Kabana Heat Read online

  Kiona gasped. When Kol spun around to stalk off, she gripped his arm with both hands. “Kol, wait. Please don’t do this. Please, I’m begging you.”

  He turned back around, slowly, deliberately. His gaze dropped to her small hand, scaled back up to snare her glittering eyes. He longed like hell to take her in his arms and never let her go. But if he got right down to the truth of the matter, she’d teamed up with Mitch behind his back and had basically betrayed him. If she couldn’t see what a risky position she’d put him in, then amazing threesome sex or not, maybe he should just go. Emotions swirled so violently in his head and chest, he wasn’t sure if he was bluffing or not, but knowing his own temper and his damnable pride, he was certain he could easily walk out that door and never come back.

  And that thought scared the piss out of him.

  “Sorry, darling,” he said with a sneer, “but I’ve been waiting long enough for you. I want you, and I’m not afraid to admit I want him too. But I’m also not stupid enough to stand back and hope I never get kicked out on my ass just because my signature’s not on some damn piece of fucking paper.”

  She stared at him with her mouth hanging open. At that moment, it was just the two of them. Mitch faded into the background of Kol’s peripheral vision. “You’ve been waiting long enough for me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Kol fisted his hands to keep from reaching out to her. He didn’t want to hurt her by walking away, but shit, wasn’t he the one really getting injured here? “You were supposed to be my wife. We only waited because of Heloki, to give him time to turn over your money and eventually accept me.” He snorted, but the harshness of the response became softened by the burning lump in his throat. “Fat chance of that happening.”

  “I asked what you meant when you said you’d been waiting long enough for me.” Her voice was whisper-soft, strained with the pain of a possible break-up. “You didn’t give me a straight answer.”

  Damn you to hell, Heloki. This is all your fault.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Kol noticed Mitch shifting his stance when Kol reached up and trailed a fingertip around Ki’s mouth. “I’ve told myself countless times I’ll wait until the end of time to have you be mine forever.” Kol’s gaze narrowed on Mitch, silently warning him away. A lone tear escaped the corner of Kol’s eye and trailed down his cheek. It was humiliating, and yet he defied Mitch to call him on it. “But that was before he came along. How can I compete with that?”

  “Goddamn it,” Mitch muttered. “I didn’t know about you until today, until well after all the agreements were reached and contracts signed. You’re not going to fucking blame me for this. It’s—”

  Kol had Mitch backed into the corridor wall before he could stop himself. His pulse thundered in his ears. He stared into Mitch’s eyes, lost in their stunning color and thrilling gleam, fighting the urge to cover Mitch’s mouth with his own. An image filled his head of fucking him against the wall while Kiona watched in excitement. But this wasn’t the time to indulge in his sick little bisexual fantasies.

  “I blame Heloki, goddamn it. Not you,” Kol finally barked.

  “Kol, don’t—”

  Kol held up a hand to silence Kiona and keep her at bay. “I mean, look at Kiona. Any man would be a fool not to take her up on her offer.”

  Still, she took two shuffling steps toward them. “Kol, please don’t—”

  “No, babe, you don’t,” Kol growled, never taking his attention from Mitch. “Now listen to me, both of you.”

  Kiona remained silent, suddenly at a loss for words. Kol stood toe-to-toe with Mitch, one hand pressed menacingly into Mitch’s chest, the other planted on the wall to the left of Mitch’s head. Oh, but he could just as easily wrap his arms around the bastard.

  “I just got an earth-shattering nibble of a fantasy I’ve always carried deep inside me, that I’ve never even revealed to you, Ki. I want it damn bad. And I don’t think I’m the only one.” Kol looked from one to the other and got no objections. “But do you two really think I’m going to allow you to marry each other without getting some sort of security or contract or whatever the hell it’ll take to make sure either one of you can’t fuck me over later?”

  “I would never do that,” Kiona insisted with a lift of her chin.

  “I think we can discuss this without you crushing the fucking life out of my lungs.” Mitch’s deep voice was raspy as he attempted to escape. He pushed against Kol, but it wasn’t hard enough to dislodge him. He finally gripped Kol’s wrist, hurled his hand aside, and shoved against Kol’s chest.

