Page 34 of Fast Fury

Abby couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she hurried back to her room, changed into a sundress and packed an overnight bag. She threw in sleep shorts and a tank top, but if things went well, she wouldn’t be wearing them long. If at all.

Refusing to let herself overthink it, she headed to the lobby, her heart stuttering when she saw Kai there waiting for her. He pushed his shades up onto the top of his head and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in the curve of her neck, his lips brushing against her skin. “Missed you.”

Please, it’s only been fifteen hours since you last saw me.

She bit the flippant response back before it could burst out, and melted a little. This was Kai. It wasn’t fair to verbally push him away just because she was afraid of getting hurt. She didn’t have to keep her guard up with him. Didn’t have to use that edge she’d created in the wake of her relationship with Roger to protect herself and keep him at a distance. If they were going to take a shot at this, she had to give him her authentic self.

“Missed you too,” she murmured, meaning it.

He kissed her cheek, her jaw, his lips lingering at the edge of her mouth for a moment before claiming it in a slow, tender caress. Her heart was beating faster when he eased away and caught her hand in his. “You look gorgeous,” he said, his voice a deep rumble as his gaze slid over the length of her body and back up.

Heat built inside her, making her skin extra sensitive. “Thank you. You do too.” But he always did.

Grinning, he raised her hand to his mouth, kissed it, and started for the entrance, the promise of what was coming hanging in the air between them. “You’re gonna love this, I promise.”

She knew she would. It was what would happen afterward that worried her. She refused to let that spoil everything else, though. For once she was going to live in the moment and take a risk.

They arrived at Kai’s friend’s house at a little before three. A cute, Hawaiian-style bungalow sat in the middle of the property, surrounded by a lush green lawn, some overgrown plants and tall palms behind the house. The moment he parked and shut off the engine, the crash of the waves reached her. When she got out, the briny scent of it filled her nose, mixing with the perfume of tropical plants.

He took her hand, gave her an intimate smile that had her toes curling in her flip-flops. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

She followed him around back, where five guys were all standing around a large stone-ringed pit. All friends from his childhood. He introduced her to them, kept his hand on her waist the entire time she shook hands. They all gave her curious looks but were friendly enough as they greeted her.

“And, as promised,” Kai told her, pointing at the pit, “Kalua pork for dinner, baked in a traditionalimu. Another Maui bucket list item, I believe.”

“Oh, wow, you guys have a whole pig roasting in there?” She took a step closer. The pig was placed over a fire in the pit lined with hot rocks and banana leaves. They covered it with wet burlap, more banana leaves, more hot rocks, then sand and dirt and cooked it until it shredded apart. Just digging and prepping the pit was a ton of work.

“Well, most of one,” one of his friends answered. “You like to cook?”

“I love to cook. But I’ve never done anything like this.” She gestured to theimudug into the ground. “Wish I’d been there to watch you prep it.”

Kai wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I would’ve brought you here to see it, but we had to get it cooking by seven this morning.”

Abby gazed up at him. “You did this for me, didn’t you?” Because she was pretty sure that going through the laborious process of making kalua pork wasn’t something he and his friends normally did on an average Thursday.

“Maybe,” he murmured. “Some women like flowers or gifts. You love food, and I do too. So I’m gonna keep giving you what you love.” He searched her eyes for a moment before pressing a tender kiss to her forehead that made her chest ache.

Oh, man, he was claiming little pieces of her heart with every one of these gestures, and she had no hope of ever getting them back again. More than that, she didn’twantto. “You get me,” she whispered, her throat a little tight. No one had ever understood her like that. Or cared to find out what truly made her happy.

Kai kissed her temple then laced his long fingers through hers and squeezed. “Let me show you our campsite.”

Abby walked with him down the lawn and over the line of brush and tree debris that scattered across the edge of the sand. Before her, the ocean spread out in a sparkling expanse, at least a dozen different shades of turquoise glowing in the sunlight, with gentle waves lapping against the shore. “Oh, it’s so beautiful.”

“It belonged to his grandparents. They passed it down to him in their will. And there’s our room for the night,” he said, pointing to the left. She followed his arm to the tent already pitched and waiting on the sand beneath the shade of a giant banyan tree whose canopy arched over the beach. They’d be able to hear the sound of the waves all night, and still have total privacy.

Excitement stirred in her belly. “It’s perfect.”

His smile warmed her from the inside out. “You up for some snorkeling?”

She wasn’t in a rush to put on her suit. “Shouldn’t we stay and help get the rest of the dinner ready?”

“Nah, the boys’ve got it covered. I already did the grunt work.” He tugged on her hand, coaxing. “Come on. Let’s get you into your bikini.”

More and more nervous with each step, she went with him to the tent, then slipped inside to change while he waited outside and got the snorkeling stuff ready. She pulled on the bright teal bottoms with the ruffled little skirt that hid the most hated part of her body, then struggled with the ties on the top, dreading and looking forward to this at the same time.

Wishing she had a mirror to check everything, she mentally berated herself, but still felt a hundred times better once she had her cover up on. Floppy-brimmed sunhat in place, she paused at the tent flap, took a deep breath to gather her courage, and pulled up on the zipper.

Kai was right there at the entrance waiting for her—in nothing but a pair of swim trunks. Abby forgot to breathe as she stared at him, her fingers still grasping the zipper tab. She’d imagined what he’d look like without a shirt for so long, but this…this was beyond the realm of anything she’d fantasized about. He was all hard, cut muscle, those gorgeous, thick black tribal tattoos swirling over his sculpted left pec, shoulder, and down his upper arm in intricate patterns.

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