by Willa Blair
The next day, she struggled with surfing lesson number two, but managed to stand on her own for more than a few seconds. Though she was getting the feel for her balance as the board shifted and rocked in the gentle swells rolling in, her growing confidence didn’t yet extend to catching a wave. Despite her stubborn determination, losing control to the overpowering ocean as the big board surged shoreward upset her balance too much and she tumbled into the water. After a dozen spills, Tom pulled her onto his board and just held her, letting her rest and enjoy the water and his body heat on her back, her board floating next to them, safely attached to her ankle by the leash. With her bottom nestled between his thighs, she couldn’t miss what was on his mind, or mistake the hardness against her arse. She let her imagination run free, picturing herself in Tom’s arms someplace less public…and less wet—in his bed, with his weight and his heat covering her, his back muscles flexing under her hands as he plunged into her. She moaned and shifted, grinding her backside against his erection. Tom immediately adjusted his hold on her, leaning forward.
“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt anything when you fell the last time, did you? Did the board hit you?”
“No, no, I’m fine. It just feels so good to rest a bit.” In your arms. But she didn’t give voice to the words. Instead, using the board’s movement as the next swell made it sway, she rocked back between his legs, pressing against his thighs and the evidence of his desire. Finally, he figured out her movements were not accidental and started playing with the front zipper pull on her shortie, inching it down. When she let her head fall back onto his shoulder, giving him silent permission, he covered the swell of her breast. She arched into his hand and he gently squeezed her, then he lowered the shorty’s zipper to allow him access. His hand slipped inside, over her heated skin and inside the top of her bathing suit. Makenna’s eyes drifted closed and her breath hitched at the delicious heat and texture of his skin stroking her breast. As his fingers found her nipple and pinched lightly, she moaned. He answered by rocking his hips, straining against her.
An ache started deep inside her, her core clenching and weeping. She wanted him, and having his hardness at her back was not enough.
“We could take this elsewhere,” he murmured in her ear, as if reading her mind. “This is a bit too public for what I’d like to do next.” They had paddled out beyond the surf line, well offshore, but more surfers had joined them on the water, arrayed in a long line, waiting for the next wave. As another board approached, Tom smoothly slid his hand out of her top and dropped a kiss on her temple. “I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”
She was tempted. Lord, was she tempted. “I don’t know…”
“Would you like to know what I have in mind?”
Tom’s voice rumbled low in his chest. The vibrations penetrated her back, making her want to melt into him. She tilted her head, trying to get closer.
“First,” he continued, soft and slow, “I’d slide your zipper the rest of the way. Tug down the top of your suit. If we weren’t on this damn board, I’d lay you down and kiss you senseless, then suckle until you writhed beneath me.”
Makenna couldn’t help it. Tom’s voice, his words, were making her daft. She reached up and wrapped her hands behind his neck, the movement lifting her chest fully into his view and making him groan and mutter, “I’m not sure I can wait. I might have to risk it here.” She ran her fingers lightly over his spine to the base of his skull and back down to his shoulders.
“God, Makenna,” he breathed. He gripped her ribcage just below her breasts and pulled her roughly against him, making her hands fall to his thighs.
She stroked the heated, hair-roughened skin under her palms and heard herself murmur, “Aye,” as Tom rocked his hips, nudging her bottom and wobbling the board just as the next wave arrived.
Makenna managed a gulp of air as they tipped over and went under, into the suddenly cold water. She came up spluttering and reaching for her board. Tom, a few feet away, came up swearing at the chill, making her laugh. In moments, her giggles had him laughing, too, resting his arms across his board. He tipped his head back until he dunked all but his face in the water.
Then he shook water out of his eyes and said, “Talk about a mood killer. That was cold after sitting in the sun with a warm wahine in my arms.”
“Laddie, ye haven’t felt cold water until ye’ve jumped in a loch,” Makenna replied with a challenging smirk.
“Maybe I will…someday.”
