Page 83 of Try Easy

Shaking his head, he pushed up from the bed and paced the short distance to the door. He turned around to tell her wasn’t interested, but the way she was looking at him arrested his words. The day had been too full of emotion, he couldn’t hurt Ryla.

She sat on the bed, looking vulnerable as she stared up at him. Her eyes were huge and dark, made up to look smoky and dramatic for the stage, but there was an innocence in them that touched his heart. She was gazing up at him adoringly, and Keoni searched for a way to tell her that they could never be more than friends.

Ryla leaned forward to place the cup on the floor, and Keoni glimpsed down her dress. He wasn’t too drunk to respond to the display of her tanned flesh. His heart sped up, and the blood rushed to his crotch.

He looked away and put his hand on the door to leave.

Ryla stood up from the bed and walked toward him. “Don’t tell me you never thought about it before, Keoni,” she said, smiling up at him. “You and me? We’re perfect together.”

“You’re too young,” Keoni protested.

Stopping in front of him, she raised her chin defiantly. “I’m nineteen,” she said. “I’ve been up on a stage half my life. I was never young.”

Keoni remembered the rumors about Ryla Aikau. They said she was a descendant of the goddess Pele. With her long mane of dark hair, bronze skin, and sensual mouth, Ryla looked a lot like the drawings of the fiery goddess of volcanoes. And she sang with a voice that was blessed by the gods, like the mysterious sirens of the sea.

Ryla was beautiful and sexy, but Keoni had never thought of her as anything other than a kid. The way she was looking at him now, she didn’t seem like a kid.

She was standing so close that he could smell the musky scent of her perfume. His eyes dropped from her mouth to her chest, and he watched the swell of her breasts rise as she took in a deep breath.

The seductive scent of Ryla’s perfume weaved a spell over Keoni. He pictured the two of them together in an embrace, her curvy body pressing into his. His body responded immediately, and he reached for her.

She wanted to know what it was like to kiss him? Keoni thought. Maybe he should show her.

Keoni cupped the back of Ryla’s neck, pulling her closer. “That wasn’t a kiss,” he said, and then he closed his mouth over hers.

The small sound of pleasure Ryla made as their lips touched encouraged him, and Keoni leaned into the kiss. Crushing his mouth to hers, he felt some of the tension he’d been holding all day finally release.

He couldn’t help wishing it was Lou’s mouth he was kissing, but he pushed the thought away. He plunged forward, giving Ryla a kiss she wouldn’t soon forget.

She tasted sweet, like pineapples and swipe. She opened her mouth for him, and he swept his tongue against hers.

He dropped his hand from the base of his neck to spread over the smooth skin of her exposed back. Ryla moaned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Keoni ended the kiss and took a step back, regaining control. He was dizzy from the swipe, and more than a little drunk, but his senses were slowly coming back.

This was Ryla, he thought. Sweet little Ryla.

“That was some kiss,” she said.

“I gotta go,” Keoni said, reaching behind him for the doorknob.

“Wait,” Ryla said. “You can’t kiss me li’ dat and then leave.”

“Ryla,” Keoni sighed, shoving a hand through his hair.

There was a noise from the other side of the door. Heavy footsteps were coming their way. Keoni froze and didn’t relax until the footsteps continued down the hall to the bathroom. He released the breath he’d been holding and took Ryla by the shoulders.

“This isn’t going any further,” he told her, looking into her eyes. “I’m drunk. Hell, you’re drunk, too.”

“I’m not drunk,” she insisted. “I’ve been drinking swipe since I was a kid. I know how to drink.”

More footsteps sounded in the hall. Ryla pressed closer to Keoni and reached around behind him to turn the lock on the bedroom door, making sure they wouldn’t be interrupted now.

“I’ve had a crush on you forever,” she said. “Every girl in Hawaii does.” She laughed. “You’re everyone’s hero. You’re handsome as sin, and you surf like the gods. But that’s not why I like you. You wanna know why I like you?” she asked.

Keoni didn’t really want to know, but he got the feeling Ryla was going to tell him anyway.

“Because you’re never satisfied,” she said. “The best isn’t good enough for you, Keoni. You want more for yourself. You want more for Hawaii.”

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