Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Nando drew in a deep breath and looked at Sunshine’s house. He could do this. He could control himself and have dinner with a woman who was getting under his skin. His mother had raised him to be a gentleman. He grabbed the bottle of wine he’d brought with him and slipped out of the car. A kid riding his bike down the street waved at him and he waved back. He liked this part of the island. His sister-in-law had called it the Florida Keys of Oahu and he had to agree. The people were different, the area was getting a little crowded, but there was a core of people here who refused to conform.

As he approached the front door, he could hear Kenny Chesney’s newest song floating over the air to him. He smiled. He couldn’t fault the woman. She did have good taste in music. He knocked on the door.

“Coming,” she yelled out. Then the door opened with a whoosh. Damn.

She had her hair up, lots of curls had escaped, but it gave him an excellent view of her neck. He wanted to nibble there and then make his way around her body.

“Nando,” she said, her voice a little breathless. Did she sound like that when she came?

Fuck . He had to stop thinking about sex or he would embarrass himself. Of course, being in her presence made it difficult to think about anything else.

He smiled. “Sunshine.”

She had dressed in another Hawaiian dress that reached her ankles. It was sky blue with big white flowers on it. He noticed that she had no shoes on. Not uncommon in Hawaii. It was even common for the cable guy to remove his shoes when he showed up at your house. But he could see she’d painted her toenails blue.

“Why don’t you come on in?”

She stepped back, and he entered her house. It wasn’t a big house, but it had a lot of stuff in it. The furniture looked comfy, and there were knick knacks everywhere. All the different colors and styles should have clashed but for some reason, it worked. The small living area was filled with bookshelves holding new and old books, along with lots of photos. There was a massive painting of a little red-haired girl in a white dress on the beach. She was looking out at the ocean, her hair flying behind her in the breeze. The painting wasn’t by a master, but there was a quality to it that mesmerized him. He couldn’t see the face of the girl, but somehow, he thought it might be Sunshine.

“Nice,” he said.

She smiled. “Thank you. I’m just glad my mother left me enough money to buy this a few years ago before the huge housing explosion. My house is worth almost twice of what I bought it for.”

He held up the wine. “I brought this. It’s a white since I assumed we would be eating vegetarian or fish.”

She smiled and took it. “Vegetable lasagna.”

He sniffed the air. “Smells delicious.”

“It’s the one thing I can cook. Well, one of a couple of things.” She took the bottle into the postage stamp-sized kitchen. Here, she used every space available. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen, giving her more workspace. The cupboards had glass fronts and were painted green.

She retrieved two wine glasses and opened the wine.

“I made a salad, so I guess we could have that while the lasagna finishes.”

He nodded. “Sounds good.” She pulled out a big bowl filled with salad from the fridge.

“I hope Caesar is okay.”

He nodded. Hell, she could probably give him a bowl of dirt and he would be thrilled. After grabbing a couple of small plates, she said, “Hey, could you grab the wine? I have a little lanai in back that has great views of the sunset.”

He did as she asked and followed her out, trying to ignore the way her hips swayed. The dress wasn’t form fitting, but apparently, his body didn’t need it. When they passed the bedroom, Nando had to resist the urge to toss the wine glasses, grab her, and have his way with her.

When he stepped out on the lanai, he smiled. She was right. The back of her house faced west. They had a great view of the mountains and the sunset would definitely be beautiful. There was a small table with four chairs and an umbrella.

“Nice,” he said.

“I know it isn’t Alana’s house, but it’s all mine.”

He smiled. “I couldn’t live in their house. It is gorgeous, but I’m always worried I will break something. I do like the cottage though.”

“That is such a cute little house.”

She set the salad bowl down, then put the plates in front of the chairs that would give them the best view of the sunset. That also meant he would sit next to her.

She dished out the salad and they both settled in their chairs.

“So, how was your day today? Did you have a lot of clients?”

She nodded. “I had a really tough day. I’m glad I assembled the lasagna last night. Otherwise, we might not have a dinner tonight.”

“Salad would have been fine.”

That much was true. Since he was sitting behind the desk most days, he realized he’d been eating too much junk. Granted, he’d added a few more workouts, but he figured a few salads wouldn’t hurt.

She laughed. “Then you will love eating at my house.”

“You don’t have to feed me to get me over here.”

She looked at him, her eyes widening slightly, then a slow, seductive smile curved her lips.

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “I think I showed you how much you intrigue me the other day.”

“That’s a nice way of saying you had a boner.”

It was so out of character for her, that he laughed. “Beyond that.”

“Now you’re telling me that you don’t want to jump my bones.”

He had just taken a swallow of wine and choked on it. She slapped him on the back. “Are you okay?”

