Kabana Heat Read online

  Husband-to-be.

  It echoed in her head, making her stomach flutter, but she couldn’t afford to think of Mitch or their crazy agreement anymore. She had to get to Kol.

  He’d turned toward town, the opposite route from the small seaside village where he’d grown up. Since he hadn’t come back this direction, he must have fled to either her house, or to drink himself into oblivion at the tavern where he’d been bartending since Heloki had fired him.

  Kiona took the coast road’s sweeping curves and steep hills like a pro, gunning the motor with reckless urgency. She had to get to him. She had to find Kol and explain to him that she’d done this for both of them—for him. It was the only answer, the only possible way they could ever be together without her father breathing down her neck and threatening to disown her.

  As she turned onto the long private road leading up to her home, she scanned her paradise. The tropically landscaped, colorful path swung out along a cliff offering breathtaking intermittent views of the sea. The sight of her pale yellow stucco house, its red-tiled roof gleaming in the waning light of dusk, and the many arches and courtyards surrounding it, made her grip the steering wheel tighter.

  “I will not give up all this freedom and beauty, nor will I let Kol go,” she whispered to herself. “We have to make this work for us all. We have to.”

  To give up her independence and this home would mean her emotional death. She had barely been able to afford it on her moderate salary. Despite being aware the mortgage would stretch her thin, she’d still taken the plunge in anticipation of her sizable trust fund maturing and eventually reverting solely to her. Since that glorious day she had finally walked away from the mansion she’d grown up in, Kiona felt whole, like a woman at last in charge of her own life. Perhaps she’d become too used to the allure of her new life out from under her father’s iron fist? Yet the more she lived it, the more she couldn’t stop reaching for the day her life would truly be her own once and for all.

  She ground her teeth together and took a curve with a screech of tires. She should have known her makuakane wouldn’t free her so easily. Butting into her personal life with Kol, Heloki had threatened to detonate that one last bomb if she didn’t obey him. He would cut off her trust fund and disown her if she didn’t dump Kol and marry someone more respectable.

  Kiona sighed. “Well, there’s always Plan B to fall back on.”

  She could give up the trust fund and leave KPCS.

  To do so, she’d have to sell her house, rent a small apartment in town, and maybe get a job waitressing down at one of the wharf restaurants frequented by wealthy tourists. It wasn’t beneath her in the least. She and Kol could eventually marry and live like ordinary man and wife with a cozy inland home, three kids, and a dog.

  It all sounded so tempting, and yet there were two things holding her back.

  Most importantly, she loved her job. It was in her blood. She’d practically grown up watching the business expand, learning to run it from the inside-out at a tender age. It had been home moreso than the cold mausoleum she’d been born and raised in, so Kiona knew every aspect of the cane business. She thrived on sugar’s development, from planting, tending, and harvesting, all the way through advertising, shipment, and distribution. To never let the rich soil sieve through her fingers again, or be a part of factory refinement or ad promotion, simply depressed her beyond emotional endurance.

  Then there was the second, most puzzling thing keeping her from finally implementing Plan B. Mitch. Guilt thumped cold and unforgiving in her heart. Before today, there’d only been KPCS holding her back from severing her ties to Heloki. And surprisingly enough, Kol had understood her feelings, since he too had sweated for KPCS and her father, and had loved everything about the sugar business.

  But now there was a new solution staring her in the face. It tempted nooks and crannies of her heart she didn’t know existed.

  It was really quite a brilliant plan, she mused, placing one hand on her belly to stave off the taunting nerves and nagging guilt. There was something in this arrangement for all three of them, and if it took her all week to convince Kol, so be it. He would thank her later, when they were able to wake up every morning in her home—their home—in each other’s arms without her father’s watchful eye tracking their every move. Heloki would assume she slept with Mitch, and would never even dream she resided with Kol rather than her husband—who of course would be off attending post-Oscar parties and jetting to his next international movie set. In true form, once Heloki genuinely trusted someone, he backed off.

  Way off, to the point of neglect.

  And that was what Kiona was counting on.

