A Little Harmless Addiction (13 page)

“I have to give her the cake.”

“No problem. I’m good at waiting. Take care of her, then we’ll talk.”

She nodded and hurried to help the customer. She pushed her nerves aside and concentrated on her task. Then she could deal with Kai.

Kai listened to Jocelyn speak to the older woman, who kept thanking her for the beautiful cake.

It took her more than ten minutes to get the woman out of the bakery and relock the door.

“I was thinking we could go on up to the North Shore. It is nice this time of day. There are jellyfish warnings over here.”

She started when he spoke, then she looked up at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She shoved a hand through her hair and sighed. “That woman can talk.”

He laughed. “She wasn’t that bad.”

“I’m not used to handling customers. But Cynthia looked tired and well, Chris was…”

She trailed off and he started laughing. “Sick. Yeah, May is giving him a hard time, but I told her to be careful. One of these days it could bite her in the ass.”

She cocked her head as she studied him. “Why are you here?”

Because I can’t stay away. That would be the blatant truth. He couldn’t admit it to her. Other than the fact that his crew was ready to stage a mutiny, there were other things. He went to bed with her on his mind, woke from dreams that tormented him.

“I wanted to clear the air.”

“I said I was sorry. I thought we had a truce.”

Her back was ramrod straight again, and he could tell by the set of her shoulders that she was irritated. Embarrassed too. Well, too bad.

“Yeah, I heard ya. Then, you know, there’s the thing about going to the beach.”

She sighed. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but you don’t have to.”

He would think she was stupid if he didn’t know her so well. “I know. But I want to.”

She opened her mouth and the frustration he’d been suffering from came up. “Listen, I asked you out. I stayed away a week. This is not about pity.”

The room was silent after he finished and she pursed her lips. “Okay. You want to follow me up?”

“I thought you would take pity and drive me in your cute little car.”

“You saw it?” she asked, and he nodded. “I couldn’t resist. Convertibles in Atlanta seemed like a waste to me, but here, it’s almost a necessity to enjoy a drive. I loved May’s so I couldn’t resist. Let me double check the back door.”

He nodded and waited, trying to calm his heart. It was beating out of control and his body hummed with arousal. He hadn’t touched her, hadn’t even gotten that close to her since stepping in the store. But it apparently didn’t matter. Just being in her presence had him rock hard. He hoped she didn’t notice.

“Okay, let’s go.”

She turned and locked the door and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. He didn’t need to touch her, not here, not now. There was a good chance that he might just take her up against the window of the bakery.

“I’m parked around the corner,” she said with a smile.

They walked in silence for a few moments.

“Are you going to tell me what this is about?”

“It’s about a day together, just like the others.”

“Oh.”

She sounded disappointed.

“No plans, just enjoy.”

She smiled. “I usually plan out everything.”

He nodded. “Just like May. I like to take life as it comes at me.”

She reached her car and unlocked it. Once they were both inside, she said, “Total opposites.”

“But it can be fun.”

She laughed. “You’re right about that.”

He settled back and let her drive.
      

They snagged some fish tacos on the North Shore, then headed to Kaiaka Bay Beach. It was normal, or at least would have been if the underlying sexual tension wasn’t driving her slowly insane. Yes, she had felt this with other men, but not as over powering. Why was this man so tempting to her? He stretched out beside her and sighed. She bit back her own.

“I do like a day at the beach with nothing to do.”

She cocked her head. “You know, you might be able to pass yourself off as a loafer to other people, but not to me. You’re a businessman at your core.”

He squinted at her, then closed his eyes and settled his head on his arms.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

It was something that had been nagging at her for days. Her brother had called him laid-back, but Kai wasn’t. Not by a long shot. That is what he let everyone else see.

“Who’s Keisha?”

“Been asking around?” he sounded amused, but not angry.

“No. Your father mentioned her.”

That had him frowning and squinting up at her again. “My father? When did you talk to him?”

