Chapter 4 Oleanna
He differed from earlier. A cheerful lilt replaced the deep, husky tones he offered all afternoon. The intensity of his gaze muted by playfulness.
Axel was almost goofy with his stories about pranks in the locker room and accounts of his grandmother making him skate before he fully learned to walk.
“Since I’m burned to a crisp, what do you suggest I use my vacation time on tomorrow?” That mischievous, boyish grin was going to be the death of her.
“Read. Nap. Watch movies. What people on vacation usually do indoors.”
“Yeah, what do Hawaiians do indoors?”
She heard a slight dip at the last word, and she almost choked on her beer.
“Eat,” she declared.
“Yeah? What kind of food do you like to eat, Oleanna? Your absolute favorite.”
She moved the rice on her plate, avoiding his eyes. “You probably can’t eat my favorite kind of food,” she answered. She gestured at the leftovers because Axel stuck to the meat and vegetables. “With your fitness routine and all.”
“Try me.”
“Have you ever had halo-halo? It roughly translates to mix-mix from Tagalog. It originated from the Philippines, but it’s a Hawaiian favorite. Think shaved ice on steroids.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“All three thousand sweet calories of it.”
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“We?”
“Isn’t it your favorite?”
She shook her head and stood up to put away the food. Her aunt would usually prearrange meal cleanups with guests, but Oleanna offered to do it tonight. One reason she said yes to dinner was to give her aunt a break. The other reasons, she didn’t analyze too closely.
Axel followed her into the kitchen with the rest of the plates. They worked together, putting leftovers in containers and wiping down surfaces. When she began loading the dishwasher, he reached over and shut off the faucet.
“You brought dinner. Let me do this.”
“No! You’re a guest. Go relax.”
“I told you about my fierce grandmother, right? Well, she would smack me on the head if she saw me sitting around while the person who fed me cleaned my dishes.”
“C’mon, Axel,” she said indulgently, elbowing his torso and attempting to budge him out of the way. It didn’t work because he was as solid as a boulder.
He looked down, amused by her futile efforts. To her surprise, Axel went behind her and lightly placed fingers on her hips to move her to the side. She shuffled over. The fleeting pressure of his hands lingered on her flesh even after he let go. He turned on the faucet and looked at her sideways with that grin. The one that was going to kill her with charm.
“Well? What time should I be ready?”
“I didn’t say we were going.”
“C’mon! How am I supposed to experience halo-halo without you? I wouldn’t even know where to get it. What if I bought shaved ice that wasn’t on steroids? What if I ate it wrong? Everyone will know I’m not from here! My kama-kama-whatever local status will be jeopardized. People will realize I’m from Sweden!”
She snickered and managed to say, “We can’t have that,” through amused, tilted lips.
Finished with the dishes, he wiped his hands and came closer. She was still chortling, leaning back against the lower cabinets. Axel put a hand on the edge of a counter, half encasing her body, so her eyes were level with the bit of burnt skin peeking out of a white shirt.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, surprised that her vocal cords worked despite her seized lungs.
“The aloe vera helped a lot.” He reddened further, as if embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” she commiserated.
“Thing is”—he leaned over as if stating a secret—“I didn’t quite get to my shoulders, so if you’re feeling charitable…”
“Charitable?” she asked, confused.
He whipped off the shirt and stood before her. Did she say confused? No, that wasn’t it. Her brain was scrambled.
Axel was the epitome of sculpted masculinity: wide shoulders and ripped pecs, abdominal ridges framed by the perfect V of strong hips.
And red. Red everywhere.
She didn’t know if she should drool over his body or cry on his behalf.
“Since you haven’t run away, I’m gonna grab the gel, OK? Don’t move,” he stated chirpily, zipping by her and disappearing into the hallway bathroom.
Upon return, he sat on the sofa and held up the gel.
Oleanna walked over. “Oh, Axel, this is going to blister,” she warned when she got a closer look at it. He must be in excruciating pain. “Hopefully, the gel will keep the blistering to a minimum.”
Oleanna squeezed a green glob between her fingers. She cautiously rubbed at the top of one shoulder and a little over the back. He sighed as her hands moved over feverish, tender skin. A low moan escaped his lips, and her body reacted, every pore alert to his heat, his aroma, and that manly hum of pleasure.
