Kiona gasped at the insult. Never had her father called her such horrible things. If he only knew she was not a plaything, she was not a whore for them. If he only understood how happy she was—how happy they all were—and that it’s possible to love and be loved by two men at once without being a slut.
“Goddamn it, that’s the last time you’re going to talk to her that way,” Kol growled, and with his hands balled up and white-knuckled, he stalked across the hallway and whirled Heloki around by the arm.
“Kol, no!” Kiona reached out to halt Kol’s flying fist, but Mitch was already there. He stopped Kol just short of plowing a blow into Heloki’s fat face.
“Get a hold of yourself, man. Do you want to be in jail instead of sunning on that private island with us?” Mitch muttered under his breath. From behind, he slid a free arm around Kol’s waist and dragged him backward.
Kol writhed against Mitch’s hold. “I’ll kill the bastard. I’ll fucking kill him.”
“You lôlô hûpô,” Heloki spat, his beady eyes boring into Kol. “You sicken me.” His glittering gaze moved from one to the other. “All of you do. And you, Kiona? It shames me to call you daughter. You are no kamali’i of mine.”
His words seemed to reach right into her chest, squeeze her heart, and twist. With the sting of tears in her eyes, she replied, “That’s nothing new. You’ve simply spoken it for the first time.”
“The bastard,” Kol mumbled, still struggling to break free of Mitch’s hold.
“Kiona,” Mitch barked. “Come here, sweetheart. Get away from him.”
She never took her eyes off her father, but she stepped backward until she stood between her husbands. The move suddenly hit her as symbolic. Even though she’d married last night, even though Heloki had given her away in the ceremony, it was as if she hadn’t fully broken that tie with her father until now. She’d battled all her life to please Heloki, to win his love and approval. But it was only at this very moment—perhaps since it had come after the amazing wedding night she’d had with Kol and Mitch—that she realized she would never win no matter how hard she tried. He’d always hold things over her head like her trust fund. He’d always manipulate her and try to rule her life. There was nothing she could ever do that would ever please him completely and finally get him off her back.
She supposed she had one thing to thank him for. If he hadn’t pushed her to marry in order to get the trust fund turned over to her, she never would have met Mitch, and the three of them wouldn’t be so deliriously happy with their arrangement.
Still, she knew what this meant. Heloki would not be handing over her inheritance to her.
Almost as if he’d read her mind, Heloki said, “I was fully prepared to come over here today and sign over your trust fund to you. But if you choose to go with them and live such a deplorable lifestyle, then I choose to deny you.”
“You can’t do that. You promised. I got married just like you forced me to do.”
He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. “Watch me.”
Kiona swallowed a lump that tasted more like bitter rejection than poverty. “Fine. And my position at KPCS? Are you yanking that out from underneath me too?”
“I’m seriously thinking about it. Unless you agree to a divorce from this sorry excuse for a celebrity, and then sever your ties completely with Kol.”
Mitch shoved Kol behind him and sauntered forward. “You mother fucker.”
Heloki snorted. “I rest my case.”
Mitch growled and pounced. He was just about to close his hands around Heloki’s stout neck when Kol seized him, lugging him back. “Do you want to be in jail instead of sunning on that private island?” Kol hissed in Mitch’s ear. “Frankly, I’m looking forward to our honeymoon, so get a grip, man.”
Heloki’s body tensed, but he didn’t move. “You sicken me. All of you! A honeymoon for three? That’s disgusting and shameful. That does it.” He turned and waddled to the door. With his hand on the knob, he peered over his round shoulder and sneered, “You’re officially disowned, Kiona. The trust fund will be turned over to charity.”
The tears wouldn’t come. They’d since dried up behind her eyes. If she had to, she’d go get a job waitressing at the pub where Kol bartended. Or at the mall. Or maybe she’d start her own sugar-cane company and compete with her father? She didn’t really know what she’d be doing now, but she was certain she no longer cared about the trust fund, or pleasing Heloki.
