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“I’m paying,” she said.
He frowned at her. “No, you aren’t.”
“It’s fair. You bought our drinks at the bar.”
“Not gonna happen.” He pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket.
The cashier scanned the last item, and Lindsey stubbornly was about to give the woman her debit card when Rick tossed a large box of condoms onto the counter.
“Could you get that, too,” he told the woman.
Lindsey froze, her gaze glued to the box. The really, really big box.
The cashier obliged him, then gave Rick a total, for which he handed her cash.
She felt like an idiot. No reason a grown woman should be embarrassed about buying condoms, but at a grocery store? Come on. The stooped Asian lady waiting in line behind them had to be older than Lindsey’s grandmother.
“Hey.” Rick picked up their two bags. “Did you want to get those sunglasses? I’m sorry I didn’t see them in your hands.”
“They aren’t right for me,” she said, hastily putting them back in their slot, and then leading him out of the store.
When they got to his Jeep, he carefully stowed the groceries on the floor in the back, while she slid into the passenger’s seat and buckled herself in. He climbed in behind the wheel, inserted the key into the ignition but didn’t start the engine.
“I embarrassed you back there. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, all innocence, and felt the heat rise from her neck to her face.
Rick chuckled, snatched her hand and pressed a quick kiss on the back of it before starting the engine. “We have to hurry or we’ll miss the best part of the sunset.”
After about ten minutes, they drove through a residential area where the houses were huge and spread out on mammoth lots, and reminded Lindsey of the mansions that once lorded over old sugar plantations.
They hadn’t gone far when Rick pulled off and drove them down a short gravel road and parked. On the right there was a small shabby house, to the left nothing but scrub brush and tall graceful palms swaying in the stiff ocean breeze. Before them lay a field of grass that butted up to a sandy beach.
He hopped out of the Jeep and pocketed the keys. “I’ll get the food. You take the mat and towels.”
“Isn’t this private property?”
“Nope. Public access to the beach.”
She came around the back of the car. There was no trunk, and she spotted the rolled-up straw mat and a couple of towels stashed on the backseat. She saw he kept a small cooler there, too, and watched as he dumped in a bag of ice he’d bought. With swift efficiency, he packed in cans of cola and beer, and then laid the cheese and fruit on top. He left the warm ready-made items and box of crackers in the paper sacks, and then handed her the mat and towels.
“I can handle the bag, too,” she said, and grabbed the handles when she saw that he’d planned on balancing it on top of the cooler chest.
“Thanks, we’re not going far.” His hands full, he used his knee to shut the door, and her gaze automatically drifted to the ridge of muscle that went up his thigh and disappeared under his shorts. “Ready?”
She cleared her throat and promptly lifted her gaze. “Yep.”
They got to the grass where there was an actual path to follow to a long stretch of solitary beach. In the distance, one hotel after another loomed against the dusky sky. To the right, toward the center of the island, white and gray clouds shrouded the tops of huge green mountains.
“Do those look like rain clouds to you?” she asked.
“I don’t think so. If it does come down, the rain will stay close to the mountains. We’re going this way,” he said, gesturing to their left. “Toward Diamond Head.”
Up this close, the crater wasn’t as visible as it was from the hotel, but she’d been curious about it since her first trip. “How did it get its name?”
“Diamond Head? I think it dates back to the eighteen hundreds. British sailors mistook the crystals embedded in the rocks for diamonds. The ancient Hawaiians called it Leahi, but nowadays everybody refers to it as Diamond Head.”
“What does Leahi mean?”
“The ‘ahi’ part means tuna. Some local people will swear it means brow of the tuna, others say it’s the fin of the tuna.” He shrugged. “You can’t tell from here, but it looks like a fin to me.”
She watched him take a lingering look, as if he never got tired of the scene. “You really love it here.”
“I like the people, and to me there’s no better surfing than on the North Shore. But I still get rock fever between trips to the mainland.”
“I’ve heard the term before, not sure what it means.”
“Nothing changes. The weather is pretty much the same year round, except for the rainier months. I’m used to the leaves changing color in October, the first snowfall, skiing, all that seasonal stuff.”
