Hawaiian Holiday: Destination Desire, Book 2 (20 page)

His heart stuttered. “Loved, past tense?”

“What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her chin jutting stubbornly. Both a defensive and defiant gesture in one.

“I missed you.” He tried to smile and guessed it probably looked more like a grimace. “I’ve been brokenhearted without you.”

Her lips compressed. “That was your choice.”

“I was an idiot.” He swallowed. “Julie, I…”

She shook her head, holding up her hands as if to ward him off. “Lukas, unless you’ve completely changed your mind about a relationship, you really can’t come here. I really can’t take it.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” he rushed out before she withdrew that offer.

Moisture glutted her eyes, and she rolled them. “Why? You were pretty damn sure of your decision two weeks ago. What changed?”

“I did.”

“Excuse me?” She sniffed, blinking quickly before the tears could fall.

“I
changed.” He took a step toward her and was relieved when she didn’t back away. Her eyes were still wide and shadowed with doubt and pain, but she was listening. He took another step. “Knowing you changed me. The longer we were together, the more I wanted to get beyond the crap from my divorce. I thought avoiding relationships would spare me that kind of heartache again, and it did, but it also left me alone in life. Which I didn’t mind so much, until you.”

Her hands balled in the hem of her sweater and a single teardrop slipped down her cheek. “Oh really?”

His stomach clenched at the sight of that droplet of moisture. “Yes, really.”

One corner of her mouth tilted upward. “So, this means you’d be willing to have dinner with me?”

“I want a lot more than dinner, Julie.” At her wicked smirk, he shook his head. “I’m not talking sex, though I want that too. I want something
real
with you.”

Her eyebrows scrunched together. “I’m not convinced you’re ready for that.”

That was fair, considering everything he’d said to her on the island. But for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t running away from anything, or trying to protect himself from pain. He was trying to reach for something
good
. “You know, from the first day we met, I thought about seeing you after we got home. I decided against it because I knew—I
knew
—that there was never going to be anything casual with you. Even at the beginning, you made me
feel
things I hadn’t felt…ever.”

Sympathy reflected in her gaze. “With everything you’d been through, I’m guessing that scared you.”

“Damn straight. The only way I let myself touch you in the first place was because there was a time limit.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “No, that’s not true. That was the excuse I gave myself. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands to myself no matter what. You were…irresistible.”

The corners of her eyes crinkled. “Back at you. Though I wasn’t trying to resist.”

“I love you.”

Her smile slid away as if it had never been, her face going pale. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words emerged.

“I love you, Julie.” There, he’d said it. Relief filtered through him. He didn’t have to fight it or pretend he didn’t feel it. It was out in the open. He took a final step toward her, and now he was close enough to reach out and cup her cheeks. “I love you so damn much. I didn’t mean to fall for you, I didn’t even want to, but I’m glad I did.”

“Lukas.” His name came out soft and breathy.

Two more silvery tears streaked from her eyes. He caught them with his thumbs, wiped them away.

Her mouth twisted with uncertainty. “How do you know that this won’t go wrong like it did before? You said that, in the beginning, your ex would have told you she wouldn’t hurt you either.”

“I don’t know it won’t go wrong,” he returned. It still terrified him, but the thought of never seeing her again, never talking to her, never touching her, petrified him even more. “There’s no way to know for sure. It’s a risk, an experiment. Sometimes those lead to stunning new discoveries and sometimes they blow up in your face. But you’re worth the risk. No one has ever clicked with me the way you do, on every level. I tried to walk away, but my heart wouldn’t let me. I love you.”

She closed her eyes. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of hearing you say that.”

“Good.” Swooping down, he took the opportunity to kiss her lightly. The sweet flavor of her made him shudder with a need that was as emotional as it was physical. He needed this woman more than he needed air to breathe.

Her hands pressed to his chest. “We can take this slowly, you know. There’s no need to rush into anything. Dinner or sailing or just hanging out. No one’s running down the aisle or committing to anything other than being together and loving each other. That’s the most important part to me anyway.”

“Me too.” He wrapped his arms around her and hauled her against his chest. Right where she belonged. His eyes slid closed as he savored the feel of her. Nothing had ever felt so damn right in his entire life.

She slipped her fingers into his hair. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Then she pulled him down and their lips met and they didn’t talk for long, long minutes. He slid his tongue along her lower lip, dipping in to explore her mouth. It had been weeks since he’d had the opportunity, and he meant to enjoy it. He let his hands drift down her back, and she pressed tighter to him. Her breasts against his chest, her thighs against his hardening cock, every inch of her fit perfectly in his embrace. Her fingers clenched in his hair, and she twined one leg around his thigh. Rocking into her did nothing to assuage his need, but he relished the burn of anticipation.

She released his mouth, smiling up at him. “I missed this. I missed you.”

“I’ve never been so lonely in my life.” Resting his forehead against hers, he met her gaze. “Your website said your shop doesn’t open until ten tomorrow.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah…and?”

“Want to see what’s playing at the Stanford Theatre tonight? And then have a sleepover at my place?” He smoothed his palms over her backside, pulling her tighter against his erection.

She arched into him, making him groan. “And try the crack sprinkled popcorn? How could I resist?”

