“Thanks?”
“Seriously. That fiery hair, jewel-like eyes, big red lips? You must know that you’re a smoke-show?”
“Cut it out,” I say, tossing my sunscreen bottle back at him.
He falls to the sand dramatically. “And she has good aim, too. I think I’m in love.”
“I thought you were in love with Old Minty back there,” I tease, hitching my thumb in the direction of the parking lot.
He wiggles his eyebrows. “I can make room for two.”
“There’s never room for two,” I mutter, almost involuntarily. My mind flits to Kane, but Lance misreads my comment.
“Shit, Ashley, I’m sorry. That was insensitive, given what happened with your husband and all.”
“So you know about my situation, too?”
He looks toward the waves. “Paia Town is pretty small.”
“Right,” I clip out.
“If it’s any consolation, he’s a fucking lunatic for messing things up with you.”
I tilt my head. “Actually, it kind of is. Thanks for saying so.” I get to my feet and brush off the sand.
“Are you getting hungry?” He asks. “I’m starving.”
I shrug. “I could eat, but I’ll bet you worked up an appetite.”
His eyes go half-mast and he shoots me a lazy wink. “Some might say that my appetite is unmatched.”
I release a nervous giggle. I know that he’s flirting with me, but I’m not prepared to flirt back, as dumb as that sounds. I follow Lance back to Old Minty and we head for a place called Makawao in the upcountry valley area. As we pull into town, I feel like I’ve been transported to the Wild West, with its cowboy themed storefronts and pastoral vibe. It looks part spaghetti western, part tropical jungle, and it seems even sleepier than Paia.
The interior of the Italian restaurant is nicer than the exterior would suggest, with its open, airy ceiling and snow white tablecloths. We talk nonstop as I stuff myself with Linguine Pescatore and homemade focaccia bread. I’m feeling lightheaded from two martinis but soothed by the laughter shared between us. I manage to save just enough room to share a tiramisu with Lance. He pays the bill, despite my protests, slipping his warm hand into mine on our way back to the van. It doesn’t feel wrong per se, but it doesn’t feel right either. Nonetheless, it’s been a great night so I simply leave my hand in his.
He’s all yawns on the drive home, so I’m surprised when he suggests Salty’s. I’d rather go home and fall into bed with a full tummy, but Lance has been sweet so I reluctantly agree. The bar is busy for a Wednesday night. At this rate, I figure I’ll be deemed a regular in no time. All of the bar-top seats are taken, so we head for the outdoor sofa by the fire table. Lance sits close enough that our knees touch, slinging his arm over the couch until his fingers graze my shoulder.
“Why are there servers here?” I say, noticing two young women taking orders.
“Kane adds a few staff on busy weekdays and sometimes on Saturdays, to keep up with the tourists. There’s often someone else here, unless they call in hung over.”
I try to make eye contact with one of the servers, but they’re obviously slammed. I stifle a groan when I see Kane heading our way, coming to a stop before us.
“Shouldn’t you be at the bar?” I ask.
“It’s busy, so I’m helping out. What do you want?”
Lance drops his hand from the seat back, closing his fingers around my shoulder.
“White wine for Ashley, the Maui Brew Lager for me.”
It’s weird that he’s ordering for me, but white wine sounds fine and I’m not one to argue. However, I do tense when Lance’s hand starts tracing little circles on my shoulder. Kane’s eyes lock onto the movement for an instant before he turns back towards the bar.
“Might be awhile with this crowd,” Kane calls back over his shoulder while stalking off. This man seems to do a lot of stalking around, like an angry six-foot-five tall bear.
I listen to Lance tell stories from home until our wine arrives, delivered by a younger server. Lance is funny and charming, and I laugh at all the right moments, but my head just isn’t into it. I’m tired, full, and I want my bed—I tilt back my glass and down the rest before asking to leave. Lance doesn’t hide his disappointment, but he plays the gentleman role and eventually agrees. He says almost nothing on the ride home to my cottage, and I notice his contemplative face in the moonlight as he delivers me to the front door. There he bends his head down and I realize a second too late that he’s going to kiss me. His lips brush mine and the kiss is soft and feathery, but there’s no fire in it. After a few seconds, he pulls away and sighs.
