Hawaiian Holiday: Destination Desire, Book 2

by Crystal Jordan

  He rose and stepped back, his normal wariness when confronted with an upset woman coming to the fore. “I can take care of it for you, if you like.”

  Better to handle it on his own than deal with her getting livid over things they had no control over. They weren’t going anywhere on that wheel, and the packed roadways meant it could be miles before they found somewhere else to park. They were lucky to have made it to this spot.

  “Nah. I know how to change a tire.” She tossed up a helpless hand. “You’re my guest on this little jaunt. I don’t want to rope you in as slave labor.”

  After moving to the trunk, she unlocked and opened the back while he gaped at her in surprise. This wasn’t the first time she hadn’t freaked out when plans went awry. It threw him off every time her unflappable nature surfaced. He really needed to get past that. Hell, he had a lot of things he needed to get past—most of them rooted in the catastrophe of his marriage. Being around Julie was making it more and more clear how much his divorce still affected him, how much what Lilith had done still colored his view of women. He did just fine when they were colleagues or friends, but add any kind of romantic involvement and he braced himself for every situation to go sideways.

  He had to stop that. Maybe he’d never be ready for a real relationship again, but automatically casting attractive women into the role of bitchy, controlling villainess wasn’t the way he wanted to live. He would not let his ex have that much power over him. It was a revelation to consider how much power he’d already given her, even after their marriage was post-mortem.

  “You okay?” Julie’s words brought him back to the present. “You have a funny expression on your face.”

  He shook himself and found that she’d already unloaded the jack and lug wrench, and was currently wrestling with the spare. Hurrying to her side, he helped her maneuver the thing out of the trunk.

  “Thanks.” She tossed a wink at him. “How deep do you think the sand goes before we hit solid ground?”

  “Not terribly far. We’ll be okay, I think.” He rolled the new tire over and dropped it near the flat one. “Let’s try it. If we can’t do it, we’ll call a tow truck.”

  She picked up the jack and positioned it under the car. “I have AAA roadside assistance, so as long as we have cell reception, I have that part covered.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” He helped her raise the car enough to get the old tire off, but it was a pure bitch because the soil was half-sand. Beads of sweat slid down his temples, not just because of the exertion, but the stress that any second, the jack was going to slip.

  Working together in silence, they got the new tire on in record time. He figured she was just as worried as he was about the ground giving out on them, so speed was essential. She heaved a huge sigh when they tightened the last lug nut on the spare.

  He started to lower the car, and the jack finally gave up the fight against the sand and slid sideways. The tire hit ground hard and the shocks squeaked in protest. He grabbed Julie around the waist and shoved her back a step while the vehicle resettled on the new wheel. His heart pounded in his chest, a spurt of adrenaline shooting through him. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah.” Her arms encircled his waist from behind, and she peered around him. “Whew. Looks like we got that done just in time.”

  “So it seems.” He closed his eyes and sighed in relief. No harm done. Other than being a little dirty and sweaty, they were both all right, and the car was fine.

  With her pressed to his back, he felt her stomach rumble and she snickered, burying her face between his shoulder blades. “Um…let’s get everything stowed and find that food we wanted. My sugar high has crashed hard by now.”

  “A place to wash our hands would be nice too.” He scooped up the popped tire and headed for the trunk, leaving her to follow with the jack and wrench.

  “Well, there’s a shrimp truck across the street. I see lunch in our future.” She slammed the trunk closed, then went around to the passenger door and reached through to grab her purse.

  He watched her pull a wet wipe out of the bag and hand it to him, then use one to swipe at the worst of the grime on her hands and arms. He did the same. Not his favorite way to clean up, but better than nothing. “Thanks. With any luck, they have somewhere to wash more thoroughly.”

  “Aw, you didn’t have any problem being sweaty and dirty with me yesterday,” she teased.

  He tapped a somewhat clean finger against the tip of her nose. “That is an entirely different thing.”

