Page 8 of Paradise Found
She hadn’t lookedannoyed. Not exactly. The generous kindness in her eyes never left. If he had to guess, Axel would say she looked sad. He wasn’t sure what he said to upset her, but he was determined to make up for it.
Because for some reason, upsetting Oleanna made him nauseous. Her smile and laughter were things he needed in his life. Up there with the Stanley Cup hockey championship and, like, oxygen.
He differed from earlier. A cheerful lilt replaced the deep, husky tones he offered all afternoon. The intensity of his gaze muted by playfulness.
Axel was almost goofy with his stories about pranks in the locker room and accounts of his grandmother making him skate before he fully learned to walk.
“Since I’m burned to a crisp, what do you suggest I use my vacation time on tomorrow?” That mischievous, boyish grin was going to be the death of her.
“Read. Nap. Watch movies. What people on vacation usually do indoors.”
“Yeah, what do Hawaiians do indoors?”
She heard a slight dip at the last word, and she almost choked on her beer.
“Eat,” she declared.
“Yeah? What kind of food do you like to eat, Oleanna? Your absolute favorite.”
She moved the rice on her plate, avoiding his eyes. “You probably can’t eat my favorite kind of food,” she answered. Shegestured at the leftovers because Axel stuck to the meat and vegetables. “With your fitness routine and all.”
“Try me.”
“Have you ever hadhalo-halo? It roughly translates to mix-mix from Tagalog. It originated from the Philippines, but it’s a Hawaiian favorite. Think shaved ice on steroids.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“All three thousand sweet calories of it.”
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“We?”
“Isn’t ityourfavorite?”
She shook her head and stood up to put away the food. Her aunt would usually prearrange meal cleanups with guests, but Oleanna offered to do it tonight. One reason she said yes to dinner was to give her aunt a break. The other reasons, she didn’t analyze too closely.
Axel followed her into the kitchen with the rest of the plates. They worked together, putting leftovers in containers and wiping down surfaces. When she began loading the dishwasher, he reached over and shut off the faucet.
“You brought dinner. Let me do this.”
“No! You’re a guest. Go relax.”
“I told you about my fierce grandmother, right? Well, she would smack me on the head if she saw me sitting around while the person who fed me cleaned my dishes.”
“C’mon, Axel,” she said indulgently, elbowing his torso and attempting to budge him out of the way. It didn’t work because he was as solid as a boulder.
He looked down, amused by her futile efforts. To her surprise, Axel went behind her and lightly placed fingers on her hips to move her to the side. She shuffled over. The fleeting pressure of his hands lingered on her flesh even after he let go. He turnedon the faucet and looked at her sideways with that grin. The one that was going to kill her with charm.
“Well? What time should I be ready?”
“I didn’t say we were going.”
“C’mon! How am I supposed to experiencehalo-halowithout you? I wouldn’t even know where to get it. What if I bought shaved ice thatwasn’ton steroids? What if I ate it wrong? Everyone will know I’m not from here! My kama-kama-whatever local status will be jeopardized. People will realize I’m from Sweden!”
She snickered and managed to say, “We can’t have that,” through amused, tilted lips.
Finished with the dishes, he wiped his hands and came closer. She was still chortling, leaning back against the lower cabinets. Axel put a hand on the edge of a counter, half encasing her body, so her eyes were level with the bit of burnt skin peeking out of a white shirt.