“You like him, don’t you?”
My voice cracks. “Who?”
He gives me a look. “Kane.”
“If you think that, why did you ask me out?”
“I guess I wanted to test the waters. Ashley, you’re beautiful, smart, funny, and down-to-earth. That’s a hard combination to find these days; a guy would be insane not to try.”
“Well now I feel like a jerk,” I say, letting my shoulders slump forward.
“Don’t.” He chuckles. “I knew what I was getting myself into, even if you didn’t.”
“And now that I know?”
“I guess I’ll just have to find a dark place and slink off to lick my wounds.”
“No!” I shout, grabbing his forearm.
“Relax, Ashley, I’m kidding,” he says, laughing. “Friends?”
“Friends,” I say, exhaling in relief.
He pulls me into a firm hug and whispers in my ear. “And if you ever change your mind…”
I pull back and swat him on the chest. “Masochist.”
“You have no idea.” His eyes glitter with mischief, making me laugh out loud.
“Goodnight then, friend.” I kiss him on the cheek and he grasps his chest comically, but not before a flicker of pain flashes across his face. I’ve hurt him and feel terrible about it. “Drive safe,” I mumble, before he gives me a wave and jogs back to Old Minty.
Once I’m inside the safety of my suite, I brush my teeth, wash my face, shed my clothing, and fall into bed naked. With tonight’s revelations on my mind, I toss and turn for what feels like hours. It’s too humid inside and the ceiling fan does next to nothing. I decide that I need some air. Remembering the outdoor shower, I grab a towel and head onto the lanai for a cold wash.
The moon is high and bright in the sky, but I plug in the outdoor string lights for extra illumination. I turn the shower to tepid warm and feel my muscles relax the moment I step under the spray. The fresh air smells sweet and tropical. I can hear crickets chirping and the sound of waves crashing and echoing off the shore. I realize halfway through my shower that I forgot to bring out soap, but I don’t even care. I just close my eyes and tip my head backwards, letting the coldish water run down my face and breasts, dripping between my legs. A rustling sound startles me from behind, and I turn to see all six-foot-five inches of pissed off Kane Keo standing beside me in the bamboo stall.
Chapter 13
“Kane!” I scream, trying to cover my breasts with my arms and pressing my legs together in the process. He’s breathing heavily, as if he ran a marathon to get here, with eyes dark and wild.
“He touched you.” He growls and steps closer until he’s under the spray. The water beats down our fronts and soaks through his t-shirt, sculpting the fabric against his muscled chest. “You let him touch you,” he repeats, his tone even more accusing, and I can only assume that he means Lance.
“Hello? I’m naked here, Kane!” I shout. “Can’t you see that?”
“Oh, I see you, Ashley. I always see you.” He takes another step forward and backs me into the wall. The water wets his hair, dripping into his eyes and down his face, but he doesn’t seem to mind. His jaw is firmly set and his gaze locked with mine. When he speaks, his voice is dangerously low.
“Did he kiss you?”
“We were on a date, Kane. Wha
t do you expect?”
“Do not say that word.”
“What word? Date?” I don’t know why I’m taunting someone who’s clearly riled up, except that I don’t appreciate him caging me in with those enormous arms. He leans his weight into the wall and I watch his triceps flex and pop.
“I’ll ask again, Ashley, and I expect an answer this time. Did-he-kiss-you?” His breath is erratic and he pants out each word like punctuation, searching my face for answers. I can’t lie to him, but I won’t give him the necessary context either, not when he’s mere inches from my naked body and my traitorous nipples are standing at attention.
“Yes.” I let out a shaky breath and watch a look of pure determination cross his face.
“No. Fuck no!” He roars, right before pressing his lips into mine. The kiss isn’t sweet or gentle—it’s rough and needy and raw. He nips at my bottom lip, and when my mouth opens from the shock, his tongue plunges in to tangle with mine.
