Walking in Fire: Hawaiian Heroes, Book 1 (17 page)

“I see.” He nodded gravely, his hand curving around the small of her back, urging her closer into the curve of his body. “It’s a lot for you to take in. Just remember, ku’u ipo, I’m as lost in this particular jungle as you are.”

A line appeared between her brows, her green gaze searching his. “‘Lost in this jungle’?” she repeated, skepticism clear in her voice. “Malu, so help me, if you’re feeding me a line…”

He picked up her hand to kiss her palm, biting the inside of his cheek to hide the grin that threatened. Ah, his wahine was as sweet as guava honey and as sharp as the honeybee. And he already wanted another taste of her.

So, he would keep her close. No way in hell would he allow her to go back to town, where she would be a target for Dane, out on bail in a day or two, if his haole masters brought in their expensive lawyers.

If he took her to his family’s place above Kona, he might very well miss the chance to catch the drug runners. He would keep her here, with him. They had tonight and perhaps tomorrow. Then it would be time to clean up some human flotsam washed up on his island’s shores.

“Stay with me, then,” he agreed. “And we will learn each other, like the waves learn the shore. Where to lap gently, and where to rush in again and again, carrying all before it.”

Her eyes narrowed, and he gave her a slow wink. She gave a huff of disgust.

“Those waves again. You are so full of it, David Malu.”

“I am,” he agreed guilelessly, letting his grin blossom. “And it’s all for you, wahine.”

“Well, I don’t want the bullshit part,” she snapped. She pushed his hand away and flounced off the bed, hurrying into the bathroom. The door slammed behind her.

He lay back in the bed, one arm crooked behind his head, and grinned to himself. She’d be out pretty soon. And she had no clothes in there, so it’d be worth the wait.

Melia stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The mutinous expression in her gaze, the flush on her cheeks reflected her anger. How dare he try to play her? She might trust him as a protector, but his pretty words were probably as worthless as a chunk of the black lava rock spewed by his precious volcano.

But she gazed at her kiss-swollen lips, the heaviness of her eyes and the tousled disarray of her hair. Oh, man, she looked exactly like she’d just had fabulous sex with a—a superhero.

Which she had. She smiled slowly, wide and gleeful. She hadn’t really known that she was capable of that kind of sensual response. But with Malu, she was. She already wanted more.

She just wasn’t sure Malu should be the guy to give it to her. Too many mangoes—rash. Too much rum—hangover. Too much Malu…heartache.

She blinked on a sudden wave of sleepiness and then yawned so hard her jaw popped. She was so tired she wanted to sleep for hours. Then she’d figure out what to do next.

She needed to put her pajamas on. It was at this moment she realized that her pajamas had been discarded somewhere in Malu’s bedroom. She’d have to parade out there to get them. Looking around the small bathroom, she saw nothing except the damp yellow towels hanging from the racks.

Wrapping one of them around her, she returned to the bedroom. Malu lay in the bed, the covers around his waist.

She ignored him, peering around the bed on the floor. Where had he flung her shorts and tank? They might have huahua’ied, but she was not comfortable parading around nude in front of him. In fact, she was abashed that she’d been so uninhibited when they made love.

“Looking for these?”

She looked up to see her little shorts dangling from one long finger, her tank from another. She stalked forward to reach for them, and he pulled them back, his eyes twinkling. The only way to get them was to climb up on the bed beside him.

“No, thanks. I have more in my bag.”

“Oh, then you won’t mind if I keep these.” He held her shorts to his face and inhaled, his eyes drooping with exaggerated bliss.

She turned away, pursing her lips to hide a grin. Darn him, he irritated her and made her want to giggle like a teenager at the same time. Fishing in her duffle, she found a tank she’d bought in Kona, and another pair of boxers. She supposed it was silly to go back in the bathroom, so she turned her back on him to put them on.

Malu eyed her new outfit with the lazy interest of a man who knew exactly what was beneath it.