  Slinging her purse strap over her shoulder, she locked the car. “We can talk dirty later. My belly button is rubbing a blister on my backbone.”

  He choked on a breath. “That’s a colorful way to word it.”

  “Let’s make a run for it.” She tossed the keys into her bag and looped around the car to look both ways on the busy highway. The road was congested, but the cars drove slowly enough that after a few minutes, vehicles had pulled to a stop in both directions to let them cross. Julie gave both drivers a jaunty wave.

  Lukas placed a hand to the middle of her back, urging her forward. “Traffic apparently waits for one woman, but lunch waits for no man.”

  “Foooooood.” She drew the word out as if it tasted good.

  The scent of cooking seafood hit his nose and his stomach gave a grinding wrench of hunger. Saliva filled his mouth in anticipation. Even if the food was barely mediocre, it was going to taste like ambrosia anyway. They joined a short line of people waiting to order, and had their food in no time. Julie hadn’t even settled onto a picnic bench before she dug into hers. Lukas managed to sit down first, but he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

  “Man, we are scoring with the food on this trip. The Chinese food place, and now the shrimp scampi.” She made a face. “Okay, the calamari incident notwithstanding.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “I disagree that the calamari was anything other than an additional score to our food luck. The spicy garlic shrimp today is quite good too.”

  “We will agree to disagree on the squid.” She lifted a hand to shield her eyes, taking in the view of the ocean from where they sat. “It really is spectacular here. I wish—”

  She cut herself off, shook her head, and a crooked smile curved her lips.

  There it was—the melancholy that sometimes darkened her expression. He shouldn’t ask about it. He’d already decided not to, but that didn’t stop the question from coming out of his mouth. He couldn’t sit there and do nothing. “You wish for what?”

  “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” She stuffed a bite of food into her mouth.

  “You seem sad.” He caught her hand over the table. “Off and on for the last few days, I see these moments in your eyes where you look terribly lost and…sad.”

  Reluctance shone in her gaze. She tucked her shoulder into her chin in an awkward shrug. “I’ve been feeling lost and sad for the last year. My great-aunt would have loved it here. She would have hit on some of the retired men. And some of the young single ones. She’d have loved the band that first night, the palace, the Chinese food place, Pearl Harbor, the North Shore. All of it. I wish I could share it with her, but I can’t because she’s dead. It’s gotten easier as the months have passed, but every now and then it just hits me. Wham. And I’m right back to that grieving place.”

  He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, a knot of sympathy forming in his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  She nodded and kept her gaze on her plate. “It’s even worse than it was with my mom. Maybe because I was closer to Eloise than Mom, maybe because I had Eloise longer. Maybe because when Mom passed, I still had Eloise, so I didn’t feel quite so orphaned.” She blew out a breath. “I’m doing better, I really am. I know how lucky I am to have had them in my life and I’m so grateful that I got to keep them as long as I did. But with my great-aunt…it’s just hard to lose someone who seemed so larger than life, so invincible.”

  “She sounds like an amazing woman.�
�� He reached out and caught her chin, lifting it until she looked at him. “I can see where you take after her.”

  “That’s kind. Thank you.” Disbelief and flattery reflected in her eyes. “Eloise left some very big shoes to fill though. I’m not sure I have quite the joie de vivre that she did.”

  “I think you do.” He released her chin. “There aren’t many people I’ve met who manage to make fun out of nothing the way you can. And so far, you’ve been pretty bombproof, no matter what happens.”

  He hoped she believed that, because he knew how hard it was to dig out from under the grief when a loved one died. It took a long time and the pain never went away entirely—it just got easier to bear. Julie was doing better than she thought she was, and in his opinion, her view on life was to credit for that. A view she seemed to have inherited from her aunt.

  “Thanks. Really…thanks.” She flushed and bit her lip. “I’ve…uh…never told anyone about losing Eloise being worse than losing my mom. I’ve always felt kind of guilty about it, like I should have loved my mom best. But she and I were pretty different. We loved each other and she was awesome—both of my parents were—but when there’s no common ground it’s hard to have a deep connection.”