She cocked her head. What did he mean? Could he be hinting at a future…with her? Nay, it was too soon to be assuming such things.
“But that’s enough for today, don’t you think? This ocean isn’t going anywhere.”
His touch had set her blood afire, but after the dunking, she found herself able to reason again, and to slow things down. “Aye. I believe so…for now.”
They climbed onto their boards and paddled back to shore.
Chapter Three
“What a day!” Kerry exclaimed as she locked the door and turned the sign over to Closed. “I’m beat.”
Makenna wiped a stray hair out of her eyes and suspected she’d left a flour streak on her forehead. She was pure done in, too, but happy. “Business is picking up. I canna complain.”
“Yeah,” Kerry replied, “and just look at these cases. They’re nearly empty. We’re going to have to get an early start tomorrow to refill them.”
Makenna laughed. “There’s a problem I dinna mind having. Who knew Friday would be a big day for a bakery?”
“Saturday will be bigger.” Kerry started the clean up while Makenna worked on putting their supplies away.
“I need to visit the farmer’s market tomorrow. We’re getting low on a few things.”
“They’ll be there all day, but since I don’t have classes tomorrow, I can watch the store so you can go first thing.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
“After Tom comes by, of course.”
Kerry’s smug grin made Makenna chuckle. “Aye, after. If he arrived to find me gone, he’d probably go elsewhere for his coffee.”
“We can’t have that. He’s our best customer. Your best customer.”
And if Kerry knew how much more he was trying to be, she’d go to the market and leave Makenna alone to wait for Tom. “I’d be happy to have more of those,” Makenna responded with the only thing she could think to say.
“Hey, I’m going for an early dinner with a couple of friends when we finish here. Why don’t you come, too?”
“Oh, nay, I don’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t, and it’s time you met some more locals, besides the regular customers.”
Makenna gave it half a second’s consideration then agreed with Kerry. “Okay, I’ll come with you. Thanks. Before we go, let’s take a quick inventory so I have a good shopping list for the farmer’s market.”
****
Makenna had a great time with Kerry and her friends, one of whom was another cousin. Though all three girls were about five years younger, she fit right in and spent most of the meal laughing and talking about Scotland, getting used to life in Hawaii, wearing gallons of sunblock, and, of course, men. Kerry even told her friends about their best customer, Tom. Makenna rolled her eyes when Kerry asserted Tom might be driving all their business their way.
“For all we know, after he leaves, he stands on the corner of the farmer’s market for the rest of the morning with a flip sign, directing traffic to Sweetie Pie.”
Makenna laughed, but disagreed. “He’s got to have something more important to do!”
“You know what Auntie Leila says,” Kerry confided. “Once you’ve got them on the hook, wiggle a little to set it.” While the other girls laughed and Makenna colored, Kerry added, “You’ve got him on the hook. Maybe it’s time to wiggle. I don’t think you want to let this one go.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You have eyes, don’t you?” Kerry chall
enged. “The man is fine.”
“Best you talk to Auntie Leila about what to feed him,” her newly met cousin added. “She has some potions that will set the hook. You can be sure.”
The comment sent her friends into giggles again. Makenna laughed along with them, but she couldn’t help wondering if Auntie Leila’s potions were any more effective than some of the Highland charms she had heard about. Not that she wanted to use them to snare any man. If Tom wasn’t falling for her just for herself, she wasn’t sure she wanted him. On the other hand, as Kerry said, the man was fine.
On the way out, they were still talking and laughing when Makenna noticed a red Maserati pull into the adjoining parking lot. The car was hot enough, but the man who climbed out of it was even hotter and bore a startling resemblance to Tom, if Tom was cleaned up and wearing a business suit instead of board shorts and a T-shirt.
Surely not, she scoffed to herself. She had Tom on her mind. The girls had just been teasing her about him. If she wasn’t careful, she would see his likeness everywhere she went, and that would be a bad sign she was getting in over her head. She couldn’t be certain whether he really looked like Tom in a suit. This man was too far away. The girls pulled her in the opposite direction, so she had no chance to get a better look. But the image stuck with her. Tom had never mentioned a brother or cousin on the island. Frowning, she wondered if the man she’d seen possibly could have been him.
