In Too Deep (23 page)

He stepped into the clearing. Tiki torches dotted the wide circle, dancing flames ebbed and rose with the warm trade wind drifting off the water. A band, made up of several local men, filled the sultry air with the tinny twang of a ukulele, and the compelling rhythm of guitars. His blood, already pumped with adrenaline, picked up the driving throb of the
fa'atete-
, and the bass
of the pahu
drums.

Time to seduce his enemy's daughter.

Colors seemed brighter, the air smelled sweeter, and the musical notes blended into a rich, powerful resonant pulse that had his blood racing. All of which merged into a seamless, exotic tapestry.

"Hooie! Here we be, hottie." Auntie waved from the sidelines.

Surrounded by baskets and coolers, it looked as though Auntie had settled in for a month.

He leaned down and gave her a peck on her mint-scented check. "Happy birthday, beautiful. How's it going, Henri? Tally?"

Michael took the vacant plastic lawn chair on Tally's right. His blind side.

"What you be wanting drink, piña colada?
Hinano
?"

"
Hinano
." He opted for the local beer, and accepted the icy bottle Henri excavated from the ice chest. "Thanks."

"You be wanting that drink now, baby girl?"

"Sure, why not?" Tally caught Michael's eye as she glanced over at Auntie. She'd tucked a bright yellow hibiscus behind her right ear.

Michael gave the flower a nod. "Know the significance of that?"

"The significance is that I have a flower behind my ear."

"Right ear means you're taken."

Her blue eyes sparkled, but she kept a straight face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The flame red monstrosity Tally wore slipped off one creamy shoulder. She hitched it back with a small grimace. Florid yellow flowers, as big as dinner plates, sprouted all over the muumuu. The garment was large enough to drown her slender frame. But the unintentionally low neckline, ruffle and all, displayed a delectable amount of her small bosom, and the golden tan she'd developed this afternoon.

Michael leaned over the arm of his chair. "Been shopping, I see," he whispered.

She gave a choked laugh, and turned to whisper back. Her nose bumped his face. Instead of pulling away, she nuzzled her nose against his check. "I think Auntie and I could both fit inside this thing."

She smelled of tuberose and toothpaste. "Hmm. I'm thinking maybe you and I could both fit in there."

Tally smiled. "In your dreams, sailor."

Yeah. And those dreams were hot and sweaty and heart-pounding. "Why didn't you grab a pair of my shorts, or just wear a T-shirt over your swimsuit?"

"Auntie wanted me to—"

"Hold still."

"Why?"

He stroked her cheek with his fingers. Her skin felt smooth and silky, and warmed under his touch. "Your hibiscus has ants."

Her lips twitched. "It does not. I checked before I put it in my hair."

"There was one little soldier marching ri-ght across here."

She turned fully to face him. "Michael, I've been th—"

"Here come the dancers. Save it till later."

Her sigh was more drama than disappointment. Outwardly, she was her usual serene self; inside boiled the hot-blooded woman he wanted to get his hands on. And his mouth, and his… hell. He could almost taste her rapid heartbeat. He saw it pulsing hard and fast at the base of her slender throat.

His cock twitched to life.

Michael dragged his gaze away from the sight of Tally's life force and tried to focus on the activities in the clearing. But like a bloodhound, he could smell her there beside him.

Tuberose, innocence, heat.

He closed his eye.

Hell, she could wear the all-encompassing
hijab
and
burqa
of Arabic women, and he'd
still
want her.

One shrug and that stiff cotton monstrosity she wore would pool around her slender hips. Michael kept his attention fixed on the dancers who'd just pranced onto "center stage," a grassy circle inside the tiki torches.

For the next twenty-four hours he'd indulge his senses with sweet Tally.

"Okay. That does it," Tally said, furious as Leli'a and four other girls lined up in front of their audience. "She's wearing my pearls!"

Clad in short, scarlet and white pareus tied at the hips, matching bikini tops, and wreaths of ferns and flowers in their long dark hair, the women looked like a Kodak moment. Leli'a undulated her hips to the chanting and music. Ripe and sensuous, confident in her allure, Auntie's niece looked right at Michael and smiled. Tally's opera-length black pearls were wound twice around her neck and swayed with the movement of her body.

