by Angel Payne
It was suddenly very hot in the room.
Lani coughed, jabbing a toe at the floor.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Again. ‘Overstep’ seems to be my new call sign today.”
“It’s okay,” she blurted. “I asked, right?” The words depleted her air. Damn it, she’d remember to breathe again in a second…hopefully.
Aue! Was this what a girl got when she simply wanted to make sure a guy wasn’t starving to death? She’d come here bearing groceries and was leaving with a mind that had been torn open, a soul requiring a hazmat sign from being irradiated so much…and a body that was sinking fast into a quicksand of need, inspired by a man who’d barely touched her.
The best friend of the man she was sleeping with.
Ohhhh, yeah. Hell’s travel agency was giddy and booking her trip this second. One way. No refund.
She needed to get out of here. Now.
Easier said than done. Because doing it meant looking toward Tait once more. His proud stance. His piercing gaze. His set jaw. His decadent lips…now silent and still. Thank the gods.
They had to keep it that way. Feelings had to stay silent now. Safe now. Not just for Kellan’s sake, but for her sake—and, most importantly, for Tait’s sake. She had to keep telling herself that, because the intensity on his face, dizzying her with desire all over again, already made the resolve a bitch to keep.
She finally summoned fortitude to speak. “I…I don’t think I’ll be able to come back here again.”
“I understand.”
She shifted her weight, feeling even more ridiculous. “So…don’t starve, okay?”
Where was the damn door?
A girl had to be careful about letting her attention wander in the same room as a man who’d studied ninja tactics for job training. When she lifted her head again, he stood less than a foot in front of her. And when she opened her mouth to gasp, he invaded it with his own.
He gave her no choice about protesting the kiss—and she didn’t want one. With a whimper, she gave herself to every demanding sweep of his tongue, every crushing mash of his lips. Her ears rang. Her knees buckled. She gripped him for purchase, sighing at the feel of his rippled shoulders beneath her hands.
All too fast, the explosion was over. An anguished cry spilled from her. The same sentiment seemed to grip every breathtaking angle of his face as the sun turned his hair into a dark gold halo.
With silent strength, he stepped away. A bittersweet smile took over his entrancing lips. “I won’t starve. I promise.”
The words, soft and sad, were a relentless echo in her head during the drive home, through the early evening chores, and into dinner preparation. They finally diffused when Kellan came barging in, hot and sweaty from replacing a bunch of rusty pipes in the water pump. He was accompanied by Randy and Roger, the married couple from next door who’d been invaluable in helping her keep Hale Anelas running. As a reward for the guys’ hard work, she made a pizza with hand-rolled dough, topped with fresh mango and tomatoes from the garden, along with caramelized onions and barbecued pineapple. Baked chicken wings and a salad, tossed with more fresh fruit, completed the meal.
As the men relaxed with postmeal beers on the lanai, it was impossible to ignore fresh thoughts of Tait. He would’ve filled out the conversation so perfectly with his sarcasm and smirks.
She beat back her melancholy with a sharp mental stick. Gods! The stubborn shits had done this to themselves! Since when had it become any of her concern? Why the hell did she care about playing peacemaker for two grown, muleheaded men?
Since you realized that every inch of your body craves both of them. Every inch…
She had to get a handle on this nonsense.
A dunk in a bunch of cold water should do the trick.
After changing quickly into her swimsuit and grabbing her towel, she made her way back out to the lanai.
“Grrrr,” Roger teased in greeting. “Hel-lo, Honey Rider. You going my way, Bond girl?”
“You wish.” She giggled as she sidled onto the arm of the chair filled by Kellan. His gaze slid over her in open appreciation.
“I’m beginning to crave a martini and a tuxedo myself,” he drawled, “and I hate that dress-up-like-a-monkey shit.” He trailed an appreciative knuckle down her thigh. “What’s up, hot stuff?”
