Her Hawaiian Homecoming (Mills & Boon Superromance)

by Cara Lockwood

  “Stealing from your grandmother?”

  “Right—that.” Allie’s face turned a deep shade of pink. “I’m sorry. After what you’ve done for her and Kai and Jesse...”

  Dallas rubbed his neck, feeling uncomfortable. “They told you about that, did they?”

  “Jesse won’t let anybody insult you in her presence,” Allie said. “She defends you like her brother.”

  “They are good people. All they needed was seed money. They’ve worked hard to make that coffee shop a success. Twelve-hour days nearly every day.”

  “Still, a lot of people wouldn’t have been so generous.” Allie’s eyes warmed to him, and he felt something shift there. He felt suddenly on the spot.

  “It was no big deal. When my dad died, he left me some family land. I had no intention of taking up the family business of ranching. It was a hard living and almost impossible to do with the big cattle companies around. Besides, I never felt as though that was home. I sold it and left and came here.” Dallas frowned as he looked at his hands. “I never really felt like it was my money anyway.”

  “Why not?” Allie leaned forward, curiosity in her voice.

  “I had a stepbrother,” Dallas said. “He was my father’s wife’s son, but he lived with us. My mom passed when I was little, and Dad remarried when I was about ten. She already had Cal from a previous marriage. Cal grew to be like a son to my father, but there was always the issue of him not being blood. My father, he was traditional, and even though Cal was a hundred times the rancher I was, my dad didn’t leave him any of the ranch.”

  “What did Cal do?”

  “He was upset. I tried to split it with him, but he was too angry. Too hurt. He wouldn’t have any of it. He took off without another word. I waited a little while, but then I sold the place and moved here.”

  Allie covered Dallas’s hand with hers. “It’s not your fault. Your father made that choice.”

  Dallas shrugged. “But I had to live with it.”

  “You’re a good man.” The way she looked at him made Dallas wonder if she was flirting. She parted her lips, showing her straight white teeth and a mouth he suddenly wanted to taste. Get it together, he told himself sternly. No time to get distracted by a pair of pretty eyes.

  She offered her empty glass up for another refill.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked. “Your head feel okay?”

  “Just one more.”

  Dallas poured her a small shot and one for himself.

  “As long as we’re playing truth or dare, why didn’t you come to Misu’s funeral? I know it bothered you that you didn’t. I could tell that day...I said something.”

  Allie, cup at her lips, nearly spit out her tequila as she spun out in a coughing fit.

  “I’m sorry. People tell me all the time I’m too direct. It’s a character flaw.” Dallas gave her a hard pat on the back when the coughing kept going. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Allie wheezed and wiped her watery eyes. “I tried to come to Grandma Misu’s funeral. I should’ve been there.”

  Dallas waited for more, watching her closely.

  “I wanted to come. I tried to come...I...” Allie rubbed her eyes furiously and frowned.

  “Hey, it’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything before.”

  “No, you were right. I should’ve been there.” Allie stared morosely downward, not meeting Dallas’s gaze.

  “So why weren’t you?”

  “The day she died, I found out my fiancé had been cheating. I thought he was the love of my life, and it turns out it was all a lie. I spent a month in bed. I lost my job. Everything. I...I was just in no shape to think about anything else. But that was selfish of me. I should’ve gotten it together for Grandma Misu. I realize that now.” Tears glistened in Allie’s eyes, threatening to spill. “If I was in any shape to fly... I mean, I would have. And then there was... I mean, well... It was just too hard.”

  Dallas suspected Allie wasn’t telling hin everything, but he wasn’t going to push for more details. He recognized the clear shape of heartbreak in her newly scabbed scars. He carried some of his own.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know about the...fiancé.”

  “Not something I want to broadcast.” Allie shrugged. “Come pity the girl who was dumped by a secret sex freak!”

  “Sex freak?” Dallas arched a curious eyebrow.

  Allie covered her mouth and laughed. “I’ve said too much.”

  The corner of Dallas’s mouth quirked up in a teasing smile. “You’ve got to tell me now. You can’t just let that tidbit hang there. What was he into? Wearing diapers?”