Tally's next thought was,
And keep your sneaky eyes off
Michael! And the heat of
that
thought surprised her.

She gulped down the last half inch of colada, and reached for the pitcher on the table beside her.

Auntie tapped her forearm. "Not be drinking too much lovely rum, baby girl. You like
ori
and music. Make blood flow hot and happy. Not needing alcohol. Make new memories tonight. You see."

Well there was one memory
Leli'a
wasn't counting on. Tally coming after her with blood in her eye. The little thief was prancing around in front of God, her aunt, and Tally, wearing stolen property. Un-fricking-believable.

Tally set the pitcher down. The entire setting was giving her enough of a buzz. Her blood raced through her veins like hot lava, and she was ready to jump out of her skin. Auntie was right: Alcohol was the last thing she needed.

"This spec-ta-cu-lar dance," Auntie told her, rough palm firm on Tally's arm as if holding her in place. "Call
o'te'a amui
. The tané will come next." The beat of the drums and rhythmic chanting grew louder and louder. The girls undulated to the rapidly increasing beat and were soon joined by the men.

Auntie
had
been holding her in place. Wise woman. An hour later, Tally had cooled off, a little, and she got her chance for a private conversation with her mutilating thief. The girls stood giggling under the trees as she strolled over.

"You and I are going to have a little chat, young lady." Tally took Leli'a's arm and walked her firmly away from her friends. When the girl refused to budge, Tally gave her arm a little jerk and all but dragged her out of earshot.

"
Haere tatou
! Let go!" Leli'a tried to shake her off. Tally held on tighter. "What you want?"

"My necklace, for starters. Good God. Are you really this amoral that you don't
care
that I'm standing right here while you're wearing it?"

The girl gripped the double strand in a tight fist at her throat. "My necklace. Give to me by Mother. Got from
her
mother, and
her
mother."

"You are so full of crap. My father gave that to me years ago. Hand over my necklace, toots, or I'll tell your aunt you were the vandal and thief in my room this morning."

The girl tossed her liquid black hair over her shoulder, rather like Miss Piggy. "Go to hell."

Tally narrowed her eyes. "And that you're the one who pushed me down the stairs the other day."

"Prove it."

"Give Tally back the necklace, Leli'a." Henri emerged from the trees.

Leli'a turned her glare from Tally to Henri. She went into a spate of Tahitian too fast and colloquial for Tally to grasp more than the gist. But then she didn't need to understand a word to follow the conversation. Leli'a wasn't about to part with Tally's necklace.

Henri was adamant.

Finally, Leli'a ripped the necklace over her head, tears of rage in her eyes. "I
hate
you," she spat, throwing the priceless gems at Tally's feet. She turned and ran past Henri, almost knocking him over.

"I am very sorry about that," Henri said gently. "She is young, and angry. She'll get over it."

Tally crouched to pick up the pearls. They were warm and smooth. She rose with the string draped over her hand and glanced toward the trees. Leli'a had disappeared.

"Henri, Leli'a was the one who destroyed my room." Tally saw that Henri had already figured that one out. She frowned, truly puzzled. What had she done to make the girl hate her so much?

Henri fell into step beside her. "I apologize for her rudeness, and for the damage she did to your possessions. But it is not
you
personally, my dear. She is a teenager. She sees a successful, attractive woman. Self-possessed, independent, and she wants to be like you. My Leli'a has a long way to go, I'm afraid. Don't take it personally. I will speak with her when she calms down a bit. In the meanwhile, Auntie will help you put together a new wardrobe."

Tally almost groaned. She'd chosen her clothes for this trip with infinite care, every item designed to make her appear to be what she thought her father wanted her to be. Now she was reduced to greeting him in an Omar the Tent Maker muumuu.

Oh, brother.

