“Southern California, remember? It won’t rain.”
“Fire?” I asked.
He took my hand. “Stuart is fine, but we can walk off this plane right now and head back home if you’re that worried.”
“No, you’re right. He’ll be fine.”
Denver looked over at me. “I know that violin is priceless to you for purely intrinsic reasons, but just how much is it worth dollar wise?” He dropped his head back. “Never mind. You don’t have to tell me.”
“About a million.”
He stared at the back of the seat in front of him. “Holy shit.”
“He’s insured, of course. My mom’s half owner. She wouldn’t care if something happened to him as long as she got a wad of cash in return. But for me, unless the insurance company has a way to give me back a piece of my soul, if something happened to Stuart, my life would never be the same.”
“Guess it’s a good thing most people wouldn’t have a clue about Stuart’s value. Most thieves prefer taking televisions and computers.”
“True, to the untrained eye, Stuart looks like some kid’s discarded eighth grade band instrument. But to someone who knows violins—” I laughed. “I once had a man come running across a crowded room when he caught a glimpse of Stuart as I pulled him from his case. I swear the guy pushed this one lady right on her butt in his quest to get a better look. Thought he was going to have a stroke when I let him hold Stuart.” I reached for the backpack I’d jammed under my seat and pulled out the pretzels I’d brought along. I ripped open the package and took one out. Denver declined. I nibbled on it, not because I was hungry but more to occupy myself. Snacking took my mind off of take-off, the one part of flying I hated.
“Now I’m going to be thirsty until they roll that cart down the aisle.”
“Do you want me to ask them for a water?” Denver began to unbuckle his seatbelt, but I grabbed his forearm.
“No, I’m fine, and I think they’re about to turn on the seatbelt sign and go through their song and dance routine about oxygen masks and exit doors.” I stretched my neck to see over the seats to the man sitting near the emergency exit. “He seems capable of handling the door.” I slumped back against the seat.
“You all right, Holliday? I assume you’ve flown a lot.”
“I have, but that’s the problem. I’ve been on some pretty sketchy flights. One time, I was on a flight to Europe, can’t remember which country, and that’s mostly because the take-off was so darn terrifying the rest of the flight and trip was a blur. The plane was zooming along the runway, and I was browsing through one of those silly magazines they stick in the pocket.” She pointed to the silly magazine in the pocket in front of her. “We lifted off then the plane tilted badly to one side. I was sure we were going to roll. The flight attendants looked white as sheets, and everyone on the plane gasped. Then the oxygen masks dropped and plenty of chaos followed. I remember closing my eyes and trying to go through how many bad things I’d done to deserve an untimely death. Seconds later, the plane righted itself again. We were once again parallel to the runway. We ascended into the clouds without further incident. But it had been one of those moments in time where I’d thought, well that’s it. I’m done, and if I’d known I would have had a much better last meal than that dry old bran muffin in the duty-free shop.”
“And you’re recapping this story now, just seconds before take-off.”
I reached over and pulled his hand into my lap. “That way, when I start squeezing the life out of your hand as we race down the runway, you’ll understand.”
“I see. Then squeeze away.”
I held tightly to his hand, waiting for the plane to take off and thinking how secure I felt sitting next to him.
Chapter 15
Denver
No harrowing incidents on take-off and aside from a few good moments of turbulence, the flight had been fun. Jami was completely entertaining, and I loved every second with her.
I hadn’t noticed that two of the Crushin’ It models were on the plane until they made their way back to the bathroom. Britney, the girl who had been in the first ad, spotted me and stopped. Amy, another model, came up behind her.
“Denver, sweetie, didn’t know you were on this flight.” Britney’s word were slightly stretched as if she’d been hitting the tiny bottles of rum already. She hardly spared a glance toward Jami. “You’re in luck. There’s an empty seat next to us. We’re up there near the middle.” She waved long pink fingernails behind without any real seat destination in mind. “We’re off to take a whizz. Who knew those little bottles could make you have to pee so much. Amy and I will pick you up on our way back.”
“Got to warn you, though,” Amy said, “the guy in front of us reeks like old, wet cigars.”
“Actually, I’ll have to miss out on the wet cigar smell. I’m traveling with a friend. This is Jami.”
The earlier fleeting glances stretched into long appraisals. Amy was the first to reach her hand across. “Nice to meet you, Jami. I’m Amy and this is Britney. And I would love to stay and chat, but my bladder is on overload.”
They scurried down the aisle to the restrooms.