“Lucky turtle,” he said. A green sea turtle swam in stylized waves across the white cotton stretched over her breasts. Under his gaze, she could feel her nipples tightening, peaking under the tissue-thin knit.

He held the sheet back for her. He didn’t appear to be wearing anything at all. The hard plain of his bare chest and abs faded into intriguing shadows under the sheet.

Clambering in, Melia lay down and watched him reach to turn off the lamp. She clutched the cotton sheet to her chest, uncertain all over again. Had she just made one of the biggest mistakes of her life?

And did she want to repeat it? Even maddening as he was, she wasn’t sure she’d say no. There was no doubt that David Malu was all her sensual dreams rolled into one hunk of manhood. And a hero in more ways than one. But would he take everything she offered and more, and think he deserved it, because of who he was and what he could do? How many other haole tourists had he charmed into his bed? The thought made her want to beat him with her pillow.

“Are you going to glow in the dark again?” she asked grumpily.

“Pele has healed me.” His deep voice was close, as if he’d turned his head toward her. Pillow talk, she thought. All too seductive, easy to sink into the intimacy of his deep murmur in the dark and believe everything he said. But she must be wary, emotionally at least.

He hadn’t really answered her, either. She realized uneasily that there was probably an awful lot he hadn’t told her about the whole Ho’omalu thing. An island legend, woven with mystery…only it was true, if she could believe her own senses. And she had to, because what else was there? For example, if she were hallucinating, if someone had fed her some of that Kona Kula, wouldn’t everything be all weird and psychedelic?

She would ask him more questions in the morning. And he’d better be honest, or she would know the reason why.

She lifted her head and peered out at the night, at the silhouette of palm branches against moonlight sky between scattered clouds.

“The storm’s over. Can’t you call someone to take us back to Kona?”

“No one is going to bring a boat out at night. Why, you wanna get away from me?”

If he let loose that laugh incipient in his deep voice, she was going to punch him again. “I’m worried, that’s all. We have drug runners after us, remember?”

“Not after us, after their drugs. If anyone comes, I’ll hear. I’ll keep you safe.”

She yawned, then rubbed her eyes. “You swear you’re not going to burst into flames or something like that?”

“Nah, Leilani would kill me if I burned holes in her sheets.” She felt him move and tensed until she realized he was stretching mightily. Then he relaxed, and reached over to pat her on the hip. “Go to sleep, wahine.” His hand rested on her hip, large and hot and somehow very reassuring.

And amazingly, she did.

Chapter Fourteen

Recipe for a thrill—take one Hawaiian hunk, light on fire. When he cools just enough, take him back to bed.

She dreamed again.
This time, Malu held her in his arms, carrying her high against his chest as he strode up the path through the jungle. She wore only the tiny kapa-cloth skirt and a fragrant plumeria lei, their blossoms like silk against her bare breasts. Something tickled her ear, and she reached up to find she wore a crown of the creamy blossoms, as well.

Malu wore the flaming crown again. He looked down at her, his eyes glowing with that unearthly fire.

“Where are we going?” she asked, hanging on to his broad shoulders. She loved being carried in his arms, but this time it was clearly not for fun. His face was grim as a warrior striding into battle. Up ahead, through the heavy foliage, a red glow lit the night, as if Mauna Loa had awakened, pulsing fiery lava once more.

“E loa’a ana ke kaulike mal lalo o ka ho’omalu o Pele,” he said, his voice rumbling like the mountain. “There will be justice under the protection of Pele’s guardians.”

Then the mountain began to rumble with a strange, steady wop-wop-wop.

Melia woke with a start to find herself alone in the bed. She sat up, looking wildly for Malu.

He wasn’t hard to find. He stood at the open french doors onto the lanai, his back to her—glowing again. He was a hard, dangerous figure, his legs spread, fists clenched. Add the red-hot glow and he was the lava lamp from hell.

