Burning up the Rain (Hawaiian Heroes) (2 page)

Five other people were waiting to board Frank’s boat. Jack grinned as he recognized the familiar short, stocky Hawaiian standing with his arm around a small woman.

“Gabe, Sara,” he said as he dropped his duffel on the pier. “This must be the right boat.”

Gabe Paalani turned to smile at him, white teeth flashing from his broad, dark face. “Jack, aloha. You made it.”

Jack slapped him on the shoulder. “Ever known me to miss a chance to party? Sara, how are you?”

Gabe’s wife smiled up at Jack, holding out her hand. “Aloha. Welcome back to Hawaii.”

Jack leaned over to kiss her soft cheek, genuinely glad to see her. She and Gabe were such a matched set, it was hard to remember the womanizer Gabe had been in college. He and David Ho’omalu hadn’t hesitated to use their status as football players for the U of H Warriors to chase women. They’d caught plenty of them too. Not that Jack himself had been far behind.

“Sara, you get prettier all the time.”

She giggled, one hand over her midriff in her chic purple linen sundress. “Oh, you. I’m getting so fat.”

He peered at the slight swell under her palm. “Hey, are you…?”

Gabe nodded smugly. “We’re expecting. December.”

“That’s great. Congratulations to both of you.” Jack waited for the surge of relief that it was a friend announcing pending parenthood, and not him. But instead he felt strangely off-balance. They’d all graduated from the University of Hawaii ten or more years ago. David Ho’omalu was married, his wife also expecting a baby. Daniel would be married tomorrow. Jack was the last one of the quartet still unattached.

“You missed the luau last night,” Gabe chided. “Homu and Tina put on quite a spread up at their place, and the dancing was great.”

Jack shook his head, grimacing. “Yeah, last-minute meeting with a client who wanted to sign papers right away. It was a big money deal, so I had to change my plane tickets to today.” Doing so had cost him a bundle and caused him to miss the luau.

He’d wanted to toss the papers in the client’s face. Fussy, frowning and perpetually disgruntled in spite of his millions, the guy was a royal pain in the ass. But he’d just made Jack and his partner enough money to keep their business and their employees afloat for the remainder of the fiscal year, so Jack had not been in a position to refuse his demands, especially with Tyler hovering at his elbow, waiting for him to screw up again.

“Well, at least you made it for the wedding.” Gabe waggled his heavy brows over his sunglasses. “You da last one left, big guy. Watch out, we gonna find you a pretty wahine and marry you off too.”

Jack winced. “Ah, yeah, don’t hold your breath. I’m a happy bachelor.”

For some reason, he chose that moment to glance beyond the couple. His heart gave a thump.

Silhouetted against the bright sea was a slender Hawaiian beauty, her long, glossy brunette hair sifting around her in the afternoon breeze. She wore oversize sunglasses and a little white shorts outfit, her long legs bared to the strappy white sandals on her feet. Her slim arms were bare except for one heavy bangle of gold that flashed in the sun as she pulled her hair back from her face. Her white tank showcased her breasts, high and round, and she had a heart-shaped ass that begged to be admired.

Jack’s heart beat faster, and a jolt of sheer physical attraction shot straight to his groin until she looked his way, her head cocked at an arrogant angle. His jaw tightened. Oh, her.

Lalei Kai-Ho’omalu, one of David and Daniel’s cousins.

He’d met her at David’s wedding. Watching her work the crowd of wealthy and influential guests at the luau the night before the wedding, he’d sized her up as a Hawaiian socialite, interested mainly in money and status.

Damn, he’d had the same physical reaction to her then. But he’d made a point of tamping the desire that had seized his brain and body, and staying away from her. She might be the loveliest wahine he’d seen on the islands with that body, those dark, slightly tilted eyes, high cheekbones and that full, pouty mouth that made him picture her using it to do very dirty things to him, but he had enough problems. He sure as hell didn’t need a high-maintenance woman; especially one that he suspected could be a bitch on wheels.

Today she stood on the Kailua pier with a woman who had to be her mother. Slim, still lovely, but brittle in the way of women who didn’t eat enough to keep a bird alive and were conscious of every word, every gesture. The kind of woman her daughter would someday be. Jack grimaced in distaste.

