Page 44 of Forbidden Hawaiian Nights
With sudden clarity, she recognised what she had wilfully been hiding from herself. She had developed feelings for him. Strong feelings. Feelings that went way beyond lust, desire and all those other convenient descriptions she’d been using.
Lust and desire were passing viruses. Once she’d established that with herself, she’d had no trouble reasoning with herself that she was in no danger of being hurt. But now…
His fabulous eyes were on her face, incisive, penetrating and looking for…something she had no intention of revealing.
‘You don’t work as much as you used to,’ she said, deflecting his question. ‘Do you think you’ll slow down when you get back to London?’
‘Not a chance of it,’ he murmured, dropping his eyes, his long, lush lashes shielding his expression for a few seconds before he looked at her once again. ‘This is a holiday, but holidays don’t last for ever…’
‘You’re so right.’ She smiled while something inside twisted painfully, because if this wasn’t telling her like it was, just in case she started getting ideas, then what was? ‘The reason I asked is… I’ll be very happy indeed to go back to my usual life. I miss my surfing and, believe it or not, all this luxury travel is terrible for a girl’s figure!’
‘How so?’
‘Not enough exercise and too much fine dining. I shall end up the size of one of those humpbacked whales in Maui if I’m not careful! Also, I just thought about my backlog of work. Neither of us has been up to speed with work-related issues.’ Work-related issues? She sounded like a business manual!
‘I’m assuming there won’t be a lot of fine dining when we shift location to whatever resort you have in mind?’
Mia began to relax. Somehow, they’d skirted around what had suddenly felt like a contentious issue, and she was pleased to be back in known territory.
Except…something had been added to the mix and she would be an idiot not to pay heed. He’d reminded her that all good things would have to come to an end.
‘And as for your other work,’ he said, ‘I don’t think taking a breather for a few days is going to cause any insoluble problems with whatever work you might have on at the moment, will it?’
Mia frowned and thought about a couple of her outstanding projects. She had been in touch with the clients, explained the situation, and had emailed them various landscaping ideas. It would take time to order in just the right plants anyway, and they had been happy to wait until her return.
That said, pride clamped firmly round her fragile heart, stiffening her backbone. If he could issue his opportune reminders, then surely she could respond in kind?
‘I’ll set aside some time later to deal with any outstanding issues,’ she murmured.
‘And let me know if you run into any roadblocks…’
‘Why would I do that?’ she asked, surprised.
‘I’m extremely good at sorting out road blocks, my darling.’ He sent her a slow, curling smile that made her shiver and sent a shot of hot adrenaline racing through her bloodstream.
From tension to blistering excitement in the space of five minutes. Was it any wonder she had landed herself in more hot water than she could ever have imagined? She wasn’t adapted for an emotional life lived in the fast lane.
‘Really?’ she murmured, keeping her cool and giving no inkling to her tumultuous emotions. ‘And how would you solve those sorts of roadblocks?’
‘I’d get whoever was kicking up a fuss to get in touch with me.’
‘Now you sound like someone from the Mafia.’ But her eyes were glinting with helpless amusement.
Max laughed, his gaze resting on her face, looking at her as though she were the only person on the planet. ‘Nothing so dramatic,’ he drawled, feathering his finger on the inside of her wrist and setting up a ferocious fire trail of response inside her. ‘Or dangerous. I would merely give them enough money to persuade them that I need my woman by me for a few uninterrupted days.’
His woman. Giddy thought. Also foolish, because she wasn’t his woman…she was his passing interest. ‘A few uninterrupted days’ said it all.
‘Well,’ she said crisply, ‘I’m sure it won’t come to that. I have very understanding clients, and in Honolulu people are patient when it comes to getting work done.’ She paused and looked at him seriously. ‘But if I do encounter any problems—’ she grinned, lightening her tone ‘—I’ll make sure not to tell you! The last thing I’d want is for any of them to be scared away by a Big Bad Wolf!’
She looked ahead as the car slowed and realised that they were here. Destination reached before the conversation could go down any more tricky roads. ‘Looks amazing.’ She directed her dancing eyes at him. ‘Make sure you lap up the luxury. You never know where I’m going to take you tomorrow!’
Max gazed at the ocean in front of them. It was after six. Behind them, nestled in swaying trees, was a beast of a motorbike that he had rented a couple of days ago so that they could tour the island and get to all the places that Mia had told him in no uncertain terms he needed to see if he were to fully understand his sister’s vision for the hotel.
He hadn’t ridden a motorbike since his university days. Along with his vague plans to see something of the world before settling down and joining the rat race, motorbikes had been ditched when his parents had died and he’d had his wake-up call.
Along from the trees, via a network of winding paths through coconut palm trees and giant firs, was the eco-hotel where they were now staying.
When he’d first seen it, he’d thought they’d made a mistake and landed up at someone’s house. A triangular children’s drawing of what a house should look like, with a red roof and weathered turquoise walls and wide shallow steps leading up to a heavy wooden door. Around them, there must be a million different types of tree and bush and flower and fern, all pressing against the open clearing around the hotel, for hotel it was, as he soon discovered once they were inside.