****
Tom told his secretary not to expect him back today and headed out of his office. Jason Talbot, his appraiser, but also a life-long friend who’d helped Tom get started in real estate, had suggested they meet for dinner. Tom appreciated his timing. After spending the past couple of weeks single-mindedly pursuing the fantasy of a future with Makenna, he needed a dose of reality, and Jason was just the man to give it to him.
He met Jason outside Sunsetter’s, a seafood place right on the water in Kona. He’d driven the Maserati today to needle Jason, who coveted it. Tom wasn’t ready to part with it, but he enjoyed watching Jason drool.
“Damn, Tom. One of these days, you’re going to sell that baby to me.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
Once the waitress brought their drinks and took their dinner order, Tom plunged right in. “Where do I stand?”
Jason consulted a file on his phone. “On balance, you’re in good shape,” he began. “Your property values have risen dramatically since the end of the recession. Tourists are back, and they’ve been buying…but not commercial property.”
“I expected that,” Tom replied. “What’s the downside?”
“Based on what you told me, you’re low on working capital. If the kind of beachfront property you’re looking for comes available any time soon, you may need to sell something at a loss to take advantage of it. On the other hand, that mansion you’re living in would fetch a good price. Maybe not as much as you’ll need, but close.”
Tom laughed. “No way. I plan to stay there until I build a house on the beach.”
Jason tipped his glass in salute. “I like a man who’s not afraid of commitment. But you need to think about what you can unload in the near term. Of all your holdings, a commercial property along Ali’i has the best potential for a quick turnover.”
“I’ll think about it.” Tom was comfortable his capital was secure, but Jason had a point. At the moment, he didn’t have a lot of flexibility.
“Okay, then.”
Over their meal, Tom decided to open up. “So, about commitment…”
Jason’s eyebrows lifted. “Yeah?”
“I’ve met someone.”
“No shit?” He set down his fork without taking a bite of the food on it.
Tom shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “It’s too soon to say, but I like her.”
“Damn, Tom. I never thought I’d live to see the day. After Monique…”
“Christ, don’t even mention her name, okay?” He held up a hand. “This is not the same.”
Jason nodded. “Thank God for that. So who is she?”
“She’s new in town. From Scotland.”
“I must be slipping. You’d think I would have noticed a new redhead in Kona.”
“She’s not a redhead.” Tom picked up his glass, but didn’t drink. Instead, he swirled the wine, watching it coat the sides with the color of sunset. “Her mother is Hawaiian. Long dark hair, blue eyes, and an accent. She’s opened a new bakery down by the pier.”
“Sounds promising.”
He quirked an eyebrow and carefully set the wine glass back on the table. “In a building I own.”
“Wait…don’t tell me she doesn’t know you’re her landlord?”
Tom shook his head. “Not yet. I’m going to have to tell her…soon. I’ve been giving her surfing lessons.”
Jason’s eyes widened. “With the keiki you’ve been teaching from Josie’s? You are asking for trouble.”
“No, no kids, just us. As for trouble…yeah, she’s an armful in a shortie, let me tell you.”
“So spill.” He leaned forward and grinned. “Sounds like you’ve got it bad.”
“I’m getting there.” Tom shrugged off the implication and changed the subject. “Speaking of the kids, Josie is looking for more donations for the after-school club site. Her rent’s going up. I think her landlord is trying to drive her out of the building.”
“Why isn’t she in one of yours? You could comp her rent.”
“I know. I tried to talk her into it, but none of mine are in the neighborhood. If she’s not close enough to be available to the kids between school and the time their parents get home, she’s nowhere. Her building’s owner isn’t selling, and I don’t have the capital right now to acquire the land to build a great place…a permanent place…for her and the kids.”