For a long moment, she stared at the man who’d once called himself her father. Finally, she murmured, “You’re disowned, too, then. If you can’t accept that I’m happy, that I love them, and that I’m no longer putty in your hands, then fine. I resign from KPCS, and I officially denounce you as my father. By the way, you can forget ever seeing any grandkids.”
Mitch jerked out of Kol’s hold and growled, “Fuck the trust fund. What a cold bastard you are to hold that over her head all her life, and then pay her practically minimum wage when she’s working her ass off as head of your company.” He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets. “Well, how about this? You go right ahead and give her inheritance away. I already donate millions to charity every year. But since you’ll be, in a sense, donating it for me, I’ll turn right around and give those millions to Kiona instead.”
A strangled noise escaped from Kiona’s throat. “What?”
Mitch shot her a look that briefly softened before lighting back on Heloki with the fires of hell. He shrugged. “It’s no secret that I’m rich. Probably ten times what your father is. Handing you over a few million isn’t going to break me in the least. Besides, you’re my wife.”
“Whoa.” That from Kol. He was beaming, his handsome face all aglow, no doubt with a combination of fulfilled revenge for Heloki, and happiness for Kiona.
“B-but I can’t,” Kiona rasped. “I-I mean, thank you, but I can’t take money from you when I should have my own to bring to the marriage.”
Mitch had recently emerged from the shower, and his golden hair was slicked back from his gorgeous face. She caught the clean scent of soap and shampoo when he pulled her into his arms. The hardness of his well-muscled chest and arms was like a solid, protective wall to lean on. Heloki’s words and attitude had chilled Kiona to the bone, but suddenly, heat poured into her core, and she was assailed by a deep affection for her new husband.
Mitch smiled, and a twinkle of some unknown but breathtaking emotion shown from his aqua eyes. “Darling, you’ve brought something to this marriage that can’t be quantified or paid for with money.” He ducked his head and planted a firm, wet kiss on her mouth. She tasted the delicious remnants of orange juice and buttered toast.
“Besides,” Mitch conintued, “I’ve already set you up accounts, stocks, the whole thing. Even a shopping-spree allowance so you can pamper yourself until your heart’s content. And if you decide you want to start your own business, fine, go for it. But I suspect with all your experience, you’ll be sought after by every company here and on the mainland once they hear you’re available. Either way, whatever you decide to do with your future, what’s mine is yours.” He paused, winked. “Babe, believe me, you don’t need his money.”
She was still trying to process Mitch’s words and close her gaping mouth when Heloki screeched, “Kiona, are you really going to fall for this? Can’t you see what he’s doing? He’s making you dependent on him, buying your love and your silence just so he can have his butt-buddy on the side.”
“She’s perfectly capable of supporting herself without my money,” Mitch replied.
“You son of a bitch,” Kol grumbled. He shifted his stance, his body straining to keep from leaping across the distance and attacking Heloki. “You are the biggest prick I’ve ever known. Why don’t you just get the fuck out of here?”
“No, wait,” Mitch interjected. He hooked an arm over Kol’s shoulder. “I have one more thing to say to him before he leaves.”
Heloki yanked open the door. “I don’t want to h
ear anymore of this nastiness.”
“Kol here, you’ve got all wrong, Mr. ’Alohi,” Mitch drawled, gesturing with a tilt of the head.
Heloki halted his movements. His curious eyes slid back to Mitch.
“He’s not my butt-buddy at all. He’s my new personal assistant—you know how celebrities always have a shadow following them around?” To that, he added a mocking wink. “Just hired him a few days ago. It’s why he was at the wedding, why he’s here right now helping me prepare for our trip. And he’s handling some business for me for my upcoming trip to my next movie set. See, since you foolishly fired him, I got smart and hired him myself. Kiona and I might be spending a week honeymooning, but in Hollywood, business has to go on as usual. Which is why Kol’s going too. I need him probably more than he needs a job.”
Kol blinked, doing his best not to appear surprised. She thought she heard Kol’s breathing stop for a beat, but he didn’t say a word so as not to blow Mitch’s best-ever acting scene.