The sensation shoots right through my core and then even further down south. My legs are shaking and already a slickness builds between my thighs. My pebbled nipples rub against his wet shirt, and I let out a moan so loud that I nearly come right there. The sound of my moans seems to set him off; his breathing becomes frantic and he thrusts his hard self against my center, grabbing my ass with both hands and hauling me up against the wall.
“I’ve wanted to be between your legs since the moment I saw you.” His panting lips move to devour my neck. “But I can’t promise you anything more than that.”
“Uh-huh,” I mumble, rocking my hips against his wet shorts. At this point, I seriously don’t care what he promises me, as long as he gives me relief—I want this—I want him so badly.
“Do you want me inside of you, Ashley?” His voice is low, and it takes all my strength not to melt into a boneless heap before him.
“More than anything. Please fuck me, Kane,” I whisper, and he answers with a chest-rumbling groan.
“Bed. Now.” He reaches behind me and turns off the shower, carrying me back inside with hands still cupping my ass. He pushes the sliding door closed with his bare feet, carrying me to bed as if I weigh nothing. I expect him to throw me down caveman style, but he surprises me by laying me gently against the pillows.
The bedside lamp is on, casting the room in a dim, orange glow, but it’s enough to see him slowly shed his clothing. His wet t-shirt comes off first, revealing that wide and gorgeous chest of his, followed by his soaked cargo shorts. They drop to the floor with a slap. He isn’t wearing any underwear and his hard thick length is on full display. He strokes it up and down with one of his large hands.
“Oh my,” I say, because I don’t know what else to say. He’s huge—I try my best to control my reaction, but he sees my eyes widen and smirks.
“Change your mind yet?”
I bite my bottom lip between my teeth, my eyes traveling from his waist to his eyes. “Definitely not.”
He approaches the bed at a leisurely pace, but I can read the desire burning in his eyes. His black hair is damp and mussed up, falling just past his chin. His trimmed beard glistens with cool beads of water from the outdoor shower. I watch one droplet fall from his chin onto the bed. All I can think about is how much I want to feel that rough beard between my legs. As if he can read my mind, he falls onto his knees and grasps at each of my ankles, pulling me to the edge of the bed. The air is so humid that I’m already slick with a combination of sweat and desire. The need between my legs pulses and throbs. He starts a trail along my inner thighs, the stiff coarse hair of his beard tickling almost to the point of pain. I feel his hot breath on my cool center, followed by a rush of cold hair as he blows between my legs.
“I’ve wondered if you were red down here as well.”
“Keep wondering then,” I breathe out, and he releases a husky laugh.
“Hey, I’m not complaining. I like bare too.”
“Maybe I’ll let you in on the secret one day—ohmygod…” I moan as his mouth dips below my waist. He doesn’t do what most men seem to do down there—those gentle little circles that feel almost for show—no, he plunges right inside, swirling his tongue in the most delicious way possible and gripping the back of my thighs like I belong to him.
“I can’t even describe how good you taste. You’re like nectar,” he says, pulling back for only a second, forever attentive to the building wetness between my thighs. The tip of his tongue finds my clit and he sucks hard, making my hips buck up off the bed.
“Kane!” I scream, not even caring how loud I’m being. Usually I’m embarrassed about making noises and do my best to hold back, but with his expert tongue that’s simply not possible. Besides, who’s going to hear me?
“Kane,” I repeat, my voice shaking. “I can’t.” I know I must sound crazy, totally incoherent, but the sensation is simply too much for me. Never before have I found such release from oral.
“I’m not stopping until you come.” From the tone of his voice, I have no doubt that he means what he says. At his nudging, I spread my legs a little wider and let him take charge.
The first wave of orgasm hits me so intensely that it’s almost painful. I scream his name out as the second one crests over my body. I’m still riding the wave when it occurs to me that I’ve never had an orgasm like this in my entire life. Before I can catch my breath, he’s climbing onto the bed and inching my head onto the soft pillows. He slides a hand between my legs before inserting one finger and then another inside me.
