One Kiss In... Hawaii. Jill Monroe

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СКАЧАТЬ innocently enough, but he tensed, because with Mia, there was no innocent touch. It was crazy how easily she got to him. “You missed a spot.” She circled the side of his jaw with the tip of her finger and then moved her hand to the tightness at the back of his neck.

      “Good thing it’s a straight shot to Diamond Head, or we’d be lost already,” he murmured.

      “Oh, am I distracting you? Sorry,” she said, with a sly smile in her voice. “I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.” She folded them primly in her lap, then slowly, deliberately crossed one shapely leg over the other, effectively snaring his attention.

      So that was how it was going to go down. Him trying to put on the brakes, and her doing all she could to make him crack.

5

      THEY SKIPPED THE scenic lookout where several groups of people were already stationed, and chose a spot off to the right. Mia inched closer to the edge of the cliff and stared down at the waves slamming the jagged black volcanic rock below. She’d long given up on trying to tame her thick, unruly hair. Between riding with the top down and the stiff breezes that swept off the ocean, the best she could do was keep it secured in a ponytail so that her hair wasn’t whipped into her face.

      “Look at those two.” With her chin, she indicated a couple who’d left the lookout and were picking their way down toward the water.

      “Did you want to go down for a closer look?”

      The words were no sooner out of David’s mouth when water shot out from the blowhole, jetting a good twenty feet into the air. The scene was spectacular, the white spray fanning out in every direction. Though they stood a safe distance away, Mia reflexively leaned back and bumped into David. The adventurous pair below shrieked and scrambled backward, trying to avoid getting wet. Or worse.

      Mia shuddered. “The view from here is just fine, thank you.”

      He casually slipped an arm around her shoulders, and she sighed and relaxed against him. His skin was warm on hers, his scent spicy and all male.

      “Yeah, I wouldn’t get too close,” he said closer to her ear. “Apparently the spray is unpredictable. There’s an underground lava tube that extends into the sea and when the waves crash into it, pressure builds inside the tube. The water can shoot up to thirty feet. Certainly enough to knock someone over.”

      Mia pulled away to look at him, disappointment pricking at the pleasure of being held. She’d had the impression this trip had been a last-minute decision. That he’d pulled it together for her. “How do you know all this stuff?”

      “I read a few guidebooks.”

      “When?”

      “Last night.”

      She frowned. “You were in a rush to leave my room so you could read guidebooks?”

      His mouth twisted wryly. “Right.”

      She was instantly sorry for bringing up last night, especially when he lowered his arm and they were no longer touching. Did he think he was rushing her? “I wouldn’t have minded if you stayed,” she said finally.

      He kept silent for too long as he faced the ocean. That his sunglasses hid his eyes meant nothing—David was an expert at masking his emotions. “I know, and I wanted to stay.”

      “But?”

      Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was trying to give you some time.”

      “You’ve been doing that for nearly three years.”

      “This isn’t the same.”

      Mia hated that she couldn’t read him. Hated it even more that he had the ability to shut everything out, including her. She stared at his familiar profile, her gaze taking in the proud strong chin, the perfect nose, the sculpted jawline. He was from Pearson stock all right, cultured, reserved, confident.

      Maybe what she’d seen at work was all she’d get. Maybe she’d been wrong to think there was another David beneath the layers of breeding that prevented him from being more human.

      But then there was last night. That kiss.

      No, she wasn’t wrong.

      At the memory of his hot, wet mouth covering hers, his tongue plunging in and taking no prisoner, her insides fluttered. He hadn’t been guarded then or reserved. Definitely confident though. He’d be that way when he made love to her.

      Damn him, he made her want more. She wanted him naked and sweaty and vulnerable, all of his defenses gone. She wanted him inside her.

      She hesitated, but just for a second. “Remember,” she said, “I don’t work for you anymore.”

      He’d straightened, suddenly alert. “Look.” He slid his arm around her shoulders again, brought his cheek close to hers and pointed.

      Her first reaction was annoyance that he’d ignored her comment, or was trying to distract her. Not that she disapproved of his methods. She snuggled a bit closer and squinted in the direction of his outstretched arm. “What am I looking for? I see some kind of boat—”

      “No, to the right. Farther out. Just watch.”

      She stood still, barely able to think about anything but his slightly beard-roughened cheek pressed against her skin.

      “There.” He hugged her. “Did you see?”

      “Only for a second. What was it?”

      “I’m pretty sure it’s a whale. Let’s keep watching. It might surface again.”

      Her gaze transfixed on the spot, she waited, thrumming with excitement. Their patience paid off. In a matter of seconds, not one but two animals arched out of the sea, making their mark with a jettison of water that echoed the blowhole.

      She gasped. “Wow.”

      “We’re lucky. I read that this was a good spot for whale watching, but only in the winter. This is the tail end of the season for them to be passing through.”

      The reminder that he’d wasted last night reading nearly threatened her improved mood, but she decided she wouldn’t allow it. They were going to talk, but perhaps this wasn’t the place. For now she planned on enjoying the fact that he still held her and that she could feel the steady beat of his heart against her arm.

      “I see something else,” she said, keeping her sights on the horizon. “It almost looks like another island. Is that possible?”

      “Yep.” He didn’t move, which suited her fine. “I see it, too. When it’s clear enough they say you can see any one of three other islands—the Big Island of Hawaii, Lanai and I can’t pronounce the last one. Starts with an M.”

      “I know. These names are crazy. I have no idea how to pronounce the highway we’re on.”

      “You mean Kalanianaole?” he asked smugly.

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