Chapter 3
PALLAS
It had been a couple of days since he’d seen Kawehi. He’d had the time to go to Lanikai Lanes, but he didn’t want her to think he was stalking her.
She’d already had a guy run out on her and their divorce proceedings, he wasn’t going to give her a reason to look at him under the same light as… him.
Arriving at the mall, he found the mini-golf location on the second floor. He’d read about another one on Kaneohe Bay Drive, but Kawehi had picked the neon mini golf place at the mall.
There would certainly be more people around than at the other mini golf course, but with the nearly black interior, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to see her all that well and yes, he wanted to see her.
A lot.
Pallas looked down at his watch and saw that it was nearly six o’clock.
A couple of women walking by toward the movie theaters slowed down and waved at him.
He didn’t wave back or say a thing. He just nodded a little, so he wasn’t rude.
Pallas heard her before he saw her.
After the other night, he knew what her voice sounded like. He’d heard it enough to remember her tone of voice and the pitch or her laughter.
He moved across the walkway to lean on the railing and that’s when he saw her. She was on the ground floor, and he could see her talking to another woman.
They were animated in their conversation and while he couldn’t hear anything specific, he liked the way that she looked. He loved the way that she moved too.
She was graceful when she walked.
He hadn’t noticed it much the other night. She’d only walked back and forth between the counter and the bowling lanes. She’d also been more than a little nervous because of the guys that came at the same time that he did.
She stepped away from the other woman she was talking to, and he wasn’t sure, but he thought she might have skipped a little.
Was it wrong that he hoped that he was responsible for that skip in her step.
While he didn’t skip, he was becoming familiar with the way his heart pounded on his ribs when he thought about her. Never had a woman had this effect on him.
Never.
And he was enjoying the hell out of it.
“Dom!” He looked to the right and saw her wave at him through the wide glass wall before she got off of the elevator. When she came around the corner, she made a course correction and jogged down the stairs. He met her a few feet away from the bottom of the steps and before he had time to think better of it, he hugged her.
And she definitely hugged him back.
Her body was heavenly against his. Before, he knew that she was athletic. He could see that from her shape as she moved around the bowling alley. But having her pressed up against him, with her arms wrapped around his neck? He felt all of the subtle and gentle curves of her body.
And his dick felt them to.
“Uh, we should go inside.”
Her words registered in his brain, but probably not as quickly as he’d like, considering that his jeans fit a little tighter in the front than they had when he’d put them on less than an hour ago. So maybe going inside where it was dark was a good idea. “Yeah, let’s.” He gestured toward the door. “Ladies first.”
“What a gentleman.”’ She laughed softly and started to walk.
He put his hand on her back, just above the curve of her lower back and although he barely touched her, he felt a warmth spread through his body at the easy contact between them. Inside, they picked out their golf clubs and matching neon balls before heading to the start of the first round.
“I’m kind of sad you didn’t take the blue.”
Pallas heard her gentle laughter when she spoke to him and barely held back the urge to reach out and pull her closer. Maybe even tickle her for the joke.
“Are you telling me something?” He raised his eyebrows, but he had a feeling that she couldn’t see it in the darkness.
“Nothing wrong with a blue ball,” her laughter wasn’t so hidden then.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“I’m enjoying being with you.”
Her words were simple, but they carried a lot of feeling and he felt it, too.
“Enough to take it easy with me on the course?”
She stopped and turned around. He was surprised at how close they were in the darkness. “Easy? Nope. You had fair warning for this.”
“Right,” he agreed, “but if we’re going to make this competitive, there should be a prize at the end.”
“Okay,” she turned back around and set her ball on the first ‘tee.’
He had to take a step back. Yes, it was dark in the room, but he could still see the neon light that highlighted her body and that included her incredible backside.
When she stood back up, he brought his eyes back up to her face. Thank goodness he was quick.
“So,” she gave him a broad grin. “What’s the prize?”
“You agree to let me pay for dinner.”
“That’s if I win, right?”
“No,” he shook his head. “I get to pay for dinner.”
She balked at the idea. “If I win you pay for dinner and if I lose you pay for dinner.”
He nodded. “Exactly.”
“No,” she turned that idea down. “That’s not fair.”
“I think it is. You didn’t let me pay for dinner the other night.”
