so he got fired, and then she married the boss’ son. After that, he swore never to work in corporate again.”
She frowned as she went over the new information. “But…how did he really think I could use him? What in his little mind made him think I had any power over him?”
“Because you do. He would have never slept with you if he hadn’t had some kind of feeling for you.”
She snorted. “No. He just wanted a good time. That was the only feeling he had.”
“No. You’re corporate, and he knew there was no reason for you to sleep with us, other than using us. Now, I’m not as cynical as my cuz, but he has a lot of garbage to deal with.”
Could it be? But…
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you with us. Forever.”
Her heart yearned even as her mind started building walls. “You don’t know me.”
“I bet I do. You have a thing for white chocolate, the color purple, and you have so much love that it takes a lot of energy to keep anyone from seeing it. And you don’t mind working Christmas because your folks died this time of year. I will take a guess that Rick didn’t even know that about you.”
No, he didn’t. Only Maribelle and Eddie knew about it. The fact that she had revealed it to Jack and Mal at all was a big step. She usually said nothing to her dates, the few significant others she had been involved with over the last few years. But telling them had felt…right.
She waved that away, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that enveloped her now. “No, but he’s my boss.”
“And he was your lover.”
“Not much of one.”
He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Baby, you can’t go home. We need to talk to Mal.”
She shook her head. “He left.” Her voice wavered on the second word, and she hated that. “I will not go running after a man who doesn’t want me. Besides, why would something like this work? It was just a fling, just for fun.”
He opened his mouth, but she placed her hand over it. “No. Don’t. Fantasy is fine. But the reality is that I have no job, no real reference. I have to go back to my life.”
“One night, that is all we get?” His usually smooth voice sparked with anger.
She wanted to say no, shout it to the heavens. Even as she shook her head, her heart was breaking. Until the moment, she did not realize how much she wanted it, needed to believe that the three of them might have something more. But she didn’t live in a fantasy land where you could call the shots, parents didn’t die in car wrecks on Christmas Eve, and you could have the love of two men.
“I have to go back.”
He took her by the arms, yanked her against him, and slammed his mouth down on hers. The bruising kiss shot through her, sending a molten wave of lust through her blood. Soon, though, it changed, softened. She could feel the love, the need. He slowly eased away and then leaned his forehead against hers.
“You have to know that this would work.”
She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. She hurt, her whole body, her head, her heart.
“You do.”
She shook her head, pulling away. �
�I don’t believe in maybes. When you start believing in them, your world comes crashing down.” She kissed his forehead. “I’ll never forget you.”
“You’ll regret this.”
A fresh wave of tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Jack, I already do.”
Chapter Ten
By the time Mal showed up at the condo he shared with Jack, he was surprised to see his cousin sitting on the front step. Jack was slowly sipping his beer, looking as if today were just another day.
“What are you doing here?”
“Enjoying my beer, watching the sunset. Where would I be?”
“With Sophia.”
“Kind of hard since she’s on her way back to Baltimore.”
He looked to see if his cousin was bullshitting him. Panic swelled in his chest. “What do you mean?”
“She told that asshole to go to hell, quit her job, and went home.”
“Why would she go home?”
Jack’s expression gave nothing away. “Why would she stay? Not for us. The first sign of a problem, and you ran away.”
“Fuck you.”
Anger burned in Jack’s eyes. “It’s the truth. The woman has been alone in this world for a long time. She hates Christmas, hates it with a passion. But now she’s on her way back to Baltimore to spend it alone.”
“She has friends.” But it sounded lame. Friends were not the same.
“Yes, she does, who are both going to see their families. Granted, apparently one of them lives there from what she told, but still, she will be spending Christmas alone.”
“That makes no sense. She should have said.”
The anger boiled over as his cousin came up off the step and tackled him. They rolled around on the ground. Jack got in a quick right, but Mal paid him back in kind. The fight was just getting nasty when a cold bucket of water hit them both.
“Get up, both of you. Do you think I want people to see you?” their grandmother admonished.
After one more punch, Jack let him go. They both rose to their feet, panting as if they had been running. Mal could taste blood in his mouth.
Mele Kalikimaka, Baby: Hawaiian Holidays Book One Page 5