All of Mitch’s declarations were starting to sink in. Kiona tamped down a rush of giddiness. How had she gotten so lucky? She certainly owed Jager a big hug and kiss for bringing them together.
“Unbelievable,” Heloki huffed, throwing up his hands. “A famous movie star paying off his wife and hiring his male lover just so he can cover up his dirty little gay secret.”
“Think what you want, Heloki, but I can guarantee he’s not gay,” Kiona said nonchalantly, sliding an arm around Mitch’s narrow waist. It was the first time she’d ever called her father by his first name, and his flinch didn’t go unnoticed. “But that’s really none of your business either way, is it?”
He didn’t answer, just stood there, his body quaking.
Kiona took the opportunity to further have her say. “And since you’ve just disowned and technically fired me, it looks like even though it saddens me, I have no ties to you or KPCS anymore. But there is that possibility of those grandkids in the future, so perhaps you better keep your suspicions to yourself…”
Heloki stood there for what seemed like several minutes jerking his wild-eyed gaze from Kol to Mitch to Kiona. He opened his mouth four different times, then snapped it shut. Sweat trickled down his temples and neck, and his hand shook where it continued to remain clamped around the doorknob.
The door was ajar, and just through the open space, she caught a glimpse of a brilliant red flock of tropical i’iwi birds flitting from the many palms to the koa and hala trees clustered in the front yard. An early-morning breeze rushed in, sweet-scented by the blooms of the many naupaka bushes lining the forest and the beach. Entwined with it, she detected the familiar aroma of Heloki’s aftershave. It conjured up memories of idolizing him while sitting on his lap as a child, having him hunched over her in the KPCS office mentoring her to run the business, or giving him a hug and a kiss every morning even though he often resisted her affections. It saddened her to know it had all come to this, but at the same time, she experienced a sense of freedom she’d never felt before.
It was a shame she couldn’t have both her freedom and his love—KPCS had been her life. She’d practically grown up there, and she would sorely miss it and working with him. But now she’d found an unexpected love and freedom elsewhere, and she wasn’t giving it up just to please her father. Hopefully one day, he’d come around. Maybe, based on the look of regret on his face, it would be grandkids that would be the deciding factor for him.
“You would do that, wouldn’t you? Keep my grandchildren from me?” Heloki asked, his voice cracking. Was that a tear she saw in one eye?
“I wouldn’t wish to, but…” Her throat ached as she held back the emotion that threatened to spill. She leaned on Mitch who in turn kept his arm around Kol. Kiona felt whole, complete, loved. Why couldn’t her father just be happy for her? Why did he have to be so difficult, and so opposed to Kol?
“I see. Well, pau. I guess I’m done here. Have a good honeymoon. You have my word I won’t say a thing.” And he was gone, leaving the door wide open.
She swallowed back the tears. Kol swung around and gathered her in his arms. His body was warm, hard, and scented by the remnants of their early-morning lovemaking. “He’ll be back groveling for forgiveness in no time, because there’s no way he’ll be able to pass up his own grandkids.”
“He passed up his own daughter,” she whispered.
“And he’s a fool for doing so,” Mitch pointed out, wrapping his arms around them both.
She gulped in air, fighting off the tears that threatened to spill.
“Kulikuli, my love,” Kol murmured, stroking her hair and her spine, sending shivers along every cell of her body.
Kiona let out a slow breath, basking in the strength of the two men she’d promised to share the rest of her life with. She suddenly realized there was a knot in her stomach that had been there since she was a small child left motherless with a father who bordered on being a tyrant.
But it was time to let it go.
And she did in that one loving moment standing there cradled by both men. It was as if the knot in her stomach slowly unraveled, caught on the tropical breeze, and floated away, right out the door.
Then something glorious happened. Unrehearsed, both Mitch and Kol simultaneously kissed her cheeks and uttered, “I love you, Kiona.”
