Getting Lei'd Read online

  There is no way I am going back to the room and risking seeing whatever wild activities Baggy and her man are up to in there, so I slide on my blingy sunglasses and tip my chair back to a more relaxing angle. I decide the best use of my time is to daydream about Kai—this pastime has become one of my new favorite activities.

  I let steamy Kai fantasies wash over me. Remembering his sweet kisses on my neck and lips is enough to make me smile like a Cheshire cat. When I allow my mind to wander into the territory where our bodies have not yet gone, I can feel a familiar and delightful tension building deep inside me.

  I imagine us on a deserted stretch of beach, lying on a large blanket. He slowly trails kisses down my chest. His tantalizing tongue laps out to caress me. My vivid imagination comes in handy as I picture the two of us slipping out of our clothes and touching each other all over. Of course the sand isn’t a problem. This is my daydream, after all.

  Even with the magnificence that Kai’s body promises when clothed, I am pleasantly surprised to discover it is even more impressive when I envision him in all his glory. I picture myself slowly pulling his swim trunks down. Naturally, in my daydream, I am much sexier and graceful than I am in real life. Someone walks hastily by me, dribbling pool water along my calf. The chilly water stuns me out of my fantasy.

  I open my eyes to look around. No one seems to be staring, so I must not have been moaning in ecstasy. Since I had been enjoying myself, and no one seems to be suspicious of the naughty turn my thoughts had taken, I allow my mind to dip back into the fantasy.

  Kai and I are nude, lying together on the beach. Our bodies are touching in all the right places. Our hands rove all over, exploring each other’s bodies. Kai rises up and looks down at me with adoring eyes. I have never felt so beautiful and desirable. Just as he begins to lower himself, Ruthie plops down in the lounge chair next to me, announcing that she’s hungry.

  I consider telling her to go away, but instead, I grudgingly sit up and ask her what sounds good for lunch. As much as I’d like to continue my naked roll in the sand with dreamy Kai, I’d prefer to have the real-life experience—and the memories of it to relive once I get home. The thought of having to go home brings me down, so I immediately push it out of my head.

  Deciding to get my mind off that topic completely, I say to Ruthie, “You’ll never believe what I just walked in on in our room.” This opener allows us to talk and laugh hysterically throughout our seaside cafe lunch of fried clams and parmesan truffle fries. Ruthie physically covers her eyes, as if that will block the mental image I am describing of seeing Baggy’s man in his skimpy yellow ensemble.

  “O-M-Geeee, please stop talking.” She laughs as I tell her about their slick skin shining with magic jelly. “Why do you suppose they were getting all lubed up? Wait, don’t answer that!” She rethinks the question before I can answer.

  We are both still chuckling at our wild and crazy grandmother when Ruthie turns serious. Holding up a fry, she says sadly, “I’m really going to miss these when we go home.”

  “They are delicious,” I agree, knowing that we are both going to miss a lot more than the tasty French fries we have discovered on the island. The thought of having to leave Kai depresses me. I refuse to think about it anymore.

  Ruthie must feel the same way because she abruptly changes from her almost pensive mood. “Whelp, I’m off to take a WaveRunner lesson. See ya later,” she calls over her shoulder, having already hopped out of her chair. I shake my head and watch her shaking her fanny on the way to the watersports shack. The fact that we are sisters absolutely blows my mind. I love her to pieces, but we couldn’t possibly be more different.

  Maybe I should practice my butt-shaking walk the next time I see Kai. If nothing else, it would probably give him a good laugh.

  Chapter 19

  It turns out that I don’t have to bother practicing my butt-tastic walk because Kai plops down in Ruthie’s recently vacated chair. I quickly forget all about my plans of seduction. All I can feel is the instant magnetic attraction I feel for him. He’s beyond handsome.

  When he asks if I’m up for a hike, I don’t hesitate. As I realized earlier, I would probably follow this man anywhere—a walk on a scenic island trail is a no-brainer.

