Page 7 of Forbidden Hawaiian Nights
‘That’s ridiculous,’ he asserted with a dismissive wave of his hand. ‘I could do with another drink. And something to eat.’ He beckoned someone across without taking his eyes off her.
The café was filling up. In her baggy tee shirt and sarong and flip-flops, she should have stood out, but in fact everyone else seemed to be wearing the same casual uniform. He tugged at the collar of his polo shirt, uncomfortably hot under the sultry overhead fan.
‘Why is it ridiculous?’
‘Exactly what did my sister tell you? Are you going to stick with water? Refuse the offer of food?’
Mia glanced briefly at the plastic menu Rae had brought over, but actually she knew what was on offer without having to consult any menu, and she ordered a Maui lager and a plate of Korean barbecue wings. She was hungry, and why not?
‘Izzy knew that you would want to find her.’
‘Hardly a surprise.’
‘She…’
‘What? She what?’ Max stifled his impatience. For someone so adept at speaking her mind, she now seemed reluctant to expand on what she had said.
He watched her with brooding eyes, noting the flush in her cheeks and the fact that she couldn’t quite look him in the eye. She might be outspoken to the point of annoying—and she might go against the grain, because nearly every woman he met made it their duty to engage his interest—but she was truly exquisite to look at, with her flawless brown skin and expressive eyes.
He shifted uncomfortably and frowned as his libido responded in a way that was utterly inappropriate.
He reminded himself that he was sitting here with this woman for one reason and one reason only. To locate his sister. It was proving more tedious than anticipated but Max had no doubt that he would get the information he wanted sooner rather than later. He had to because he had meetings scheduled and he had no intention of bailing on any of them.
‘Look…’ Drinks had arrived, beer for both of them, and he cradled his ice-cold bottle for a few seconds before tipping some down. ‘I’m not in the mood for playing games. I’m on a tight timetable here. I haven’t got time to try and coax answers out of you.’
‘Izzy specifically doesn’t want you to bring her back. She needs to clear her head. She…she had a bit of a relationship with a guy and it didn’t go according to plan.’
Max stilled. He linked his fingers on the table and stared at her. ‘Talk to me.’
‘I shouldn’t have said as much as I did, but honestly, Izzy just needs time to recover.’
‘What happened?’
‘Nothing happened! That’s just it. Nothing at all happened and I think Izzy hoped that something might. That something serious might happen.’
‘Who is he?’
Max banked down a surge of anger at whoever the guy was who was responsible for his sister’s hasty disappearance. All the protective instincts that had been in place inside him for so many years raced to the surface and he clenched his fists, breathing deeply.
‘It doesn’t matter who he is,’ Mia murmured.
Their eyes met, his dark with rage, hers calm and unruffled, and he felt himself relax a little.
‘I’m finding it hard to imagine my sister involved with a scumbag,’ he growled.
‘Maybe,’ Mia said under her breath, ‘you’re finding it hard to imagine your sister with anyone.’
Mia sat back, realising that she hadn’t touched her beer, but then every ounce of her attention had been focused on the guy sitting opposite her.
He emanated such simmering power and restless energy that she was oblivious to her surroundings.
Their food was being brought to them now, and she drank some of the beer and hesitantly began picking at the food, trying hard to marshal her thoughts.
Should she have betrayed that confidence? Should she have mentioned the business between Izzy and Jefferson?
But how else could she have deterred Max from doing what he had threatened to do? Why would he have believed anything else she’d told him? He didn’t know her. And if he didn’t believe her then what would stop him from hiring a PI to hunt down Izzy? He was rich, so that was something he could easily accomplish with a single phone call.
She knew Izzy well enough to suspect that if her brother hounded her down their relationship would take a battering.
