Page 5 of Forbidden Hawaiian Nights
Mia thought of the work that had been done on her place, the loan she was repaying, the necessity of the job and the pay cheque she got at the end of the month.
‘If Izzy wanted you to know where she was, don’t you think she would have told you?’ she asked, equivocating.
‘Possibly,’ Max returned, unruffled, ‘but the fact remains that she didn’t, hence why I am here. Tell me what I need to know, I will leave and life carries on uninterrupted for us both.’
‘And what would you do if you do chase after her? Drag her back here kicking and screaming?’
He burst out laughing but there was little humour in his laughter. ‘You have a vivid imagination, Mia.’
Mia looked down. She could feel his eyes boring into her and she wanted to fidget, restless and hyper-conscious of his presence opposite her.
She sneaked a glance from under her lashes and breathed in sharply, all her senses unfairly assailed by his sheer beauty.
His fingers were lightly circling the empty beer bottle. Long fingers, strong forearms, a study in power in repose.
Her breathing slowed, and she was glad she was sitting down, because every part of her body suddenly felt wobbly.
‘Has it occurred to you that I might be concerned for my sister’s welfare?’
Mia looked at him fully and noted the underlying anxiety in his eyes. She hadn’t noticed that before but then, she was ashamed to admit, she had been busy making sure to pigeonhole him and not give him the benefit of the doubt.
‘What do you mean?’
‘What do you think I mean?’ he asked coldly. ‘My brother and I got the same text from Izzy, along the lines that things were a bit tough for her at the moment, so she would be taking some time out, but that Nat and Kahale would be fine to pick up the slack. What do you think went through my head when I read that my sister was going through “a tough time”?’
He leaned forward, his dark features deadly serious. ‘I have no intention of playing games with you when Izzy may be in trouble. Whatever you think you’re protecting her from, you’re not doing her any favours, and if I have to force you into telling me her whereabouts then, believe me, I won’t hesitate.’
‘There’s no need to threaten me!’ Mia bristled with righteous indignation, but then sighed, because she could see how easily he might have jumped to all the wrong conclusions.
She knew that this project was his private indulgence. Izzy had let that fact slip after a couple of drinks shortly after they had started socialising, having the occasional meal together when they’d finished work. She’d been on her own, newly arrived, and Mia had enjoyed taking her under her wing. They’d hit it off.
‘I know I should be grateful,’ Izzy had confided with a hint of shame, ‘and I am… I really am…but sorting out supplies and invoices and accounts and dealing with bank managers… It’s just not me.’
Was this intimidating guy sitting opposite her aware of any of that?
And, if he wasn’t, then what must be going through his head? He must be frantic with worry about whatever tough times he thought his sister might be facing.
‘I don’t intend to tell you where Izzy is,’ she said firmly, but with sympathy in her voice. ‘But I can assure you that there’s no need for you to worry.’
‘Really. What a relief. I’ll leave now, shall I?’
‘There’s no need to be sarcastic.’
Odious, Mia thought. Odious and rude and arrogant and a million other things I dislike in a man.
She was mystified by her physical response to this man when her intellectual response to him was so negative. Was it because his looks were so compelling? Surely not? She couldn’t be that shallow, could she? Or maybe it was because she had locked herself away behind a wall of ice after her brief, failed marriage to Kai. She and Kai had been kids when they’d married, and neither of them had expected their marriage to last only a mere year and a half because, on paper, the marriage had made complete sense.
Their families had known one another, they’d been childhood sweethearts and they’d both wanted to start their own families as soon as they could, just like their siblings had. Their lives had been mapped out and they had both rather liked the look of the map.
But it was not to be.
Their divorce had been amicable, but lessons had been learnt, and she had sealed herself off from men. But that had been four years ago! In her head, she’d envisaged herself marrying again. Of course she had. But this time she’d compiled a mental checklist of the perfect guy and she had no intention of deviating.
Was this puzzling reaction to Max Stowe simply her body reminding her that she wasn’t quite as frozen in ice as she’d thought she was?
There was nothing about the guy she liked, yet his blue eyes on her made her feel hot and bothered, and aware with every pore in her body.
Had her withdrawal from the opposite sex simply not protected her enough from the sort of devastating effect this level of superb good looks could have on her? Was that it? He made her feel wildly out of her comfort zone when it came to men. No one she knew or had ever known was like this guy.
