Pleasure in Hawaii (Kimani Romance) (15 page)

Gail paused deliberately. “The man’s really into you,” she stated emphatically.

“Is he now?” Sloane batted her lashes as though this was a surprise to her. “Tell me more…”

“As your friend, I didn’t pull any punches in asking Gene about his feelings toward you, where he saw this going, and even his failed marriage.”

This ought to be interesting.
“And…?”

“Gene didn’t flinch. He responded straightforwardly, wearing his heart on his sleeve.” Gail met Sloane’s eyes. “I came away feeling that he wants this to work for the long term and is committed to doing his part to make that happen.”

Sloane had already believed that was the case, but was happy Gene had opened up to Gail, just as Sloane had to Talia.
We’ve both reached the point where there’s no holding back in what we want out of this relationship.

“Thanks for having my back,” Sloane told Gail, “but it wasn’t necessary. Gene’s been good to me and for me, otherwise I never would have fallen in love with him.”

“Do you love him more than your job?”

Sloane’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me,” Gail stated tersely.

“Why are you asking me that?”

Gail regarded her. “It’s an honest question and deserves an honest answer.”

Sloane wrinkled her nose. “Where is this coming from?” Had Gene put her up to it?

“I’m not trying to stir up trouble,” Gail insisted. “I just want to make sure you have your priorities in order. A good man is always more important than a good job.”

“I realize that,” Sloane said defensively, even though she had always been driven by the job without having a man in her life. “But why can’t one have both?”

“You can—and do, in fact. Just be true to your feelings and allow them to blossom in carrying you as far as they’re meant to.”

“I intend to do just that,” Sloane promised.

“Yeah?”

“Yes, yes.” Sloane laughed. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine. So will Gene. We’re happy together.”

“I can see that.” Gail forked a boneless chicken cube. “You go, girl.” She raised her hand and gave Sloane a high five. “And I’ll be back whenever you get around to saying ‘I do’ with Gene.”

Sloane’s mouth became a perfect O. “Did I say anything about getting married?” Had Gene?

“No. I’m just putting that out there.”

“Well, put it back in there,” Sloane said, slicing into her fish. “I love Gene, but I’m not sure if being his second wife is in the cards.”

“Why not?” Gail looked at her sharply. “And please don’t say because you and marriage don’t mix.”

“We do mix.” Sloane sighed. “For the longest time I wasn’t sure about that. Now I am.”

“Then, what?”

“I have to be sure Gene feels the same way.”

“He loves you,” Gail argued.

“I know,” Sloane told her. “We’ll have to see if he loves me enough to ask for my hand in marriage without my prompting him to do so. Or being scared off by the been-there, done-that thing.”

Until such a time, she wouldn’t get her hopes up that a ring was forthcoming. Gene was everything she wanted in a man and she would love being his wife. But he had to want that too. Then they could have the type of life that Sloane had never thought possible for herself till now. Only the man who had captured her heart could make that happen.

O
n Sunday evening, Gene drove over to Sloane’s place with a bottle of Ulupalakua red wine. Earlier in the day, he had accompanied her and Gail to the Whaler’s Village Museum and Lahaina Banyan Tree Park, before Sloane drove her friend to the airport. Gene liked Gail and was sure he’d see her again one day, especially since he fully intended for Sloane to be a big part of his life for years to come.

Right now his only thoughts were on Sloane and building upon their commitment to each other. In his mind, that meant spending more time together and combining their talents in a way that would bring out the best in one another while the love they shared continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Gene wasn’t sure how Sloane would react to his suggestion and, frankly, was a bit nervous at the prospect. But he’d thought this over long and hard and would see it through, knowing that it wouldn’t affect their relationship one way or the other as far as he was concerned.

When Sloane opened the door, Gene found it impossible not to be turned on as she stood there in body-hugging loungewear.

“Hey,” he said, grinning.

“Hi, handsome.” She flashed him an enticing smile.

He kissed her, savoring her taste for a moment of pleasure. “I brought some wine.”

“Wonderful.” Sloane beamed, taking the bottle. “Another great selection.”

“I know my wine,” Gene said.

“Let’s go break it in.”

Gene followed her into the kitchen and watched as she took out a couple of goblets. He came up behind her, put his arms around her waist, and kissed her hair. “I’ve missed you.”

“I haven’t gone anywhere,” she said over her shoulder.

“You’ve been preoccupied.”

Sloane’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t want to share me with anyone, huh?”

“Not if I can help it,” he replied.

“Gail’s gone now.”

He turned her to face him. “I can see that.”

“So you have me all to yourself again.”

Gene’s dimples deepened seductively. “I like that.” He kissed her, sucking her lower lip. “I like it a lot.”

Sloane broke away from his mouth, her lashes fluttering. “What about all those guests I have to share you with?”

“They will never have any part of me that I’ve given to you,” he promised.

“That’s good to know,” she said with a smile.