  Kol stumbled backward and blinked. Ah, so the man did have some balls after all. And that turned Kol on like crazy.

  Mitch rubbed his chest, his eyes narrowed to mere slits. “Don’t you ever do that again, you hear me, you son of a bitch? It was earth-shattering for me, too, but goddamn it, what the fuck’s wrong with you? You don’t always need to resort to bullying to get your point across.”

  “Shit.” Kol closed his eyes, sighed. “I… I’m sorry.” He spun around, sauntered into the living room, and plopped onto the sofa.

  Kiona and Mitch followed.

  “Kol, please…” Kiona dropped to her knees and laid her head in Kol’s lap. He caught the faint scent of her pussy juices. It made his libido rev, but he forced it aside. “I’m sorry that I did this without discussing it with you first, but I already explained my reasons to you.”

  She lifted her head and gazed at him with tortured eyes, imploring him to understand. It tore his heart out to see the raw pain there, made his chest ache so badly, he thought it must be what a heart attack felt like. “Aloha wau iâ ’oe, Kol. I love you, you know that. I want to be with you until the day I die. I would never, ever kick you to the curb, whether I was married to another or not.”

  “Married to another or not,” Kol repeated with a snort. “This is some fucking crazy shit.”

  With a sigh, Mitch collapsed onto the couch next to Kol. Kiona let her gaze drift to him, watching him intently as he laced his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Kol indulged as well, spellbound by Mitch’s handsome profile, just as he had always lusted after him on the movie screen. Kol waited with his breath clogging his windpipe, hoping to God Mitch would say something that would soothe him and clear up this whole mess.

  “You know,” Mitch said in a tone that almost came off bored, “there’s a very easy solution…if I might interrupt your lovers’ conversation to get a word in?”

  “Huh.” Kol chuckled hollowly. “I think it’s gotten a bit more complicated than just two lovers.”

  “Well, do you want it to be more or not?” Mitch demanded to know with a snarl, never taking his gaze off the ceiling. When Kol didn’t respond, Mitch went on, his tone almost cold. “The fact is, Kiona and I have entered into a legal arrangement. And no matter what you say or do, you can’t stop it. I’m sorry, but it’s just the reality of the situation.”

  “Mitch, please don’t—” Kiona started to protest the coldness of Mitch’s statement, but her words were interrupted by Kol’s flinching response to Mitch’s cold words. Maybe Mitch was right. Maybe it was all over, and there was nothing Kol could do but walk away.

  “Will you both just listen to me? Damn.” Mitch blew out a disgusted breath and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “Kol, you want an agreement, fine. I already suggested we talk to Jager and get things set up. I don’t think that’ll be an issue. He’ll come up with something I bet you’ll feel comfortable with. Of course, by law, we can’t make it a three-way marriage, but I have an idea. I think there’s a way to solve this whole problem while allowing us all to live together without Kol feeling threatened…”

  “It’s going to be fine,” Kiona crooned, grazing her palm up Kol’s arm as they strolled hand-in-hand toward their secret spot on the beach. The scent of coming rain hung heavy in the air, and the winds were picking up, whipping the tall palms back and forth, making that eerie swishing noise. A night storm brewed
far out to sea. Although there was still time to safely bask in the charged air ahead of it, Kiona loved taking the risk.

  “I know Mitch didn’t give us details before he left,” she went on, “but I trust him. I really think he’s come up with a solution we can all live with—even you. He and Jager’ll work it out so all of us will be happy with the arrangement.”

  “Easy for you to say,” he grumbled, slicing a look down at her. “You have the protection of a contract no matter what he comes up with. Me, if Mitch decides to have you all to himself, I’m SOL. Losing my gal, my ego, and the continued fulfillment of my darkest secret all in one day.”

