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He’s still a stranger and one day soon, I won’t even remember what he looks like.
I rub at my chest when my heart sinks, the pain in my chest pushing harder until I can barely breathe and my eyes water again, tears stinging at the backs of them.
I push all those feelings away and pull at my hand, opening the door and hopping down alone.
That’s how it will always be for me. Alone. I might as well just get used to it.
CHAPTER 8
Leon
“Thank you again for letting me stay here,” I smirk at her as she thanks me again.
“It’s not that big a deal, little flower. How’s your room?” I chop lettuce for the salad I’m making with some fresh tuna on top.
“It’s so pretty. Your parents must have loved this place.” She gasps and covers her rosy lips, grunting. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why the hell not? They did love this place. They loved this island more than any other place they traveled.”
Her wide eyes meet mine, full of sadness. For me. Nobody’s ever felt that for me. I mean, the guys I worked for all slapped me on the back and said they were sorry, but they didn’t feel it like I did.
She does. It’s there in the pressed-tight look of her lips, the lines around her silver eyes sharpening. “I didn’t want to remind you of something that is so sad.”
I stalk across the room and touch her shoulder gently, resisting the urge to caress her skin, warm and soft on my fingertips. “Hey,” I reach down to lift her chin gently. Her sad eyes cut a hole in my gut. “My parents did love this place and these people. This was home to them. That thought doesn’t make my sad. It makes me feel a sense of connection to them that I think helps me more than hurts me. Do you understand?” I ask her softly, feeling more than seeing her deep breath as she avoids my eyes.
“I-I think so.”
I smile at her and chuck her gently under her little pointed chin. “Good. Now let’s eat.”
She sits down nervously and stares at the table. I sigh. “Sarah. Look at me.”
She glances up from underneath her long, dark lashes and the unease in her pretty eyes makes me put down my fork.
“Hey…don’t worry about it. I’m serious. Maybe at one time it made me sad but not anymore. Those are good memories.”
She nods and the lines around her gorgeous eyes relax, her mouth opening to take a bite out of the salad. She moans and all the other talk fades away into nothingness, my dick straining in my pants. I grunt and shift uncomfortably, my body begging me to touch her. I push all that down. There’s something about her that feels fragile, like she could break with one touch and I don’t want to hurt her.
“Why are you here, little pua?” I snort when her arched brow lifts and she eyes me like I’ve just said something dirty. “It’s the Hawaiian word for flower. So stop looking like you’ve sucked on a lemon!”
“Fine. But don’t think I won’t look it up,” she warns.
“Oh, I believe you will but you will be sorely disappointed. It’s exactly what I said.”
“Then how can I be disappointed.” Her timid volleys make me chuckle.
“Maybe I should call you little kitten. It’s like you’re sharpening your claws on me.”
Her full lips curve in a smile and pink stains her pale cheeks, darkening her freckles. “Why don’t you just call me by my name? There’s nothing wrong with Sarah.”
Heat curls through my belly when I think about calling her ‘Sarah’ as I drive inside her lush heat. Her eyes dart away from mine but I’d bet money that she knows what I’m thinking. Her pale cheeks glow with red fire and she huffs.
No matter what she says out loud though, I know she’s just as tempted as me. Her nipples push against the thin fabric of her dress and her breath is raspy and quick. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen anywhere on this island and that pulls me up short.
She’s not on this island for more than a couple more days. I can’t take advantage of whatever is going on between us and the devastating fragility I see underneath the snarky bravado.
“You haven’t answered my question,” I growl, fighting this raging hunger that’s ripping me apart from the inside out.
She pauses and I can almost see the wheels turning in her head. Then she sighs, running her fingers through her hair. “I’m here to say good-bye to my past. To try and figure out what future me needs going forward.”