“That’s… that’s…”
“It’s all fair. But whoever wins at mini-golf gets to pick the next challenge.”
“I can see that this is going to be really fun.” She shook her head at him. “And very competitive.”
“Let’s see who wins.”
She gave him a sidelong look before settling down with her feet spread shoulder-width apart, lined up her golf club, and with one little swing, she sent the ball down the straight away, bounced it off of a piece of wood angled at the corner and it went down a longer straight away to somewhere neither of them could see.
“Are you going to go see where it is,” he asked her, but she shook her head.
“I’m going to go with you after you fire off the first shot.”
“That confident?” As she stepped away, he set his green ball down and stood back up to line up his shot.
She shrugged at him. “Maybe I just want to see you cry.”
He smiled and nodded. “Big talk, Kawehi.”
“Take your shot, Dom. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Again, he was glad that the mini-golf location was dark because when he bent his knees to line up his club, it was more than a little painful, but he had to make a good show at golf no matter how hard he was.
Thank goodness his swing was smooth and when the ball bounced off of that corner, he let out a sigh and stood up.
Kawehi was ready to go, holding her hand out to him. “Come on, let’s see how much trouble you’re in.”
He didn’t want to tell her that she was messing with his head and his heart.
Sure, he’d said they’d be friends, but he was way over that line already. Just seeing her smiling at him. Holding her hand out to him.
He wanted to take that hand and bring it to his face. He wanted to lean into her touch and kiss her palm. Rub his cheek against her hand and see if she shivers at the scratch of his stubble.
If she liked that, he’d love to feel her hand in so many other places.
And he wanted to touch her all over too.
“Come on,” she laughed as she came back to take his hand in his, “you can’t be that afraid of me kicking your ass. Come on.”
He went with her because he couldn’t not go with her.
They got up on the side of the green and walked around the corner so they could see the first hole.
Pallas shook his head. “I think I’m really going to be in trouble.”
She let go of his hand to walk toward the hole, doing a little shimmy with her hips. When she turned around, she gave him a knowing look. Planting her feet on the green, she looked down and focused on the hole like she was on the LPGA tour. A quick tap of the club and PLINK her yellow ball disappeared into the hole. “Two!” She jumped up onto the walkway and did a little celebratory dance. “Your turn.”
His shoulders were shaking with laughter as he walked down to the green. “You keep that up and I’m going to win just so I can take you dancing.”
“Whoa, no.” She waved a hand at him. “I am NOT a dancer.”
He gestured at her. “You certainly looked like one just a few seconds ago.”
“Ha Ha,” she huffed. “That’s not funny.”
He planted his feet and looked down to line up his shot. “I’m not trying to be funny, Kawehi. I’m serious. If I win, I’m taking you dancing.”
“Well,” she folded her arms and leaned back against one of the structural posts in the room, “when I win, we are so NOT going dancing.”
He didn’t like the sound of her voice. It was tight. Almost to the point of being painful.
There was a story there and he was going to get to the heart of it… as her friend.
It didn’t hurt that he wanted more. Well, it hurt him, but that was beside the point.
He settled into his stance and drew back the club. When the head of the club connected to the ball, he knew it was a good stroke.
He didn’t even wait for the ball to sink into the cup, he turned around and looked at her with a grin and watched her reaction when his ball banked off of two walls and then sank down into the cup.
PLINK.
Yes.
“What? How did you-”
“It’s just math.” He smiled.
“Right.” She sighed. “Math.”
Pallas shrugged at her. “Your turn, I believe.”
“Okay,” she looked at him and squared her shoulders, “It’s on.”
It killed him when she bent over to set the ball up for the next hole. She was so consumed with placing the ball in just the right spot that he had his work cut out for him not to stare.
It didn’t help that he really loved a woman with curves.
Almost as if to tease him, the speakers in the room started playing a new song.
“Queen.” He drew in a fortifying breath as the first line blared out of the speakers.
“…take me home tonight?”
If he hadn’t already been fighting off an erection, he might have had a hope of avoiding the crippling pain swelling behind his zipper. But he’d been half hard since he saw her and now, he wondered what the name was for the ache beyond being painfully erect.
Because that’s where he was.
KAWEHI
She hadn’t had that kind of fun in so long! It was almost worth losing.
Okay, it was worth losing.
