Walking in Fire: Hawaiian Heroes, Book 1 (6 page)

Rising now on the crest of a big wave, Melia lifted her head, pushing her snorkel up on her forehead, moving her arms as she looked around. He could almost feel her worried realization that she was at the mercy of the big rollers coming in across the sea. The tide was coming in, and while Hawaiian tides were shallow compared to the mainland, they still punched up the surf, and these rollers had a long stretch of sea to get going.

And she had to be tired. She’d been in the water for over an hour and had gone for a hike that morning with Dane, up into the forest. He knew because he’d followed them.

Standing in the shadows of the foliage, he watched as she made a try for the shore, paddling in on a wave, her flippers in one hand. At least she’d taken them off—they made it impossible to walk once a swimmer was upright. She headed in to the middle of the cove, toward a patch of sand free of boulders, and made it to her feet in the foaming surf, but then she pulled a typical tourist move, stopping to take off her mask, her back to the waves.

“Melia!” he roared, striding forward. “Run!”

She looked up, startled, and then looked behind her. The next wave, a huge one, smashed into her and knocked her off her feet. He saw her somersaulting in the wave, head over heels. He ran, his water sandals skidding on the wet lava, digging into the sand.

He reached her just as she was deposited in a heap on the sand. Knee-deep in the foaming surf, he reached down and hauled her up with an arm around her middle and carried her up beyond the waves. She was a warm, wet weight in his arms.

Setting her down on the lava shelf, he held on to her, letting her down gently. She sank to the warm, smooth rocks on her bottom, choking and gagging. Her face was chalk white under her freckles, her eyes dazed as she wheezed for air. But she was breathing, so she’d be all right.

Grinding his teeth, he went back down and fished one of the flippers out of the water. The other one he had to scan the waves for. He saw it spinning lazily in the water and dove in after it. Cooling off was good, because anger was boiling inside him. He wanted to turn her over his knee and spank that sweet, heart-shaped ass. Didn’t she know she could’ve been badly hurt?

When he waded back out, she was on her feet. Her face was still pale, but at least she no longer looked like she was going to puke. Her snorkel mask hung from one hand, and she had a streak of sand up the side of her bare hip around her green bottoms, another on the side of her face. Her wet hair hung in a tangle around her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she said, looking up at him warily. As well she should.

“That was mek ass stunt,” he snapped. “You broke two island rules—you don’t snorkel alone, and you never turn your back on
da nalu
, da surf.” He pointed her flippers at the next wave crashing on the little beach. “This ain’t your backyard swimming pool,
keiki
. There are many ways to die on this island.”

Her eyes widened, wariness edged with fear, but she nodded. “You’re right,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’ll be more careful. Thanks for rescuing me.”

She turned and began to pick her way across the rocks, teetering as her bare feet met the tiny lava pebbles scattered on the rocks.

He shook his head, his anger morphing into amused exasperation.

“Come on,” he said roughly. “Here, hold these.”

He shoved her flippers into her hands, slid one arm around her slender waist, bent to slide the other behind her knees and lifted her in his arms. Her free arm hooked naturally around his shoulders, but she gaped at him, her eyes wide, mouth open in shock.

“What are you…? Put me down,” she sputtered.

She felt good in his arms, round and soft and delicate. She was heavier than she looked, but he was strong. Strong enough to carry her up the mountain to somewhere quiet and private. His cock was already stirring, hardening at the thought of what he’d like to do with her. Help her get the sand out of her little suit, for starters. He’d bet she had sand in her top now, as well, dusting the berry-hard nipples poking through her snug rash-guard shirt.

“You won’t make it back by sunset on your own,” he told her. “I could bring you your shoes, but then I’d have to come back. This
awiwi
, faster.”

“No, really—you don’t have to do this.”

He looked down into her face, so near, and gave in to the urge to tease her.

