Page 20 of His Hawaiian Heart
She glanced around. “I suppose this so-called tour involves getting naked and playing Eve to your Adam?”
I chuckled though I admit the suggestion was one I was very willing to explore. Swearing I could hear Cookie snarling, I shook my head. “As inviting as that sounds, I’d prefer a scenario where serpents don’t have a starring part. Besides, I thought we’d take it slower and maybe start with the Eupithecia.” From the startled rounding of her eyes and bow of her lips, I thoughtI’d messed up the pronunciation I’d practiced at least a dozen times while listening to it on YouTube. “It’s a caterpillar?—”
“I know that,” she said, slapping her hand against my chest. “But how do you know?”
Pleased beyond measure, I shrugged. “Not only do I know what it is, I have a pretty good idea of where you might find one.”
“No way!”
“Way,” I said and didn’t even care that we sounded like kids. Hell, I felt like one. This woman might be far smarter than I, but she had a joyfulness that had me eager to do more than just get her naked. That alone shocked the hell out of me. Add in the fact I wanted to impress her accounted for why I didn’t ask her to dinner as I’d planned. Instead, I slid my hand from the back of her neck to the top of her head.
“Promise me you’ll wear these sexy glasses and I’ll show you.”
Shit. I’d thought she couldn’t get more beautiful, but when she smiled, it was like she was lit from within. And when she laughed and said, “You’re certifiable, you know that?” I grinned and stuck my hand out.
“Do we have a deal?”
She slid her hand into mine and pumped it. “We’ve got a deal.”
Chapter Nine
Samantha
“That’s a horse.”
Sam laughed as he picked up the reins that lay draped over a grouping of ferns. “I know it is, but how do you know?”
Okay, he wasn’t only tall, dark, and sexy as sin, he actually had a sense of humor. “Very funny. I mean, not that I thought you’d arrive by limo again, but maybe an ATV or a jeep.”
“You can’t reach where we’re going by either of those. We could hike in, but I figured you’d like the view from McNut’s back better.”
“McNut? Why would you saddle such a beautiful animal with a name like that?”
“Don’t blame me. I named him Max after Maximus Meridius, one of the greatest generals and gladiators Rome ever knew. He selected his nickname when he proved to have an insatiable appetite for these.” Sam pulled something from his pocket, took my hand and seemed about to pass it to me before reconsidering. “He’s big, but gentle. You don’t have to be afraid of him if you’d like to feed him.”
“I’m not afraid.”
Of him or of you.
Of course, I wasn’t ready to add that little tidbit. Instead I made a gimme motion with my fingers and he opened his hand to let its contents spill into mine. “Macadamia nuts?”
“Hence the name.”
I nodded. “Okay, even if nothing else about this day makes sense, at least that does. Hello, Mr. McNut, my name is Sam. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I swore he looked from me to Sam and then back again. “I know, I know, it’s confusing.” He snorted his agreement as I stepped forward and slowly extended my hand, making sure I kept it flat. His head dipped and his lips nuzzled against my palm as he accepted the treat. When he’d eaten the last one, I smiled and reached up to stroke the velvet of his face. “You’re a sweet boy and a very handsome horse, Mr. McNut.”
“Would you like a ride?”
Only with every cell of my body.
Though I couldn’t accuse Ms. Smartass of lying, she wasn’t helping. At the question, all I’d seen was me tossing off my clothes and straddling his hips… and I sure as hell didn’t mean the horse. “It hardly seems right to steal your ride,” I said instead.
He chuckled. “You won’t be stealing, you’ll be sharing.”
“Oh, um, then yes, I’d love to ride you…”
The smile that tugged the corner of his lip up let me know he was well aware of what I’d said. I knew I probably should correct my slip, but I wouldn’t as that was the truth. And while I might have momentarily forgotten the definition of “slowly,” I didn’t forget that blinding charging forward into the unknown wasn’t just stupid, it was dangerous. Brushing my palms against my jeans, I took a moment to simply breathe before lifting my head. “Ready?”
“Yes.” He reached out and I was waiting for the brush of his fingers across my skin when instead, he plucked the glasses offmy head. “You might want to stow these and anything else that might fall out of those pockets. The trails we’ll be taking aren’t as smooth as the roads.”