She gave him a smile and a warm kiss. “I need a swim. Feeling a little tense. Be back soon. Promise.”
The tide was low and the waves were calm, allowing her to concentrate on nothing but the flow of her body as she swam. She left the cares from the shore back on the shore, wishing for a brief escape from the conflict in her body and the increasing divide in her heart, made worse by the events of this afternoon. Made damn near impossible from the moment Tait had kissed her…
It’s done. Gone. In the past. Which is where it will stay.
The resolve powered her steps back onto shore. Even made it possible for her to issue a hard nod to herself in encouragement while she walked to the rock where she’d draped her towel.
But it didn’t prepare her to turn around and be stunned by the man who appeared out of nowhere. Tait was clearly not the only one who’d taken stealth training.
“Gods,” she blurted. “Kellan, I think you scared my toe polish off.”
He dipped his head with a knowing glint in his eyes—another move eerily similar to what Tait would do. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“Really? Sneaking up on your lover to the point she has to book a fresh pedicure tomorrow? That’s a good thing with you Spec Ops boys these days?”
“Can be.” He leveled his gaze with the same steady omniscience. “If we think it’ll get her to talk to us.”
She was glad to already have her towel in hand. Averting her gaze seemed natural instead of purposeful as she began drying herself off—and breathing down her quickened pulse. “Well, here I am, talking to you.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
She slid the towel along her arms. “What are you getting at? How many beers have you—”
“One.” He took the towel, twisted it to form a thick rope, then whipped it over her head in order to trap her by the shoulders. “Come here.” Though his grip was ruthless, his tone was beseeching. “Look at me, Lani.”
Despite his plea, she spluttered with aggravation. “What the—”
“Look at me,” he countered. “You barely ate at dinner, which means something’s eating you. So out with it, woman. Talk. Now.”
Chapter Nine
Kellan was grateful that Randy and Roger had noticed Lani’s strange behavior as soon as he did. Right after she took off, they both confirmed their suspicions to him. They shared that even though the woman could be private at times, she seemed extra burdened by something tonight. Sharing his concern in duplicate, the couple insisted on leaving shortly after she disappeared for the beach, encouraging him to go after her. That was all it took to send him jogging down the bamboo planks.
Now that he’d locked her in his embrace, all their suspicions were substantiated. In every inch of her twisted lips and tensioned neck, he saw the evidence of her anxiety—and wasn’t going to let her get away with it any longer. Not that the woman didn’t clearly have other plans.
“I picked at my dinner, so you think something’s bothering me?” she snapped. “Pupule kela. This is crazy.”
“Nice try.” He let the coiled towel fall to her waist. Yanked on it to haul her against him. “Go ahead and fling all the caca you want, Starshine. It wasn’t just your nonexistent appetite that has us here—where we’re going to stay until you spill.” He gave a taunting sigh. “I could easily stand here for a few more hours. How about you? The air feels good, the stars are bright and incredible—”
He was stopped by the dual fist thumps she gave to his chest. He grunted but didn’t budge. Shit, the woman could pack a punch when she wanted.
“Damn paˋakiki,” she spat.
He grinned. She was pre
tty adorable like this. “Why, thank you.”
“It means stubborn ass.”
“Then thank you very much.”
“Fine.” Just like that, her rebellion dissolved into obvious insecurity. She turned her head in a longing look toward the path back home, which Kell decided to allow. “There…was more to my afternoon than just the bank and the store.”
Though he’d expected the answer, a weight pressed his chest. “I’d figured as much.”
She gaped. “You had?”
“Of course.” Despite his tension, he lifted her chin in order to give her a soft kiss. “You’ve been strung tighter than a greenie about to blast your first cherry in airborne.”
She winced. “Good heavens.” Her horror made him laugh, until he felt the tension still gripping every inch of her body. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I really am. I guess I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, and I didn’t want you to be upset, so—”
“Lani.” He gripped her chin a little tighter. “Out with it already. If I’m pissed, it’s certainly not going to be with you.”
