Impossible Love: An Unforeseen Destiny Novel Book One (12 page)

“I’m getting an idea.” I laugh. God, she’s cute. “Let’s get a lemon ice from the parlor first. We’ll get it to go.”

I place the gearshift back in park and dart out of the car. If I’m not fast enough, she’ll open her door first. How am I supposed to be a gentleman if she doesn’t let me? As soon as Kayla steps onto the sidewalk, I join our hands and bump the door close.

“You’ll love these. They make the best.” We walk beside each other as Kayla points out the lava-dyed T-shirts.

“Those are cool. I’m so getting one before leaving the island.”

“You’re such a tourist,” I say playfully, trying to ignore the twinge of pain that statement caused.

She scrunches her nose at me. “Okay, homeboy. Show me this fabulous lemon ice.”

***

We pull up to ’Ele’ele’s Port Allen Marina Center, and I park the car. “I didn’t lie, now did I?”

“Mmm, no. This lemon ice is really good.”

Kayla brings the spoon to her mouth, and I watch her tongue slowly lick the last of the ice. My cock twitches. If I don’t do something soon, I’m going to explode in my damn pants. The girl drives me crazy. My gaze sweeps along her body, past the side of her breast down to her long, toned legs. The dress she’s wearing rides mid-thigh as she sits. That exposure doesn’t help tame me either.

“Are we taking a tour?”

Kayla’s gaze drifts over to the large charter boats. At one hundred and fifty dollars a pop, I don’t think so, but I don’t tell her that.

“No, my boss is letting me borrow his catamaran this evening.” I raise an eyebrow and half-grin. “Just the two of us.”

Heat passes through her eyes, along with something else I can’t quite read. I jolt out of my seat and rush to open the passenger door. I assist her out and then grab the basket I’ve prepared. John is meeting us by the catamaran to give me the keys along with a few instructions. He acted nervous after he’d agreed to let me have his baby for the night.

We approach the boat, and John’s standing by the mast, inspecting it.

“John,” I call his name. I have Kayla follow me on board.

He greets me with a huge smile. “Kai.”

We place the picnic basket down as John makes his way to us. “I think she’s ready to go,” he says still grinning. He turns to Kayla, and his smile falters as his face pales.

“John, this is Kayla Cannon,” I say.

“Kayla‌…‌Cannon?” John stammers. “It’s uh‌…‌good to meet you.”

Kayla’s eyes narrow at his extended hand. She reaches across and shakes it, saying, “Pleasure’s all mine.”

John’s body stiffens as he refuses to drop her hand. He’s staring at her as if she’s a piranha. Kayla shifts her widened eyes to me, and I shrug. I have no clue what could be John’s problem. She tugs her hand, and he releases his hold as she clears her throat.

“I can’t thank you enough for allowing Kai to take me out. I’m looking forward to it.”

John blinks a few times and then snaps out of his funk. “Yes, of course. Not a problem.” He turns to me and narrows his eyes. “Remember what we discussed.”

John’s voice is stern, laced with hidden meaning, but I’m not sure what he means. The only thing we discussed was his half-joke about not having sex on his boat. John laughed as if he knew that was my sole intention. It’s not, but I thought he was kidding. This seriousness masked in his eyes makes me heed the warning.

“Wait by the cabin. John just has to go over a few details,” I instruct Kayla.

She nods, still eyeing John warily. I turn to ask John a question but hold my thought as I walk over to him. John’s facing the parking lot with his cell phone to his ear. My usual carefree boss’s stance is anything but inviting.

“You have until Sunday. I’m not wasting any more time‌…‌Monday then.” John ends the call abruptly and shoves the phone into his pocket.

My eyebrows narrow at John standing there, shaking his head. I’m not sure what he’s contemplating, but his strange behavior is rather concerning.

“Is everything all right?” I ask.

Startled, John jumps as if he forgot I was there. “Yeah‌…‌everything’s fine.” He quickly exits the space with me watching his receding body. I guess I’m winging the last-minute instructions. Scratching my head, I return to the cabin.

“He’s a bit‌…‌odd.”

Kayla’s corners of her mouth turn down, forming a frown. She still eyes John skeptically. I can’t say I blame her, though. He didn’t leave much for her to go by. Long shaggy hair, typical button-down Hawaiian shirt with palm trees, baggy drawstring linen shorts, and Jesus sandals, his attire alone is odd, but his behavior‌…‌yeah, it’s way off.

