Page 43 of Forbidden Hawaiian Nights
‘No idea what you’re talking about,’ Mia sniffed, and he grinned.
‘Have I ever told you you’re very sexy when you’re wearing that particular hat?’
‘I admit I am about to offer a suggestion which you may or may not like…’
‘Would I need a stiff drink to deal with what’s coming?’
Mia looked at him but trying to maintain any hauteur was out of the question when she saw the warm, teasing glint in his eyes.
Had she ever felt this comfortable with any guy in her life before? Even Kai?
‘It’s fine staying in posh hotels, but you know Izzy had something else in mind for your hotel. In fact, there’s a hotel she specifically visited this island to stay on. She was so enthusiastic about it afterwards. Showed me photos. Well, I think it would be a nice idea for us to go stay there. I know it might be a bit inconvenient, because you’ve booked this place we’re heading to for a couple of nights, but…’
‘I could go with that,’ Max said thoughtfully.
‘Really?’
‘Really,’ he said, voice wry. ‘Why the doubts in the first place?’
‘You like your comforts.’
‘Who doesn’t? Mia, answer me truthfully. Would you rather be in this car or standing in a queue waiting for a bus to trundle along, in soaring heat and insane humidity.’
‘I never minded before,’ she said stoutly. ‘I happen to be very accustomed to taking public transport to get everywhere. Or cycling. In soaring heat and insane humidity.’
‘But, my darling, that was before you met me.’ His voice was low and lazy and teasing.
Mia shivered.
Had she changed? Had she grown used to his world? No, she was still the same girl she’d always been, even if this girl was now moving in a different world. What had changed was that this girl now had fun. He could make her laugh the way no one else could and every second in his company thrilled, challenged and excited her. But what was going to happen when she packed her bags and left that world behind?
He had said that this was time out for him, and he hadn’t been lying. Work had been left behind in Oahu. He touched base with his sprawling empire for a couple of hours, often in the early hours of the morning. They didn’t talk about the hotel or any of the myriad things that needed doing.
What had started as a four-day trip had very quickly blossomed into a ten-day plan.
‘I can do whatever I want.’ He had shrugged when she had asked him about that. ‘Working all the hours God made does confer certain advantages. Freedom of movement is one of them.’
She’d been guiltily thrilled at that, but time was moving on and was she digging a hole for herself by settling into this uber-lavish life he had handed her on a plate? Shouldn’t she be remembering that there was no such thing as a free lunch and that, when the time came to say goodbye to all of this, she might just find it harder than she could ever have imagined?
Shouldn’t she be remembering that when the time came to say goodbye to him she might just find it impossible?
They had fun. The lovemaking was intense and extraordinary. They seemed to physically fit one another like a hand in a glove. They talked and laughed but no mention was ever made of anything beyond the moment. He had no expectations that what they had was going to last. When he spoke about returning to London, she was noticeably absent from any of the scenarios.
She had talked herself into taking what was on offer, because she deserved to have a bit of fun in her life for once, but had she bitten off more than she could chew?
He was a man of the world, experienced when it came to picking up women, enjoying them and then moving on without a backward glance.
She was wet behind the ears in comparison.
‘I’m the same person I always was,’ she said now. ‘I haven’t changed.’
‘No?’
‘Have you?’ She turned the question to him. Suddenly, it felt very constricted in the back of the car. He looked at her through narrowed eyes and she flushed, wondering whether he could read what was going through her head.
‘Not getting where you’re going with that question,’ he drawled, and the teasing warmth she had grown accustomed to was absent.
Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than for this sudden tense atmosphere to go away. What was the point in trying to find out whether there was more to what they had than this? Gut feeling told her what would happen if she pressed the point. He would walk away. She knew it.