  She rounded the last curve and scrolled to her assistant’s number in her cell phone. Kiona punched the send button and waited for Malia to answer.

  “Oh, thank goodness, there you are. I’ve been trying to reach you for the last hour or so.” Malia’s sweet voice always had a way of calming Kiona. What would she do without her?

  “Sorry, my hoaloha, something very important has come up. Can you let the rest of the staff know I won’t make the meeting this evening?”

  The pages of Malia’s appointment book rustled. “Sure. Want to reschedule?”

  The orange ball of the sun was just dropping behind the palm-lined horizon when she whipped her sports car into her driveway and hit the garage opener button. The door rose and relief flooded her jittery nerves. It was just as she hoped. Kol’s truck was parked inside.

  “Yes. Let’s make it eight tomorrow morning. And please, give them my apologies, would you?”

  “No problem, babe. I’m sure they’ll understand. In fact, I think they’d prefer a morning budget meeting to a night one. Kind of hard to stay awake discussing boring numbers after a long day in the office, you know?”

  “Yes, yes, you’re right. Hey, did you pick up your dress?”

  “Damn right I did.” She popped her gum. “Yesterday. And it’s fab. The tailor did a great job altering it. God, I still can’t believe you’re marrying Mitch Wulfrum.”

  Something fluttered behind her breastbone. I’m marrying Mitch Wulfrum. If I can convince Kol. Oh God…

  “Kind of strange, huh?”

  “Kind of strange? Try unbelievable. No, make that phenomenal. And I’m going to be your maid-of-honor, a part of movie star Mitch Wulfrum’s wedding party. Ho.”

  “Wow doesn’t even come close. Try being his bride-to-be.”

  Malia’s voice quivered. She swallowed audibly. “I’d love to.”

  Kiona pulled in next to Kol’s truck and quickly pressed the remote, closing the door behind both of their vehicles…and away from Heloki’s suspicious eyes.

  It never failed. Those prying eyes were out there somewhere. Always.

  “Look, I’ve got to go. Thanks for being my buffer, as usual. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Bright and early. Oh, wait. Your father called. I need to tell you about something he’s—”

  “Uh, can you just call me back in about thirty minutes or so?” She noted the door leading from the garage to the laundry and kitchen stood ajar, and yet the interior lights all seemed to be out. “I need to check on something.”

  “Sure. No problem. Talk to you later.”

  When Malia hung up, Kiona scrolled through her missed calls. “Damn it.” Not only had her father tried to reach her through Malia, but he’d also called Kiona’s cell three times, apparently around the time of her tryst with Kol, or possibly during their heated conversation afterwards with Mitch.

  She flipped the phone shut, groaning inwardly as she dropped her forehead to the steering wheel. Just what I need, Heloki’s overbearing intrusions while I’m trying to make Kol understand what I’ve done for him.

  Kiona raised her head and narrowed her eyes. “Screw it. He can wait for once. This is much more important at the moment.”

  A streak of rebellion twisted around the tight knot of anxiety in her belly. She ignored the underlying ji
tteriness and snatched her purse from the seat where not an hour before, her foot had been planted while Kol had devoured her pussy. Liquid sparks ignited deep in her groin at the memory of his wet mouth and talented tongue doing wicked things to her cunt while she stood in the open sunroof and tried to carry on a conversation with Mitch. Nothing—nothing—in her entire life had ever turned her on more.

  And she was certain Kol had known Mitch was there.

  Her pulse pounded, courting renewed sexual anticipation. It drowned out the apprehension of only seconds ago, and as she climbed from the car, a gush of warmth trickled between her thighs. She entered the spacious laundry room, and made her way into the vaulted kitchen. The house still had that new smell to it, yet she caught the unmistakable scent of Kol’s aftershave mingling with it. The interior of the home was dim, so she flipped on the overhead recessed lights, bathing the spacious kitchen in a cheery white glow. A quick glance around told her Kol was nowhere in the adjoining great room or dining areas. Her mouth watered. Maybe he awaited her in bed…

  Tossing her keys, cell phone, and purse on the black granite countertop, she called out, “Kol? Babe, where are you? We need to talk.”