“Yeah, by January I’m complaining about the cold but I’d miss the change of seasons, too.” She squinted at the expanse of beach ahead of them, wishing she’d bought the darn sunglasses. “How far are we going?”
“Almost there.”
She honestly didn’t see the difference between one spot to the next. Once they’d made it past the grassy field there was nothing but sand and scrub. But she said nothing when he kept walking. After a few more yards and he stopped, gazed out at the water and then kicked away some branches before setting down the cooler.
“This particular spot reserved for you?” she asked with a grin.
“You’ll thank me in a few minutes.” He took the bag from her and set it on top of the cooler before shaking out the straw mat, something that seemed to be a tourist staple.
Lindsey frowned, curious as to what he meant. While he laid out one of the beach towels, she scanned the horizon. A large ship that she’d assumed was on the move had actually anchored. Their opportunity to see the sun sinking out of view could have been ruined depending on where they’d chosen to plant themselves.
Rick lifted the cooler onto the corner of the mat, and then spread out one of the beach towels. She should have offered to help instead of staring, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. The fluid ripple of muscle in his legs and arms as he moved held her captive. She hadn’t thought it possible, but Rick was better looking than she’d remembered.
She moistened her suddenly parched lips, her gaze sweeping the beach. Anticipation with a dash of apprehension swirled like freshly churned butter inside her.
It seemed she had him all to herself.
3
RICK FINISHED SETTING UP, then looked up at Lindsey. She hadn’t moved, just stood there quietly staring at him. He had no idea what was going through her head. Except that she seemed to have drifted off into another world, maybe another time. Like to that night six years ago when they had lain naked in the moonlight, kissing, making love, whispering secrets.
He had trouble not going there himself. Hard to do since it was way up there on the memorable-nights scale. Her blond hair was slightly shorter now, but still long enough that he itched to see it tousled and tumbling over her shoulders as she straddled him, rode him until he couldn’t hold back another second.
Not until she blinked and looked away did it occur to him that he was staring, too.
“Is this beach always so quiet?” she asked, gazing toward the ocean.
“I wish.” He got to his feet. “At one time only the locals knew about it. But most of the houses around here are rentals now so that increased the tourist traffic.”
“It’s still a lot nicer than the hotel beaches.” Her eyes widened suddenly, and she rubbed her arms.
He knew exactly what she was thinking. “This isn’t the beach where we…you know,” he said. “I thought about going there, but lately this one is more private.”
She gave a small nod. “It’s gotten a bit cool.”
“This from a woman who just left Chicago in March?”
“I was dressed more appropriately.” She held out her arms, indicating her red tank top as confirmation. Good thing she hadn’t looked down. Even though she wasn’t braless, her distended nipples poked at the thin fabric.
He had to turn his head. From the first moment he’d seen her, it hadn’t taken much to set him off. “Come here.” He lowered himself onto the mat and spread his legs, leaving enough room for her to sit in front of him. He patted the spot. “You can lean back against me.”
She hesitated, and then with a slightly shy smile, she sat down and drew her bent knees to her chest.
“Scoot back more,” he said when she’d left too much space between them.
“I don’t want to crowd you.”
Smiling at her naiveté, he wrapped his arms around her, bent knees and all, and pulled her against his chest. She hadn’t changed much from the shy sexy college student he’d met that night. He’d hadn’t dared hope she could still be the same sweet girl that had summoned every ounce of courage to get naked on the beach, and have sex with a guy she’d just met. But then they had connected in a big way in those predawn hours. He’d told her things….
He deeply inhaled her vanilla scent. “Warmer?” he asked, tightening his arms around her.
Her contented sigh went straight to his cock. “Perfect,” she said, relaxing against him.
He kissed her soft blond hair, then moved so that his cheek pressed hers. “Doesn’t seem like it’s been six years.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
“I figured you’d be married by now.”
“Seriously?” She shifted, and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Why would you think that?”
He shrugged, kept his gaze on the horizon, not keen on getting too deep into that conversation. “I was shocked to see your message on Facebook. A lot of people I went to school with are making that trip to the altar lately.”