  “Family dynamics are complicated, Julie. Don’t feel bad about that.” He leaned forward. “The important part is that you all loved each other.”

  That lopsided grin formed on her face again. “You’re right. Mom was the ultimate sportswoman, and loved to go hunting and fishing with my dad. I always opted to stay with Eloise. We’d sit in her shop, knit, and gossip with her customers. And every now and then, she’d just hop in the car with me and go for a drive. She liked seeing places she’d never been.” A laugh straggled out of her, and tears glistened in her eyes before she blinked them away. “One time, we went to Lake Tahoe for lunch. Just because.”

  He took another bite of his shrimp. “Did she really like to take wrong turns, or did she have a bad sense of direction too?”

  She giggled as he’d hoped she would. “No, I get that from my dad. Mom and Auntie were always the navigators. She just liked to see new things. I took over her shop for her every summer in college while she traveled. I don’t think she ever made it to Hawaii, but she would have loved it.” She mock-leered at him. “Auntie probably would have pinched your butt and called you a stud muffin.”

  “And you plan to do that when you reach old age?”

  Her eyes twinkled merrily, but her shrug was demure. “Sure. I’ll need something to keep me entertained. Harassing hot men who can’t get mad at an old lady sounds like fun.”

  For some reason, he could picture her being a holy terror as a senior citizen, a wicked gleam in her gaze as she shook up people’s lives the way she had his. He could imagine how amusing it would be to sit back as an old man and watch the show. Maybe she wouldn’t grab anyone’s ass, but she’d still be finding ways to have a good time no matter where she happened to be. She’d probably manage to drag other people into that fun. Now there was a way to spend his retirement. He shook his head at those ridiculous thoughts. It would be too good to be true. Hell, Julie seemed too good to be true.

  It was a futile idea, but he suddenly wondered how much different his life would have been—how much different he would have been—if he’d met Julie before Lilith. Would he be the bitter divorcee who was suspicious of every woman’s motives? Would he still be blown away by the force of nature that was Hurricane Julie?

  He didn’t know, and it was foolish to wonder. He was who he was. He’d made the choices he’d made, and his life had been shaped because of those choices.

  “They have a portable sink set up over there.” Julie pointed before she stood and gathered her plate and fork. She waggled her eyebrows at him. “I bet they even have soap.”

  “Wow, do you really think so? I’m positively giddy with excitement,” he returned, sotto voce.

  She rolled her eyes. “Come on. We need to get back on the road, and then I need to explain a flat tire to the rental company.”

  “They might be assholes about that.”

  “I know, but that’s a problem for later. I’m not letting it get me down now.” She waved that away. “But, Lukas?”

  He paused in collecting a napkin that had been caught in the sea breeze. “Yes?”

  Her gaze was direct. “Thanks for listening, about my aunt and mom. Thanks for not judging. Thanks for asking in the first place.”

  And he almost hadn’t bothered to ask, hadn’t wanted to get involved, hadn’t wanted to intrude. He’d always been a bit reserved with new people—Julie being a notable exception—but how much more withdrawn had he become in recent years? He was glad he’d ignored his usual reticence for her. She was a nice woman, and if his listening had helped with what she was going through, he was even gladder. When she left the island, he hoped she was in a better place with her grief than she had been when she arrived.

  “You’re welcome.” He walked around the table and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s get going.”

  “Turn in here,” Lukas said and Julie obeyed without question. He hadn’t steered her wrong so far, so she assumed he knew where he was going.

  After cutting across the highway, she pulled into a small parking lot surrounded by trees. Between the trunks, she could see glimpses of sand and ocean. “Where are we?”

  “Other than the North Shore? I’m not sure. It just looked like a pretty place to stop.” He winked. “I thought Aunt Eloise would have approved of the spontaneity.”