Her lips twisted. “Huh?”
“Just tell me. Where did Benson find you? At the bank? Or was he catching up on his gossip mag scoops at the grocery store? And what kind of crap did he try to pull?” Though he was certain his ire wouldn’t dim even if the asshole had given her a simple wave from his fancy-ass Escalade.
She shook her head. “No, no. Shockingly, Gunter doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
He firmed his stance, though now her discomfort crawled through him too. “Okay.” He did his best to keep his tone encouraging.
“I stopped at Franz’s house.”
A long moment ticked by. She still bit her lip like she’d sold state secrets to terrorists.
“Ummm…okay?” he repeated.
“I was worried.” She gave him a tentative glance. “About Tait.”
He did his best to respect her solemnity, but a chuckle slipped out. “And you thought I’d be upset about that?” Her answering scowl, radiating confusion, grabbed his heart and squeezed. “Starshine,” he whispered, sprawling fingers across her jaw to ensure she kept looking at him, “the depths of your heart blow me away.”
He meant every damn word, an admission that scared him a little. Perhaps more than a little. But tonight, that fear felt…good. Really good. He wanted this fear if it meant having the woman who came with it.
“You’re really not mad?” Though the tension in her frame began to ease, her face still carried a crunch of bewilderment.
“Holy fuck.” He laughed again. “No.” After sliding another kiss across her lips, he went on. “Lani, he’s my best friend. My brother, remember? We may be going through a strange patch right now—a really strange patch—but I love the guy.” He brought up his other hand to caress her nape. “Your compassion for him doesn’t upset me. It moves me.”
She turned to kiss his palm. “You’re pretty incredible, Kellan Rush.”
Her admiration, especially over something so simple, made him feel higher than the moon. Giddy. And bold enough to break out a deep scowl at her, filled with his real vexation. “What does piss me off is the fact that you kept all this from me in the first place. I’m not your teenage brother, sweetheart. I’m a grown man, capable of processing things like one.”
A grin—of sorts—quirked her lips. “And the man wonders why I was worried.”
He dipped a hand to playfully bat her ass. Lani giggled and squirmed against his hold. The action, combined with the fact that she still stood here in nothing but her damp bikini, flared his irritation into a different kind of fire. He lowered his lips to hers once more but took them with harder emphasis. After dragging away, he growled, “I really should spank your ass for that, naughty one.”
Her eyes went wide. The blue-silver depths had picked up brilliant flecks, instantly betraying the woman’s excitement at the idea. One side of her mouth kicked up. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“No?” He spun her around and then locked her back against him, wrapping arms around her shoulders and waist. “I could and I would,” he growled into her ear. “And maybe I still will. It’d be a first for us both, but I guarantee you one thing: Tait’s shown me enough techniques that I’d know just how and where to redden your beautiful ass.”
She let out a little moan that hardened his cock and softened his hold. He slid both hands down to her thighs, caressing them from the inside juncture and out, setting his goal for the sweet swells that she rubbed straight up the shaft beneath his khakis…
Just before she bolted from him at a full run.
Her laughter rocketed through the air in her wake. “Spank me?” she teased over her shoulder. “We’ll see about that—if you catch me.”
He let out an answering growl, finishing it with a laugh. Lani squealed and quickened her sprint into the forest. Between the black ropes of her wet hair, the black lines of her swimsuit, and the shadows cast by the moonlight through the trees, it was natural for him to click into hunter mode, tracking his elusive she-panther through the jungle.
Tracking—but not catching.
After several minutes, the scenario hit him as a plausible, if incredible, possibility. “Damn,” he muttered, pausing in a clearing that was a little over halfway to Franz’s place. He’d been wrong to think he had the advantage here. He navigated terrain like this for the day job, but she’d been doing the same since she could walk.
