Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Indeed, the voice not only could, but it did belong to that gorgeous body. Annie didn’t know she was sucking on her lower lip until she felt the nip of pain as she bit it. She mentally shook herself for blatantly looking the man up and down, like goods being sold at market. She brought her gaze up and looked at him, trying to see his eyes behind his dark sunglasses.

“I wasn’t pouting,” she said breathlessly. But she had been, and her eyes said as much. He brought his hand up and pushed his sunglasses up onto his head, causing more water to drip from his hair. Her gaze followed a small drop of water fall from his hair onto his shoulder, roll down his chest, and down his abs. Yes, she’d been right – he had deliciously sculpted, gorgeous abs.

She looked up with a self-satisfied grin, but gasped when she saw his eyes. They were a stormy gray, looking as though lightning might clap in the swirls in his eyes. Never before had Annie been so captivated by the color of anyone’s eyes. By the color of a man’s eyes.

“Yes,” he said slowly, “you were pouting. But that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that pout is gone now…” He let his word drift off, and the left side of his full lips crooked up in a lop-sided smile.

Annie’s ogling of this man was interrupted yet again by the girl behind the snack counter.

“Here’s your drink, ma’am,” the girl said pertly as she placed Annie’s smoothie on the counter. Annie felt like reaching over the counter and wringing her little neck for that “ma’am” title. Instead, she pasted a saccharine smile on her face and forced the words “thank you” through her clenched teeth.

Annie reached into her pocket to pull out her money, when she nearly jumped out of her skin, for the bolt of electricity she felt was enough to knock her over. She looked down at her arm, where the gorgeous guy had placed his hand. She heard him clear his throat, and looked up at him expectantly.

“If you would permit me to be so bold, I’d be honored if you’d let me buy your drink.” The smooth words rolled off his tongue and Annie was yet again enchanted by the sound of his voice.

Annie nodded her head and smiled sweetly. “Thank you. The honor is yours.”

Luke smiled – his plan was in action. He’d soon know this enchanting mystery woman. He turned to the girl behind the counter, handed her a twenty dollar bill and said, “I’ll have one of those as well, please.”

But when he turned back to continue his conversation with the mystery woman, he was dismayed to find her gone. A quick glance around the rock wall and he found her, walking back to her chair, her hips sashaying gently, like the rolling ocean waves. He was stuck.

He wanted to run after her, learn her name… and much, much more. But he had to wait for the girl behind the counter to make change from his twenty. At this moment, he didn’t even want to wait for his drink, except that he suddenly found himself very thirsty.

He licked his parched lips as he watched her sashay her way back to her chair. Man, coming or going – she packed a punch, either way. Luke was suddenly very glad he’d given up a half night’s sleep to take the earlier flight today. If he hadn’t changed his schedule, he wouldn’t even be at LAX until a few hours from now. And if he had taken that later flight, he didn’t think he’d have run into that tempting mystery woman of his.

He cocked his head slightly and a goofy grin appeared on his face. His mystery woman looked gently over her shoulder, an inviting smile on her face. She’d just challenged him to play the game! Well, game on. It would be an interesting match.

- - - - -

Annie had no idea what possessed her to look back at that man and smile at him. Lord, she was asking for trouble! It would soon be one o’clock and she was supposed to be napping, letting her body adjust to the time change. She had to wait up tonight, until Luke London’s flight came in, so she could “run interference,” as Zoey had asked. She had to finalize wedding details later this week. She didn’t have time to be playing cat and mouse with such a gorgeous man… did she? Besides, she doubted he even saw her glance back and smile at him anyway.

She sat down in her chair, stretched her long legs out in front of her and sipped her smoothie. She closed her eyes and smiled. Yes, this is what paradise tasted like – the fresh fruit was tart and tangy and sweet, all at once. She’d just finish her smoothie, and then she’d go for her walk. With any luck, she’d be back in her room in an hour, napping.

Annie looked out on the horizon – she thought she’d seen a whale’s waterplume*. She squinted a bit, trying to focus. Yes! She had seen…

“You enjoy scrunching your face up like that, don’t you?” his deep voice rumbled beside her.

She looked up and saw his gorgeous abs peeking out at her from beneath an aloha shirt with a bright red hibiscus pattern. Maybe it was her eyes playing tricks on her, but it looked like there was a pale square on his chest. She shook herself mentally and looked up. Above the shirt, his eyes twinkled silver, and he grinned at her with that crooked smirk of his.

“I thought I saw a whale out there. I don’t have binoculars on me…” she said lamely, as she resumed her search of the horizon. “I was only squinting because I was trying to get a better look,” she said more defensively than she’d intended.

“Oh, right… I remember hearing somebody on the flight over talking about whale-watching. There’s supposed to be morning sails where you can come within twenty feet or less of these great creatures. Interested in taking a sail?”

Annie looked up, half-expecting him to be joking, but the look on his face was serious. “Thanks for asking. I’ll have to think about it,” she smiled shyly.