He nodded as he wiped his mouth. “Just...” He cleared his throat. “Seriously, woman, I still want you.”

“You mean you do want to jump my bones?”

“Will you quit saying it like that,” he said with a laugh.

“I just like the way it makes you react.”

“Any mention of you and sex has me half hard, so please stop.”

“Oh, gosh,” she said as her cheeks flushed.

“You’re blushing.”

She snorted. “One of the drawbacks of being a redhead.”

“You can sit there and say jump my bones , but me saying you make me hard is embarrassing?”

She shrugged. “I’m an odd duck.”

Nando smiled.

“Okay, tell me about your job.”

“I work in the finance commander’s office.”

“From what Alana told me, this is your first assignment behind a desk, right?”

He nodded. “I have a degree in business admin, but I’ve been in the infantry command for most of my career.”

“Hmm,” she said.

“What?”

“Well, that you are supposed to be a numbers nerd, but you go out fighting. I’m pretty sure a therapist might have a field day with that.”

“Not really. Dad’s an accountant.”

“Hmm.”

“Stop that,” he said with a laugh.

“Okay.”

“What did your mom do for a living?”

“She was a teacher. Art mostly, but also English.”

“Aunt Joey is an artist.”

She nodded. “Yeah, we’ve had long conversations about that.”

He thought back to the large painting in her living room. “Did your mom paint the one hanging in your living room?”

She nodded as she sipped her wine. “That’s me by the way.”

He smiled. “I wondered about that when I saw it.”

“She was talented, just not enough to pay the bills, so she taught. And she was a rockin’ teacher. Up until those last few months, her students would come by to see her.”

Her voice quivered, and he reached out to settle his hand on hers. “Sorry I brought it up.”

She shook her head. “Mom was my whole world, so it took me awhile to deal with the grief. I am the woman I am today thanks to my mom.”

“Then I’d like to thank her.”

“Yeah?”

“For the care you gave me in our sessions, to how sexy and confident you are...she did an excellent job.”

“You like confident women?”

“And smart.” He winked at her. “My mother raised me right. And if she hadn’t, my sister Elena would have beaten it into me.”

She laughed. “Then I would like to thank both of them. You’re the best date I’ve had in months.”

There was a ding in the kitchen. “That means our lasagna is done.”

“Great, I’m famished.”

An hour later, the wine had given him a bit of a buzz, and his stomach was filled with delicious lasagna. They had carried the dishes back into the kitchen and were cleaning up.

“That was damned good.”

She offered him that huge smile of hers. “Thank you. Like I said, it’s one of the few things I can cook.”

“Then, I’ll have to cook next time.” Her smile faded. “What?”

“Sorry, I just...Nando, you’re dangerous.”

She went back to working on the dishes. He stepped up behind her and slipped his arms around her and kissed her neck.

“If I’m dangerous, you’re lethal, Sunshine.”

He continued to taste her skin, skimming his mouth over her flesh. He made his way over to her earlobe, scrapping his teeth over her lobe.

“Nando,” she moaned. His cock hardened and lengthened. He wanted her...almost needed her...right then. He stepped back and spun her around. He didn’t give either of them time to think. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her. He didn’t try to be sweet. Instead, he invaded her mouth immediately. She slid her arms around his waist and pressed against him. God, she was going to kill him.

He reached behind her to turn off the water, then wrapped both arms around her. She pulled his tongue into her mouth, sucking hard. Fuck. He almost came then and there.

He forced himself to pull back, then down to his knees.

“What are you—” her question was unfinished and ended on a moan as he pulled her dress up over his head. There was just a small scrap of silky white material between him and her pussy.

Drawing in a deep breath, his head spun. The scent of her, that happy sunshiny scent combined with her arousal left him slightly lightheaded. Or maybe it was the fact that most of the blood from his brain had traveled southward. He set his mouth against the fabric, then slid his tongue along her slit through the fabric. She shuddered and moaned. He needed a taste, just a taste of her, but he wanted to see all of her. He pulled back and smiled when she complained.

“Hey,” she said, but he was pulling her toward the bedroom.

They fell on the bed together, her laughter filling his heart with joy. That is one emotion he would always associate with her. Pure happiness.

He helped her off with her dress, then grabbed her panties. He had meant to slip them off her but ended up ripping the delicate fabric.

He said nothing, tossing them on the floor behind him. Now she was laying there, completely naked and his brain just shut down. He couldn’t think of anything else. She was perfect. Alabaster skin with a sprinkle of freckles here and there. Her breasts weren’t big, but they were just perfect for him. He let his gaze slide down to her sex. Red curly hair covered her mound.

He slid his hands over her thighs, then pushed them apart.

“Definitely time for dessert.”

