“Until eleven, and then Shannon, our night shift, takes over,” she says and I swear she smiles. “I’ll try to keep it down. By the way, Logan has these for you.” She grabs a stack of papers from the corner of the teak desk and holds them out for me. A keycard is kept under her thumb. “The keycard is yours. Opens, your room, the pool, maintenance areas, and housekeeping, as well as reception. You’ll get separate restaurant keys tomorrow.”
“I thought he was going to go over these with me?” I ask, coming over to take them from her. “This is my contract right?” I flip through the pages.
She shrugs. “Just read it. He went to Hanalei so he’ll probably be coming back late.”
“What does he do in Hanalei?” I ask. I have a sudden flash that he’s there because of a girlfriend, maybe the same one he cheated on my sister with. The rage that boils through me gets caught in my throat.
“He drinks,” she says. “Goes to Tahiti Nui. It’s his bar. Well, aside from here, it’s everyone’s bar. I’ll be sure to take you on a Logan-free day.” She pauses. “The two of you aren’t very close, are you?”
I shake my head. “He was with my sister in Chicago for a year before they got married. The minute they did though, and the hotel took off, they were pretty much living here. I’ve only seen him on a handful of occasions since then.”
She seems to think that over with an air of disbelief. Finally she nods. “Well I suppose in-laws are complicated. I can’t stand my sister-in-law. Thank god she lives back home. In San Francisco.”
Ah, another haole, like me and Charlie.
I want to keep talking to Kate, shoot the shit, maybe get more information on Logan. But my tongue feels fuzzy, my head is swimming.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell her, waving the papers at her. “Thanks.”
The unit is only a few steps from the reception building, so it’s a matter of seconds until I’m waving the keycard in front of the door and stepping inside.
The wood fans whir overhead, and it’s only then that I notice there is no air-conditioning in here, and no television or phone either.
It doesn’t matter. The minute I open the balcony doors, keeping the screen closed, and the ocean breeze comes wafting in, I hit the bed.
I fall asleep with my clothes on.
CHAPTER FIVE
I’m dreaming.
I have to be.
I’m hiking through a jungle in the dark. Only a sliver of moonlight is breaking through the tops of the canopies, illuminating the leaf-strewn floor in cuts of silver and white.
I’m barefoot, in shorts and a tank top. The air is rich, as warm as an embrace.
I’m alone.
At least I think I am. I keep hearing a soft breath at my back, but I can’t turn around. My dream holds me captive, makes my limbs feel like lead. I can only move forward on the dark and twisting trail, while the presence behind me gets closer and closer.
I can feel the heat of the person, the man, at my back. As I walk, the mud squishing between my toes, branches reach out and caress my skin, as tender as a lover’s hands.
The path rises until the trees drop away and I am on the top of a razor-backed ridge. The world seems to fall away, leaving no distance between me and the stars, the ocean a blanket at my feet.
The back of my neck tingles as the heat intensifies.
I suck in my breath with a startled gasp as hot breath skirts over my skin.
The man is behind me. I can’t see him but I can feel him.
I can feel all of him.
He presses himself against me, slowly, deliberately, as his hands wrap around my elbows, holding me back. His erection is hard against the top of my ass, and even though I’m dreaming, I’m calculating how tall he must be. His grip is strong, everything about him radiates strength.
He doesn’t talk—he doesn’t need to.
This is a man I know, a man who belongs to me. He can do whatever he wants and I want him to do whatever he can.
I close my eyes as one of his hands lets go of my elbow and roughly moves up to my hair. He makes a tight fist, yanking my head to the side, exposing my neck. His lips are both hard and soft as they press against my skin, his teeth nipping gently.
I want him harder and the response is automatic. He bites my neck, hard enough for pain to wash over me, the hand in my hair yanking me back, pulling at the strands. It’s a sharp ache and I want more of it. He pushes further against me and his breath is hot and ragged at my ear, like some kind of primal beast.
I’m going to give it to you hard, so fucking hard, his voice says, sliding inside my brain, a voice I feel more than hear. Starting now.
Suddenly I’m on my knees, sinking into the mud. My shorts are slipped down over my ass, my head is pushed forward until I have to put my hands out to brace myself.
He lowers himself behind me. The heat of his body is unbearable. I know he’s naked, that he’s just inches from my ass. I want to twist around and see him in all his glory, stare at his cock, take it all in, but I can’t turn. I can’t do anything but wriggle in anticipation. The moon starts to glow purple, pulsing like the heat between my legs.
How long have you wanted me? He asks gruffly, the accent fading in and out. How long have you dreamed of this?
How long have you? I want to ask but my mouth doesn’t move, and I’m not sure if my thoughts reach him as his reach me. Every inch of me is coiled in waiting and it’s then I know that as I sleep, my body in my bed is just as tensed up.