  “Ha. Yes, she would have.” Julie set the parking brake and climbed out of the car. They walked through the trees, which dappled the ground with shadow. Pretty, just as Lukas promised, but nothing could beat the moment they broke through to the beach.

  The breeze curled around her, the scent of the ocean filling her nose. The waves crashing against the shore were so blue and beautiful it was almost surreal. The beach was dotted with palm trees, the sandy coastline stretching between two black cliffs. And she’d thought Waikiki Beach was gorgeous. It had nothing on this.

  Lukas’s arm came around her shoulder. Neither of them said anything, just stood there and enjoyed the stunning panorama.

  “Let’s walk a little,” he suggested. He kept his hold on her, and their shoulders and hips bumped as they walked, but it felt like the most normal thing in the world. Being with him was comfortable, but he also sparked a fire inside her that she’d never experienced with any other man before. It confused her, because the first reaction was one she associated with a friend, the second with a lover. None of her boyfriends had ever hit both notes for her at once. They’d always been too much of one or the other, and it hadn’t worked out.

  When they reached the towering black cliff, Lukas steered them into an alcove in the rock face. She looked up at the jagged outcroppings of stone. “Is it lava rock?”

  “I’m not sure, but it seems like a good guess.” His voice sounded in her ear, his hot breath brushing over her neck. He pressed a kiss to her nape, then nipped at the tender flesh there. Her eyes closed and her head dropped back on his shoulder.

  Goose bumps broke across her skin as he drew her against him. He was big and solid and warm behind her. Passion shimmered within her, and she savored the burn. They were half an island away from their hotel and she had a feeling the rest of the drive was going to be a little bit torturous with them trapped together in that teeny little car, close but not close enough. His palms skimmed down her sides until he reached her skirt, then gathered fistfuls of the fabric. Her eyes popped open in shock and the hard length of his erection pushed against her backside. “You have to be kidding me, Lukas.”

  His voice was low and rough, cajoling. “We’re shielded from the road here.”

  Pulling away, she spun to face him, hands planted on hips. “Anyone could come along and see us! Aren’t all beaches in Hawaii public?”

  “Yes, so we’d better hurry before we get caught.” His smile was challengin
g, and she couldn’t believe the restrained professor wanted to do the nasty in public. He caught her hand and drew her further into the alcove, sitting on the sand with his back to the cliff. He tugged her down until she was straddling his lap. The sand was rough under her knees, but she didn’t try to get up. Excitement spurted through her, even though she wasn’t sure this was the best idea ever.

  He smoothed his hands up her thighs. “I’m so glad you’re wearing a dress, even if it sucked to change a flat tire in it.”

  A shiver rippled over her skin, her breath rushing faster. He pulled her forward until her sex pressed against his. He was hard, straining against his fly. Lust punched through her, and she felt her core grow damp with need. She set her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. The pounding of her pulse filled her ears, competing with the crash of waves on the shore.

  “Kiss me, mein Liebling.” He traced the edge of her panties around the bottom of her buttocks, and her inner muscles clenched.

  There was no refusing him, no denying the heat and fire he created inside her. Leaning in, she offered him her mouth, and he took it, took her, and she moaned. Their tongues twined, the flavor of him reached down deep and grabbed something inside her she couldn’t even identify, but it felt amazing.

  She was really going to do this. The thrill of danger and the forbidden raced through her, sizzling her nerve endings. Pressing her hips forward to grind her clit against his hard length increased the ache of longing within her. She could feel the beginnings of climax shivering through her pussy. A groan vibrated his broad chest. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, the motion mimicking what she wanted him to be doing to other parts of her anatomy. Unstoppable desire built like a rising tide inside her, and she had to have him moving deep in her sex, driving her toward orgasm. Yes. Oh God, yes.

  By pushing her hand between them, she could fumble with his belt and zipper. When she got his pants open, she reached in to free him and fondled his thick cock. Moisture beaded at the tip and she smeared it over the bulbous crest. He shuddered, his hips bucking beneath her.