Burning up the Rain (Hawaiian Heroes)

by Cathryn Cade

  She snorted delicately, crossing her arms, but for some reason she didn’t move away from him. Her skin might be cool, but he could feel every brush of her arm, sending heat streaking through him like lightning. Her skin was as soft as a plumeria petal. “You could say that.”

  “Yeah. I figured me punching Choy wasn’t the best move, considering we’re at your cousin’s wedding.”

  She was silent for a moment. “So that’s why you—I thought you were being sarcastic.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, thanks. I could see you didn’t like what he was doing, but like I said, I didn’t want to cause a scene. Who is he to you, anyway?”

  “Benton? He’s no one. No one important.” Her face closed up like a bloom in the dusk.

  And with that, she walked away. Leaving Jack baffled, aroused and irritated. And wondering why he wished she’d stayed beside him.

  “It’s okay, you can thank me later,” he said to her back. Shaking his head, he went to find another drink.

  Lalei glared after him. Big, arrogant haole. Who did he think he was, expecting her to thank him, like he’d ridden up on his horse and rescued her?

  She stopped in her tracks. Rescued her.

  She watched him head straight to the tiki bar set up on the edge of the beach lanai and accept a mai tai from the bartender. As he lifted the glass and tipped back his head to drink, his throat worked, the last rays of sun gleaming on his smooth, tanned skin. Damn, he was six-feet plus of man candy, even if he wasn’t Hawaiian. In fact, she bit back a nervous giggle—he really did resemble the stalwart knight in the princess video she’d loved when she was a little girl.

  Rescue her. The idea that sprang into her mind was so daring, so horrible, so freaking brilliant she knew she had to follow through with it.

  Jack was going to rescue her, all right. And he wouldn’t even know he was doing it. No one would, until it was too late. The knight in her picture book had slain a dragon. Surely Jack could handle one shark in businessman’s clothing.

  Besides, he wouldn’t really have to handle Benton at all. Just her.

  Focused on Jack, she didn’t see her mother until it was too late. Suzy’s thin hand closed on Lalei’s arm in a grip that dug her nails into Lalei’s arm. “Come along, young lady. You and I are going to have a talk.”

  Oh boy, she was in for it now. Suzy must have seen her fending off Benton’s big romantic move. Lalei walked with her mother up the lawn, away from the Ho’omalus clustered on the lanai, laughing and chatting.

  “Ow,” she protested as Suzy dragged her toward the open door of the sitting room. “I’m coming, Mama. You don’t have to—”

  “Be quiet,” Suzy snapped. Inside the quiet room lit by a single lamp, she released Lalei’s arm and turned on her. Lalei rubbed her arm resentfully. She could feel the marks where Suzy’s nails had dug into her skin.

  “You are ruining everything,” Suzy hissed, leaning toward her daughter, shaking with intensity. Her eyes were feverishly bright. “Everything I have worked so hard for—it will all be gone unless you stop this foolishness.”

  Lalei stared at her. That hurt more than the marks of her mother’s nails in her skin. “I’m ruining everything? Mama, I told you I would try…but I just don’t like Benton. I can’t stand him touching me.” She shuddered, remembering Benton’s tongue in her mouth.

  “I don’t care,” Suzy snapped. “Don’t you understand? You have to marry him, Lalei. You have to.”

  “I don’t have to do anything,” Lalei shot back, giving her mother look for look. “I’m a grown woman. I’m sorry things aren’t going your way, but I have a job, and I can make my own way. Maybe you should try getting a job yourself. Then you wouldn’t have to suck up to people like Benton.” Suzy had never worked a day in her life, other than volunteering with the ladies at the country club.

  Suzy’s hand cracked against Lalei’s cheek, spinning her head to one side. Lalei slowly turned back to her mother, her mind blank with shock. Suzy faced her, and Lalei saw the same shocked confusion that must be on her own face. But hers was underlain with a deep, hot ball of hurt that matched the sting in her cheek.

  “Oh, Lalei, I—” Suzy reached for her, and Lalei stumbled back, one hand to her cheek. That was it—the last straw. Her mother cared more about herself and her status than about Lalei.