She laughed. “Your father comes in every day I am at work.”

He grunted and closed his eyes. “Oh, yeah. He’s mentioned it. He has a crush on you.”

Thinking of the older man and their daily talks had her heart warming with affection. “That’s okay. I have one right back.”

Silence reigned and she looked out over the scene in front of her. Soft, blue-green waves rolled in gently as kids played in the sand. She watched one toddler run out into the waves, her peals of laughter when the wave knocked her down ringing through the air.

“Keisha and I dated for a while.”

She glanced at Kai whose eyes were still closed.

“I guessed that.” She shrugged even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “It isn’t like I don’t think you have a past. I definitely have one.”

“Dad thought we might get serious. Hell, everyone thought we would at least move in together.” He didn’t have to say anything for her to know he had thought about taking another step with Keisha. And from what she had heard about him, Kai wasn’t the kind of man who got serious.

She picked up some of the warm sand and watched it as she let it fall out of her hand. It was softer than the sands along the Gulf Coast.

“I was living with someone a year ago.”

She didn’t see but she sensed him still next to her. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “When…when things started happening with my boss, he thought I was cheating on him.”

“Ass.”

She glanced at him as she continued to play with the sand. “Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know you as well as he should have, and I know that you would never cheat. You might dump a guy and break his heart, but you wouldn’t cheat. Not your style.”

“Well, gee, thanks. I think.”

He laughed. “No. I think it says more about a person if they’re truthful.”

She studied him for a second, the sounds of the beach patrons dimming as she pulled together her nerve.

“You like honesty?”

He nodded.

“Then why don’t we go back to my place?”

He studied her. “Why?”

“That’s an odd question.”

He shook his head. “No. I think it is an honest question.”

“You want to know the truth. For the first time in nine months I want a man to touch me, and I want you to be that man.”

His gaze darkened, his face flushed. The air between then grew thicker.

“Okay.” He stood and started walking away.

“Wait,” she yelled as she jumped up and caught up with him. “Just like that?”

He turned and faced her. “You were honest. You didn’t tell me you wanted me forever, that you needed me more than your next breath. What you said was, you wanted me. That’s enough.”

Chapter Nine

Kai could tell by the way she moved she was nervous. She should be. Beyond the fact that she apparently hadn’t had sex in at least nine months—he was betting it was actually longer—he was barely holding onto his control. If she had lied, if she had tried to make light of the situation, he might have been able to walk away. But he recognized the need in her voice. It wasn’t just sex. It was survival. He followed her into the small house, shut the door and leaned up against it.

She set her keys up on the kitchen bar, then turned to face him. He said nothing as he tried to control his thoughts. He was here, he would get to have her, and dammit, it was pretty much what he had been dreaming of for the past month.

“Did you want something to drink?” she asked.

He shook his head, still saying nothing. He was afraid to. He knew she wanted this, wanted to feel again, but there was something nasty beneath his surface that was egging him to conquer. That was not what she needed now.

“I…” She sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”

He smiled and pushed away from the door. As he approached her, he noticed little things. Her breathing was fast. The pulse in her neck hammered and her eyes were dilated. He took her hand and drew her behind him as he continued on to the bedroom.

He tugged her through the doorway, then led her to the bed.

“Take a seat.”

“I’m not completely sure.” She opened her mouth to continue, but he had had enough. His nerves were riding a thin line. He leaned down and kissed her. Simple at first, but next, as usual, the heat between them exploded. He leaned against her and she fell back onto the mattress. He enjoyed the feeling of lying on top of her. His cock pulsed and his need roared through him. But he needed to make this good, needed to do this for her. He pulled away and kissed his way down her neck. Her skin was naturally sweet and warm from the sun. God, he would never get enough of her, of touching her…tasting her.