He laughed, and it felt good. He kissed her again, and it felt even better. He loved her, and that was the best part of all. Who knew what the future held? For right now, he was just happy to be holding Julie. If he took this one day at a time, maybe it wouldn’t be quite as terrifying. Add enough days together and it would be fifty years later and Julie would still be laughing in his arms.

Now that was something worth getting his hopes up for.

About the Author

Crystal Jordan began writing romance after she finished graduate school and needed something to fill the hours that used to be eaten away by homework. Currently, she serves as a librarian at a university in California, but has lived and worked all over the United States. She writes paranormal, contemporary, futuristic and erotic romance.

To learn more about Crystal please visit
www.crystaljordan.com
. Send an email to Crystal at
[email protected]
or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Crystal!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crystal-jordan
.

Look for these titles by Crystal Jordan

Now Available:

Edge of Night

Demon’s Caress

Wasteland: The Wanderer

Treasured

Forbidden Passions

Stolen Passions

Fleeting Passions

Unbelievable

If You Believe

Believe in Me

Make Me Believe

In the Heat of the Night

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Big Girls Don’t Die

It’s Raining Men

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Destination: Desire

Vegas Vacation

What happens in Vegas shouldn’t stay in Vegas.

Vegas Vacation

© 2013 Crystal Jordan

Destination: Desire, Book 1

It’s spring break, and a group of teachers from Half Moon Bay Middle School are planning to cut loose. History teacher Meg Phillips hadn’t planned on being one of them—Vegas isn’t really a town for a bookworm—but somehow she let her friend Anne talk her into it.

Though honestly, she’d rather indulge in some poolside reading than co-star in an R-rated edition of Teachers Gone Wild.

It took some major arm twisting for Finn Walsh to convince his fellow gym teacher, Anne, to do whatever it took to get Meg to Vegas. For over a year he’s been looking for the chance to get to know her outside of work. He’s drawn to her quiet beauty and intelligence—and the hint of fire beneath her understated exterior.

When he finally gets the opportunity to peel away those layers, the result is far more explosive than he ever fantasized. Now to convince her that the week isn’t a wildly out-of-character mistake, but the start of something amazing…

Warning:
Two good teachers doing very naughty things to each other while on vacation in Sin City. Hey, everyone deserves a chance to cut loose, right?
 

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Vegas Vacation:

Frustrated tears stung in her eyes—or maybe it was the alcohol fumes rising from her shirt.

“What’s going on?” Finn appeared out of nowhere, ducking down so he could look at her face. “Meg?”

“I don’t want to be here.” Her voice actually wobbled when she spoke, and a flush scorched her cheeks. Emotional meltdown in front of the hottest guy she’d ever met. Yep, it really was possible for this trip to get worse. She blinked fast and glanced away. “They don’t have a room ready for us yet. Looks like the rest of the group got to the ones they had.”

Anne stomped up, fire blazing in her eyes. “Well, they’ve given us a free dinner at one of the hotel restaurants for the inconvenience, but there are apparently no rooms to be had right this second. At all. They’re booked. What the hell? No rooms in Vegas?”

“It’s a fight weekend. Heavyweight boxing.” Finn shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Some of the guys got tickets.”

“I’m going too,” Anne said. “I just didn’t think it would suck up all the rooms in town.”

Meg spoke through clenched teeth. “Goody for you.”

“I’m not one of the people going. I have other ideas for my time here.” Finn’s tone was so virtuous it made her snort. He looked her over and winced. “Sorry Ed got you with the whiskey, too. I was all the way in the back of the van, so I couldn’t grab him in time. Why don’t you bring your stuff up to my room, use my shower, and change clothes?”

Meg sighed. The promise of a clean outfit made it the most appealing offer she’d ever had. Naked in Finn’s shower was weird, but she’d take what she could get. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Sounds like a plan.”

What might have been triumph flashed in his gaze, and his smile was dazzling. “Great.”

Anne stepped in front of her, her expression concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Do you have a better option?” Meg held her arms out and gestured down at her ruined garments. “Tracking anyone else down takes time, where I’m still gross.”

“True.” Anne ran her hands through her short hair. “Want me to come with you or let you do your own thing?”

“I love you, honey, but as few people as possible would be awesome right now.” Meg waved her off, wishing for nothing more than to be somewhere quiet. “Go have fun with Carla. Keep her from drinking and gambling her next paycheck away.”

Anne grimaced. “Will do.”

It didn’t take long to get to Finn’s room, which worked for Meg. The sooner she could shower, the better she’d feel. And she’d really love to get some lunch. “I’m starving.”

“Me, too.” He opened the door and motioned her into the room. After setting her suitcase on the luggage rack for her, he shrugged out of his backpack and dumped it on the end of the bed. “Once you’re showered, we can find the gang and get some food.”

She wrinkled her nose, unzipping her bag to root around for some clean clothes. “They’re probably eating right now. After they hosed me down, the jerks. Remind me to never, ever go anywhere outside of work with this bunch again. You all seemed so normal when we were at school, but now?”

“Hey.” He caught her shoulders in his strong hands, frowning at her. “Don’t go lumping me into this bunch. I’m trying to help, not off partying.”

Tingles broke down her arms at his touch, and she swayed toward him just a little. She tried to inject some teasing into her tone. “My hero. Thank you.”

His lips curved in a small grin, but he didn’t let her go. “You’re welcome. I just don’t want you to think I turn into a jackass who ditches my friends the second the chance to drink and gamble comes up.”