Chapter Thirteen

«
^
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"I see you got your necklace back. How'd it go?" Michael asked Tally as they strolled through Auntie's garden back to the main house after the party. The darkness was redolent with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and the spicy fragrance of frangipani. Overhead, stars glittered, icy and brilliant white in the velvety blackness. The narrow shell path necessitated them walking close together. Michael could've dropped back, but preferred to stay beside her. Every now and then he felt the graze of the stiff fabric of her muumuu, or the brush of her soft skin against his bare arm.

"Weird." Tally frowned. "She neatly managed to turn everything around, so I felt that somehow stealing the necklace was
my
fault." Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight as she looked at him with a wry smile. "How can I be so damn furious with her, and feel sorry for her at the same time?"

"Beats the hell out of me. I thought I'd have to get in there and pull you off her."

"Really?" Tally grinned. "Did you think I was going to beat her up?"

"You could've taken her easily."

"Don't think it didn't cross my mind," Tally said dryly. "But what would be the point?" She rubbed her upper arms with both hands. "I don't think I've ever had anyone look at me like that before."

"Like what?"

"Like"—she caught herself and shook her head—"never mind. Auntie will talk to her. She's obviously an unhappy kid. There's not much I can do about what she did to my things. Thank God it was only
things
." She clasped the pearls over her heart as she walked. "I'm glad I got these back. They mean a lot to me."

"She wasn't going anywhere with them."

"No, but it was pretty darn bold to wear them like that right in front of me."

"She obviously wanted to let you know she had them."

"And now she doesn't."

He smiled at her pithy tone. "Find anything besides that stunning ensemble at the General Store?"

Tally held out a handful of fabric at her hips. "This or a
pareu
."

"I vote for the
pareu
." Michael paused. "Or nothing at all."

"I think that look would have limited appeal."

"An appreciative audience of one is all you need."

Tally didn't say anything to that as they crossed the lanai and entered the open French doors into the empty bar. Most of the lights were off, and the room was dim and moody.

"Want a drink before we go up?" Michael asked.

"No, I'm going to call it a night. This has been a full day, to say the least."

No shit
. "I'll come up with you." He opened the door to the stairs. Tally remained beside him on the stairs. The smell of her—roses and warm woman—was mouthwateringly delectable.

Hunger, surprising and sharp, clawed at him.

He didn't have to work hard to imagine her naked despite the miles of starched fabric flowing around her. The image of Tally's slender body was firmly imprinted on his synapses.

He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her entering her room even though the door had been left open, and the brilliant light beside the bed was on.

He liked the feel of her beneath his hand. Spare. Taut. Nothing wasted… "Me first."

"Have at it." She waved him in, then leaned against the doorjamb while he searched the room. Not much of a challenge. The closet was empty of clothes, let alone a lurker. The new mattress on the bed had been freshly made up, sans the bright cotton throw. The neatly tucked blanket exposed the bare wood floor. The damn light was bright enough to send a lighthouse warning to neighboring islands. "All clear."

"So I see. Thanks." She walked into the room, absently rubbing her forehead.

"Headache?"

She gave him a wan smile. "As I said, it's been quite a day."

"How about another massage?"

She shook her head. "I'll take a rain check. I'm already on overload."

She did look beat, but Michael still wanted to get his hands on her. "Sure?"

"I'm convincing myself I am."

"The door downstairs is locked. Leave your bedroom door ajar. I'll hear you if there's trouble."

"Hopefully, there won't be."

"Yeah, hopefully. 'Night."

"Close the door behind you. Yes, I'll open it again when I go to bed," she said before he objected.

"Want the bathroom first?"

"Thanks."

Michael saluted her, then shut the door behind him and stood for a moment in the well-lit hallway. A feral smile curved his mouth.

Point and counterpoint.

Tally showered in the old, claw-footed tub, then went back into her room. Michael's door was ajar, and she hurried into her own room and shut the door.

A few minutes later she heard the shower running again.

Oh, boy. She squeezed her eyes shut. He was naked in there.

Gloriously, magnificently
naked
. He'd be all gleaming, tanned skin, rock-hard muscles, and rock-hard… Tally groaned.