Her Perfect Getaway (5 page)

“Pretty easy. We’ll rent the gear
and my friend Jace and I will show you what to do.”

Others filed into the ship’s dining
room, mostly couples, many obviously honeymooners, the way they
couldn’t keep their hands off each other. There was another large
party at the other end of the boat.

“Something like this would be nice
for the rehearsal dinner,” Haven murmured. “There won’t be that
many of us, but I wouldn’t want to disturb the other
diners.”

“There are some smaller boats that
rent to private parties, but then you’d have to have it catered and
such,” Jennifer said. “I can look into costs for you. I had another
restaurant planned, looking out over the water. We can compare them
and see what you want to do.”

Sullivan emptied his bottle and
motioned to Elizabeth’s half-empty martini.

She rose. “I’ll come with
you.”

No one else wanted anything, so she
and Sullivan slipped through the crowd.

“I don’t see why you subjected
yourself to all this wedding talk,” she said as they waited in line
at the bar. “You could have just put us on the boat and gone
surfing or something.”

“The cool thing about being a
guide? Free meals. And this is one of the best. Not going to pass
it up.”

“And free drinks?”

He gave her a slanted grin. “Helps
with the wedding talk.”

“You sound like someone who’s been
through the wedding talk before.”

He grimaced and placed their order.
“Yeah, I was engaged,” he said as the bartender shook up her
martini.

Surprise had her pivoting toward
him. Maybe he wasn’t such a Peter Pan after all. “What
happened?”

He shrugged. “I had to talk to her
about expecting too much from two teachers’ salaries. She could
have the wedding or the house she wanted but not both. My dad
couldn’t help out, nor could her parents. She thought that meant I
didn’t want to get married. So she married someone else, who could
give her both. She lives in Kona now. Not teaching anymore, from
what I understand.”

“Do you still love her?”

“Nah. It was two years ago. We
could have had a nice wedding, too, with all the connections I’ve
made on the island, but she wanted it the way she wanted it.
probably best the wedding didn’t happen.” He looked at the martini
the bartender handed Elizabeth. “I’ve never had one of those. Is it
good?”

“Want to try?” She offered it to
him.

Her heart thudded as he wrapped his
hand around hers on the glass and guided it to his lips. Her gaze
riveted to his mouth as he took a sip, then straightened, his face
twisted.

“That’s the most disgusting thing
I’ve ever tasted.”

“Perhaps an acquired taste,” she
said, stepping back as he released her hand and the
glass.

“Want to go out on the deck?” He
motioned toward the nearby door.

“Not quite ready to get back to all
the girl talk?”

“Hey, I have sisters. I know about
girl talk. And you ladies are no hardship. But yeah, maybe a
little.” He opened the door for her and she stepped out onto the
deck.

Water flowed past the boat as they
made their way out to sea. She gripped the rail as a bout of
dizziness struck. “I’ve never been out of sight of land,” she
confessed.

“We won’t be. Part of the charm of
the tour is seeing the lights of Honolulu from the
ocean.”

“Do you take your boat out far,
where you can’t see land?”

“Not often, but sometimes.” He
leaned on the rail and turned his head to look at her. “Why? Want
to go?”

“I’m in the mood for trying things
I’ve never done before this week.” Even as she said the provocative
words, she felt herself blush.

“Really? And what does that
entail?”

The fact that he used the word
“entail” excited her even more. “Well, I’ve done surfing. Tomorrow
snorkeling.”

“And tonight?” he asked, edging a
little closer so that her skirt whipped about her legs. “What do
you want to try tonight?”

Her face flamed, but she shifted,
too, her gaze returning to his mouth. “I was thinking maybe
something Australian.”

He grinned. “Think we could talk
Joslyn out of going dancing?”

“Unlikely. She loves going to clubs
above all else. She doesn’t get to do it often.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got energy to
spare.”

“I noticed that about
you.”

He slipped his hand around to the
small of her back and drew her closer, bending his head. Her eyes
drifted to his mouth, then she jolted as someone bumped into her
from behind.

A flurry of a language she didn’t
understand erupted behind her, but she recognized the tone as
apologetic. She turned to see an elderly Asian couple holding out
their hands as they offered their apology.

“No, don’t worry,” she
said.

Sullivan released her and responded
to the couple in their language, his own hands out in a soothing
gesture. The elderly gentleman responded and he and Sullivan
carried on a conversation for a bit before the couple moved
on.

“Was that Japanese?” she
asked.

“Yup.”

“You speak fluently.”

“Part of getting the gig as a guide
is the ability to speak more than one language. Japanese seemed the
best choice.”

She moved closer. “I may make you
speak Japanese to me all night.”

His grin widened. “You liked that,
huh?”

“If I hadn’t already wanted to
sleep with you…”

He murmured something in Japanese,
and dipped his head to kiss her.

Finally, finally his lips met hers,
soft and dry at first as they brushed against hers, then parting
over hers to touch his tongue to hers. A moan escaped her as he
stroked his hand down her bare back, stopping when he reached the
fabric, and pressing so that she leaned into him, her breasts
against his chest. She reached up and curled her fingers against
his short hair, angling her head to invite him deeper. For a
moment, he accepted, then broke the kiss, breathing
heavily.

“I won’t be able to face your
friends if we do much more of that,” he said with a soft chuckle
and lifted his hand to wipe at the corner of her mouth. “I smeared
your lipstick.”

She slid her hand down his chest
and backed away. The others would notice. But why did she
care?

“Should be almost time to order,”
he murmured.

As they made their way back to the
table, he linked his fingers loosely through hers. The possessive
gesture sent another thrill through her, a thrill she hadn’t felt
in a long time, but she reined it in quickly. No, she wasn’t
letting her heart get involved.

