Burning up the Rain (Hawaiian Heroes) (13 page)

Bella raised one eyebrow in a way that Lalei recognized as uniquely Ho’omalu. “Although in the future, you may want to close the windows to get it.”

“And stay out of the trees,” Melia added. She covered her mouth with her hand as if she couldn’t believe she’d let slip, but her eyes were full of laughter.

“Now, you girls leave your poor cousin alone,” Leilani scolded, shaking her head as she crossed the kitchen with a tray of napkins and silverware on a folded tablecloth. She winked at Lalei. “Time to set the table, yeah?”

Her face burning, Lalei accepted the tray and made her escape.

After supper, the men made a campfire. Joel sat on a flat rock, Bella leaning back between his legs. Malu brought Melia’s chair over and laid a wrap around her shoulders before sitting beside her. Lalei sat in a chair across the fire from Jack. He smirked at her as he went to grab another beer from the cooler. When he sat down again, she was watching him, frowning at the bottle in his hand.

He winked at her and tipped back his head to gaze up at the stars visible above. “Pretty night. So quiet out here, away from town and everything. Nice.” The only sound was the surf washing softly on the beach and the fire crackling.

“Hope it stays this way,” Bella said gloomily.

Joel kissed the top of her head. “It will, princess.”

Lalei spoke up. “Why were you all so tense earlier when Benton mentioned this Tropical Sunshine, or whatever it was?” she asked David. “Are they building a resort somewhere on the island?”

“TropicSun. They’re trying,” David told her. “And not somewhere—right above us—beside us.”

She gasped, her eyes wide. “
No.
Is there any way you can stop them?”

“We’re gonna do our best.”

“That reminds me.” Jack pointed his beer at David. “Permits. Who pushed them through so quickly? I thought things normally took a long time over here—even longer than in California, and we’ve got the EPA up our asses all the time—pardon the expression, ladies.”

“Usually does take a long time,” Malu answered. “But we’re in a recession. Times are hard here, just like everywhere else. A big project like this would mean a lot of jobs, not only the construction, but later, people to work the resort. They’d buy a lot of goods and food too.”

Joel shook his head, his usually cheerful face grim. “Except that from what Homu told me, TropicSun has a history of bringing in their own laborers, from Southeast Asia. And they import materials the same way instead of paying fair wages and prices locally.”

“Use that,” Jack said. “Get this in the papers. Get the locals fired up.” He gestured with his beer bottle, outlining an imaginary storyboard. “‘Mega Development planned next to pristine national forest lands, wild beach habitat in danger.’ Y’know, that kind of thing.”

Joel and David looked at each other and then back at him. “What?” he asked.

“Glad you’re here,” David said, one side of his mouth quirking up.

Joel nodded. “Good to have you on our side. I like the way you think.”

Jack toasted them with his bottle and then drained it. Pleased as he was by their faith in him, this was huge, and he was not in California, so he wasn’t sure of the ins and outs. What the hell did he know about Hawaiian land-use laws? An abyss yawned before him as dark as the Hawaiian night, and at the bottom lay a familiar fear—that he wouldn’t be able to do enough, wouldn’t measure up. He needed another beer.

Bella sighed. “Ugh, this is supposed to be a happy occasion, and we’re worrying about Nawea being ruined.”

Lalei made a growling noise. “Oh, I can’t believe Benton and his cronies want to build a big resort here.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Joel said. “Look at us—we’re a bunch of great minds.”

Jack had heard enough about goddamn Benton and his goddamn resort.

“You’ve been in some tight spots in your adventures for TV, huh?” he asked Joel. “What’s the worst?”

“Well, not the worst but maybe the most embarrassing.” Joel told them a funny story about being picked up by an elephant in India, who then refused to set him down despite the urgings of her trainer. She carried him carefully around in her trunk while the Indians employed to help the film crew argued excitedly and his photographer filmed, laughing so hard he could scarcely hold his camera. The elephant finally released her prize in return for a pile of sugar cane stalks. Joel rubbed his ribs reminiscently. “Man, I expected her to drop me like a log, but she set me down very carefully on my feet and then trumpeted happily as she tore into that sugar cane.”