She laughed, then moaned when he thrust his tongue inside her. God, she tasted just like she made him feel. Light, happy, so damned seductive. He continued to feast on her as he slid one hand up to her breasts. Her nipples were so damned hard.

“Oh, Nando...yes!” She was so damn wet, and hot. He teased her clit as he slipped two fingers between her folds.

That was enough to send her hurtling over. She screamed and bowed up against him as she came. He gave her one long last lick before slipping from the bed and taking off his clothes. She watched him, as she pulled at her nipples.

“Damn, that’s one of the sexiest things I’ve seen,” he said.

She smiled as he grabbed a condom, sliding it down the length of him.

He joined her back on the bed. He rose to his knees and pulled her up. He entered her with a long hard thrust to the hilt. She was wet, but still tight for him.

“Oh, God, yes,” she said.

“So tight, baby, yeah, that’s it.”

Again and again, he drove into her, edging closer to his own orgasm.

He was thrusting into her so hard that her headboard smacked against the wall. Her breasts jiggled with each thrust. He bent down and pressed his forehead against hers as he continued to move in and out of her.

“Come with me again, baby.”

Again, she bucked up against him, his name a scream ripped from her soul. It was all he needed. He thrust once...twice…on the third thrust, he came, pouring himself into the condom as he held himself deep inside of her.

He collapsed on top of her, every bone in his body seemed to have turned to liquid.

“You weigh a ton,” she said, but she wrapped her legs and arms around him.

“I’ll get up in maybe an hour.”

She laughed and he felt all the little vibrations against his cock.

He pulled up and looked down at her. Her red curls were tangled against her pale-yellow sheets. There was enough light from the kitchen to give him a good view of her.

“You…” he shook his head.

“What?”

“Sorry, it’s just hard to put into words.”

Her gaze softened. “Yeah? Right back at ya, Santini.”

He chuckled. He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Giving me that gift. Making love to you is…” he shook his head again. He had known this woman only a few weeks, and he was unable to think of anything to explain his feelings. He barely knew her, but he was already falling for her. She was sweet, giving, and the most amazing kisser. Making love to her had left him unable to form a thought.

“You’re worrying me, Nando.”

“It’s just a little overwhelming.”

She offered him a small smile. “It’s that way for me too. What happened to taking it slow?”

“That was for me.”

“So, you’re basically telling me that you’re a slut.”

“Wait, what?”

“You think about a month of knowing a woman is a long time to get her into bed, then you might be kind of a slut.”

She was giving him a devious little smile.

“It’s not that.”

“Really?”

“No. It’s because since the moment I met you, I’ve wanted you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay.”

“No. I haven’t been with anyone in a serious relationship for a long time. I’ve had a few dates here and there.”

“How long before you got them into bed?”

He chuckled. “Stop. Woman, I am trying to tell you that in the few weeks I’ve known you, you have tempted my control.”

“Are you telling me that you’ve been attracted to me since the beginning?”

He nodded as he nibbled on her bottom lip.

“But you acted like you didn’t want to get near me, other than for your massage.”

“All my control.”

She snorted. “Please.”

“Seriously. Plus, when you touch me to heal me, it’s different.”

“How?”

“Not sure, just is.”

“Hmm.”

He gave her a quick kiss, then slipped out of her and rolled off the mattress. After disposing of his condom in the waste basket, he returned to bed. She’d slipped under the sheets. He joined her, snuggling up next to her. She turned so her back was against his chest. He slipped an arm over her waist.

“Now this, this is paradise.”

She sighed as she traced her fingers over his arm. “I would have had no idea you were such a dirty talker in bed.”

“It’s because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, really, but you bring it out in me.”

“So you’re blaming me?”

“I’m thanking you.”

“For making you a dirty talker?”

“It turned me on to talk that way to you. And watching the way it made you hot. That was fucking hot.”

She shivered in his arms, and he could feel himself growing hard against her ass once more. She sighed and wiggled against him.

“Damn,” he said as he kissed his way down her spine. “I thought you would let me have at least a little recovery time.”

“Nando.” He knew she was probably trying to make it sound like an admonition but instead, it came out more like a moan. He grabbed a condom from the bedside table and slipped it on. Then he rolled her over, lifted her hips as he rose to his knees. He entered her fast and hard, causing them both to moan. She was still swollen from their last lovemaking and each time he thrust into her, her muscles clung to his cock. He reached down beneath her, so he could press on her clit. It was enough to send her hurdling over into pleasure once more. Her contractions were just what he needed. He came then so hard, he thought he saw stars.

They collapsed on the bed together.

“Okay, you need to stop taking advantage of me,” he said.

She chuckled, then they both started laughing together. Yeah, he had been right. He was definitely in paradise.