  “You want Benton?” Lalei choked. “Then you take him. Because I never will.”

  She turned and ran from the room, ignoring the plea in her mother’s voice as Suzy called her name.

  After that, it was really only a matter of making sure all the pieces of her plan were in place.

  One, ignore Suzy tapping on her door with whispered pleas to let her in.

  Two, refuse to cry like a keiki because her mother had finally tipped the balance in their relationship to the point that Lalei was willing to take any action necessary to put a stop to Suzy’s manipulations.

  Three, take a quick shower and slip into her most beguiling sleepwear.

  Four, wait for her knight to return to his room.

  And five, convince him to rescue her.

  Before she could lose her nerve, Lalei rapped on the door of her quarry’s guest room. For a moment, she heard nothing, and she bit her lip uncertainly. She knew he was in there; she’d watched him from her own room as he sauntered across the lanai, then heard his footsteps in the hall and the sound of his door thudding closed.

  Finally the door opened to reveal Jack. He wore a pair of turquoise gym shorts and a sleepy expression. His smooth skin gleamed in the lamplight; his blond hair was tousled and damp with perspiration.

  Hawaiian music drifted in the open windows from the beach lanai. The light curtains blew in the night breeze, shadows patterning the sisal floor mats and the pineapple quilt on the bed.

  Jack’s blue eyes narrowed, the sleepiness gone. “What do you want?”

  Lalei stepped forward. He fell back a few steps like the gentleman he was, letting her shut the door behind her and enclose them in his room.

  “I want to use you for a little mindless sex,” she said, giving him look for look. “Any objections?”

  He arched one heavy brow. In the muted light, his eyes were shadowed, mysterious. Lalei held her breath. Would he refuse her? Humiliate her by turning her away?

  But one side of his beautiful, sculpted mouth kicked up, his cheek creasing with a dimple. “Objections? Oh, hell no. I could use a good post-celebration fuck myself, Ms. Lah-lei.” He drawled out her name, exaggerating the Hawaiian pronunciation.

  She nodded, pretending that her heart was not thundering in her chest, her hands sweating and her knees wobbling like guava jelly. “Good.”

  “I didn’t know you liked me,” he said, the mocking note stronger. He lifted the small towel he held and swiped off his face and neck, giving her a glinting look over the blue fabric. So that wasn’t sweat—he’d been washing. His short, sun-streaked blond hair clung to his well-shaped head, except for one lock that curved up like a question mark over his forehead.

  “I don’t.” She undid the belt of her short cocoa silk robe, keeping her expression cool with an effort. “This doesn’t mean we’re going steady or anything.”

  He tossed the towel aside, missing the rattan chair he aimed at, and shook his head, his gaze on her fingers. “Nope, so don’t go getting any ideas about falling for me or any sappy shit like that.”

  As if. Lalei nearly snorted but decided that wasn’t very enticing, so she merely arched a brow at him. Letting go of the belt, she started to pull the garment off.

  His big hand shot out and stopped her. “Mind if I do that?”

  Caught off guard, she shrugged. He looked down, his thick, gold-tipped lashes nearly brushing his cheeks as he pushed the cover-up aside. His warm fingertips brushed the skin of her midriff, and she shivered. He smelled really good, slightly sweaty male with a hint of cologne and fruity mai tai.

  He gave an approving growl as the robe parted, revealing her favorite sleepw
ear. “Oh, yeah, I like this. The perfect tease.”

  Lalei’s heart thumped. She’d had a hard time deciding whether to wear this silk cami and tap pants or come naked under the robe. Well, at least he thought the tiny, shell-pink sleepwear was sexy—thought she was sexy. He liked her body, even if he seemed to be laughing at her half the time. That was fine with her. She didn’t want him for his sparkling conversation, either.

  She knew she was pretty—she’d competed in the Miss Hawaii pageant in college, and since then she’d been asked to model for more than one Hawaiian jewelry and clothing maker. She knew how to dress to set off her slender figure, how to wear makeup to enhance her Polynesian looks and long, dark hair.

  Jack slid his hands inside the cover-up, over the thin silk covering her ribs, then up the sides of her breasts and over the tops of her shoulders, pushing the garment back. It slipped down her arms and fell to the floor around her feet.

