Page 57 of Stone
“Great. I’m in the middle of paradise for an unexpected mini vacation and I can’t go swimming. What else is there to do?”
The doctor laughed, giving another one of those women-can-be-a-pain-in-the-ass looks and Stone’s response was to lift both eyebrows.
“There are hundreds of incredible places on the island, Ms. Vale. Just ask Stone to show you around. He knows them very well,” the doctor said. “If you have any other issues, just give me a call.”
“Thank you, Doctor Hikialani.”
“My pleasure. Take care of her, Stone. I forgot to mention last time we had lunch I got the new equipment in.”
Stone beamed. “That’s great news. I thought for certain it would be hung up at the San Francisco port.”
I eyed them carefully. What were they talking about?
“I did too. Pleasant surprise,” the doctor said. “Oh, and you up for the surfing competition this year? Three weeks.”
Stone shrugged. “We’ll see. I have a lot going on.”
“Ah, come on. You’re the great Kahuna. You gotta defend your title. Of course I do plan on winning this year.”
I studied Stone’s ah-shucks face and it amazed me how little I knew about the man. It seemed the few people we’d interacted with in the quaint town knew him much better than I did. Almost as if he was a celebrity.
“Eh. I just love riding the waves. I’ll check into it. Come on. Let’s get you back to the house.”
“Thanks again.” We headed from the building and once outside, I took a deep breath. There truly was nothing like the scent of the ocean. “What equipment?”
“Just something he needed for the clinic.”
“What do you have to do with it?” I eyed him suspiciously as I tugged my sunglasses from the cheap but colorful purse I’d purchased.
He shrugged. “I just knew a possible source. It all worked out.”
“You’re not a good liar.”
His grin was almost like the one I remembered.
Since I was still a little wobbly, Stone insisted on walking with his arm around me to the parking lot. “I can walk, you know.”
“I know you can. I’m just watching out for you.”
I pulled away, purposely turning around and throwing my arms out so he could see my ability to balance all by myself. That was the moment I tripped on a curb. Oh, shit. I was going down and it wouldn’t be pretty.
He grabbed the same wrist he had that morning to keep me from falling, the momentum pitching me forward with my breasts smashed against his hard chest.
It was shameful that at that moment my mind decided to form a list of all the naughty things I wanted to do to him and have him do to me.
Thank God he had his sunglasses on so he couldn’t see the stain of embarrassment coloring my cheeks. However, his upper lip was already twitching from amusement from my antics.
With his tight red tee shirt accentuating every muscle God had given him, khaki shorts, and a backward baseball cap, he looked more like the college football star than a rugged Marine. Or perhaps he could double as a safari guide.
“Oops. I’m sorry.”
“No reason to apologize when I’m the one who needs to apologize to you. Again, I’m sorry. I was just…” He gritted his teeth so his jaw was clenched.
“Defending your right to have a nightmare in your own house without being pestered by a woman intent on invading your space and your privacy even if she was trying to be a friend and do the right thing.” I was forced to suck in a long breath after my vomit of words.
“Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”
“Some guy I used to know a long time ago.” I picked at fake lint on his shirt, pinching air and blowing across my fingers.