  He takes my hand and we set off together. I am a little distraught when I discover that we are heading along the path that leads to the waterfall where I spied on him earlier. He wouldn’t bring me up here just to chastise me for watching him, would he? When we come to the fork in the path, he steers me in the less worn direction, and I realize that we are indeed heading to the waterfall.

  I hear the roaring of the water before I can see it. When we step into the clearing, I suck in my breath at the natural beauty. Even though I have been here before, the stunning perfection still surprises me.

  “This is one of my favorite spots,” he confides near my ear, so I can hear him over the loud water.

  I nod in appreciation. I’m still not certain if he saw me here the other day, but I’m sure he recognized his form in my painting. I suppose it really doesn’t matter. He doesn’t seem to be angry about it, and it’s not like I can do anything about it at this point anyway. “It’s really beautiful,” I gush honestly as he eases himself behind me, wrapping his arms tightly around me. The feeling of having him at my back is divine. I lean my head back into him, savoring the feeling of his firm chest.

  “Would you like to go for a swim?” he asks me.

  “I’d love to,” I answer, and I mean it. As we walk down the path to the water, I am thankful that I had thought to don a swimsuit under my dress this morning. If Kai goes in the water in the buff, I’ll be happy to skinny-dip with him, but this way I am prepared for anything.

  When we near the bank, he yanks his shirt over his head. I stare at his perfect shoulders for a few moments. Not wanting to get caught, I break out of my trance and begin removing my Keen sandals. Kai gallantly steadies me by my elbow as I balance on each leg to take off my shoes. Since I don’t have anything else on, I slide my sundress up over my head. I am pleasantly surprised to find that Kai isn’t as bashful as I was about gawking. He is openly looking at my barely covered body, and he seems to like what he sees. When he licks his lips and finally raises his eyes up to meet my gaze, we both chuckle with nervous energy.

  I take a couple of steps toward the water, but turn to watch as Kai quickly shucks his board shorts. He has stripped down to a pair of black boxer briefs, and I feel a warm and pleasing sensation in my belly when I notice how they are bulging in all the right places.

  He takes my hand and we walk together the rest of the way to the water’s edge. I daintily dip a toe in and am pleasantly surprised to find that the water is warm—luxuriously warm. “That’s not how you get in,” he teases me. He points out a couple of feet into the dark turquoise swirling water. “Just jump out past this ledge. See it?” When I nod, he starts a countdown. “Three-two-one.” We jump in together.

  The water feels glorious. Kai is an excellent swimmer, but I already knew that based on his rescue of me from the smack of jellyfish. We glide through the water together—sometimes floating lazily on our backs, sometimes splashing each other playfully. Finally, I can’t resist the draw of the falling water any longer. Kai quickly deduces my destination and dives under water. He expels a rush of bubbles, which tickle my underside and make me giggle.

  We arrive at the waterfall at the same moment and let the water rush over us. I tip my head back so it washes down my back. It feels cleansing and powerful. Being in this pristine location with the man of my dreams is truly a gift—a gift that I don’t want to waste. I boldly declare to myself that I don’t want to have any regrets when I go home, and I’m quite certain that not jumping Kai’s bones right now would be a huge, lifelong regret.

  Kai is a gentleman, so I decide to give him an indisputable sign that I am ready for more. I reach one hand behind me under the water, while using the other to dog paddle to stay afloat. On the sly,
I unclip the clasp at the back of my bikini top. Once it is unhooked, I make short work of the tie at the back of my neck, freeing my ample breasts.

  I take a moment to enjoy the feeling of the warm water rushing over my bare skin before clearing my throat. Once I have Kai’s full attention, I raise my brightly colored bathing suit top up out of the water. His eyes widen in surprise, and then he breaks into a huge grin, which is exactly the reaction I had been hoping for.

  I wad the top into a ball and toss it to the embankment. Once I am free of it, Kai and I lunge at each other. We kiss each other hungrily. It is difficult keeping our faces above the water while attempting to grope each other, so Kai says, “Come back here.” I follow him behind the fall and am pleased to find a shallow ledge. The wall of water gives us some privacy in case anyone should join us at our scenic, yet somewhat public spot.