  “Diapers!” Allie shrieked, laughter bubbling up her throat as she grabbed her bare knees in surprise. “Who does that...?”

  “They had a whole reality show about it, or so I heard.” Dallas grinned, enjoying her shock. “So?” He nudged her with his elbow. “Fess up. It can’t be as bad as diapers.”

  Allie let out a long sigh. “I caught Jason—my ex—cheating. Well, his mistress sent him a love letter. And a whip. And a dog collar.”

  Dallas was shocked into silence as a million images rolled through his mind, none of them good. He couldn’t help it then; he burst out laughing. It was the last thing he expected her to say.

  Allie laughed, too.

  “That is a sex freak,” Dallas agreed. He grew serious, as the ramifications of someone into S and M dawned on him. Anger bubbled up in him as he thought of Allie’s fiancé and what he might have done to her. “He didn’t hit...you, did he?”

  “Me? No! God, no.” Allie put her hand across her chest as if the thought made her want to choke. “I don’t like that. I don’t think sex should be painful.” Allie grew thoughtful a moment. “But maybe that just makes me boring.”

  “Maybe it just makes you normal.” Dallas hit the table with the palm of his hand for emphasis. Clearly, her ex had done a number on Allie’s head, and a flare of protectiveness made him want to go find Jason and have a sternly worded conversation, featuring his right fist. “I’m glad you didn’t marry that prick. He doesn’t deserve you. He had a wonderful girl right there, ready to marry him, and he goes and blows it. He’s a fool for letting you go.”

  “Aw, that’s nice of you to say.”

  “It’s not nice, it’s just the truth. Easy to give compliments when you just tell the truth.” Dallas put his hand gently on Allie’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  Allie paused, her warm brown eyes studying him for a moment, as a loaded silence fell between them. The warm buzz from the tequila seeped into his brain, and he suddenly felt the urge to pull Allie into his arms and get right back to that moment that was interrupted on the beach. He eyed her bare knee and the thigh above, itching to touch her soft skin.

  Kai said she was off-limits, a warning thought popped in his head. You promised him.

  The thought of Kai made him want to reel himself in. He’d been more than clear about him not getting involved with Allie.

  “Teri warned me to stay away from you,” Allie said abruptly, as if she read his mind somehow.

  “Teri? What does Teri say?” And did Kai mention me, too? he wondered, but didn’t ask.

  Dallas snapped back to attention as he tried not to be distracted once again by Allie’s pretty heart-shaped face, where her dark brown eyes studied him intently. There was no safe place to look: her eyes pulled him in, her slim thighs taunted him and her full, pouty bottom lip begged to be kissed.

  “She and Minnie said you were a notorious heartbreaker on the island. Is that true?”

  Dallas shrugged, running an uncomfortable hand through his thick blond hair. “My reputation is greatly exaggerated.”

  “Is that so? Is rescuing girls from near-death experiences your seduction technique?”

  Dallas shook his head sternly. “No, it’s not.”

  “Uh-huh.” Allie’s eyes sparkled. She might be flirting with him. How was he going
to resist her if she came on to him? It was one thing not to make the first move, but if she did... Kai still wouldn’t understand, he thought.

  “I bet that’s not all Teri told you.” Dallas was pretty sure Teri didn’t stop at him being a womanizer. She’d been Jennifer’s friend for longer than his. If anyone was going to take Jennifer’s side, it was her.

  Allie shifted in her seat, obviously not wanting to reveal what she knew.

  “Go on,” Dallas said. “We may call it the Big Island, but it’s anything but. I’ve heard the worst things people have said about me. You don’t have to spare my feelings.”

  “She said you cheated on your fiancée.”

  “Uh-huh. And...anything else?”

  “That I should stay away from you. That you can’t survive without a new woman’s attention every ten minutes.” Allie physically flinched, bracing herself for fallout, but Dallas just laughed out loud.

  “That’s Teri. Calling ’em like she sees ’em. Well, neither one of those things is true.”