“By the way, did they forget to put the rum in your drink? I can’t taste any rum in mine.” He held up the plastic beverage cup and shook it. “Maybe it’s all at the top or something…”

“No, there’s no rum. It’s just a fruit smoothie, not a frozen blended drink. Sorry, but you ordered yourself a virgin drink there.” She smirked to herself as she sipped on her smoothie. Serves you right though, with your smooth “I’ll have what she’s having” line, she thought.

He sat down in the sand at her side and propped his elbow up on his knees. He wiped his right hand on the front of his shorts and held it out to her. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Stone,” he said.

Annie smiled, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that missed opening herself. She reached out and shook his hand. “I’m AJ. Nice to put a name with the face.”

She inhaled sharply as he quickly turned her hand so he could kiss her knuckles. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist,” he said as he looked into her green eyes, seeing the flecks of gold there. “I just had to see if you tasted as good as I thought you would.”

Annie didn’t know quite how to respond to that. Not just the comment, but the fact that he kissed her hand. That he was still holding on to that hand, his lips hovering just above it… She’d never had her hand kissed before. It sent a shiver down her spine.

“So, AJ, what brings you to Kauai? Did you come for the whale-watching?” he asked her after he let her hand go.

She slipped her hand into her lap. “Umm, no, I didn’t come her especially for the whales. I, uh, came to see a friend,” she said hesitantly.

“Hmmm. And where is this friend of yours?” he asked, as he looked around. Luke hoped that the ‘friend’ AJ had come to see was a female friend. He hoped it wasn’t a male friend because he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to end this game with her just yet.

“Well, she was going to fly in tonight, but her plans have changed. I’m not sure when she’ll be coming, but it should be by Thursday.” Annie at least hoped Zoey would be here by Thursday.

“Oh, well. I’m sorry to hear that she won’t be coming tonight. Does that mean you’re free this evening? I was thinking, I have to eat dinner, you have to eat dinner, maybe we could eat dinner… together?” Luke looked into her eyes, hoping she didn’t say no just yet.

Annie opened her mouth to say something, but he held his hand up. “Sorry. I just replayed that back in my mind, and it sounded really lame. It wasn’t a line. I mean, it probably is a line, but I didn’t mean it as a line. I was just thinking that if you’re planning on having dinner, maybe we could somehow end up at the same place? Maybe even at the same table?” Luke “Stone” London was tongue tied. A reporter, at a loss for the right words. If this wasn’t a new personal low…

Annie finished her smoothie and put the cup down in the sand. She looked out at the horizon, thoughts swirling around in her head. “You know, I will probably need to eat something at some point tonight. And I’m sure it can’t be any more fun for you to dine alone than it is for me. Sure, that sounds like a plan. I heard Brennecke’s on the Beach is a good place. What do you think?”

Luke honestly didn’t think she’d say yes. So he was a big flabbergasted when she looked at him, the question hanging in the air between them.

“Oh-kay… Maybe you had someplace else in mind? The hotel restaurant maybe? Stone?” Annie wasn’t sure if he’d heard her. Maybe he had brainfreeze from sucking down the smoothie too fast or something. She reached out and let her hand linger over his shoulder a moment before she shook him gently. “Stone?”

“Yeah. Yes. I’m fine. I’m still having a hard time grasping the fact that what I said sounded so lame. And my apologies to you for spacing out like that – I don’t usually do that when a beautiful woman is talking to me. I don’t know what came over me. Brennecke’s, you said? That sounds great.” Luke realized he was rambling, and he looked at her sheepishly.

“I’m really not the bumbling fool that appears before you right now. Must be jet lag catching up with me. Sorry.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to explain himself to her. He just knew that he didn’t want her to regret her decision to meet him for dinner.

“I can meet you there at seven,” Annie said as she picked up her cup and stood. “I’ve got a few things to do this afternoon, but I’ll be done by dinner. That work for you?” She bent down to pick up her towels and she stuffed them into her beach bag. Luke still sat there with a silly grin on his face.

“Yeah. I can pick you up if it’s easier…” he said. “Not that I have to. Pick you up, that is. I mean, it’s not a real date or anything, so I don’t have to pick you up.” He paused and took a deep breath, and stood up. “Let me try that again. Yes, I’ll meet you at Brennecke’s at seven. We can share a table. And I’ll try to get my brain in gear before then, so we can have some decent dinner conversation.” A smile that shone in his eyes lit up his face, and he held his hand out to her.

Annie took it, shook it twice, and let it go. “See you at seven. It was nice to meet you. Thanks for the drink.”

“My pleasure. All around. Bye.” Luke stuck his hands in his pockets and watched as AJ walked off, back to the hotel. He hadn’t even asked if she was staying at the Sheraton, or if she just happened to be here today. He didn’t have her number, hotel name – heck, he didn’t even know her last name. If she didn’t show for dinner, he knew he’d comb the island till he found her again. No one had ever made him as tongue-tied as she had today. And he intended to find out just why she did that to him.

He watched her figure disappear, not into the hotel as he’d expected, but into the guest parking lot. Well, if she wasn’t a guest here, maybe he could find out where she was staying.

With a spring in his step, Luke jogged down the path to the parking lot. He was going to unravel the mysteries of this beautiful woman, even if it took his whole two week vacation to do it.