“Maybe I want to,” he growled. Her eyes widened, her breath hitching. He hefted her higher in his arms, settling her more firmly against him so their faces were level. “Put your arm around my neck and hang on.”

Her cheeks turned pink, and he watched with fascination as the color washed down her throat to the edge of her white top as she slid her slender, cool arm around his shoulders. It felt good there.

This close, he could see all the delicate shading in her freckles. She had one right on the upper edge of her lip. His mouth watered—he wanted to lick it off like brown sugar spangling a fresh
malasada
, the islands’ puffy, cream-filled doughnuts.

“You—you do not want to,” she answered. “I mean, not like you’re implying, so stop it.”

He blinked, wondering for an instant if she’d read his mind. No, she was merely answering his playful threat.

Oh, if she only knew the
kolohe
, naughty things he wanted to do with her.

“Melia paha,” he said. That shut her up. Or maybe it was because they’d reached the lava fence. She tensed in his arms, her fingers digging into his neck. She let out a little gasp as he mounted the steps, and then gave a sigh of relief as they reached the path on the other side.

She was quiet the rest of the way along the path to the edge of the lawn. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her sneaking little looks at him.

They reached the edge of the lawn, and he stopped. But he set her down very slowly so that her body slithered down his front, all her curves sliding against his hardness. He nearly groaned aloud as her body grazed his cock.

When he let her go, she stepped back quickly, clutching her snorkel gear like a shield. She glanced down, and her eyes widened when they got to his hard-on, which he knew was outlined in his wet trunks. Her eyes flicked back up to his, and she swallowed visibly. Her cheeks were bright pink again.

He tamped down the powerful urge to preen—she looked a little shocked there—and then haul her back against him and kiss her until she let him do all the other things he wanted. He shook himself mentally. Time enough for that when his business was over. And meanwhile, he couldn’t be following her around every minute, keeping her out of trouble, much as he’d like to. She needed to wise up fast.

He frowned down at her. “No more going off by yourself, right? And don’t go up the mountain again, either.”

Her arching brows shot together, and she scowled back at him. “I’m not a complete idiot, you know. Anyway, I went hiking with Dane—and at least he’s not chasing every woman here!”

Ah, she
was
jealous. “In case you haven’t noticed, wahine, I’m not the one doing the chasing.”

“Oh, and a big strong man like you can’t run fast enough to get away.”

He grinned at her, slow and wicked. “You wanna chase me, I promise I won’t try to get away.”

She gave a feminine huff of disgust, her eyes narrowing. “Do me a favor and hold your breath while you wait. I don’t like crowds.”

“
Pua
, I can make time just for you,” he assured her.

She tossed her head. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about the other women. I was referring to you and that enormous ego of yours.”

He chuckled. She had a wicked tongue. He liked that in a wahine. He’d like to teach her some other ways to use it too.

He settled for pointing a warning finger at her. “This is my island—you listen to me. You got an independent streak that will get you into trouble if you’re not careful.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know the dangers to a woman alone. I’ve taken self-defense classes, and I do watch the news.”

“Good. Stay with your friends anyway.”

“They’re not my friends, just some people I met,” she retorted. “And you’re nothing but a big pain in the ass. So just…butt out!”

And with that, she turned and stomped off across the grass. Yup, her ass was definitely heart-shaped. And he really, really liked the way her little bikini bottoms were riding up the crevice, leaving most of it bare. Her tan shaded into white, spangled with beige dots. He groaned, his hands cupping as if they held those full, white globes.

“Butt out?” he muttered wryly. “Oh, yeah. I’m all for that, wahine.”

He sighed and reached down to adjust himself in his shorts. Frank and Leilani had a sunset cruise planned, with supper on the boat. That should be fun, with the party girls hanging on him, Dane giving him smoldering looks and Melia glaring at him. Maybe he should start drinking now.

Not an option. He looked up the mountain for a few moments, soaking in its quiet power and waiting for his erection to subside. Then he went off to help Leilani load supper onto the catamaran.