  Slowly, he lifted one hand and ran the backs of his fingers down over her throat and into the valley between her breasts. As a Hawaiian love song lilted from the stereo and the gauzy curtains drifted inward, the warm evening breeze caressing her bare skin, Jack traced a line over the bared tops of her breasts, just above the edge of the cami.

  Lalei’s next breath hitched. She hadn’t expected to enjoy his touch quite so much. She was here for her own reasons, which didn’t really include pleasure.

  “May I take this off you?” he asked, his voice rough.

  She nodded, surprised he’d asked. She hadn’t expected this big ex-football player to be such a gentleman. Even her one-time fiancé, who was supposed to be Honolulu upper crust, had yanked her clothing impatiently out of the way to get to his goal.

  She touched the tiny button between her breasts. “It fastens here.”

  As Jack worked the button free of the loop, she peeped down and saw a long, thick shape tenting the front of his swim trunks, stretching the turquoise fabric. A queer, melting sensation spread down through the muscles in her legs, as if they might dump her at his feet. Desire… She hadn’t felt it in a long time. Why now, when it was so inconvenient? Not that she wanted him to be repulsive, of course. This wasn’t penance, for Pele’s sake.

  He drew the cami open. Then he paused, and his hands fell away, leaving the cami dangling from its narrow straps. Her middle tightened with uncertainty. She glanced down, checking to see if the delicate skin on her breasts was marked from the tight band of her strapless dress, then looked back up at him.

  He was eyeing her with speculation. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re really here, sweetheart?”

  Lalei frowned at him. Damn, she should have brought him another drink so he’d be too drunk to ask awkward questions. Of course, then he might not have been any use to her. She shimmied her shoulders, letting the straps of her top slip down her arms. It fell to the floor behind her.

  Stepping forward, she reached down to cup her hand over his erection and brushed the tips of her breasts against the hot, damp, furred plain of his chest. Oh God, he was so big and so alive, surging male power in her grasp.

  “I told you—just sex. Now, do you want to get to it, or do you want to chat?”

  His big hands settled on her bare waist, his thumbs caressing the flat plain of her midriff, and he flexed his lean hips, pushing his turgid length into her palm with a groan of pleasure. “No, but I’m warning you, if this is about pressuring me into something, it won’t do you a damn bit of good.”

  Lalei blinked. As the complete inaccuracy of his guess sank in, she laughed. “A’ole pilikia, moke. Not a problem. I don’t want your money or a ring, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “All right, then,” he said roughly, his eyes darkening. “I’m all yours, wahine.”

  His hands slid down over the high curve of her hips and inside her tap pants. As his big hands cupped the tender flesh of her ass, she melted against him. He squeezed her as if he loved the way she felt in his hands. Suddenly she was afraid that if everything he did felt this good, she was going to end up all his instead of vice versa.

  But she reassured herself she was here for one reason only—okay, make that two, she amended with a gasp as his long fingers delved naughtily between her ass cheeks. Oh Pele, that felt so good. He reached deeper, tracing the seam of her labia.

  She was going to enjoy this big, blond haole, use him to show her mother a thing or two, and then she was going to wave good-bye and walk away.

  Jack bent his head, his eyes on her mouth, and Lalei tipped her head the opposite way, lifting up on her tiptoes to meet him, her hands braced on his shoulders. Her hair slipped over her shoulder to brush his bare chest as his mouth met hers. His lips were warm and firm, their softness contrasting with the strength of his body against hers.

  He sipped at her lips as if testing the fit, then returned to press more firmly, their mouths melding seamlessly. He tasted of fruit and alcohol. He drank a lot. She remembered this was a vacation for him, and then forgot the matter entirely in the pleasure of his kiss.

  He didn’t rush her, even though his hands were on her ass, squeezing and lifting the bare globes, holding her against him so his erection rubbed against her belly through his shorts. His torso was smooth and hot against her breasts.

  Only when he’d fully explored her lips with his own, only when she’d slid her hands up around the back of his neck to support herself as her knees melted even more, did he slip his tongue into her mouth, searching for hers.

