Page 60 of Try Easy

“Do you really believe that?” Lou asked in a shaky voice. “Do you think you’re that powerful? That you control who lives and dies?” she asked.

He shook his head. His throat was clogged with tears, and he couldn’t answer.

“It wasn’t you who killed Eddie,” she said. “It’s damned egotistical of you to think so.”

Keoni went as still as a statue, shocked by her words. He’d never thought of it like that before.

“You have to let go of your pain,” she said, touching his chest right above his heart. “It’s the only way you can heal.”

Keoni flinched, his muscles going stiff under her soft touch. What if he didn’t want to heal? What if he liked his pain and guilt?

Lou poked Keoni in the chest. “You want to be miserable your whole life, blaming yourself for something you couldn’t help?”

Keoni watched the tears spill down Lou’s cheeks, and he felt like she was stabbing him in the heart. He couldn’t stand to see her cry.

“What about Kimo, and John, and all those other boys in Vietnam?” she asked, crying freely now. “Are you responsible for their lives, too?”

Keoni couldn’t take it any longer. He pulled Lou against his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her trembling body. They clung to each other, both of them crying openly.

Keoni knew he wasn’t supposed to cry. He was the descendant of mighty warriors and ruthless chiefs. He was supposed to be strong. Crying was weak.

But the tears wouldn’t stop. After two years of being repressed, once started the tears wouldn’t end.

Keoni cried. He cried for Eddie, and for the children he would never make. He cried for Kimo, and John, and all those other poor boys fighting a war that made no sense. He cried for Lou, because he wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

He slid his hands into her soft hair, memorizing the feel of her body against his. Would he ever want a woman as much as he wanted Lou?

His tears stopped as a wave of passion filled him. He could feel the soft curve of her breasts pressed against his chest, and his body betrayed him. He felt himself stiffen against her belly, and he started to pull away. Lou pressed closer, evidently liking the feel of him. She lifted her face to his, and their mouths found each other.

Unlike the first time they’d kissed, this kiss didn’t start out slow. It was hot and hungry. Their mouths opened. Their tongues explored. Their teeth bit.

Lou ground her belly against Keoni’s hips, pressing painfully into his erection. He slid his hands through her hair and held her still while he sucked her tongue into his mouth.

When they came up for air, they were both panting.

His mouth traced a path of kisses along her jaw to her neck. His hand was fisted in her hair, preventing Lou from moving as he feasted on her neck. When he got to her ear, he bit her earlobe and licked the sensitive skin behind her ear.

“Come home with me,” he whispered.

Lou shivered in his arms, and for a moment Keoni’s heart stopped. He was sure she was going to say no. It made no sense to do this now. They had resisted each other for nearly two weeks, and this was their last night. They should just let it go, say goodbye, forget each other.

“Yes,” she said.

The steadiness in her voice was enough to convince Keoni to let go of his doubts.

He pulled back enough so that he could see her eyes. They were brilliant in the moonlight, shining like turquoise gems.

“If I take you home, I’m going to make you mine,” he warned.

“You better,” Lou said.

Keoni’s mouth quirked into a smile, and he grabbed her hand, tugging her along the beach toward his car.

“Wait,” Lou said.

Keoni’s heart stopped. Had she already changed her mind?

“I have to tell Penny where I’m going. She’ll worry.”

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