Gene poured wine into the glasses and held one up to Sloane’s mouth. Once she’d taken a sip, he set the glass down and gave her a passionate kiss, tasting the wine on her wet lips. He felt himself becoming aroused, practically wanting to take her right there on the spot.

Instead, he would take her to bed. What he had to say could wait until a little later. Getting between her legs couldn’t.

Sloane straddled Gene’s hard body and galloped atop him lustfully as his erection impaled her, going deeper and deeper as she went farther down on him. Her hands clutched the sheet and her eyes squeezed shut while his fingers gently rubbed her nipples. They were both slick with perspiration from the lengthy lovemaking and frequent changes of position. Sloane made her vagina constrict around Gene’s penis, knowing this spurred him on even more, which in turn enhanced the experience for her.

After moving steadily up and down the span of him to the sounds of Gene’s guttural groans, Sloane’s body craved satisfaction. She leaned down onto his chest, bringing their bodies close together for the final ascent of orgasmic bliss.

“I’m coming,” she cried out as her body began to quiver violently.

“Go right ahead, baby,” Gene moaned. “I’m with you all the way.”

He grabbed a firm hold of Sloane’s buttocks and squeezed them while bringing her down hard upon his erection and keeping her there so she could feel him throbbing against her very core. She sought out his mouth, kissing him passionately with her lips, tongue and teeth, needing to feel the power and taste of his kisses. Gene complied as he conquered her lips with his, panting as they breathed into each other’s mouths.

They rocked the bed and immersed themselves in the torrid sex that locked their bodies as one, holding nothing back when the moment of impact erupted all at once, bringing them to heated fruition and then a slow return to normal breathing.

Sloane licked Gene’s lips a final joyous time before slumping onto the bed, wanting only to be held by her man while they absorbed the remnants of their passion. She had nearly fallen asleep, content that no words were necessary to speak of their incredibly satisfying actions, when Gene tapped on her shoulder.

“You itching for another round?” Sloane whispered. The idea didn’t surprise her one bit, as it seemed he could never get enough of her.

“Actually, I want to talk to you….” he said in a low voice.

She raised her face. “Sounds serious. Or is that your after-sex voice?”

He maintained a straight look. “I want you to move in with me.”

“What?” Sloane met his eyes.

“I’d like us to run the bed-and-breakfast together,” Gene said. “I know we could do a hell of a job as a team to keep the place running successfully.”

Sloane was almost speechless. She replayed his words in her head, shocked as much by what he said as what he didn’t say. She heard nothing about wanting her to live with him for love, much less a proposal of marriage.

“That sounds interesting, but I already have a job,” she responded, as though this had somehow escaped him.

“I understand that.” He paused, a firm leg draped across hers. “But that’s all it is, a job. What I’m asking you for is the opportunity to build something together as part of our growing relationship—”

“Wait a minute,” Sloane interrupted him, ignoring the sensation of their skin touching. “Are you saying that our relationship should be tied to operating your bed-and-breakfast?”

Gene chuckled humorlessly. “Of course not. The two are totally different entities. I’m only saying they could be tied together if we wanted that by using our professional skills to make the bed-and-breakfast the best it can be. That has nothing to do with the love I feel for you.”

“Excuse me, but it sounds like it has everything to do with that,” she had to say. “You can’t just lay on me out of the blue that you want me to break my lease, quit my job, and come work for you.”

“Not for me, with me,” he corrected.

“Whatever.” Sloane would not argue about words and definitions. “I think you know what I mean.”

“I do.” Gene lifted his leg off hers. “I just want you to think about it. As for your lease, people break them all the time when it’s for the right reasons. Living with the man you say you love seems like a pretty damn good reason to me.”

Sloane bit her tongue. She wasn’t very happy that he’d thrown this twist into their relationship right after they’d made love and she was most vulnerable to his smooth words. But she wouldn’t succumb to this type of pressure.

“I wish I could just say I’ll do this in the name of love,” she told him, “but I have a very good job that I worked my butt off to get. As much as I’d like to partner up with you, professionally speaking, I can’t just walk away from my work—and you should be able to understand that.”

Gene’s eyes steeled. “Can’t or won’t?”

She frowned. “It’s the same thing. How dare you try to make me seem selfish or feel guilty?”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” he insisted, gazing up and down her body.

Sloane suddenly felt self-conscious lying there naked while defending a position that he didn’t seem to want to hear. She put a little space between them, using her hands to partially cover her breasts. “I earn a good living working at the Island Shores, including a first-rate health plan. Giving that up and trying to figure out how you can make up the difference makes no sense to me.”

“I can’t begin to compete with your salary and benefits at the Island Shores,” Gene admitted. “But I can offer you what they never could, a home that would always be as much yours as mine, where we chart our course as a couple and let the future be our guide.”