  Allie blinked fast. “Why did she say them, then?”

  “She’s friends with my ex, Jennifer, whom you met. And Jennifer can be very persuasive.” Dallas finished the last dregs of his tequila. He felt a buzz in his brain, and the sudden urge to tell Allie everything, to confess all the terrible things she’d done, the irony of the fact that she had let everyone on the island believe he was the one who cheated and lied when she’d been the one who’d betrayed him in the worst possible way. He wished cheating had even been the worst of it.

  He wanted to tell Allie, but once again he hesitated. For Kayla’s sake.

  “Why would Jennifer lie?”

  “Jennifer had her reasons,” Dallas said. “She always does.”

  Allie gazed at him, steady and true. She looked as if she wanted to ask more, but restrained herself. Thank God she did. If she’d even pressed a little, he would’ve unburdened himself completely and told her everything. Instead, she just reached out and squeezed his hand. The comforting touch sent sparks straight up his arm. The tequila was in full force, as he felt the warmth of alcohol spread across his body.

  Dallas said nothing, just moved in closer. Allie froze, sensing the change in mood. She waited, lips slightly parted. He was struck suddenly by how perfect she seemed right then, face smooth and unlined, her jet-black hair thick and silky down her shoulder. The magnetic pull he felt between them couldn’t just be one-sided. He refused to believe that.

  “You’re really beautiful,” he said before he could stop himself. He knew it sounded like some cheesy pickup line, but the fact was it was the truth. Right then, at that moment, she was the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. He’d been half-smitten that day she’d stepped out of her rental car. But now, after saving her in the surf, he felt responsible. He cared what happened to her, not just today, but tomorrow, and a long time after that.

  “Come on.” Allie wiggled on her stool, made uncomfortable by the attention. “You don’t have to feed me lines just because we’re stuck here.”

  “What lines?” Dallas stood and moved around the table so he was standing right in front of her. Allie craned her neck up to meet his eyes. “I told you, I only tell the truth.”

  He moved in closer, and she tilted her chin up to meet his. She didn’t inch away but sat very still. Something in her face told him that if he made a move, she wouldn’t reject him. The tequila had long since dulled any of the warning bells about Kai being mad. His lips brushed hers ever so gently. She didn’t push him away or cry out. Instead, she wrapped her hand around the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer. She spread her knees, and instantly he was between them, her arms around his neck, nothing separating them but thin fabric. She tasted like tequila and something even more delicious, and though he tried, he couldn’t get enough of her mouth. Her tongue met his in a little dance, and he felt as if, despite all the many women he’d kissed before in his life, she might as well have been the only one who mattered.

  He lost all ability to think as she worked her hands down his back, clutching on to him as if she might fall. The rush of desire that came flooding through his senses took him by surprise. He wasn’t used to wanting a woman this badly. Allie moved her hands up to the back of Dallas’s neck, tangling them in his thick, dirty-blond hair. He kissed her hungrily, and she groaned into his mouth, running her fingers along his chest, and his body responded in a visceral way. She ran her hands under his shirt, caressing his bare chest, making him run hot with desire. His own hands took on a will of their own. Instinctively, his palm cupped her breast and he felt her nipple rise to attention beneath the soft swimsuit top. She moaned and arched her back, eager for more.

  And then the radio interrupted everything with a loud burst of alarm.

  Both of them jumped in surprise, the seal of their kiss suddenly broken. Allie pulled away, her breath ragged. “What was that?” She glared at the radio.

  “Emergency broadcast system,” Dallas said, turning to the radio and reaching for the volume. Allie stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

  “Wait. Let’s listen.”

  “Kailua Pier has been inundated with debris, and the Kona Village resort among several others, have been all but leveled. Several homes along Kealakekua Bay have been all but washed away. Sewer spills have been reported, as have power outages across the island. At least 107 people are still missing at this hour, and experts say we may still experience aftershocks from the 5.1 scale earthquake experienced earlier today. Residents are advised to stay at higher elevations until at least tomorrow, and maybe longer, for their own safety.”