  Kai sits down on the ledge, and the water laps gently at his chest. I look around our secluded cove and decide this location is absolutely perfect. So rather than sitting beside him on the ledge, I climb onto his lap and straddle him. Our lips and tongues meld together in a delicious kiss. His large hands cup my breasts gently. I tip my head back and enjoy his touch as he kisses his way down my neck and chest. When he suckles a nipple, I cry out with the pleasure of it. My lower half seeks his. I scoot myself along his massive erection, making us both groan.

  Deciding that there are too many clothes between us, I reach down to relieve us of the remaining frustrating barrier. I decide to start with Kai’s—mostly because I want to get my hands on him. When I slide my fingers under his waistband, he wraps a hand around my wrist—stopping me. We sit there like that for a moment—both of us breathing heavy, but otherwise unmoving. I am uncertain why he has a vise grip on my arm, but he isn’t letting go.

  Finally, he croaks, “I can’t,” before diving under the wall of water and swimming away from me. I sit there for a long while, stunned and embarrassed. I have never been half-naked and willing to fool around with a man who turned me down before, and I don’t like how it feels.

  I chastise myself for being so stupid. He’s clearly not attracted to me—why would he be? He is perfection personified and I am lanky and slightly above average at best. There is no denying his body’s reaction to me, but that is purely physical. A healthy, virile man would probably become aroused by anyone who brazenly takes off her top and climbs on him behind a majestic waterfall.

  I shake my head in exasperation at myself. I can’t believe I tossed my top to shore. How can I gracefully retrieve it without making even more of an ass of myself? I know the answer to that question. I can’t. What had I been thinking? I guess I could sit back here and hope that he leaves, but the fear of someone else coming along and seeing my shucked top makes heat rise up on my cheeks.

  I am ashamed of myself, and I just want to extricate myself from this situation as quickly and quietly as possible. I dive under the falling water and surface as close as I can to the point where I threw my top. I am pleased to find my belongings lying neatly by the edge of the water. Kai must have placed my clothes within reach to minimize my embarrassment. I guess that’s the least he could do after shunning my sexual advances.

  I put my bathing suit top on under the water, then pull myself out of the water and slip the dress over my wet skin. After sliding my feet into my sandals, I turn toward the path to head back to the hotel. Kai is waiting for me—ever the gentleman, with his back turned to give me as much privacy as he can. I don’t want to face him right now, but I don’t see another way to leave.

  Deciding to just get it over with, I trudge toward the path. When I am even with Kai, he turns to me, “Ready to head back?” he asks me as if everything is normal.

  I feel like kicking him in the ’nads. How can he just ignore the fact that I am completely humiliated? How can he act like nothing happened back there? Why did he shun me? Rather than physically harming him or asking him any of the numerous questions that are swirling around my head, I nod and continue walking.

  The walk back to the resort seems interminable. When we finally get to the bar at the resort, I mutter a quick “See ya” over my shoulder before speed-walking to the villa’s door. When I put the key in the door, I say a silent prayer that Baggy and her man are finished with whatever kinky, slick games they had previously been enjoying.

  The island gods are on my side for once because the room is empty. I collapse onto my bed before I start sobbing as a pathetic mixture of sadness, hurt feelings, and humiliation overwhelms me. I cry myself to sleep and don’t even hear Baggy and Ruthie return to the room.

  Chapter 20

  When I wake up the next morning, I have a revelation. I decide to focus on helping others rather than wallowing in my own misery over Kai not wanting me, and I know just whom I am going to assist.

  Having a selfless mission brings a bit of a spring to my step. I am in paradise after all. I shouldn’t be surprised that Kai isn’t sexually interested in me. I was silly to think that I might be sexy enough for him. He can probably take his choice of any woman he wants. I’ll just avoid him until the awkwardness passes or it’s time for me to go home—whichever comes first.