Sloane wasn’t much in the mood to think about the future given the present circumstances that had them at odds, even if part of her was moved by the notion of a share-and-share-alike philosophy with the man she loved and wanted to believe truly loved her. But a greater part of her was reluctant to give in to something that almost seemed to be backing her into a corner that she did not want to be in.

“Sorry I brought it up,” Gene grumbled in response to her stone-cold silence.

“I’m not sure you are,” Sloane tossed at him. “Otherwise you would have given it more thought and seen that asking me to do this put me in a very awkward position.” She peered at him. “I’d be happy to assist you at the B&B when you need an extra hand and Dayna can’t cover it. But other than that—”

Gene’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I get it. And, by the way, I wasn’t looking for a damned assistant like Dayna, but an equal partner in every sense of the word. I actually thought this was something that might appeal to you. Obviously I was wrong. Just forget it.”

“Like that’s going to happen,” she snorted. “I can’t simply put out of my mind your request and expect things to go back to how they were before.”

“Nothing has to change,” he said. “Certainly not on my part. This wasn’t a deal breaker—just a way I wanted us to come together and build on what we have. If I overstepped my bounds, I’m sorry.”

So am I, but what’s done is done.
Or was that an over-simplification of things? Sloane took a breath, meeting his eyes. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure.” His brow furrowed. “Or maybe I should just get out of here so I don’t end up sticking my foot in my mouth again.”

Was he trying to run away when things got too hot for him? Is that what she had to look forward to in this relationship? Did they still have a relationship?

“If that’s what you want,” she said flatly and pulled the sheets up to cover her body.

“Probably better that way.” He rolled out of bed and began to gather his clothes. “I’ll dress outside, so you don’t feel you need to cover up from me all of a sudden.”

Sloane wanted to ask him to stay, but wasn’t sure what the point was. He obviously had little interest in working through this. She watched him step into the living room and quickly dress as though he couldn’t leave fast enough.

Sloane stood and slipped into a robe, walking out of the bedroom just as Gene approached the front door. As though sensing her, he turned around, a deadpan look on his face.

“I’ll call you,” he muttered, hesitated as if he wished to say something else, then left.

Sloane also found she had nothing to say and wondered if one sticking point was enough to undo a relationship that before tonight had shown nothing but promise and pleasure.

Gene drove home, wondering if he had blown it with Sloane by asking her to move in with him. He had honestly hoped she would fall in love with the idea as she had with him. Instead she had basically rejected it outright, clearly not interested in running the bed-and-breakfast with him. Not if it meant giving up her great job at the Island Shores.

What was I thinking, putting her on the spot like that?
Maybe waiting till right after they’d made love with more intensity than ever wasn’t the right time to approach the subject. Would there have ever been a right time? It seemed to him like her mind had already been made up from the start.

Gene was still pondering the wisdom of trying to mix matters of the heart with business when he retired to his suite. It obviously hadn’t worked before in his life. Why on earth did he think it would be any different now with Sloane? Perhaps because they were in sync far more than had ever been the case with his ex-wife. He had assumed Sloane might be willing to take a leap of faith and raise the level of their love and commitment to new heights that could only strengthen their ties. He’d been wrong.

Maybe it had also been immature of him to react as he had by walking out instead of taking it like a man and showing her there were no hard feelings. He loved Sloane and didn’t want to lose her. Certainly not over something that was never meant to make or break them as a couple. Had he already put a hole in their relationship that could never be repaired?

Gene reflected on those thoughts, feeling that no matter which way you looked at it, they both needed some time apart to chill and see where their relationship was headed.

A week had passed and Sloane had neither heard from Gene nor called him. She had admittedly been miserable in his absence, but wasn’t sure he felt the same way. He’d indicated that her rejection of his asking her to live with him and operate the bed-and-breakfast was not going to make or break their relationship. Yet his silence made her seriously wonder if he’d been lying to her and himself.

Do I really even know him?
Or was the sizzling romance between them just her fantasy?

Sloane sucked in a deep breath as she went for her morning run. It was the one thing she could count on for relaxation and pushing herself to the limit. The exercise also made her think about Gene and how he had come from nowhere to assist her when the sneaker wave knocked her onto her butt. They had taken that one moment in time and turned it into a romance that often left her head spinning and her heart aching for him.

She didn’t want to see that all come to a crashing halt. And for what? Because she didn’t jump for joy at the prospect of their personal and professional lives merging? She would have welcomed a marriage proposal as an indication that Gene was more committed to a lifetime with her than that she was merely someone to share the load in running his bed-and-breakfast. Yes, she had once been turned off at the thought of marriage slowing down her career goals. But that was then and this was now. Gene had made her want that type of official commitment of wedded bliss in which they could grow old together and maybe start a family. Apparently they were not on the same page in that regard, making it even more frustrating.

Sloane finished her run and took a shower before going to work. She did a few administrative tasks with her assistant, greeted some new arrivals, and went to meet with Alan to discuss guest services and next month’s agenda. She sat in his office, along with other staff, trying to focus. But her mind kept returning to Gene.