***

The food was delicious, as
promised, and the view incredible, but all Elizabeth could think
about as she ate was having Sullivan to herself and doing wicked
things to his body. She couldn’t look at Joslyn because her friend
had to suspect what was going through her mind.

“Are we still going dancing?”
Joslyn asked as the boat headed back to the dock.

Sullivan glanced at Elizabeth and
gave a rueful shrug. She understood. He had promised, after
all.

“Don’t worry,” he said, standing
close behind her as they debarked, his hand on her waist. “I’m a
good dancer.”

Elizabeth thought Jennifer would
excuse herself but she got into the van as well, and Sullivan drove
them into the city.

The club he picked was dark wood,
with a pitched ceiling, looking more like something from the Alps
than Hawaii. The music pulsed so loud they could hear it when they
got out of the van. A line snaked down the sidewalk, but Sullivan
escorted the five ladies to the bottom of the steps leading to the
club, where he greeted the bouncer by name.

“Loc! You have room in there for
five lovely ladies?”

“Would you have to come in with
them?” The big Hawaiian’s face split in a grin.

“I would.”

“I suppose it’d be all right.” He
stepped back and admitted them.

Elizabeth couldn’t remember the
last time she’d been in a club. This place was packed and they’d
probably violated some fire code—not to mention decency—by jumping
the line. Lights flashed, music blared, bodies filled the dance
floor.

“This way.” Sullivan steered
Elizabeth with his hand at her waist, and managed to find them a
spot at a table on the third tier overlooking the dance
floor.

Her heart pounded in time to the
music as she scanned the crowd below, all moving in
synchronization.

“Are you going to dance with all of
us?” Jennifer asked.

“First I’m going to get drinks,”
Sullivan said. “Same thing you had on the cruise?”

The women nodded and he disappeared
into the crowd.

Jennifer leaned on the table. “Oh,
my God, how did you get lucky enough to get him as a tour guide? I
wouldn’t even want to go anywhere. Just watching him is good
enough.”

“You should see him surf, right,
Elizabeth?” Joslyn teased. “Elizabeth is taking surfing lessons
from him.”

“Clever,” Jennifer said with a
knowing wink.

“I wasn’t trying to manipulate
him.”

“But you got him to notice
you.”

“He noticed her before, believe
me,” Haven said loyally.

Sullivan returned in an amazingly
short time, considering the crowd, and distributed the drinks. “Who
wants to dance?”

“Me!” Jennifer shot to her feet and
grabbed his hand.

Elizabeth tamped down the
impatience that she refused to name as jealousy as Sullivan let
himself be led out on the dance floor. Instead she let herself
watch his grace on the floor, the way he controlled his whole body
as he moved to the music. He would use that same grace, that same
control, in her bed tonight. God, it was going to be really
good.

“Here,” Bailey said, handing her a
napkin.

Elizabeth frowned at her friend.
“What’s this for?”

“You’ve got a little drool
there.”

“Shut up.” Elizabeth slammed the
napkin down on the tiny round table.

“Sorry, it’s just fun to tease you.
It’s so rare we see you horny.”

“Or with a guy, for that matter,”
Haven said.

“Don’t worry. We can get a cab back
to the hotel if you two want to bail early,” Joslyn
said.

Elizabeth’s face heated and she
took a drink to avoid answering. “I didn’t manipulate him, you
know.”

“We know,” Bailey said, covering
Elizabeth’s hand with hers. “That stupid Jennifer…”

“Hey, that’s my wedding planner,
and she’s brilliant,” Haven interrupted. “She’s just—interested in
Sully.”

Elizabeth pressed her hand to her
forehead and rested her elbow on the table. “I cannot believe I’m
going to sleep with someone who calls himself Sully.”

“Honey, who cares what he calls
himself? Look at that man move,” Haven said.

They all turned toward the dance
floor, and Elizabeth was tempted to reach for that napkin
again.

When the song ended, Jennifer led
the way back to the table and collapsed into the chair.

“Who’s next? Bailey?” Sullivan
offered, reaching a hand toward her.

She held her hands up, palms out.
“I’m no dancer. Dance with Elizabeth.”

He chuckled. “Haven? Come
on.”

She shook her head. “I only dance
with my guy now.”

“Joslyn, then. Come on.”

Elizabeth could tell Joslyn needed
to dance. She waved at her fidgety friend to go. Joslyn bounced out
of her chair and grabbed Sullivan’s arm to pull him out on the
floor.

Joslyn was a great dancer, sinuous
and graceful. Elizabeth couldn’t compare. And everyone at this
table would be watching when—if—he took her out on the floor. She
had a feeling he had something in mind.

He convinced Haven to go out on the
floor with him, then Joslyn again. A fine sheen of sweat coated his
skin when he returned and dropped into his own chair. He drank his
warm beer, only to have a cold one placed in front of him. He sent
Elizabeth a grateful glance, then took a sip. Before she was
halfway through her own fresh drink, the song changed and Sullivan
grabbed her hand.

“This is the one I’ve been waiting
for.”

She’d almost hoped it would be a
slow song but it wasn’t. The song pulsed with a beat that was
distinctly sexual. She didn’t recognize the song, but she
recognized the look in Sullivan’s eyes when he looped his arm
around her waist and drew her close on the dance floor, the inside
of his thigh riding along the outside of hers as he began to move,
his hand on her back urging her hips to circle with his.

“Oh!” She gripped the shoulders of
his shirt, found him warm and damp from dancing with her friends.
The discovery excited her and she shifted closer.