“You don’t owe her that kind of…”
“I know I don’t. It’s something she needs, and I want to do it. Mark was a friend of mine. Josie, too. You know how she struggled after he died. Until she started helping the kids…”
“I get it.” Jason drummed his fingers on the tablecloth, clearly thinking. “I’ll call her and see what she needs. Are you going to comp your baker’s rent?”
Tom shook his head. “I can’t. She doesn’t know. Remember? And when she finds out, she’s going to be so pissed it’ll look like I’m folding to stay in her affections. Pathetic.”
“Too weak, man. I can see that. So what are you going to do?”
“For now? Let it ride and see where things go.”
Jason nodded. “Watch your step, my friend. Ladies don’t like being fucked with any more than guys do.”
That truth deserved a toast. Tom sucked in a mouthful of wine and let it mellow on his tongue, then swallowed. “I’m not fucking with her,” he replied, frowning. “We have a business arrangement—or she does with my leasing division. What she has with me is…personal.”
“Somehow, I doubt she’s going to see it your way when she finds out.” Jason glanced at his watch. “I hate to eat and run, but…”
“I’ll get the check.”
Jason grinned and tossed his napkin on the table, then stood. “Yes, you will. Catch ya later.”
****
By the third lesson, Makenna not only stood on the board, she stayed on it, too. Paddling out past the shore break with Tom alongside was fun as well as good exercise. But she loved sitting astride her board, bobbing in the gentle swells, holding hands and talking. That and her first ride back to shore. Beyond excited, she ran to Tom and flung herself into his arms. He surprised her by picking her up and turning a circle with her, laughing the whole time.
“I told you, you could do it!” he exclaimed.
“Let’s do it again!” She felt like a giddy child, eager for more fun.
Tom grinned and set her on her feet. She ran to her board, pulled it onto the water and hopped on, paddling out for all she was worth. She felt stronger and more sure of herself than ever before in her life.
The only downside to not falling in nearly as much was missing Tom’s strong arms around her in the swells, his big body pressed against hers, warming her. Or resting with him on his board, soaking in his heat and desire. But onshore, well, he didn’t seem to mind holding her there, either. Makenna glanced aside to see him paddling along with her and grinned.
Her growing confidence also translated into Sweetie Pie’s business. She experimented, crossing Scottish favorites with Hawaiian flavors—Celtic/Island fusions that were often odd, but occasionally surprised her by being deliciously good. She considered Auntie’s suggestion to add more savory dishes, perhaps even a lunch menu. But doing so would require adding more staff, a move she wasn’t ready to make. Besides, she needed to have some free time to spend on the water.
After her third successful ride, Tom called a halt. “You have to work tomorrow. You won’t thank me if you’re so tired and sore you can’t move. Let’s get cleaned up and get some dinner instead. I know a great place for seafood.”
“This town is full of great places for seafood, isn’t it?”
Tom grinned and pulled the boards onto the beach.
Makenna hated to leave the beach, but knew he was right. He took her back to Sweetie Pie and promised to meet her in two hours at a restaurant south of town. He’d driven the truck again, and Makenna wondered if her eyes had fooled her into thinking he had been the man in the Maserati. If she was wrong, she’d feel like a nosey parker asking about it, so she hadn’t said anything.
“You’ve never had ono like this,” he promised when they arrived.
“I’ve never had ono,” she replied with a shrug as she got out of his truck. “I’ve barely heard of it, but I assume it’s a fish.”
“Then you’re in for another treat.” His expression turned comically rapturous as he pulled away.
Makenna wasted no time getting home, cleaning up and making herself presentable. A sundress and a light wrap were all she needed. Rather than air-conditioning, evening breezes cooled most buildings in Kona, and she expected tonight’s restaurant would be no different. When they’d passed it on the way to the coffee farm, Tom had pointed it out. South of Kona, it sat high above the coastline and the glimpse she’d gotten revealed the edge of a huge outdoor patio.