  The breeze tossed her long tresses and the silk robe she’d donned before they’d climbed down the rocky incline to the shore. She gazed up at him, mesmerized, visually devouring the rugged picture he made. An involuntary, delicious shiver rushed up her spine. He reminded her of the tortured hero in a novel she’d once read, just before he’d shifted into a dangerous, snarling werewolf. As if to underscore that thought, beyond Kol’s silhouette, a dark cloud slid across the sky and blocked the moon. The sudden dimming of lunar light further lent him a menacing air, obscuring his face and making his coal-dark eyes appear fathomless…like a vampire.

  Kol was a lot like that, she decided. The tormented, seemingly immortal soul caught in the clutches of man’s evil and carelessness.

  Her own father’s evil spite.

  They arrived at the molten rock area and rounded the first large boulder. Between it and the next one sat their private rendezvous spot, a twenty-foot wide patch of beach hidden on either side by the tall rocks, and inland by a cliff topped with thick forest. They’d met here many times in the past years. It was their own patch of the world where they could indulge in their native Hawaii while letting all of their primitive instincts loose.

  Kol spread one blanket on the sand, and set the other within reach in case they got chilled.

  She stepped onto their makeshift bed with him and scrutinized his anguished eyes. A powerful surge of love and wanting erupted inside her, rising with the tide, making her heart pound like the surf. Waves crashed against the seaward side of the rocks showering them in a fine, cool mist. His jaw and upper lip were shadowed with rugged stubble, and when she reached up to frame his face, she thought how she longed to have it abrading the soft flesh of her inner thighs as he pleasured her there with his mouth.

  “You will not lose me. I did this for you, not against you.”

  He pulled her close, molding her body to his hard length. “I get that now, and I love you for it. But do you think this might be a mistake? That we jumped into the sack with him too quickly?”

  “No.” She shook her head vehemently even as her gut churned like the waters behind her, dark and foreboding. Had they—she—made a mistake? No, she couldn’t believe that, not after devising the perfect plan, nor after that amazing three-way connection they’d all had a few hours ago. It had to work out, that was all there was to it. It was the ideal solution for each of them.

  He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “And you don’t worry this might turn into a huge disaster for all of us, each in our own way?”

  “Kol. No.” She reached up and tipped his face down so that she could look directly into his eyes. “Now that I’ve learned more of your secret fantasies and seen you in action with Mitch, nothing will convince me it was a mistake, or that it will become a problem. This will all work out, I promise you. And if on the off chance something does happen where we can’t or won’t continue to maintain a relationship with him, then we go on as originally planned. Me and you together forever, and me and Mitch nothing more than a public relations image. For me, you come first. Always.”

  His eyes tracked his hand’s movement as he combed his fingers through her long hair in an adoring fashion that made her heart melt. She quivered at his warm, sensual touch.

  “That is so good to know,” he whispered. “I hope to hell it stays that way.”

  “It will.”

  “Can I ask you something?” He looked away, out to sea where the inky black waves thrashed with their white, foam-tipped spikes.

  “Yes, yes. Of course.” She squeezed his torso and pressed her cheek to his sculpted chest. The sparse hairs tickled the side of her nose. She turned her face into him, burying herself in his warm scent, that earthy fragrance that could only be Kol’s.

  “Did you think there was something there, something kupaianaha? I mean, it was amazing, too amazing too fast. Don’t you think?”

  At his cautious tone, she lifted her face and met his gaze. The passion in his eyes, combined with his tender assessment of their lovemaking with Mitch, made her realize the magnitude of his true sexuality. She felt lucky to have been included in his secret, and there was a constant giddiness edging her mood when she thought of their future together.

  For the first time since Jager had suggested her alliance with Mitch, she was certain she had done the right thing.

  “Yes, it was incredible, perfect.”

  She started to add more, but something about his pensive manner made her remain silent. Latching pleased eyes onto hers, he eased her slightly away and slid the silky fabric off her shoulders. He tossed the garment aside, leaving her completely nude for his pleasure. She barely noticed the gusty breeze as it cooled her hot flesh.

  Lightning briefly lit up his heated stare. He raked her from head to bare feet, and she could swear she felt the singe of it scorching her nipples, her belly, her damp pussy, as if she’d been struck by that far-off lightning. Finally, he muttered, “Damn, but you’re the hottest woman on the whole fucking planet.”