She craved to hear more of that sound as she spread gel to the other shoulder and rubbed. His head lolled forward, his large muscular body melting into a puddle of relaxation right before her eyes.
Without thinking, she spread one hand over each shoulder, careful to keep away from the sore redness. She circled firm fingers around the knots of his upper shoulder blades.
Instead of relaxing further, he stiffened. Appalled, Oleanna realized she forgot herself. She jolted back and made to gather her things, mumbling a vague apology and trying not to die of embarrassment.
Did she just cop a feel of this man? Oh my god, can the ground swallow her up yet?
“Oleanna, please don’t leave,” Axel called, his voice pleading.
“I have to, um, goodnight. I mean bye, Axel,” she stammered.
“Stop, please. It’s not what you think.”
“I don’t think anything,” she screeched defensively and spun around to face him.
He had stepped closer. Axel reached over to graze her elbow. “It’s just that if anyone should get a back rub, it should be you.”
She sputtered through a bubble of nervous laughter. “What?”
“You’ve done so much for me today, so…”
“Axel?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are definitely the weirdest guest Kamea Koa has ever had.”
“Awesome,” he blurted without hesitation, making her snicker. “Though now I’m thinking about other guests and I’m not sure I like the idea of that,” he said softly, a worried line creasing his forehead.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t enjoy thinking of you with other guests in here, that’s all.” Goodness, his sweet honesty was even more captivating than his effortless charm.
“They’re usually couples or groups that my family’s worked with for years.”
“So, no single Swedish hockey players who want to spend all their time with you?”
She blinked while assessing his earnest blue eyes. “I should go,” Oleanna mumbled.
“Alright. If you have to. What time are you coming by tomorrow? For our halo-halo trip.” Lighthearted anticipation replaced his intensity.
“I’ll finish work by noon. We can take the van and grab lunch, how’s that?” she asked hurriedly, schooling her features from reflecting the flushed excitement of his face. “Can you stay out of physical harm till then?”
“I’ll try,” he droned. “Before you leave, I wanna tell you something.”
“Huh?” she inquired, noticing that she had been the one to eliminate the distance between them.
“I’m glad I came to Hawaii,” he whispered into her ear. This time, he was the one to step closer.
She swallowed before rambling. “Early summer is a great time to be here, before the worst of the heat.”
“That’s not why.”
“Then why?”
“I jumped on a flight at the last second instead of going back to visit my family in Sweden.”
“Oh,” she muttered because now his face was an inch away, his mesmerizing lips stealing her attention.
“I thought it was a means to get away,” he continued. “That’s not it. It wasn’t to get away from anything. It was to find something. Someone.”
“Axel, what are you… oh, um…” she babbled.
He was still shirtless, the expanse of his pectorals daring her to look. She stared at his erratic pulse instead. When his glistening mouth parted to speak, it was as if a spell was cast. She stared at his lips, knowing they were as dangerous as they were gorgeous.
“Oleanna,” he mumbled, trance-like.
Before she could stop them, her hands reached out to his chiseled jaw. Oleanna stepped close enough for her breasts to graze his chest. He released the sexiest groan. She consumed his aroma of pine and masculinity, musk and confidence.
With one hand, he locked her palm against his face, lips grazing her fingers. Both moaned at the contact. With his other hand, Axel gently braced her lower back, pulling her tight.
“Where did you come from, Oleanna? It’s like you came straight from my dreams, do you know that?”
A memory hit her in a flash.
Back in Minneapolis, Axel had handed her an envelope containing the cost of cleaning for the month and, as usual, a generous tip for the staff. He had smiled at Oleanna and her cousin Malia, both in the kitchen. She’d smiled back, holding her breath in anticipation. Then, he had turned away and walked out the door.
He saw her, but he didn’t see her.
And when they weren’t in this cottage and on vacation, he would go back to seeing her but not seeing her.
He wanted to know where she came from? Not from his dreams, that’s certain.
When he leaned in, she wiggled away. They stared at each other, faces flooded with shock and arousal and confusion.
She offered a curt nod before walking out the door.