“He’s free-spirited.” I shrug with a half-grin. I’m not sure what else to say about him.

She laughs. “Is that what you call it? I thought I flashed-back to the seventies and joined a hippie convention.”

“If you got to know him, you’d understand.” I chuckle because she’s right. John’s in dire need of a makeover.

Taking off to the Na Pali coastline, I watch Kayla as she looks out to the landscaping. The entire ride, I take in every gasp, her stilled breathing, and the seriousness of her expression. She’s completely different from any girl I’ve come across. I slow the boat to a halt, and she turns to me, smiling warmly. My gaze drops to those lips. Those lips that were every bit as wonderful as I thought they’d be. I need to kiss her again. And soon.

I slide up behind her and trace my hand on her face. She shudders and leans into my palm. I want her body so badly. I lean closer to her and smell the lavender in her hair.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers.

“So are you,” I murmur next to her ear. The line may be cheesier than hell, but it’s the God’s own truth. Kayla’s every bit as beautiful as the scenery. If I don’t have this girl soon, I’m going to combust. But I don’t make a move. Something about her keeps me from progressing forward. It’s weird. I’ve never gone to this much trouble with any other girl in my life. But for some reason, Kayla means more than a quick fuck.

She tilts her head slightly, and my lips hover by the side of her forehead. I can feel the rapid beating of her heart against my palm, hear her breathing accelerate. Unable to withstand anymore, I spin her around and claim her luscious lips. This all-consuming want hits me with the same intensity that it did yesterday. Her mouth opens and our tongues collide, thrusting, penetrating. A citrusy flavor from the lemon ice assaults my senses. And I can’t get enough of her.

I thread my fingers through her hair and press against her. Her breasts smash onto my chest, and the tightening of her nipples against my pecs hardens my cock instantly. But I can’t take her, not yet. Not here.

Kayla’s moan vibrates in my mouth, which pushes me closer to the edge. Against my better judgment, my hand slides along her soft curves then glide between us. Gently palming the side of her left breast, my thumb grazes over her nipple. Her body tenses beneath my touch, and I immediately pull back to gauge her response.

Her gaze sweeps to mine with the most curious, innocent look I’ve ever seen. I study her for a moment as I wonder how innocent she could be. I’ve been with plenty of girls. From the promiscuous ones to the nesters, I’ve seen them all. Most of the girls who come to the island are relationship seekers who are stepping out from their normal realm, letting go to have fun‌—‌at least once in their life. I stay away from the nesters‌—‌less drama that way, but Kayla doesn’t seem to fit anywhere in there. And she’s definitely not promiscuous. She seems innocent. But how can that be? She’s gorgeous as fuck. Surely she’s been in an intimate relationship before.

She bats those heavy-lidded eyes and takes a deep breath. Well, at least, I’m not the only one affected by this. The bulge in my pants strains to a throbbing pain. But it will have to wait. I’m not rushing this‌—‌whatever
this
is‌—‌like I did our first kiss. Besides, we are on display in the open waters.

Splash
.

Kayla shrieks as we get sprayed with droplets of water. A humpback whale crashes our party by slapping his tale next to the boat. I laugh at her as she turns around and grabs hold of the railing.

“Oh my gosh, did you see that?”

Just as the words are spoken, another whale breaches the water. She laughs and grabs her phone out of her purse to take pictures.

“This is great. We saw whales back at the condo, but they were so far away.”

“They migrate here every winter, usually leaving around April.”

“Awesome,” she whispers.

We turn to a motoring sound behind us. A tour boat slowly passes by, and everyone on deck waves to us before turning their attention to the whales. Kayla smiles and waves back, leaning against me. I wrap my arms around her, and we stay like this until the whales decide they’d had enough.

I glance at the sky and smile‌—‌almost time.

“I’m going to guide the boat over to a cove so we can drop anchor for a while.”

“Sounds great.”