  I go down to the breakfast buffet and am surprised to see Leilani filling in for the normal hostess. It seems like each employee of this resort covers several positions. Leilani seats me at what has now become our usual table. A beaming Honi arrives just as I sit down and delivers my piping-hot tea. It’s amazing how quickly these workers have learned the nuances of our likes and dislikes. They all seem to really pay attention and truly enjoy their jobs.

  Once Honi sets down the tray—which includes sugar cubes and cream, just the way I like it—I ask him to sit down for a moment. If he is surprised by my request, he hides it well. He amiably lowers himself into the chair next to me and asks how I am doing. I fib by telling him that I am doing great then I say that I would rather hear how he is doing.

  Once I am certain that Leilani has seated her next table and is walking back in our direction, I rest my hand on Honi’s beefy arm and lean toward him. I see her eyes resting on us for a moment, but she quickly flits past, so I decide to step up my game a little.

  When Honi tells me the old joke about the customer asking the waiter what the fly is doing in his soup, only to have the waiter reply, “The backstroke,” I laugh much louder than necessary. My outburst is rewarded with a sharp glare from Leilani, which makes my day. I had been hoping that Kai was right about her feelings for Honi, and the eye daggers she sends me suggest that he was.

  Leilani is busy chatting with a young couple about their dinner reservations, so I use the time to talk to Honi. “You should ask Leilani to go out with you.” I nudge his arm with my elbow.

  I see a wave of sadness pass over his eyes before he masks it with his usual charm. “We’ve been out on a few dates, but she broke things off,” he confides in me. I can’t tell if he knows about the pregnancy.

  Honi is silent for so long, I start to think that he isn’t going to continue; but then he does. “What would someone as beautiful and amazing as Leilani see in someone like me, anyway?” His question mirrors my own about Kai.

  Even though his question was rhetorical, I feel compelled to answer him. “You are a great guy, Honi,” I tell him honestly. “She would be lucky to have you.” Honi shakes his head sadly, clearly not agreeing with my assessment.

  I notice Leilani checking us out, so I pat Honi’s arm gently. “I think we’ve managed to make her jealous,” I confide in him when I see her reaction to my hand on Honi.

  Honi’s features brighten instantly. “Yeah?” he asks me hopefully.

  “Definitely.” I nod, winking at him.

  “Thanks, Roxy!” he says enthusiastically before hefting himself out of his chair.

  I spend the rest of my meal only slightly uncomfortable from the unkind looks I can feel Leilani aiming at my back. When I leave the restaurant, she follows me.

  “Is it not enough that you
have Kai panting after you like a Great Dane in heat? Now you have to sink your claws into Honi, too?”

  Turning to face her, I don’t bother to point out to her that Kai isn’t at all interested in me sexually. Seeing the look on her face takes away any hurt feelings I experience from her comments. It is obvious from her pained expression that she cares deeply for Honi. I decide to put her out of her misery. “Actually, Honi and I were talking about you.”

  She seems surprised and completely taken aback by this revelation. “Really?” She looks hopeful for a moment, but her face quickly crumples into tears. I put a comforting arm around her and am surprised when she doesn’t immediately push me away. “You wouldn’t understand,” she tells me when I ask if there is anything I can do to help.

  “I understand that Honi is a kind, loving, gentle giant of a man and that any woman would be lucky to have him. I also understand that you have won his heart,” I tell her. She smiles through her tears at that, but stays rooted to her spot. I gently suggest that she should go talk to him and am happy when she follows my advice.

  I watch her walk back into the restaurant with what probably looks like a self-satisfied grin on my face. I head back toward my room feeling quite good about my matchmaking skills. Hopefully, the two of them can make it work.

  Chapter 21

  Kai swoops up behind me, placing a casual arm around my shoulders. “Mornin’, sunshine.” He beams the words at me as if everything is hunky dory, even though it’s not—not at all.

  Isn’t it a prerequisite of being a single, heterosexual man to try to bang any available, willing, moderately attractive female? I wonder, silently fuming.