Getting Lei'd (6 page)

The knock at our door startles me out of my reverie. I can’t imagine who it could be. Baggy and Ruthie have keys to get in. I had put out the do not disturb sign in hopes that housekeeping would just leave fresh towels outside the door, rather than come in for a full cleaning.

Maybe Baggy or Ruthie requested that room service be brought up for me, knowing that I wouldn’t stop painting long enough to seek out food? That must be it, I decide, before looking down at my paint-splattered T-shirt. I’m an absolute mess. It was very thoughtful of my family to save me from having to go out in public looking like this, especially since they hadn’t bothered to bring the croissant I’d requested earlier.

My naturally cautious personality has me pause to look through the peephole before opening the door. I nearly jump out of my skin when I see a distorted version of Kai looking back at me through the tiny glass.
Geesh, does he deliver room service, too?

“You can just leave the tray outside the door,” I yell, hoping he’ll just drop off the food and not see the paint-covered mess I have made of myself.

“It's Kai. What tray?” he asks, sounding genuinely perplexed. “I didn’t see you today, so I wanted to make sure you are okay.”

“Oh, I’m fine.” I am touched by his concern. I guess this really is a full-service resort. “Thanks for checking on me.”

“I’d prefer to see for myself.” I can hear the grin in his voice.

Shit!
I look behind me at the painting. There isn’t any place to hide it except the bathroom, and I don’t want to risk smudging it while trying to move it. It’s still wet, so I can’t throw a dropcloth over it.

I make a snap decision and unlock the bolt on the door, leaving the chain hooked. I open the door the chain’s width and smile at Kai. “See, healthy as can be.”

He beams at me as if I don’t look like a paint-covered fool. “Ah, you’ve been painting. I wasn’t sure if you were sick, so I brought chicken noodle soup.” He holds up a container as evidence.

“Thanks,” I tell him, truly touched that he would think to do that. I reach through the crack in the door to grab the soup container, but it won’t fit through the still-chained opening. I squeeze it slightly, but can’t pull it through.

“I think you might have to open the door.” He states the obvious fact that I have been refusing to accept.

Sighing, I release the container long enough to close and unchain the door. When I reopen the door, I stand in the opening, hoping to block Kai’s entry into the room. I grab the soup container once more and try to send him along with a simple, “Thank you very much for bringing this by. Please add the charges to our room bill.”

He frowns slightly at that, but his eyes have already been drawn to the easel. I strain to my full height in a futile attempt to block his line of sight, but he is tall enough to look right over my shoulder. “Is that what you’ve been working on today?” he asks, opening the door wider and strolling inside.

I sense the second he recognizes the scene. He pauses. “Is that . . .” His voice trails off, leaving the rest of the question unasked. When he turns to me his face is bright crimson, and I’m sure mine is a matching shade.

I can’t stand the embarrassment, so I start rambling. “Yes, I stumbled upon that waterfall during a hike, and it was so serene and lovely that I wanted to recreate it on canvas.” He’s looking at me now, and I can tell that he knows I saw him. The tension is unbearable, so I fill the void with more chatter. “The figure there”—I actually point at the man in the water—“is a figment of my imagination,” I lie. Unable to stop myself, I add, “The pool was completely empty when I saw it.”

He’s giving me an odd look, as if he can’t decide what to say. I cannot believe I spied on him then lied about it, then to make it even more ridiculous and unbelievable, restated the lie. I wonder if he is going to call me out on it. He has to know that he is the figure in the painting.
Why didn’t I just fess up about it?

We stay silent for a while, just looking at each other. I am beyond embarrassed, but am determined to keep my mouth shut, so I don’t dig myself any deeper into this hole. Finally, he gestures at the soup container and plastic spoon. “Enjoy your soup,” he says simply, turning to leave.

I feel both relieved that he didn’t call me out on my lies and humiliated that I got myself into this situation in the first place. When he stops and turns to look at me, I am convinced that he is going to shame me for my indiscretions. “You know,” he starts, and I suck in a deep breath, dreading what I know is coming, “it seems to me that imaginary man in your painting needs a sexy lady to join him in the water.” With that, he beams a dazzling, reassuring grin my way and closes the door behind him.