Chapter Five

Recipe for heartbreak—take one hot Hawaiian, one other woman, and pour. Watch them disappear.

They motored out of the bay as the sun was hanging over the western sea, Maui rising to the northwest in a mist of clouds and the mountain looming over them, dark emerald. Frank had music playing as usual, the soft liquid sounds of ukulele and slack key guitar floating on the air.

Mai tais in hand, everyone was smiling, a warm, moist breeze blowing the women’s hair. Leilani had conjured plumeria leis, and Jacquie had her camera phone out, taking pictures. She and Cherie had on tiny sundresses and lots of makeup.

Somehow, the two were not nearly as enticing as Melia, who wore a more modest sundress of blue batik that turned her eyes the color of the sea, or maybe that was the hint of shadow she’d brushed on her lids. With her sun-kissed skin and mane of wavy blonde, she looked good enough to eat. Like the other men, Malu wore a loose Hawaiian shirt and shorts, his the shade of Kona coffee.

They ate kalua pork, coleslaw, fresh cornbread, rice dish and fruit as they motored slowly along, watching the sun sink in a wash of coral and lavender. The colors were reflected in the thickening bank of clouds forming over the south end of the island. There would be rain in the next day or two.

“Now, watch, everyone,” said Frank as the sun became a tiny sliver of molten gold on the edge of the sea. “Maybe you see the green flash.”

“What’s the green flash?” Melia asked dubiously.

“It’s caused by refraction of the sun’s rays at different wavelengths for different colors,” Clay said. “In the dense atmosphere at certain atmospheric conditions. So when the sun gets really low, only the green rays get through.”

As one, his friends turned to stare at him. He shrugged sheepishly. “I like science.”

Malu, for one, liked him better for it. The kid wasn’t as empty-headed as he’d seemed.

He relaxed as best he could with Jacquie plastered on his side. She’d already had three mai tais, by his count, and she was rubbing herself on him as uninhibitedly as a pretty cat. He tensed as her hand neared his lap, and firmly moved it away. His cock did its own thinking, and in a moment, he’d have a hard-on.

“Not here,” he murmured. He was beginning to wonder if Dane had invited the two girls precisely to keep him busy.

She pouted her glossy lips. “I can wait…a little while.”

Cherie glared at both of them. Dane shook his head and turned to say something to the twins that made the three of them laugh. Melia gave him a look of acute disgust and turned her back.

Ah, Pele, the things he did for his island.

Back in the bay, they all disembarked and trailed up the dock. Suddenly, Jacquie let out a yelp of surprise, staggered wildly and fell off the dock, landing in the water with a loud splash.

“Oh,” said Cherie in faux surprise, one hand over her mouth. Malu strongly suspected she was covering up a smile of triumph. He bit back a grin. She’d just solved one problem for him. He’d been wondering how to get rid of Jacquie without causing a cat fight.

“Oh, for chrissake,” said Dane disgustedly. The twins laughed.

Malu whipped off his shirt and tossed it to Frank, put one hand on the edge of the dock and leapt down into the water, which was only waist-deep here. He pulled Jacquie upright, gasping and choking, her long hair streaming over her face. Slowly, they made their way out of the water onto the beach. This was his day for pulling wahine from the sea. The first time had been much more satisfying.

“That bitch pushed me.” Jacquie wept, staggering onto the lawn.

“Yeah, you better go in and have a nice shower,” Malu said soothingly. “And sleep—that’s what you need. A good night’s sleep.”

Jacquie traipsed away, dripping and mumbling to herself.

Frank stopped beside Malu to hand him his shirt, his eyes twinkling in the dusk. “Well, that’s a new one,” he said under his breath. “Now they’re fighting over you. All except Melia. She’s more of a class act, eh?”

Malu gave vent to a growl of disgust as he jerked his shirt on over his wet skin. “How many more days of this group?”