Jack laughed, imagining the cocky adventurer being carried around like a dog toy. “What are your plans now?” he asked. “Gonna film some Hawaiian adventures?”

“Well, when I’m back on my feet, I’m headed to the Olympic Peninsula for an episode. After that, not sure.” He looked down at Bella, who tipped her head back to smile up at him. “Another year, and then I think I’ll call it quits. Stick around here and keep this wahine out of trouble.”

“But that’s confidential,” Bella added anxiously.

Jack toasted them both with his bottle. “You got it. Never breathe a word. And you’re gonna be a farmer, huh?” he asked Bella.

“I am.”

“And I’m going to feature her produce,” Melia added. “In my cooking blog.”

“Which has grown by leaps and bounds,” Malu said proudly. “One of the top twenty cooking sites online now.”

Melia started to speak again but yawned instead. Her husband rose, leaning over to help her up. “Time for bed, Mama.”

She rose, and Bella scrambled to her feet as well. “I’ll walk up with you, Mel.”

“Me too,” Lalei said, rising. She didn’t look at Jack. “Night, guys.”

“What are you up to tomorrow?” Joel asked Malu.

“Melia and I are flying over to Hilo to meet with our lawyers, and an official in the county planning department. See if we can get an injunction to stop TropicSun for a while.”

“Go get ’em.” Sounded like another drink to Jack, but he couldn’t summon the energy to get up and fetch one. He blinked owlishly at the fire and the faces of the other two men, firelight flickering on their faces. Great guys.

“Well, I’m for bed,” Malu said. “C’mon, Jack. I’ll give you a hand.”

“I’ll put the fire out,” Joel said.

For some reason that struck Jack as funny. Joel could start a fire in any circumstances and put one out too. He tried to explain this to Malu as his huge friend hauled him to his feet, slung Jack’s arm around his shoulder and propelled him up the lawn to the quiet house.

He couldn’t remember if he got the humor across or not. The next thing he knew, the soft bed was coming up to meet him, and the warm, Hawaiian night spun around him in dizzying circles until everything went black.

That night, Lalei dreamed again. The moonlight poured down over the night sea, and she stood once again in the trees, where she had called the rain and where Jack had come to her. She was naked, her body once again loose and liquid with satisfaction as it had been after they had each other on the rock.

But now someone else sat on the rock. Another woman, with long ebony hair and golden skin darker than Lalei’s, but with her large, slightly tilted eyes and full lips.

With a start Lalei recognized the arrogant lift of the woman’s head as the way she, Lalei, carried herself. But on this woman, instead of being a defensive shield, it was as natural as the way she sat on the rocks, like a queen on her throne. Long skirts fell around her legs, and a feather cape covered her shoulders.

With a gasp of amazement, Lalei realized in whose presence she stood. She fell to her knees. “Mother Pele!”

“Ah, you recognize me.” Pele smiled, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

“Oh yes,” Lalei said. “But…why are you here? Why do you appear to me?” Surely she wasn’t worthy of a visit from Hawaii’s patroness.

Pele’s smile disappeared, and a golden glow shimmered around her. Lalei quivered in fear as she realized that the light crackled from the strands of Pele’s long hair and from her eyes.

“Do I not decide who is worthy, young ho’omalu?”

Lalei nodded. “Yes, of course, Mother.”

“You call me mother,” Pele approved. “Then remember this, Lalei Ho’omalu. You are your mother’s daughter. You are special. And of my children, my special ho’omalu, much is required.”

And with that, she disappeared.

Lalei knelt on the rocks, alone. Slowly she became aware that she was shivering, her bare skin chilled now that Pele’s heat had dissipated. Sharp pebbles poked painfully into her bare knees and toes. The only sound was the surf washing nearby and a night bird calling in the trees overhead.