After he’s gone, I plop down on the couch. He had to have known that my running of the mouth was all lies, but he had been gentleman enough not to point it out. I test the soup, and it is delicious. Gorgeous, thoughtful, kind-hearted, and a gentleman—Kai is the total package.
I hope Leilani realizes how lucky she and her baby are
.

Baggy interrupts my rumination by bursting into the room and setting down a plethora of bags. “What a day,” she announces before joining me on the sofa. She sounds completely enamored as she tells me all about her adventures with Mr. Bond. Jim Bond.

I can’t believe she is falling for his hokey fake-spy ploy. Of course, I have no room to talk. I spent the day painting and just got caught daydreaming about a man who has someone else knocked up and spends his time bartending to cover for the drug or other trafficking operation he runs behind the counter.

We sure have chosen some winners
, I think to myself while Baggy and I get ready for bed. Maybe there is something in this Hawaiian air that makes otherwise logical women make poor choices when it comes to men. Not that anyone would ever accuse Baggy of being logical, of course.

Ruthie returns to the room much later. She giggles to herself while putting on her jammies and visiting the bathroom. I hear her take a deep, satisfied sigh before rolling over and going to sleep.

I smile at the ceiling, glad that she and Baggy are happy. They both deserve it. This trip is turning out to be anything but boring, I decide, rolling over and wondering what new adventures tomorrow will bring.

I wake up early again and decide to go for another ocean swim. The warm, salty water washes over me as I pump my legs and rotate my arms. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the feeling of sluicing through the water. I need to find a place where I can swim at home. Of course, doing laps in a pool won’t be nearly as luxurious as exploring the sea in Hawaii, but it beats not swimming at all.

I put my head down (except for every fourth stroke, when I turn to take a breath), and really stretch my limbs. I am booking at a brisk pace through the water and thinking that I might be in heaven when I feel a sharp sting on my leg. The pain jolts through me, so I stop swimming and switch to an upright position to tread water.

While I rub my fingers over my hurt calf, assessing the damage, I look toward the shore and try to determine the best way to get back to land with my now-gimpy leg. Just then, I feel a sharp pain on my shoulder. I gasp before turning to grab the newly injured area. Floating in the water behind me is a translucent pink blob. I feel a little panicky as I circle my hands in the water, trying to propel myself away from the stinging bastard.

When I flail out of its range, I feel yet another sting on the back of my neck. My eyes bulge as I turn from side to side, only to realize that I am surrounded by dozens of the gooey creatures and their trailing tentacles. I can barely breathe, but still manage to let out a frightened sound as I try to figure out how to escape this predicament.

A small wave of saltwater splashes into my face as I feel the burn of another sting on my ankle. All I can think about is getting back to land, but each way I turn is blocked. It appears that I have somehow managed to swim into a swarm of jellyfish, and I don’t know how to get out. Every direction I attempt to move brings me closer to another sting. My whole body is ringing, so I straighten my body and make myself as still as possible while remaining afloat, in an attempt to let the umbrella-shaped jellies pass me by.

Another tentacle grazes my ear, and I let out a pained cry. Just then a strong arm scoops under my arms. The tangled jellyfish tentacles are surrounding us, so I know my rescuer is being stung as well, but he never flinches as he moves us quickly and efficiently through the water toward the shore. I allow my tired body to go limp in his strong hold while he propels us to safety.

Once we make it to shallow water, I expect him to set me down to walk, but instead, he continues carrying me. I turn to look at his face for the first time and am only nominally surprised to see Kai. Normally, I would insist on walking, but it’s nice to feel safe in his arms after the scare I just had in the water. A quick look down confirms that the stings are already forming nasty, red welts. He continues carrying me up the beach toward a beautiful beachside home.

Finally, he sets me down on a bench in the home’s lush garden area. “I’ll be right back,” he tells me before jogging into the house. I cringe when I see the angry, red marks slashing across his back and legs.

While I wait for him to return, I look around. The house is large—almost mansion large—especially for being waterside. It has an open-air concept and is stunningly perfect in every way. I wonder how a hotel employee is able to afford such an amazing place. Even if he does perform numerous jobs at the resort, he can’t possibly make enough to pay for a dwelling of this magnitude. His under-the-table brown bag deals at the bar must be quite lucrative, I decide sadly.