But holy cow she still felt like she was walking on air after they’d turned in their golf clubs and walked out into the mall. “That was awesome!”
She felt his arm brush against hers and her heart skipped a beat.
No, it skipped a bunch of them. But it was all worth it.
Being with Dom made the air around her… electric.
“I know you said you were going to take me dancing, but there are so many other places we could go. You should save dancing for… way, way down the list.”
She heard him laugh and turned to look at him.
“What?”
“You’re acting like it’s a death sentence or something like that. It’s just dancing. You just have to sway or step to the music.”
She was trying, really trying to change his mind, but she knew that he wasn’t going to.
“Look, can I be honest with you?”
“Of course.”
He took her elbow and drew her toward the railing out of the way of people walking around the mall.
She leaned against the railing and tried to come up with a way to explain but not embarrass herself in front of him. “It’s not that I don’t like dancing, because I do. I just don’t like dancing in front of other people. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”
God, it hurt to say it, but it was better now than later when he was trying to get her out onto the floor at a bar or something worse.
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“That doesn’t sound like me? What does that mean?”
“It means that I hear you saying the words, but it sounds like it came out of someone else’s throat. How long have you been thinking that your dancing would embarrass anyone?
“It’s just how it is.”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s what your… that your husband told you that.”
PALLAS
She stiffened and drew away from him, but he didn’t move. He wanted to hear it from her.
“He’s an ass. That’s the answer. That’s what I’m sure you’re going to say. And maybe it started like that, but I’m not comfortable dancing in front of people.”
Pallas stepped closer and touched her arm with his hand. “I won’t take you out dancing if you don’t want to go, but I want to tell you that you were dancing in there and I liked how happy you were doing it.” He rubbed this thumb across her forearm, trying to soothe the anxiety that he’d helped to create. “You looked amazing in there and I want to see more.”
“You want to see me dance?” She bit into her bottom lip until he thought she might draw blood. “It’s not something I’m good at.”
“Well, I’m not good at it either, but I’d happily make myself look like a fool when you get comfortable enough to dance with me.”
“You’d never look like a fool.”
He shrugged. “Try me. I’ve done my share of stupid things in my life.”
“Well, let’s work up to dancing, okay?”
“Okay. But I still get to choose next.”
She gave him a look that said he would need to tread carefully.
“What about the beach?”
“Beach?”
“What’s the problem with the beach?”
She looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor. “I’m one of those people who lives here but rarely goes swimming or spends time at the beach.” She hesitated when he didn’t say anything, and then she gave in. “Okay fine. I’ll go to the beach.”
“Great. I’ll come and pick you up next Monday and we’ll go to the beach.”
“Okay. You can pick me up.” She got out her phone and sent him a text message.
He saw the address that popped up and added it to his contacts. “I can’t wait to get you out into the sun.”
“That’s one of us.” She laughed. “I’m joking. I am!”
“You’re killing me, Kawehi.”
She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders and then down his arms. “I dunno. You look pretty alive to me.”
He reached out before he thought better of it and put his hands on her hips and stepped in closer.
He saw her eyes widen and wondered if he’d gone too far.
He shouldn’t have done it, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
Pallas was dying to get beyond the walls that she had up, but he understood why she was worried.
She felt like she was still tied to her husband. And she was, but he’d skipped out on her and left her behind without ending their marriage. He was an ass, pure and simple. Pallas had a call in to a friend on base to see what could be done to help her.
If her husband was still in the Marines, then he could probably find out where he was stationed or find Kawehi some help on base as a military spouse.
And no, he wasn’t doing this just as a friend.
He wanted her to be able to move on… hopefully with him.
Pallas had intended to pull away then, but he couldn't quite get his hands to lift away from her hips. The quiet that settled around them was sweet, almost gentle, and a soft tropical wind blew down from the Koolau mountains, lifting a few strands of her hair where they had pulled loose around her face.
Pallas opened his mouth to speak and found his lips dry, likely from nerves around her. He licked at his lips to ease the tight stretch and pull.
She mirrored his movements and he found himself focused on her lips. Plump and full, he wanted to feel those lips against his.
"Is it wrong," he let out a breath, "that I want to kiss you, right now?"
Her mouth curved up in a smile for a moment and then he saw it falter.