  She heard the snap of the diving board seconds before catching sight of the open patio door to her right. His sleek, wet body arced across the evening sky. That naked, muscular frame became outlined by the waning light of dusk in a suspended snapshot-instant she would never forget. He had kept the underwater swimming pool and deck lights off for fear Heloki or any one of his spies might see him. In so doing, nature’s poignant moment between sundown and nightfall left only the vague pinpoints of emerging stars surrounding him. His dark form became brilliantly poised before the gray and faintly pastel-streaked blanket scattered with the twinkling diamonds. Just before his beautifully tattooed body darted into the swimming pool with a faint splash, she caught a glimpse of his cock silhouetted against the fading pink still hovering over the horizon.

  At the sight of the long, thick shaft that had brought her untold pleasures, her pulse quickened and her pussy dampened further, aching to be filled by him. Without a word, she stripped off her clothes where she stood and passed through the open French door. She inhaled the sharp fragrance of hibiscus and listened as the palm trees swayed, their fronds making a click-swish sound that melded pleasantly with the rush of the surf on the beach below. Kiona sighed when the night breeze fluttered her long hair and caressed her bare flesh sending shimmery goose bumps up and down her body. Kabana’s arid air had cooled with the arrival of nightfall, but she didn’t think there was anything chilly enough to abate the heat that simmered within her loins.

  The two-story house had been built on a private tract of jutting beach at the north side of the island. Though she knew the nearest neighbors were a good half-mile away on either side, she still got a sexual charge imagining being watched dipping naked in the pool…and making voracious love with a man. Thank goodness for the growing darkness. It wasn’t worth the risk of being seen by her father, or anyone he might have put up to spying.

  With defiance fueled by the cloak of twilight and the fire of her ardor, she toed off her sandals and padded across the still-warm concrete. Her large breasts jiggled, making the nipples harden into tight knots of desire. When she approached the brick-tiled edge of the pool, Kol broke the surface, his long, blue-black hair sleeked back and away from the sharp yet handsome Polynesian features.

  He jerked his head to the side, spraying water like a wolf emerging from a spring. His liquid gaze latched onto her. She could swear she felt the alluring pull of his eyes, magnet to steel, moon to Earth’s ocean tides.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “What…?” Her jaw clamped shut. “I live here. Remember?”

  “Mmm, how could I forget? You live here, not me. Yes, so lôlô of me. It’s the stunning Hawaiian bride-to-be’s new love nest with the movie star.” His incensed stare raked her nakedness, making her knees go weak with want. He shifted, lounging on his backside upon the water’s surface, the bulging muscles slick and defined by the emerging moonlight. His penis nestled in his crotch and water lapped over its bulk as he kicked. She could see it was already hardening, and all she could think of was leaping in and straddling him.

  Yes, swallow up that massive cock, and ride him frantically from dusk to dawn.

  But his words cut like sharp ice through her thoughts, bringing her back to the coldness of reality.

  “Kol…” She crossed to the shallow end and descended the underwater stairs until the tepid water rose to her waist. Holding out a hand, she murmured, “Come here. We have to talk. Now.”

  He chuckled hollowly as if he could easily resist her, but he rolled onto his stomach and swam to her. Getting his footing, he backed her against the pool’s shallow wall. The way he licked his lips when he caged her in reminded her of a wolf cornering his prey, preparing to pounce and move in for the kill. The heat of his flesh permeated her skin, warming her, while the sharp smell of chlorine and the all-male scent that could only be Kol’s, filled the space between them.

  “I think we need more than just talk.” The last words came out on a growl. In the dusky light, those black-as-sin eyes glittered with a mixture of rage and simmering passion.

  Though the look bordered on menacing, she didn’t look away. Instead, her breath caught hot and unsteady in her lungs. Despite their lovemaking normally being on the rough side, she had never feared Kol.

  Until now.

  A sick sort of reluctant excitement leapt into her throat nearly choking her, forcing her words out raspy and quivering. She planted her hands on his wet, hard chest. “I-I…now wait a minute. Let me explain.”