He licked at the pulse in her neck and felt it flutter and then speed up. He unbuttoned her top, kissing the skin he bared as he spread the fabric apart. The pink bra cupped her breasts and with each breath, flesh rose above the confines. The soft color contrasted with her cocoa-colored skin. It had a front closure, thank the good Lord, so he pressed it. Her excited gasp sank into his skin. He was trying to keep it together, trying to take it slow. But he didn’t know how the hell he would keep it together. His cock was hard, ready, willing. Hell, he’d been ready since the moment he met her.

“Kai.”

Her soft voice, filled with southern need, caught his attention. He looked up at her as he bent his head to her breast. Those gorgeous eyes of hers were half-closed, a flush brightened her cheeks and he could feel the arousal slipping past her barriers. Without breaking eye contact, he pressed the flat of his tongue against the tip of her nipple and gave her one, long lick. She shuddered so slightly he would have missed it had he not been so close to her. He continued kissing down her body, enjoying the sweet, salty taste of her flesh. As he inched down her pants, he sighed when he saw the pink scrap of lace. Women with a love of naughty panties had always been his personal favorite. It showed him that on some level she had dealt with the sexual threats her boss had made. There was something else there. Something in the way she dealt with him that told Kai she hadn’t had a man since. He couldn’t fight the totally primitive need to be the first for her again.

He eased the panties down her long legs. She wasn’t a skinny woman, and he liked that. Her legs were muscular, but not too hard. There was a feminine curve to her thighs, he thought as he licked her flesh.

She shifted her legs closer together, but he didn’t want that. He needed to see her as much as he needed to taste her.

He gently pulled them apart and sighed. Her pink lips were wet, glistening with need. He smelled the pungent fragrance of her arousal. Slowly, he dipped his head, then pressed his mouth on her pussy. She seemed to freeze for a second. He slipped his tongue along her slit, then she shivered and relaxed against him.

The flavor of her exploded over his tongue, over his taste buds. Salty sweet, and just as sassy as her personality. He took her clit between his teeth and she moaned. It sounded strangled as if she were holding back. And that gave him a mission. He wanted her so lost in the moment that she was screaming his name. He slipped a finger into her pussy and groaned as her muscles clamped down tight on his digit. She shifted closer, slipping her hands through his hair, molding her fingers to the back of his head. He continued to tease her clit, alternatively sucking then blowing on the small bundle of nerves. He could feel her orgasm approaching as he slipped another finger into her core.

“Come for me, Jocelyn.”

Frustration shimmered in the air around her as she fought for release. He could physically feel it as she tried to come.

He moved his fingers in and out of her, then took her clit between his teeth again. In that next moment, she spasmed, and a long, throaty moan vibrated out of her throat as her inner muscles clamped down hard. He lifted his head and watched. She threw her head back, exposing the column of her neck. At the same time, she arched her torso, causing her breasts to thrust up in the air.

Long moments later, she relaxed against the bed. He slipped from the bed, tore off his shirt and then started to unbutton his pants. It was then that he noticed that his hands were shaking. He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to remind himself to go slow. It was hard to do because every instinct he had told him to take her fast and hard. He could do that later. Now he needed to make sure he didn’t spook her.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed that she was watching him with a small smile curving her lips. Her gaze traveled down his body, and he shouldn’t have blushed. He had spent his life in Hawaii, on the beach, half-naked. But as her big green eyes took in his body, heat blazed a path along with her gaze. He didn’t know if he had ever seen a woman look at him quite this way. As if he were a treat for her to enjoy.

Her gaze finally lifted to his face and she laughed. “Are you blushing?”

He cleared his throat and this should have been a turn off. But hearing her joy, seeing the sparkle in her eyes, made him smile.

“It’s just…well, the way you’re looking at me.”

She scooted to the end of the bed and placed her feet on the wooden floor in front of him. She spread her hands over his chest, smoothing over his nipples.

“I never dated a guy who had a nipple ring before.” She smiled up at him. That and the teasing in her voice had his cock twitching. “I sort of like it. I also heard you have more interesting piercings.”