She pressed her fist to her mouth, stifling the whimper trying to get out. Malu wasn’t dangerous to her—the sound that had awakened her came from outside. It was a helicopter, flying right over the house. Was it the police, come to get them? Or was it the drug runners? She feared the latter, if Malu was in fire-warrior mode. Evidently, danger brought on his heat response, as well. Nice if he’d told her that.

Slipping out from under the sheet, she hurried over to her duffle and dug through it until she felt the soft cotton of a pair of shorts. She wriggled into them, zipped them up and then felt around until she found her sport sandals, and toed into them, lifting each foot in turn to pull the backs over her heels.

“Stay back,” Malu ordered.

“Sure, no problem.” His tone, hard with authority, froze her in her tracks. But then she peered around her dark corner of the bedroom. Where was her purse? If she had to run, she wasn’t going without it. And she became aware of a more pressing need. She had to pee, and she’d rather do it in a toilet than in a dark jungle. There were no snakes in the Hawaiian rain forest, but there were some big-ass centipedes. She shuddered at the thought of one crawling on her bare skin.

She hurried into the bathroom, which mercifully had a night-light, used the toilet, gulped down a glass of water, and then peered out of the bathroom door. The sound of the helicopter was fainter, moving away. And Malu was evidently calming down—he only glowed a little around the edges. She let out a sigh of relief.

She found her purse and tiptoed around the bed to the door in case he still thought they should leave. After a long moment, she sank down on the cushioned settee.

Finally, Malu turned away from the lanai and came back across the room, a silent shadow in the moonlight. His normal, huge, maddeningly sexy self.

“Why do you have your bag?” He sounded baffled, irritated.

“Because I thought we might have to run.”
Duh.
He might be a hero, but he was still a man. Like she was going to leave her purse.

“We’re not going anywhere. They’re gone.”

“How do you know they didn’t rappel down ropes or something?”

“Well, they didn’t do it anywhere near here.” He sat on the edge of the bed and held out his hand. “Come here.”

She wasn’t going to, but somehow, as she rose from the settee, Melia found herself walking straight to him. The moonlight silvered his shoulder and arm, the side of his head. His eyes gleamed up at her, his face still hard but with a change of focus that sent a shiver down through her. He was intent on her now.

She frowned at him. “Are you using your powers on me?”

He smiled wickedly. He knew she wanted him, darn it. “Have another dream, pua?”

“Yes. Am I going to dream of you
every
time I close my eyes?”

His big hands settled on her waist. He found the waistband of her shorts and unsnapped them. “Every time. Might as well get used to it. You gonna put down your bag?”

He zipped open her shorts and slid his fingers inside, like heated brands across her belly.

“My purse? Um, I might need it,” she said, but her voice was breathy. She put a steadying hand on his shoulder as he pushed her shorts down, her little boxers going with them.

“Okay.” He bent forward and pressed his lips against her bare hip. “You see something you wanna buy, tell me.”

Melia whimpered. She couldn’t help it as he kissed his way slowly up the curve of her waist. “Does getting all fiery always have this effect on you?”

“Nah, this is because I’m alone with you and a big bed.” He nudged her tank up with his nose. “Lift your shirt for me.”

Her purse hit the floor with a thud as she found the hem of her shirt and drew it up slowly ahead of his questing mouth. When it cleared her breasts, his hands tightened on her waist, drawing her forward between his thighs. He nuzzled her breasts, teasing her with his mouth, his moist breath.

“What are you doing?” She slid her fingers into his hair and arched her back, urging him closer.

“Looking for something
I
want. Ah, found one.” He closed his lips around one distended nipple and sucked it into his mouth, hard. Sensation shot through her in a burst of heat and joy. She moaned as it twined downward inside her, straight to her pussy.

Squeezing her thighs together, she moved sinuously, searching for relief. His hands slid down to squeeze her ass, massaging and fondling as he suckled her. He moved on to the other nipple, pulling it into his mouth with a deep sound of enjoyment. The sensation was even more exquisite.