  He leaned closer, and his warm breath fanned her cheek when he spoke. The angry timbre of his voice seemed to grab her from her very toes and shake her entire body.

  “Ahahana! I saw you,” he snarled. “You threw yourself at him and kissed him on the beach before slipping into Jager’s house to do no telling what with the fucking star. Ah, but he must have had you already turned on. Your juices still dribbled down your inner thighs by the time you got to me. And you definitely got off when I devoured your pussy in front of him.”

  “No, Kol, you don’t understand what—”

  “Then, of all the shocking things in the world, he announces you’re to marry him. Marry him!” His eyes gleamed wolflike in the twilight, so incensed and tortured. He trailed a wet finger along her jaw, across her trembling lips. “How, my hot little vixen hoa kâunu, do you expect me to accept any explanation at all? ’Ea?”

  “I didn’t throw myself at him. I—”

  His mouth closed over hers in a brutal attempt to silence her. Still, it made her head spin with desire. He tasted of temper and beer, and it made her hungry for more, for all of him. Kiona wrapped her arms around his narrow waist and pulled him closer. His erection slammed against her abdomen, making her whimper and cling to him. Buoyant in the water, she easily climbed upward, wrapping her legs around his hips so that glorious cock of his nestled in her throbbing “V”.

  Damn it, she would make him see the wisdom of her decision, using her female wiles if she must.

  Kol ripped his lips from hers and untangled her legs from his hips. He spun her around in the water and slapped her arms onto the deck. She could hear his ragged breathing, feel his steely manhood grinding against one ass cheek. God help her but it made her long to feel his shaft sliding into her tight rear. She fantasized about it, clenching her anal muscles, causing hot pussy juice to seep out into the water. Ah yes, as always, his cock would stimulate that secret place deep inside her, while his fingers did magical things to her cunt and her clitoris, bringing her to the gates of sexual euphoria.

  “There can be no explanation worth hearing,” he roared in her ear, reaching around to fill his hands with her heavy, tingling breasts.

  Kiona fought the ecstasy that seized her when he suddenly tore into her pussy from behind. She gasped, throwing her
head back with a guttural moan. It wasn’t anal like she’d just dreamed of, but it would certainly do. Her legs trembled beneath the water, her vaginal muscles spasmed in near-ogasmic protest.

  “I-I swear, I swear. T-there’s a very good reason. Please, please just let me explain.”

  He slid out, in, fast then slow. Water sloshed around their joined bodies, firm skin slapped soft flesh. Her eyelids clamped shut against her will, and every nerve in her body fired off in sudden bliss. They had never done it in the pool before, and with the exception of today in the car, never out in the open, either. It was all so deliciously hedonistic, she couldn’t think straight, couldn’t focus on the words she needed to say to ease his suffering.

  “Ah, Kiona,” he said huskily as he reached around and stroked her clitoris in a small circular motion. Before she could absorb the onslaught of unbearable pleasure, he added the brief shock of pain, clamping his teeth onto her shoulder. Throwing her into a vortex of mixed sensations, he changed things up yet again, this time gentling his ardor, kissing his way up her neck to her earlobe and making her shudder.

  “You will surely be the death of me,” he rasped, intermittently sucking the lobe between his teeth and licking it as he spoke. “I don’t think there’s anything you could say that would make me stop loving you, even knowing you have chosen to betray me by suddenly—” he pulled back, rammed in, “—marrying another man. Do you know how weak that makes me feel as a man, to love and obsess over a woman despite her unfaithfulness? Do you?”

  She could swear her heart fell to her knees. He was consumed with anger, jealousy, and passion all at once, and yet he could still reveal his anguish and vulnerability. To him, his love was unrequited. To her, there was no other. She loved him so fiercely, it almost hurt.

  Kiona stretched her arms up and behind her, hooking them around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder even as he continued to fuck her from behind with his long, rigid cock. “My love, my love, please don’t be such a pa’akiki. If you’d just let me explain, I marry him for you. For us.”