“You’re so wet for me,” he growls, gently circling his fingers around my flesh. Feeling sensitive, I instinctively try to squirm away, but he places his free arm around my waist and holds me in place.
“Stay still,” he breathes. “I know there’s another one in you.”
It takes me a second to realize that he means another orgasm. Does he seriously think I’m going to have another orgasm? I barely orgasm on the regular, let alone have two back-to-back, so he’s crazy if he thinks it’s happening again.
“Kane, I’m not… I’ve never…” I try to find the words, but he silences me with a long, burning kiss.
“You’ve never been with me before, Lani.” He watches me with his deep hazel eyes, taking his time as his fingers work their magic. He inserts a third finger inside me and my eyes roll back into my head. “You are so beautiful when you come.” He dips his head down to nibble on my neck, favoring one spot where he’ll surely leave a mark, but I just don’t care.
“So beautiful. There’s no guard up, it’s just you.” With his three fingers working in tandem, the sensitivity vanishes and I feel vibrations building low down in my belly. “Your body is mine now.”
He growls again, increasing the pressure of his fingers, and I pant out a response.
“What about the rest of me?”
“I’m not good with the rest.”
I run my hand along his hard chest, grazing the trail of coarse hair leading down to his hot, thick length. He’s glistening with precum as I take him in my hand, but he hisses through his teeth, grabbing my wrist to remove my fingers.
“Not until you say it.”
“Say what?” I moan, feeling the pressure build within me.
“Tell me. Tell me that this body is mine.”
“Until when?” I gasp out, his thumb finding my clit and teasing me. It’s more of a slow burn this time, but I’m close.
“Until I fucking say so.”
He kisses me hard. I moan as my hands wrap around his hard large length all buried between my legs. I know I can’t hold out any longer.
My voice rattles. “This body is yours.”
“Good girl.” He kisses my neck and rewards me by pressing his thumb down on my clit, hard.
This time I don’t scream; this time no sound comes out. My eyes squeeze shut, and it’s a long orgasm this time, not a wave, but a slow vibration that makes me want to cry. I go limp in his arms. He pushes my wet hair back and kisses my forehead, leaning back a
nd bracing his knees on either side of my body. He strokes his massive length up and down.
“Are you ready for me?” He asks, giving me a lazy smile.
“Yes.” I can tell he likes my answer from the way his pupils dilate.
“Then stay right there.” He gets off the bed and retrieves his shorts from the floor, removing a condom from the pocket. He rolls it on before I can even ask what he’s doing, and then he’s back on top of me, bracing his weight on his arms.
“You drive me crazy, like no one ever before. The minute I saw your face at the bar, I knew I couldn’t stay away.” He shifts his weight into me, his calloused hands coming up to massage my breasts. “When you flashed these luscious tits of yours at the beach, you almost killed me, woman. They were meant for me—and only me—to see. And on the black sand beach? I could’ve taken you right there. I would have, too, if I didn’t think it would land me in jail.”
“But you pulled away. You wouldn’t kiss me,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “I knew if I kissed you, even once, it wouldn’t be enough. I wouldn’t stop. Look at you—your skin, your creamy perfect skin. It drives me wild when you don’t protect yourself and cover up. You’re far too perfect to be ruined, especially by me.”
“But you’ll ruin me anyway?” I ask, half afraid of his response, because I don’t want him to stop. He answers by positioning himself between my legs and easing into me slowly.
“I don’t know if I’ll survive you, Lani,” he whispers through gritted teeth, before thrusting deep inside me. We both groan this time, our voices mingling together as one. The size of him stretches me to the limit. It takes me a second to adjust but then it feels too damn good to care.
“You ok?” He whispers against the shell of my ear, and I shake my head yes, unable to find the words.
“Good,” he says, right before pulling back and slamming into me hard. He fucks me roughly, seeming both needy and intense. I start to feel the slow tingle of another orgasm building, but I doubt it’s humanly possible to have three in a row. His lips find my nipple and he tugs gently before swirling his tongue around each peak with equal attention. He slams into me again and I cry out his name.
Aloha in Love Page 10