Epilogue
Kiona didn’t know why she’d allowed years to pass since her last trip to the small getaway island miles off Kabana’s sunny western coast. Heaven didn’t even begin to describe the atmosphere of the private chartered slice of paradise that few knew of, and fewer still could afford to frequent. It didn’t have a name she was aware of, but she liked to call it Kupaianaha, which meant amazing. And it was just that. They were away from the lush, windward side, so the rain would stay to the island’s eastern coast. Their honeymoon on the leeward side of the land mass was bathed by glowing, hot sun and arid breezes.
Blessed by Kane, the god of gods, wielder of sunlight, fresh water, and lush forests.
Kiona so loved her Hawaiian heritage.
Reaching for her mai tai, she sipped and thought how her life had changed so much in the two weeks since meeting Mitch. The years of obsessing over her trust fund and yearning for an honest life with Kol seemed like a lifetime ago. And in hindsight, a waste of energy.
She no longer felt anger toward Heloki. For reasons only he understood, he’d needed to control her. He’d figured out that using the promise of money, and thus her independence, while keeping her practically destitute, would be the best way to go about it. It was sad that a father could treat his own flesh and blood that way, but Kiona didn’t care anymore. She pitied him, but she still loved him in spite of it all.
She’d earned that trust fund over the years working at KPCS for pennies. But she supposed in a roundabout way, she was still receiving it just as Mitch had rationalized. Spitefully, Heloki had held true to his word. He’d donated it to charity.
With a snort, she stared out at the thrashing sea beyond the calmer bay and thought how ironic it was that she no longer cared about the money. She’d instead ended up with something far more valuable—two men who loved her, and an exciting, private lifestyle she would never have dreamed of in her wildest fantasies.
Heat coiled in her belly at the memory of their lovemaking. “Mmm, wild doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
Drawing in a lungful of fragrant air, she sipped some more, letting the tension of the past years finally melt away. The sweetness of the chilled cocktail slid down her throat like wet silk, its potent spirits going straight to her head and making it swim pleasantly.
With a purr of contentment, she relaxed back into the chair and thought of their temporary vacation home. At the area behind the lagoon’s wide pier where she lounged, sand met foliage, which in turn embraced the bamboo-styled cabin built into the small cliff that had once been an active mini-volcano. Yellow and white plumeria blooms, and hibiscus flowers of pink, orange, and lavender, swayed in the gentl
e winds carrying fragrant puffs of air out to tease her nostrils. Still, she could smell the sex and sweat on her skin from their morning romp, and she marveled that the scent could stir her libido once again.
This morning had been amazing, but thoughts of last night’s lovemaking assailed her. It had been an unusually chilly night, so Kol had started a fire in the hearth of the great room. They’d fed each other tropical fruits and cheeses, and had gone through three bottles of wine as they laughed and related stories of their childhood. Naturally, they’d moved on to discussing their past sexual conquests, which had gotten them all horny. Before she knew it, they were having vigorous sex right there on the rug, Mitch entering her from behind and Kol kneeling before her as she sucked him off like a starved harlot. A Michael Bublé CD had been playing in the background, and the fire had warmed their nude, glistening flesh while the empty bottles and half-eaten food strewn around them, went forgotten.
She now stretched naked in the padded lounge chair, basking in the warmth of the high-noon rays, just like she’d done last night by the fire. Her muscles had that faint, delicious soreness to them. Kiona smiled wickedly. It was the kind that meant her body had been well used and treated to riotous, kinky sex.
Lots of riotous, kinky sex.
Kiona tossed aside the straw, and gulped down the rest of her drink. She contemplated all the naughtiness she’d experienced since arriving here for their honeymoon three days ago. Wow, how many times had they made love, anyway? She furrowed her brow. And how many different combinations of positions could there possibly be with three people involved?
Well, there was one she hadn’t yet experienced, that Kiona knew. She giggled, her head spinning pleasantly. “Oh, but I’ll be trying it today,” she decided as she set the glass aside. “Very soon.”
Behind the dark sunglasses, her gaze drifted out to the center of the inlet where Mitch and Kol playfully wrestled unclothed in the turquoise water. Kiona sighed and slid her hand down her belly. Fielding a jolt of bliss, she pushed a finger through her damp folds, swiped come onto her finger, and circled her clit with the wetted tip.
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