They were accompanied by a man who had the satisfied, well-groomed look of a successful businessman, in slacks and tropical shirt, sunglasses on his face. He had short black hair but appeared more Asian than Hawaiian. Jack couldn’t tell if he was with Lalei or her mother—not that he gave a damn.

He turned away as Frank’s crewman hopped off the boat and began gathering luggage.

“Aloha,” Frank called. “Come aboard, folks, and we’ll head out to Nawea.”

After the others boarded, Jack picked up his own duffel and stepped up onto the boat. The gleaming deck rocked gently under his feet.

He nodded politely to Lalei’s group and crossed the boat to sit on the far side with Gabe and Sara.

Chapter Two

The trip out to Nawea along the south Kona shore was gorgeous as always, the string of pastel-hued buildings along the shore pretty from a distance. Jack knew with an expert’s eye that up close, some would retain their beauty while others would show signs of tropical rot and disrepair. Many of those palms leaning gracefully over the water would be shaggy, the grass under them straggling and the breakwaters crumbling beneath the waterfront homes. Didn’t matter where you lived, things fell apart.

Damn, he was low, if he was critiquing paradise. Time to turn off his business brain and just relax. A drink would help. The complimentary mai tai and the refills he’d consumed on the plane were long gone.

They rounded a point dwarfed by a resort and sped on past the last of the South Kona condos, past the pristine bay with Captain Cook’s memorial spire, past the refurbished king’s village at Honaunau. Tipping his face into the warm wind, Jack gazed at the thatched roofs and the high walls of the traditional heiau hand-built of lava rocks—now there was a construction project. Place of Refuge, it was called. Long ago, all an islander had to do was reach the shore of the place, and whatever sentence had been heaped on his head was repealed, forgiven.

Nice idea—just walk up onto this South Kona coast and leave all one’s troubles behind like a castoff garment that would float away on the waves. Sit on the beach and drink rum, or whatever the hell they drank in the old days here. Maybe they hadn’t had alcohol. Nah, tropical natives everywhere had figured out how to ferment some kind of fruit. Plenty of booze here now, that was for damn certain.

Around another point, Nawea hove into view, the yellow-and-white guest house sitting serenely among its skirts of blossoming greenery, fringed with palms, petticoats of white surf splashing against the reef. Jack sighed, relaxing a little. The place fairly beckoned him in, the curving reef like arms stretched out in welcome. Good times here among the Ho’omalus, who exuded the aloha spirit of the islands. Taking life as it came, enjoying each day in their island paradise.

Jack was the first one off the boat, leaping to the cement dock along the west side of the small bay. He tied the boat to the forward mooring cleat as Frank’s crewman attended to the aft. A tall, powerfully built Hawaiian in red swim trunks strode from the shade of the grass awning over the dock, handsome face creased in a smile, white teeth flashing in his golden-skinned face.

“Malu,” Jack greeted him, smiling back. “Howzit?”

David “Malu” Ho’omalu gave him a hard hug, pounding him on the back. “Aloha, brah. Welcome back.”

“Feels like I just left.” Jack eyed the peaceful scene.

“Stay longer this time, yeah?” As his friend moved on to greet the others. Jack shook his head affectionately at the tribal tattoos swirling over Malu’s massive shoulder and down his back. His friend had a few more than the last time Jack had seen him.

The Hawaiian who strode onto the dock next was half covered in native tattoos, from his hard, bearded face and massive torso to his brawny legs, visible in gray swim trunks and blue tank.

Daniel Ho’omalu’s stern face relaxed in a grin like his younger brother’s, dark eyes crinkling. “Hey, you puny mainlander, about time you got here. Betta not miss my wedding.”

Jack laughed, and dodged the fist aimed at his midsection. “Hey, Roller. Lay off me, I just got off the plane.”

“Careful. The ladies are trying to get through.” Jack turned at the interruption to find Lalei and her mother waiting, their escort close behind them with a protective hand on each of their arms. The Asian scowled at Jack over his sunglasses, his face tight. Lalei’s mother shrank against his side, one hand to her breast as if she feared bodily harm.

