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Kal was never really interested in acknowledging Mano’s limitations. He tried to stay positive about the whole thing, insisting that Mano could do anything he wanted to do. His brother didn’t like the idea of him being trapped inside the Mau Loa. Paige favored his brother a lot in that way. He supposed it was her work with veterans. They overcame disabilities every day. Why should Mano be any different?
Because he was different. He’d learned to function as well as possible in the world he knew now. Part of that was knowing his limitations.
As Hoku led them up the ramp to the dinner yacht, Mano hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. It was hard to say no to Paige, though. It was just a dinner cruise around the south side of the island. The boat likely had stabilizers to keep them from rocking everywhere or guests might end up wearing their dinner instead of eating it.
“Thank you for doing this. I know it isn’t your first choice for a way to spend the evening.”
Mano pushed aside his doubts and tried to give her his most co
nfident smile. “I don’t have to steer the boat, so we should be fine. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to try the cruise, but I figured the view would be lackluster.”
“Very funny.”
“Well, it’s true. The company makes up for it, however.”
“Mr. Bishop,” a man’s voice greeted them as they neared the deck. “Thank you for joining us tonight. Just take one big step up, sir, and you’ll be secure on the ship.”
Mano sensed Hoku move ahead of him and felt out his step before climbing onto the boat with Paige at his side.
“If you’ll come right this way, I’ll show you to our rear deck where we’re serving wine and canapés.”
They followed the host around the ship, where they were greeted with their choice of beverages and some small bites to tide them over until dinner. Paige opted for sparkling water once again and this time, he opted for the same. Alcohol seemed a poor choice given the situation.
Mano held Paige tight at his side as they mingled with other guests on the cruise. Everyone seemed enamored with Hoku, who basked in the praise. Mano was far more interested in the bare skin he ran across when his palm came to rest on Paige’s lower back. His fingers felt around, casually searching for fabric, and found the silky edge just shy of indecency. Moving up, he realized she hadn’t worn a bra tonight, either. Her back was one bare expanse of skin. The realization made his blood hum in his veins, and he wished dinner would go ahead and start so it would end. He was far more interested in getting her back to his hotel suite.
When they were finally shown to their table, he was happy to find they were at a private table for two. He would rather talk to Paige alone than continue the small talk. She read the menu choices to him since a braille menu wasn’t available and they gave their selections to the waiter.
“Is the table nice?” he asked once the server was gone.
“Oh yes,” Paige said. “Our table is right at the window so we have the best view of the water. The sun is just starting to set.”
Mano nodded. “Sounds nice. What about you? How do you look tonight?”
“Well,” Paige began thoughtfully, “I think I pale in comparison to an Oahu sunset, but I tried.”
“I don’t know,” Mano said thoughtfully. “I felt a whole lot of skin earlier. I’m envisioning you in something pretty slinky.”
“I’m wearing a halter gown. It ties around my neck and it’s open in the back. It hangs fairly loosely to the ground.”
“What color is it?”
“Red.”
“I like it. What shade of red?”
“A dark red. Not quite burgundy. I’m just now noticing how it’s highlighting the sun I got today. I probably look like a lobster.”
“Stop it, Paige,” he said softly but firmly. He didn’t understand why she always cut herself down. A lot of women were prone to dismissing compliments, but she took it a step further. She didn’t seem to think very highly of herself at all, and that was a damn shame. Here he was envisioning her in a sexy red dress and she thought she looked like a boiled crustacean.
“Stop what?” she asked.
She cut herself down so easily, she didn’t even know she was doing it. Reaching across the table, he sought out her face with his hand. “Don’t pull away,” he insisted and finally felt her cheek against his palm. “I’ve spent enough time with you, Paige, to know you are a beautiful woman, inside and out.”
“You don’t know anything,” she said flatly.
“Don’t I? I’ve touched your face, kissed your lips, held your body... I’ve drawn the scent of you into my lungs and tasted you on my tongue. I’ve heard your soft sighs and melodic laughter. I don’t need eyes to see you, Paige. Every word out of your mouth convinces me more and more how lovely you are. It pains me to hear you insist otherwise.”
The silence answered him back. He withdrew his hand and waited for her response.