  “Tomorrow?” Allie echoed. “So...we’re going to have to stay here overnight?” Clearly, it hadn’t even occurred to her until that moment that she might have to share a bed with him.

  She glanced up at the only bed in the place: a queen-size frame sitting on the loft above their heads. There wasn’t even a couch for someone else to sleep on, and no room on the floor, either. It was a tiny little tree house, designed for bare living. It only just occurred to him that with the tequila, and her gorgeous body in such close quarters, it would be a miracle if they didn’t end up naked. The thought actually calmed him a little. There’d be hell to pay tomorrow, and Kai might never speak to him again, but tonight, at least, they’d both have some fun. Wasn’t that the lesson he’d learned from Jennifer? Take the fun while you can before life kicks you in the teeth and steals everything you hold dear?

  Or you could be the gentleman your mama raised and sleep in the pickup truck. His conscience, the killjoy. At that moment, he knew he’d have to do the right thing. If he got involved with Allie, he’d have to be willing to go the distance. He couldn’t just treat her like a tourist. Kai wouldn’t let him, and he knew it. If he slept with her, it would be more than just a one-night stand.

  “There’s only one bed,” Allie said, stating the obvious. Just then, he noticed Allie’s complexion had turned a bit ashen.

  “Are you all right?” he asked her.

  “I need some air,” she said tightly, grabbed her smartphone and then bolted.

  CHAPTER TEN

  OUTSIDE THE SMALL CABIN, Allie crossed her arms across her chest, trying to get her breathing under control as she walked out, past the pickup and down the small dirt path leading to the road. What was wrong with her? Her body hummed with desire, a white-hot intensity that she hadn’t felt since Jason, a power so strong it almost scared her. She touched her lips, almost feeling the residue of his overwhelming kiss. She’d been seconds away from ripping off his shirt, from tugging at the front of his swim trunks. And then all she’d felt was searing panic at the thought of falling into bed with Dallas McCormick.

  The man who brought tourists to his house every weekend? She thought of the girl wearing the rumpled-looking dress and stilettos sitting in his kitchen that one morning drinking coffee. Did she want to become like her? One more number for him?

  She had vowed not to let anyone close enough to hu
rt her again. But the fact was, she’d needed Dallas today. If he hadn’t been there, she would’ve died. Her hands shook as she realized the truth of what scared her the most: she couldn’t do it alone.

  It had never occurred to her she could be so vulnerable, that she’d need someone’s help so badly. That she might not have a choice. She’d always clung to the idea that she could go it alone, that she didn’t need anyone, not even Jason. That anytime anyone disappointed her, she had an escape plan: go solo. But what if she couldn’t?

  She hugged herself tightly as she walked down the trail, flush on either side with thick green foliage. Even here, tropical flowers sprouted, vibrant pinks and yellows. Brightly colored birds darted through the canopy of trees above her head. Shaded from the hot sun, the air felt humid but cool.

  The tequila still hummed in her veins, a nice, tingling buzz. She resisted giving in to it, trying to keep her thoughts orderly, sober. Could she admit to herself that she needed someone in her life? And, more than that, could she even consider that person might be Dallas McCormick?

  He drove her insane. Yet he’d been there when she’d needed him most. It was more than she could say for any other man in her life. But was that enough?

  Maybe it could just be a little fun. A little sex.

  Yet she knew herself better than that. She couldn’t just have a little fun. A little fun always ended up with her getting in way over her head. She was always reluctant to trust people, but once she did, it was hard for her not to trust them completely and absolutely.

  Like Jason.

  She glanced at the phone in her hand and saw she had very little battery left and hardly any signal bars. Distantly, she heard another wail from the tsunami siren. She wondered again about Kai, hoping he’d made it to the high school. She thought about all the people there, waiting on loved ones, worried about their homes and businesses. No more moping, she told herself. No more pity party.

  She reached the paved road, and thought, I could just leave. If she didn’t want to be with Dallas, she could just walk down the highway, head to the estate and take her chances. Maybe the floodwaters hadn’t reached that high. Allie considered it.