Lalei smirked, the corners of her lush mouth turning up slightly in apparent derision. Her eyes were hidden by her big sunglasses.

Heat crawled up Jack’s neck. “Beg your pardon, ladies.” He stepped back toward the edge of the dock, leaving the walkway under the awning clear for them. “Please, go ahead.”

The three passed him without a word. Jack grimaced behind their backs as Daniel greeted the two older people politely, welcoming them to Nawea. He gave Lalei a hug and kiss, and they exchanged a few words.

Malu had hopped onto the boat to help gather luggage. Jack accepted his duffel and followed his friend along the dock and up across the green lawn to the guest house, along with Gabe and Sara.

The other trio walked ahead of them, Lalei’s lovely ass swaying as she picked her way up the incline. He pictured her walking along that way with just a string bikini on, maybe even a thong, the full globes of her ass displayed for him.

He looked away, shaking his head at himself.
Whoa. Get your mind out of those panties, boy. You ain’t going there.

“Same room you had last time,” Malu told him. “Plenty of time for a swim and a drink or snack, if you like.”

Jack dropped his duffel on the luggage rack in the quiet, familiar room and unzipped the bag to dig for his swim trunks. Man, he couldn’t wait to get in the water and cool off. Then time for a couple of beers before dinner. No doubt there’d be plenty of drinks on the beach this evening too. As they said here, that sounded
ono
, very fine.

Jack laid his cell phone on the bedside table, eyeing it as he shucked off his shirt and shorts. He really should call the office and see where his partner was on the Eagle Crest Canyon deal. Nah, later. Right now he just wanted to forget about work. Hell, he wanted to forget about the mainland and everyone on it.

He took his Hawaiian shirt, flowered in soft cream and blue, from his bag, pulled off the dry cleaner’s plastic wrap and hung the shirt in the small closet with a pair of beige shorts. After checking to make sure he’d remembered his good leather sandals for the wedding, he pulled on his swim trunks, stepped back into his flip-flops and headed out through the quiet sitting room onto the lanai facing the beach. As he strolled down the expanse of lawn, Jack took a deep breath of the warm, damp air, laden with the scent of the plumeria that edged of the lawn.

He gazed around the Ho’omalus’ private enclave. Nawea Bay had everything—location, view and climate. The small bay was protected by a submerged reef, the only entrance for boats a narrow opening on the west side, past the long cement dock with its woven grass awning. Palm trees clustered on the rocky points outside the bay.

In the back of the small bay lay a semicircle of golden sand, with a flagstone lanai. A row of loungers and small tables waited invitingly in the shade of more palms. A large cooler sat in the shade, and Jack bent to snag a cold beer, twisting the top off to take a long drink, then another. He sighed with relief as the cold, prickly brew slid down his throat.

A pair of wrought iron trellises had been planted in the sand in the center of the beach. For the wedding, he presumed. He finished the beer in a few long swallows and tossed the bottle in the waiting basket.

Walking past the trellises, Jack dove into the cool water, swimming out to the reef. He’d snorkel in the morning—the fish and other denizens of the reef were worth seeing, but for now he just wanted to cool off. He knew better than to head out across the reef into the open sea when no one else was present, so he stayed in the bay. Frank and his crewman were on the dock, but they were busy unloading a rack of wooden folding chairs.

Flipping onto his back, Jack floated, his eyes closed. The low tropical sun was an orange blaze behind his eyelids, the voices from the beach muffled by the water, the alcohol a loose buzz in his bloodstream. He rocked in the peaceful cradle of the sea, his troubles far away.

A splash jolted him as another body hit the water nearby. Swinging upright, he saw a lean, brown body stream by under water, headed toward the reef. Jack squinted into the sun, treading water as the newcomer emerged, tossing his head to shake his mane of wet, black hair out of his grinning face.

“Hey, Zane. Howzit?” The last time he’d seen this younger Ho’omalu cousin, he’d been racing around the enclave with Bella.

“Good,” Zane said. “Just graduated the U.”

“Hey, congratulations. What’s your degree again? Surfing?” Jack knew Zane was an avid longboarder.