Just when he considered finding a hiding place and waiting her out, Lani’s laugh rang out, reeling him forward once more. His senses sharpened, zeroing in on her location. He veered right, smiling.
She was getting cocky. And careless.
He answered her giggle with a snarl, playing up its frustrated edge. The tactic worked. Her next laugh shot through the trees, directing him back toward the left. As the sound of her footfall sliced through the trees, he altered his own, adopting the careful tread that his battalion mate, Ethan Archer, affectionately referred to as “snaky steps.” Going silent was infinitely easier without a rifle in his arms and a hundred-pound ruck on his back.
He sneaked through the trees until he spotted her again, fifteen feet away. So close…damn near within pouncing distance. And close enough to hear what she muttered to herself.
“Shit, shit, shit. Where’d he go?”
Her moment of hesitation was his instant of opportunity. He sprinted, catching her unaware. Lani shrieked, laughed, and dodged but made the move too late. He scooped a foot beneath hers, forcing her to topple toward a bed of moss. Before she took a full header, he caught her by the waist, controlling her descent. That was a good thing, since he went down with her. In seconds, they were surrounded by the lush knee-high plants, with the cool, thick grass as a makeshift bed. And goddamnit, what the combination of this woman and any bed did to the shackles of his sexual control. This time, it was even better. She was pinned against him once more, her ass slammed to his crotch, her skin damp and gleaming, and her body shuddering with the force of her breaths.
He leaned in, scraping his teeth along her carotid. She shivered harder, lurching against him. He tightened his hold and let out a low rumble. Their struggle turned him way the hell on—not a confession he’d normally be proud of, except that her throat was right under his mouth, enabling him to feel the needy mewl that vibrated up the silken column.
A question filled his mind. He wondered, with every new beat of blood to his cock, how she’d react to it. “Did I scare you?”
“A little,” she finally rasped. “Y-Yes.”
He dropped his teeth to her shoulder. She writhed and pushed back at him again. He widened his knees and held on harder, digging his fingers into her pliant curves. This push-and-pull between them, an erotic wrestling match, was something he’d never attempted with a woman before, something he’d never even dreamed of trying.
Because he’d never met a woman like her before. Lani, who matched him strength for strength. Lani, who’d a
lmost outrun him in a jungle chase. Lani, his perfect island goddess—now his gorgeous, vigorous captive.
“Are you still scared?”
She swallowed hard before arching her spine, trying to struggle with him again. She was either really alarmed or really aroused. Kell guessed a little of both. “Do…I have something to be scared of, Sergeant Rush?”
He switched up his tactic. Instead of yanking her back against him, he pushed her onto the ground, pinning her there, both his hands over her wrists. “Maybe you do, Miss Kail.”
“Are you…still going to…spank me?”
“Hmmm. Good question,” he drawled. “Though I wonder why you raised it.” After drawing up his knees to make his body hover inches over hers, he slid a hand down to the perfect hills of her backside. “Could it be that you want to be spanked?”
Lani whined softly but didn’t shift position. Kellan studied her a moment longer. Was the sound a legitimate protest or just a whimper of confusion?
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting it, sweetheart,” he murmured. “A lot of women like it, you know. Even crave it. Endorphins are a nice high.”
“Oh, God!” The high little cry verified her standing. She was conflicted. And scared too. Most of all, of herself. During the few times Kell had accompanied Tait to the Bastille club as an observer, he’d seen this more than enough to recognize it. Thinking about one’s kinky side was one thing. Acting on it was another.
Time to drag this she-panther back to territory she knew.
“Perhaps I’ll make you wait for that spanking, little girl.” He skidded his fingers under her bikini bottom, rolling her soft flesh between his fingers before giving her a sensual pinch. Lani squealed against the ground as he repeated the nip on her other buttock. “After all,” he continued, dipping his hand between her cheeks in order to tease the rim of her vagina, “anticipation can be just as excruciating as execution.”