"Too much?" He hoped that she'd say no, but he also hoped that whatever she said was the truth. He didn't want her to say something just to make him happy. He had a feeling that she'd done too much of that around... him.
He lifted his hands from her hips and felt the loss of her heat immediately. "I should-"
"No." Her answer seemed to shock her. Her eyes widened and her tongue swept over her lips again.
The delicate, feminine movement wreaked havoc on his heart and all the other places where blood was furiously pumping.
"Not too much." She gently caught at his wrists and settled his hands back to her hips. "I don't want you to go just yet."
He smiled and another breeze cooled the back of his neck. It was a good thing. Fortuitous.
Pallas had a feeling that heat wasn't going to be a problem around Kawehi. Cooling down? That was going to be the hard part.
"I liked those games we played," he swallowed and met her gaze with his own unerring look, "but there was a lot of noise and I wanted to talk with you."
Her gaze dipped away for a moment. "I know what you mean. So many voices, but when we did talk, and you leaned in closer, I felt your breath on my cheek." She gave him a smile that settled right in his chest. "It felt like we were really... close."
"Close?" He leaned in until they were almost nose to nose. "Like this?"
He felt her body shift under his hands. She stepped back against the wall and a moment later he felt her hands settle on the sides of his waist.
"Close," she bit into the side of her lower lip, "but I think we were... a little closer."
"I think you're right." He had a feeling that he just might spontaneously combust if he got any closer, but he wasn't about to stop.
Not yet.
He leaned in another... inch or so? He had to turn his head ever-so-slightly so that he didn't bump his nose against hers. He didn't want to look like he'd never kissed before.
And that's what he was hoping might happen.
"Better?"
They were close enough to each other that she had to look down at a steep angle to see.
"Closer, I think." She drew in a breath and the sound in his ears sounded like the soft sweep of waves over the sand. "I can't feel your breath on my cheek yet."
What the lady wanted, he told himself, he'd give it to her.
He moved one foot forward and felt the toe of his shoe touch hers, but she didn't startle or pull away.
Pallas leaned in until he could feel her heat against his cheek. The warmth of her skin was there but they weren't physically touching. "Now?"
Before she answered, he felt her shiver through the contact he had with his hands on her body.
"I can feel you."
Her answer seemed to have more layers than the one at the surface, but he wasn't going to take anything for granted.
She'd been taken for granted too long.
"I like the weight of your hands on me."
Pallas almost groaned with need. He doubted that she'd meant her words to carry such a depth of meaning, but being around her made every touch feel more important. Every emotion rocked him like a wave rushing onto the beach, pushing him back onto his heels.
It didn't scare him. It just made everything happening between them feel more powerful.
Like the power of nature itself.
"From the moment I met you," her words caressed his cheek, "I felt drawn to you. I'm just not sure that you want to deal with all of the stress and turmoil of my life. I feel like I could easily drop my walls around you and that you're strong enough to hold me when the world comes crashing down around me. I just don't want you to think that I'm putting all of this weight on you.
"Needing you to be strong because there are moments when I feel like I'm... just so damn weak."
He lifted his hand and caught the tear that touched her skin before it reached her cheek.
"The last thing you are... is weak, Kawehi. You're just like the mountains I see every morning. Tall, strong, and so beautiful that it makes me ache. I don't want you to worry that I won't be able to take the weight of what happens. The guys on my team can tell you, I can take it.
"I haven't been able to get you out of my head since we met. And I've been dying to know what it feels like to kiss you."
He felt her hesitate, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions.
"I've been wondering the same thing," she turned her head toward him and he met her right in the middle.
Her lips were smooth and soft, gentle against his need so he struggled to hold back.
He didn't want to scare her because his heart was already pounding, hammering against his ribs.
Kawehi tilted her head just a little bit, but that tiny movement made the difference.
Those waves he'd felt earlier didn't pull him under. He felt them pushing them closer as he kissed her soundly, and when they stopped, she lowered her forehead to his shoulder while they caught their breaths.
"Dom?"
He smiled and felt his heart lift. "Hmm?"
He felt the vibrations of his voice move through her skin along the side of her neck.
"I've never felt like this before."
He wrapped his arms around her in a tender embrace. "It's only the beginning," the promise he made wasn't just something he said trying to make her feel better, he felt it down to his core.