Landon

I’d come to the conclusion there was nothing better in life than watching her respond to my teasing. The color of her tanned cheeks could be compared to a perfectly ripened peach. The way her honey-brown eyes widened was a thing of beauty. Her bashful fumbling for words made me want to pull her into my arms and kiss her until her knees gave out.

In spite of the way she flip-flopped between the young twenty-something-year-old she was and the mature adult she wanted to be, something else was bothering her. I could see it in her eyes. And I wasn’t so sure it was her father’s behavior as much as my opinion of it. Before today, I’d admittedly conjured up an entirely different dynamic between father and daughter than what I’d witnessed. Zara didn’t kowtow to him, nor was she afraid of him.

If nothing else, the encounter with her father clarified why she was so hell-bent on hiding our relationship…embarrassment.

Once Spike realized he wasn’t getting any of my lunch, he jumped off my lap to get cozy on the couch. I stood and took our plates to the sink.

“Leave those,” she said when I proceeded to wash them before stacking them in the dish drainer.

“You made lunch; I’ll clean up. We make a great team, Zara.” I could feel her eyes on my back and smiled smugly, knowing she couldn’t see me. When I shut the water and quickly turned, I caught her standing there staring at my ass. I lifted a brow mischievously.

She pulled in a ragged breath and said, “Um…It’s still raining hard. I’m going to change into my tackies.”

“What the hell is a tackie?”

She pointed to her feet. “Tennis shoes?”

“Sneakers?”

“Yes, sneakers.”

“Okay. Need help?” I asked, stepping closer. “Can I see your room?”

Her hand shot up to halt my steps. “No! Wait here.”

“But I want to see your room.”

“You can’t.” I stepped even closer, forcing her head to tip upward.

“The…um…the bed is not made.”

“That’s actually perfect.” I lunged for her but she scooted away giggling before I could grab her.

It was then and there I realized Zara didn’t trust herself to be alone with me, and I really couldn’t blame her. My willpower was stretched very thinly, and I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t snap at any moment. I usually wasn’t a fan of flirting…more the conquer-and-claim type. For whatever reason, the chase with Zara was exhilarating in a very strange way.

After drying my hands with a dishtowel, I reluctantly went out to join Spike on the couch. Upon seeing me, he lifted his head and yawned. “You got a tough life, dude.”

“He thinks he does.” Zara walked into the room and laughed. “I must say Marshmallow liking you so much doesn’t help your case with my father.”

“Why?”

“He’s convinced Marshmallow hates him, even bites him in the middle of the night.”

I curled my lips over my teeth to stop from laughing. “Wait, what?”

“My dad once woke up with tiny bite marks on his ankle, and he claimed it was Marshmallow. I’m not sure how he managed to open my door, sneak down the hall, open my parents’ door, bite my father, and come back to me. But Papa swore it was him.”

I looked at my furry friend, and I swear he smirked at me.

She came over and lifted him. “Be good,” she said before kissing his nose. He then looked to me expectantly.

“I feel bad. He’ll be here alone, I’ll be home alone,” I said as I ruffled his frizzy fur. “Maybe I should take him home with me.”

He blinked a few times, probably agreeing with me in his little puppy mind. The only thing he said was “Yip.”

Zara tilted her head in amusement. “It’s weird how you two look at each other. It’s like you’re communicating telepathically.”

“We are. Right now he’s saying to me, ‘Yes, I want to hang out with you. And then later tonight, I’ll convince her that she’s madly in love with you.’ ”

“Oh, is that what he’s saying?”

“Yes. Right, Spike?”

“Yip. Yip.”

“See?” I stood and pulled her into my arms. With my lips on her ear I added, “You can always ditch work and come to the bungalow with us so I can convince you in person.”

Goosebumps appeared on her exposed skin, and fuck if that didn’t turn me on more. Nose to nose, she looked into my eyes and said, “If I didn’t have to get back to Palu’s finances, I’d consider it.”

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not.”

“What about keeping it neutral?”

She sighed, her warm breath fanning over my face. “You’re hard to resist, Lance White.”

At her admission, I pulled her into my body the same moment my lips landed on hers. Gone was my resolve. Nothing could have stopped me at that moment from kissing her as passionately as I did…except maybe if her dad were to burst in on us.

I shamelessly took the opportunity, making love to her mouth with my tongue. While holding her body firmly against mine, I didn’t bother to hide what it was she did to me. The kiss went on longer than I expected. She was the first to breathlessly pull away.

“Lance. I have to get back,” she said against my lips.

“Quit.” She laughed adorably, although I was dead serious.

“Lance.”

“Fine. I’ll take you back, but I’m not happy about it, though.”

From what I could tell based on the sadness in her eyes, she felt exactly the same way. Each kiss made it harder to control myself. Each time she let me kiss her sent my argument that we needed to tread lightly out the window. She fit in my arms perfectly. Her mouth moved against mine perfectly. She was perfect for me.

Screw the fact she lived in Hawaii while I lived in California. Screw that she didn’t really know my true identity. Screw that she was eight years younger than me. Hell, I’d go as far as saying screw her dad for being such a hard-ass. None of it mattered at that moment but what she tasted like and how she felt in my arms. How she was able to make me never want to go back and stay with her right here in Lanai. Being with her during these intimate moments was the worst form of torture, yet I needed more of them.

And what made matters worse, I now had to drop her off and head home to take yet another cold shower. In spite of all that, I was going to spend the next day with her and that was the light at the end of my tunnel.

“Am I taking Spike?”

“No. He can stay here.”

When Spike lifted his head and growled, Zara looked at me in disbelief. “I swear you drugged my dog.”

“No way, that’s all him. It’s not my fault.”