  She accepted it with a hum of pleasure, and he responded by deepening the kiss. Lalei curled her tongue around his, and he lifted her up against him, her feet dangling, his erection rubbing into the notch of her thighs as he walked them across the room. He carried her as if she weighed nothing at all.

  “Hang on.” He set his knee on the bed, letting her down on the soft quilt and then coming down over her.

  He kissed her again and then lifted up onto his hands, one knee braced beside her hip. “You sure about this?” he asked, his voice rough, his dark blue gaze searching hers. His face was flushed, his nostrils flared, jaw hard.

  “I’m sure.” She managed a taunting curve of her lips, although she had to clench her hands to keep from grabbing him and dragging him down to her. “Are you?”

  In answer, he sank back on his haunches, reaching for her tap pants. “Mm-hmm.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was agreeing or voicing his approval as he hooked his thumbs under the soft silk and tugged, pulling the scrap of fabric down. The panties snagged underneath her.

  He tugged the tiny garment free, drew it down and off her legs with a long, smooth motion. Then he gazed at her, and for the first time in months, maybe years, Lalei felt a blush heat the skin of her face, her throat, and crawl down over her bare breasts. She dug her fingertips into the soft quilt beneath her, fighting the craven urge to roll away and hide herself from his avid gaze.

  Perhaps he noticed her discomfort. Whatever the reason, without taking his gaze from the curls on her mons, Jack spread his hands on her thighs, just above her knees, and then pressed his thumbs into her inner thighs, urging them apart.

  “Damn, that’s pretty,” he approved. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving under the tanned skin of his throat. “I do love a trimmed pussy. Yours is…no ka oi, the prettiest I’ve seen for a while.”

  His gaze swept up over her bare body as he caressed her with his thumbs, sweeping them over the tender skin of her inner thighs. “And those little nipples—like sweet mocha kisses on your pretty breasts.”

  He looked up at her under his dark gold brows, his eyes heavy and knowing. “You like to be licked there, and sucked?”

  She bit her lip, the sharp little pain distracting her from the sensual plea that wanted to erupt. What the hell, she didn’t beg a man for anything, and she certainly wasn’t going to start with this one. Instead, she cupped her hands over her breasts and lifted them, stroking her fingers over her beaded nipples, tempting him. Even her own care
ss made her want to whimper with pleasure. “Maybe, if you’re any good at it.” Damn, her voice was breathless, sultry.

  He shook his head once, his eye on her breasts. “You’re something else, aren’t you? You don’t give an inch.” A taunting grin kicked up the corner of his mouth, still damp from her kisses, and he raised a wicked eyebrow at her. “Maybe I’ll make you.”

  She gave a huff, holding herself still against the urge to writhe, draw her legs up and back and offer herself to him so temptingly he couldn’t resist her. “Malia paha, hot-shot. Maybe.”

  “Ah, a dare,” he approved, his brows lifting. His hands slid farther up her thighs, his thumbs meeting on the small ebony triangle on her mons.

  He stroked his thumbs through the soft curls, tickling her. So close, so close to the tiny knot of nerves nestled in the apex of her labia that she jerked, gasping as her pussy clenched with need, her labia swelling, moistening with arousal, readying her for him.

  Jack smiled slowly, his white teeth gleaming as he watched her face. The taunting edge was stronger now. “You like that, don’t you?” He did it once more, straying closer to her clitoris, and she bit her lip again, flexing her hips just the tiniest bit.

  With a low sound of approval in his throat, Jack let her go to stand up. He reached into his trunks, found the tie and jerked it free, all while gazing at her breasts, then at the area between her thighs, bared to him. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts, he pushed them over his lean hips. They slid down, and Lalei caught her breath.

  He was magnificent. Tall, broad shouldered and muscular, his body was tanned a golden brown, only his groin and upper thighs white-skinned. His cock stood up and out, flushed a dark pink with his arousal, from a nest of dark gold hair that arrowed up his belly and disappeared in a faint dusting of gold on his flat belly.

  He took himself in hand, stroking up, then down as he watched her watch him. Then he smiled and clambered back onto the bed, this time between her thighs, shoving them apart with his brawny knees.