That was when she realized that she really was outside. At least she was
not
really naked—she wore her favorite cocoa silk teddy and tap pants.

Scrambling to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself and then turned back toward Nawea Bay. She picked her way up through the silvery shadows that were fig trees and onto the beach. The moon shone down serenely from the sky, throwing down a silver path on the sea and right to her feet.

What was happening to her? Visions, dreams, sleepwalking…and just possibly, the ability to control the rain, at least here. Was this
really
happening to her, or was she going crazy? Had she finally succumbed to the stress of struggling to find her place with a foot in each of the two sides of Hawaii?

Whatever, despite the warmth of the Hawaiian night, she was chilled, she was frightened, and she wanted…she wanted to be held by someone big and strong, who would wrap his arms around her and reassure her with simple human contact.

Only as she ran up the lawn toward the house did she realize she was running to Jack.

Her dubious knight was sound asleep when she tiptoed into his room. Sprawled across his bed like a felled warrior, he lay on his back, the sheet kicked off, wearing only a pair of dark bikini briefs. As she crawled onto the bed and pulled the sheet up, he twitched, snorting like a horse.

She bit back a nervous giggle and settled down beside him, reaching out to lay her hand lightly on his strong, warm arm. She wrinkled her nose—his wonderful male scent was overlaid with the residue of alcohol.

She wished he didn’t drink so much. And that she didn’t feel this need to overstep the bounds of their affair by slipping into his bed. Were they having an affair? She wasn’t sure one could even call it that. It certainly didn’t qualify as a relationship. He wouldn’t want to wake and find her here, not after today. But she couldn’t face being alone right now.

Just a little while—she’d just stay here for a few minutes, until she was calmer. Then she’d go back to her own room.

Chapter Eight

Jack woke with a start when the woman in his arms shifted, pushing with one slender hand against his chest. As she wriggled, soft skin brushing his and hair tickling his chin, his eyes flew open. There was a woman in his bed, snuggled against him, all soft little curves and interesting angles. He had a handful of ass that felt sweetly familiar.

“Can you get off me?” she grumbled in a sleep-husky voice. “You’re on my hair.”

“Uh, yeah.” He levered himself woozily onto one elbow, scrubbing a hand over his face, and then stared down at her.

Lalei lay in the middle of his bed, her dark hair streaming across the pillow toward him. She had a pillow crease across one cheek and a distinctly wary look in her sleep heavy eyes. He struggled to recall the night before. He remembered their hot sex in the rain, but he was pretty sure that had been the end of that.

He didn’t really remember much after the campfire on the beach last night, although he thought David, Joel and he had closed the place down.

Had he decided it would be a great idea to drag Lalei out of her bed and use her as his personal teddy bear or something? His stomach knotted with dread. “You okay?”

She gave him a hesitant smile, her dark gaze softening. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Oh, good.” Thank God, he hadn’t done…anything stupid. Anything criminal.

She sat up and leaned over to smack a kiss on the side of his face. “Thanks, Jack. You’re a good guy, you know?”

With a flurry of limbs and skimpy nightwear, she slipped off the bed, headed for the door.

“Hey,” he protested, giddy with relief. “I wake up with you in my bed and that’s all I get?” As she looked over her shoulder, one hand on the doorknob, he pointed at his cheek, shaking his head.

She wrinkled her nose. “Ask me again when you don’t smell like a bar the morning after.”

And with that she was gone. He heard her speak to someone in the hallway, and then her door closed. A moment later, dresser drawers began to open and shut.

With a sigh, Jack sat up. He leaned his elbows on his drawn-up knees and clutched his head in his hands. Man, now that he was awake, he felt like shit. His head throbbed like someone was beating a giant drum inside it, and his stomach was really rolling.

Throwing back the sheets, he bolted into the bathroom and leaned over the toilet. He managed to reach over and turn the water on in the tub with one hand to disguise the sounds he knew were coming, and then heaved the contents of his stomach.