“Same here. I received two wedding invitations from sorority sisters last week.” She settled back against him.
“No one can find me so they send invitations to my parents’ house in Michigan. My mom forwards my mail every two weeks.”
“That’s because you’re such a nomad.”
“Not true. I still spend a lot of time at the old homestead. I’d be there now if I hadn’t seen your message.”
“Really?” She straightened again, twisting around to look at him with those big blue eyes. “You stayed for me?”
“I did.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Me, too. Look.” He pointed toward the sun, partially hidden behind a pink cloud, the sky a golden glow. As far as sunsets went, this one wasn’t spectacular. There weren’t enough clouds to give them a real show. But he couldn’t keep looking into those soft blue eyes without saying something stupid.
Holding her, smelling her vanilla-scented hair and thinking back to that night when he’d been emotionally stripped was freaking him out a little.
Lindsey had turned just twenty-one, and unlike most of her college friends, she’d been endearingly old-fashioned. Enough that he’d asked outright if she was a virgin. She’d gotten all flustered as she’d insisted she wasn’t. He grinned as he remembered her blush. She’d been ready to run from him. With soft kisses and gentle words he’d convinced her to stay.
He’d always been good at that kind of persuasion, good with women, period. Even in high school, he’d had the touch. He’d been with college girls, which hadn’t made him too popular with the guys in school. Luckily, he’d always been a loner, shying away from the beaten path or the mundane. His sister had always said his propensity to become bored would be his downfall.
He wasn’t bored with Lindsey. She’d blown him away that night with her quiet conviction, her unshakable vision of her future. The long blond hair and small perfect breasts hadn’t hurt, but there was more to it than that. She’d surprised him, first with her innocence, then with her strength. Even tonight, though they’d barely been together a few hours, she had his complete attention.
She shifted again, and he loosened his hold so that she could stretch her legs out in front of her. He smiled when she took his arms and pulled them back in place. This time, with her knees out of the way, his arms fit nicely crossed just below her breasts.
He tried using his chin to push the hair away from her neck, and when that didn’t work, she got the hint and draped the thick locks over the front of her shoulder. With better access to her neck, he kissed the side, then bit at her earlobe. She giggled and squirmed.
“I thought you liked that,” he whispered.
“I do, but it still tickles.”
“And this?” He lightly dragged the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear.
She squirmed more, the proximity of her cute little ass to his cock sheer torture. He moved one of his arms until it grazed the underside of her breasts. He knew the second she’d sucked in a breath. Slowly she let it out.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said, “and peaceful.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way.”
She turned her head to look toward Waikiki, and he studied her profile, admiring the way her full lower lip jutted slightly. Her lashes were thick, and he could tell that she’d tried to artificially darken her eyebrows with makeup. But overall she was light on the cosmetics, which suited him. He liked the more natural look.
“I don’t see anyone headed this way,” she said.
“We’re safe. No waves so the local surfing crowd won’t be showing up, and it’s dinnertime for everyone else.”
“What do you mean no waves?”
“That?” He followed her gaze to the small swells that quickly lost momentum before the break. “Those aren’t waves. Not even a self-respecting bodysurfer would waste his time on those ripples.”
Lindsey grinned. “Well, aren’t we cocky?”
“Wait until we get to the other side of the island, you’ll see what I mean. Too bad you weren’t here in December and January when the big waves hit.”
“Were you already surfing when we first met?”
“For a couple of years, mostly on weekends. I lived near Hermosa Beach in Southern California while going to school.”
“You never mentioned it—surfing, I mean.”
“I believe we had better things to do.” Rick nuzzled her neck, and murmured against her skin, “Like now.”
She made a small mewing sound and leaned back, running her palm over his forearms. She had small hands, tiny wrists. Her skin was pale against his. He had to make sure she took care not to burn in the midday sun.
He moved his hand and cupped her left breast through her tank top. She didn’t stiffen as he’d suspected she might, but only sighed. Damn, he wished they were back at his place. Within twenty minutes it would be dark except for the half moon. He had no problem stripping down right here, but he knew she would. And he wanted to see her in the worst way.