When Kai returns, he has a glass jar in his hands. He dips his fingers into the mixture to retrieve a large dollop, which he proceeds to smear on my shoulder. I flinch reactively, thinking that whatever this is might hurt, but quickly discover that the balm is cool and soothing to my hurt flesh. “Ah . . .” I enjoy the immediate relief. Somehow, amazingly, it has taken the pain away where Kai has applied it.

My eyes dart to the jar, and I try to grab it from Kai’s hands. I want its quenching relief on all of my stings—NOW. He chuckles, saying, “Just relax, I’ll take care of it,” before bending down to rub a generous dose on my ankle. Again, the relief is almost instantaneous. “Where else does it hurt?” he asks me, looking deep into my eyes. I point out the spot on my ear, before turning so he can reach the welt on my neck.

Once all of my spots have been covered with the magical goop, Kai sits down beside me and begins applying it to his own spots. A strange mixture of shame and horror course through me when I realize that he was taking care of me before tending to his own wounds. “I’m so sorry,” I tell him honestly. “I assumed you had already put some on your spots.”

He gives a simple shake of his head, as if it is an everyday occurrence to save someone and treat her stings while ignoring your own significant pain. This time when I reach for the jar, he lets me have it. I dip my hand in before gently dabbing it on Kai’s chest and smoothing it in. I coat each of his stings with the same care and gentleness that he has shown me. When he turns to give me access to his broad shoulders and back, I am tempted to place my lips on each of the spots in an attempt to make them better with a kiss, but I refrain.

“What is this miracle salve, anyway?” I ask him once each of his stings is coated.

He smiles then—a truly gorgeous smile, with the slight gap in his teeth adding even more character to his face. “It’s my Nana Lana’s Super-Secret Magical Jelly.” The way his eyes light up when he speaks, I can tell that his Nana Lana is very special to him.

“Well, it’s magical, all right. I can vouch for that. It took me from extreme pain to mild discomfort in a matter of moments.” I smile back at him, and he looks proud. “I want a gallon of this stuff to take home with me. Does it work on anything else or just stings?”

“Well, Nana Lana thinks it cures everything.” He raises his eyebrows, making me wonder if his grandma is as crazy as Baggy. “It is amazing stuff, though, and people swear by it to relieve everything from sunburn to dandruff to acne. We have customers come from all over to get it. We could make a fortune, if she would mass-produce it, but Nana refuses. She makes each batch by hand, saying she instills love into each jar, which is what makes it work so well.” Now I’m really wondering if he has a crazy grandma, just like I do, but I don’t say anything about it. After all, he obviously loves the woman a great deal, and it’s a completely different ball of wax when you insinuate that one of your own family members is loony versus someone else implying you have a nut job in your family.

Kai cocks his head to the side. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen me selling it at the resort. I sell it to all of my favorite guests.” His words create extremely conflicting emotions inside me as a silent
Ohhhh
 sounds in my head. On the one hand, I’m glad to find that he isn’t selling drugs or anything else seedy. I am distressed, though to learn that I am not one of his “favorite” customers. If I hadn’t been dumb enough to swim through a swarm of jellyfish—is it a swarm?—I probably would have never found out about the magic potion.

Determined not to focus on the negative, I change the subject. “So, what is a group of jellyfish called? A swarm? A pack? A herd?”

Kai laughs at my last suggestion. “Actually, I believe they are called a smack.”

“Well, that seems appropriate.” I chuckle with him. “I sure felt like I’d been given a few hard smacks before you came along.” I turn serious. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

“You’re quite welcome,” he tells me, and something deep inside me wonders if he might kiss me. I think my ears are ringing from the blood rushing through my head, until he tells me he’ll be right back and jogs to pick up his cell phone. “Leilani,” he answers, after looking at the display screen.

Hearing him utter her name immediately squelches the wayward thoughts. As much as I would like to fantasize that Kai is all mine, it just isn’t in the cards. It never was, never will be. End of story. I don’t want to overhear his conversation with his pregnant lover, so I decide to explore the gorgeous grounds at his home. I’m surprised to find a circle of outdoor showers that are secluded by dense tropical foliage. I can’t stop the mental image of Kai and Leilani, wet and entwined, when I see this outdoor hydrotherapy paradise. Not wanting to think about their beautiful, writhing bodies making love under the warm spray, I quickly move along.