Page 11 of His Hawaiian Heart
I couldn’t blame her for being so blunt. After all, this wasn’t the first time I’d heard the accusation of being closed off. It was a defense mechanism I’d learned at an early age and had honed to perfection over the years since taking control and running the family enterprise. Still, hearing Katrina put it so brusquely stung a bit. I thought about making my own request, asking if she’d keep her thoughts about me to herself, but knew she wasn’t one to share the intimate details of her life with those outside the lifestyle. She’d always feared doing so would stain her reputation and if there was one thing Katrina loved more than enjoying a scene, it was her job. She was determined to reach the top echelon of the scientific sphere and I had absolutely no doubt she’d make it.
“All I can do is promise to try,” I finally said.
She smiled again. “At least that’s honest and all I can ask for I suppose. I never thought I’d be able to say this and mean it, but it’s actually good to see you again. And I’ll go a step further. I wish you and Samantha the best. Now, go say goodbye and give me a chance to introduce myself before you pull her even deeper under your spell.”
She laughed and I was glad to hear that it didn’t sound the least bit forced. “It’s good to see you too, Kat, and I wish you the best as well.”
She turned and then looked back at me before turning again as if she’d suddenly forgotten in which direction she find her camp.
“What’s wrong?”
“Where did she go?”
“Who?”
“Sam. Sam… good grief, let’s not do this again. Where did Samantha go? She was just over there talking with everyone a moment ago.”
I looked around and realized we were alone. “I don’t have a clue. I guess she went on to the camp?”
“Without saying goodbye?” Katrina asked, her eyebrows shooting up again. “Maybe you didn’t need to make that promise after all. From the way you two looked, I thought things were hot and heavy, but guess I was wrong.”
My body stiffened at that remark even though I knew she didn’t mean it in an ugly or bitchy way. But knowing that Samantha hadn’t bothered to so much as look at me since she’d had her laughing attack had me rethinking over the past several minutes. No, there was no way I’d misread what I’d seen in her eyes. No way I’d just imagined the connection we’d shared when breathing in sync. Something had happened to pull her back from me and I suddenly had a good idea of what that was and she was standing right in front of me.
“I think she might have gotten the wrong idea,” I said, motioning between the two of us. “About us, I mean.”
Katrina looked over her shoulder and then back at me. “Or maybe she came to her senses? If you two just met, how do you even know she’s into… you know…”
“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Yes you do. We both know you’re a Dominant and into the darker aspects of kink. From what I know about Samantha, I’ve never heard a whisper that she isn’t, well, to be frank, completely vanilla.”
It was time for me to quirk my own brow. “Is a fellow scientist’s sexual preferences normally a topic of conversation at those research conferences you’re always attending?”
“No, but girls do talk.”
“About all the juicy details or just in general?” I asked, actually a bit curious to hear her answer.
She had the decency to pause and then shrug. “I can’t speak for others. I mean, I certainly don’t go around announcing I like to be spanked, but then again, I’ve heard more than a few tales circulating. Nothing about Samantha, though I’ve not ever worked with her before.”
“In other words, you have no clue what she might be into.”
“Do you?” she snapped back.
I did but wasn’t about to relay that my knowledge didn’t come from any sort of spoken declaration of Sam stating she was a submissive. I wasn’t blind, deaf, or stupid and from the subtle movements, looks, and humorous comments I suspected weren’t meant to be actual jokes but were rather innuendoes that had a definite sexual undertone, I didn’t need confirmation. I wasn’t one discuss to scenes shared with my submissive with anyone, nor was I one to kiss and tell. Hell, it suddenly occurred to me that not only wasn’t Sam my submissive, I’d not even kissed her. Nor had I ever followed through elaborating on the promise I’d been hoping she’d make me.
“I guess your silence answers my question,” Katrina said with a laugh. “Sorry, but it’s a bit amazing to watch a man who is so very Alpha on his own turf look so forlorn on mine.”
“I was born on this island, you know.”
“I know, but I bet I can beat your ass in any contest where the names of every native and invasive species of plant, animal, insect, fish, or fowl on this island are concerned.”
“Maybe, but since we are discussing a completely different species, let me say I distinctly remember beating youractualass.”
My comment had her shaking her head. “Oh, man, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
Shit!
There was no denying that I believed she just might be right. “Do me a favor?”