By the time we reach the cove, it’s deserted. I let out a breath, relieved for the privacy. After shutting the motor off, I join Kayla on deck. The sun is starting its descent, so I meander over to grab the blanket. With a quick flick of my wrist, the blanket pops open and falls to the floor. Using the spare pillows, I prop myself against the cabin wall and glance at Kayla still standing by the railing staring at me. My fingers ache to run them through her long wind-tousled hair. But her thick lashes framing those big round eyes ground me to my spot. Even Kayla’s white sundress, hitting mid-thigh, highlights her angelic vibe. I’d say my efforts were futile if it wasn’t for her sultry stare that shoots tingles straight south. Damn, my body craves her touch.

“Join me,” I say, patting the space beside me.

My gaze remains fixed on hers. Heat flashes through her eyes as she saunters over to me. I pour her a glass of wine and hand it to her.

“You’re not having any?” Kayla asks before taking a sip. She sets the glass away from her and nestles beside me.

“No, I don’t want to be drinking when I’m in charge of John’s catamaran.”

“Understandable.”

Kayla leans into me and sighs as she looks out at the horizon. I slip my arm around her shoulders, and the strangest feeling bubbles in my chest. We sit there while the purple and golden hues of the sun sink into the waves.

“Thanks,” Kayla whispers. She turns to me with an appreciative glance.

I stare at her, mesmerized. I’m lost in the depths of blue circling her eyes. I feel at home, a sense of coziness wrapping around me as if I’m staring into the tide pools at Queen’s Bath. I draw my mouth to hers and engage in another kiss. My dick springs to life once again, and I want her so badly, I can’t even think. Her lips synch with mine, demanding, perfect. My fingers press into her sides, and taking her is all I can think of. My body screams for release. The way her body responds to my touch, she seems more than ready. I drop my hand to her thigh and slip underneath her dress. Without hesitating, I pull her leg onto mine and slide my fingers across her sweet ass.

A small moan escapes her mouth, and she gasps in surprise or embarrassment. The silent alarm in my head rings loud and clear, alerting me to halt. I break away. Her scared, innocent look returns.
Shit
.

“Kayla”‌—‌I pant, trying to catch my breath‌—‌“you’ve had sex before, right?”
God, please say yes.

She remains quiet for a beat, and then in a voice barely above a whisper, the word “No” echoes as if she’d shouted it.

My entire body clams up, and a pained expression crosses her face. I swallow down the explicit I want to yell and mentally tell my dick, “
Not tonight, buddy
.” There’s no way I’m taking her virginity. I’m a dick, but not that big of a dick.

“It’s okay. I-I’m ready.”

My heart squeezes inside my chest. I totally fucked this up. Dammit, why did I move so fast?

“Baby, no.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her in close. “I’m not going to be that guy. We’ll keep things PG-rated.”

Kayla sighs against my chest in what sounds like disappointment. But it doesn’t matter. Kayla Cannon deserves better treatment than that. She won’t lose her virginity to someone like me. Someone, she’ll never see again.

Chapter
Nineteen

Kai~

What’s the plan for tonight?
I purse my lips and stare at Kamp’s text. I’m not sure how to respond. Being with Kayla tonight is out since she’s tied up with the luau. By the time the festivities end, it’ll be too late to meet her, especially since I have an early tour.

I tap my fingers on the phone and stare at the blank television. The last thing I want to do is sit around here on a Friday night. I puff out a large breath‌—‌going out doesn’t feel right either. What I
want
is to crash the luau and drag my girl out so we could be together.
My Girl?
Why do I keep becoming a possessive jackass and staking a claim? I shake my head while my fingers fly across the keypad.

Me:
IDK what do you have in mind?

While waiting for a response, I stand, and then beeline toward the kitchen. I place the phone on the countertop and swing the refrigerator door open to grab the orange juice container. My stomach growls a reminder that I haven’t eaten yet. I scan the shelves in search of something edible and wince at my diminished food supply. Man, I’m in desperate need of groceries.

The buzz of my phone draws my attention from my desperate state. I slam the door and meander to the counter. Pouring a glass of juice, I glance at my phone.

Kamp:
Let’s grab Saimin and head to Rick’s.

Ah, off to Lihue then.

Me:
K, pick you up in an hour.

I could go for some Saimin‌—‌a local favorite. I refer to the dish as glorified ramen noodles. It’s similar, but a hundred times better. The noodles are made fresh and cooked in a to-die-for broth. The regular restaurant Kamp and I visit adds different ingredients to the broth which gives it more substance. But they also serve Kamaboko (fish cakes). My stomach growls again.