  “Thank you.” She perused his erection with an open stare. It strained against the denim of his jeans. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

  She suddenly needed to feel his arms around her again, so she stepped closer and set her palms on his warm chest. The cool, wet sand sifted between her toes, and the dull edge of a seashell scraped along the side of one foot. The tall palms thrashed, singing that whooshing tune as the air ahead of the storm moved further in across the volatile sea. She tipped her face back up, devouring his glazed yet oddly brooding expression, her own emotions resembling the excitement of that reckless ocean, wild, vast, determined to have its way. Kiona never thought it possible to love Kol more than she did now, more than she had before Mitch came along, but she did. What they’d shared with Mitch only sealed her love for Kol more so, and it seemed to have opened emotional doors she never even knew were there.

  “I’ve got to say it again. Our lovemaking with Mitch was incredible to say the least,” she murmured. He set his hands over hers, lifted one and kissed the tips of her fingers while she continued to reassure him. “It was off the charts. So off the charts, there’s no way it’ll not happen again. Not if I can help it.”

  “Really? Ya think so?”

  “Mm-hm.” She held his head between her hands, threading her fingers into the thickness of his hair, and gazed into the raging storm of his eyes. “Not only that, but do you realize how much you agreeing to this arrangement has deepened my faith in us, and how much it’s strengthened our relationship? Even with Mitch in the picture, maybe even because he’s in the picture. Just think, you can be you now, and I can be me. Together. We have a whole new exciting life ahead of us that not even all of my father’s money or power can destroy. I love you, Kol. I love you more now than ever before. Thank you for not walking away.”

  Suddenly, he yanked her against his chest and clutched her to his hard body, running his hands haphazardly over her back, her arms, her ass. He groaned low in his throat as if those were the very words he’d hoped to hear her murmur. “No matter how much my pride wanted me to, I could never leave you.”

  She giggled. “Yes, I was a bit worried your enormous pride would stand in our way.”

  He smiled, but the grin faded just as quickly as it had emerged. “Are you sure? Are you sure that me being…”

  His words trailed o
ff, but she knew exactly what he alluded to.

  “Kol, my God.” She reached up and cupped his jaw, forcing him to meet her gaze. “There is nothing—nothing—at all wrong with it. You have this new side to you that’s extremely sexy and attractive to me, and I’m so glad you finally revealed your desires to me. Besides, you might think it’s selfish, but nothing is going to keep me from enjoying that again. It’s a huge turn-on.”

  “Really?”

  “You bet, my hiwahiwa. I had a fantasy too, one that I had never revealed to you.” She rose up on tiptoe and grazed her lips back and forth over his. They were dry but soft, slightly parted as if her words had stunned him. “And that was to see you making love with another man.”

  “I guess that means as far as keeping secrets, we’re even now,” he growled harshly, surprising her. He massaged and pinched her buttocks so hard, it was just short of excruciating. But instead of making her shrink from him in fear or pain, it drew her closer as it always did, making blood rush to her cunt so she became hornier, more in need of him.

  “Touché.”

  He fisted his hands in her hair and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Ah, Ki, you make me so crazy,” he rasped in her ear.

  Fiery pleasure unfurled in her belly when he sighed and dragged her down onto the blanket with him, her body sprawled across his. The sudden move made her breasts jiggle. Her nipples puckered tighter, and goose bumps rose in a sudden shimmer up her spine, making her scalp bristle. His gaze didn’t miss her body’s reaction, dipping down in a hot, visual journey that made her breasts go heavy and moisture gather between her thighs.

  “Wasn’t expecting that. I was afraid you’d be disgusted instead.” Kol shifted her so she lay beside him, shoved his jeans off releasing his straining hard-on, and then pulled her back into place on top of him. He wiggled beneath her so that she straddled his hips. The intentional move made the head of his erection settle at the damp opening of her vagina. “Looks like we should have been a bit more honest with each other, ’ea? But I was so afraid of losing you,” he whispered, skating his hands down her back, cupping her ass cheeks, holding her pussy captive against the tip of his shaft.