“They seem nice,” Jami said with a slight twist of her mouth.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“No really. I’ve never been great at making friends with girls, but they do seem like they’d be a lot of fun.” We had lifted the chair arm between us so we could share the seats. Jami scooted closer, and I put my arm around her shoulder.
“Have you ever been to Hawaii before?” she asked.
“Once, when I was around eight, so I hardly remember it. It was a family reunion type thing. All I remember is sitting around a condo that was decorated with all kinds of palms and flowery wallpaper and being hugged and kissed by a bunch of aunts and uncles and people I’d never met. I also remember not getting to do anything fun—like stand under a waterfall, or parasail or snorkel with fish.”
“My gosh, they could have just had the reunion in some condo in Timbuktu if they weren’t going to snorkel or parasail or look at waterfalls.” She looked up at me. “Actually, that’s a bad example because Timbuktu, the real one, not the one that everyone uses as some silly little place in the middle of nowhere, is a cool place. I once played in a symphony in Mali, and we traveled there on a day off.”
“Damn, you’ve really seen the world already.”
She stretched up and kissed me. “But I’ve never had such a great traveling companion, and frankly, I’m excited as hell about these next few days. I say that as soon as you’re done flashing that pretty boy smile for the cameras, we go snorkeling and parasailing and waterfalling. Or whatever it is you do with waterfalls.”
I scooted down lower and she rested her head against my shoulder. “Jami, I don’t know where any of this is leading, but I’m glad as hell that you came along with me for this trip. I’d been feeling kind of lost lately. Over thinking shit as Rodeo likes to say.”
“I’ve been lost too, not lately, but almost since the second my dad left me alone on this earth. I can’t tell you where this is going either, Denver, but I know one thing for sure—having you show up in my life was exactly what I needed.”
I curled my arm around her and held her securely against my side. I knew I was heading into something that was probably going to throw me for a big fucking loop, but I didn’t give a damn.
Chapter 16
Jami
“Rain,” I said unnecessarily. I pulled my gaze from the window, which was completely blurred by the continual sheet of water rolling down from the roof. I looked back at Denver. He was leaned back against the wooden headboard with his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles and his hands behind his head. My heart did a little sigh just before the skippy thing. “And not just drops—sheets, rivers, torrential spillage from the sky.??
? I lifted the lei to my nose and took a whiff. “But at least I have this pretty necklace of flowers.” I raced over and hopped onto the bed. “If it keeps up, you’re going to be stuck inside just like that wretched, dull family reunion.”
He reached forward and grabbed my hand. I laughed as I fell into his arms. “There is no way to compare this. At the family reunion, I was stuck in a stuffy condo with my Aunt Maddie, who wears enough perfume to kill a small elephant, and then there was Uncle Herb and his—” He lifted air quotes. “Inability to digest nuts properly. Of course, that didn’t stop the man from funneling handfuls of macadamia nuts down his gullet.” Denver’s hand swept under my shirt and he rubbed his palm along my back. “Yep, this is completely different.”
He scooted down to be even with me. He lifted the lei off my neck and held it up. “I think you should put this back on once you’re completely naked.” He draped it up over the headboard, then his hand returned to my shorts. He kissed me as he unbuttoned my fly. “Strip naked for me, Holliday,” he muttered against my mouth. “Five hours sitting on a plane next to you . . . Fucking need to be inside of you.” He fumbled with my shorts for a second. “Take everything off,” he said in a grunt of frustration. “I want you so bad, I can’t even figure out how to undress you.”
I slid off the bed. He watched me with a dark blue, heavy gaze as I lifted off my shirt and unfastened my bra. It dropped to the ground. I pushed down my shorts and panties. Then I reached for the lei of flowers. The petals felt cool and velvety against my skin as I draped it around my neck.
Denver shot off the bed and grabbed me to him. His mouth pressed against me and the flowers crushed between our bodies, giving off huge whiffs of fragrance. With a glint in his eyes, Denver wrapped his fingers around the lei and led me to the bed. I knelt on the mattress. He tugged the flowers lightly, motioning for me to face the tall, ornately carved headboard.
I wrapped my fingers around the headboard. He swept the lei up over my head and lightly bound my hands to the carved railing. It was the sexiest thing anyone had ever done to me and my breaths were coming in short, desperate sounding bursts.
The shadow of him taking off his shirt flashed on the teal blue wall in front of me. The mattress lurched from side to side as he moved behind me. The rainstorm had turned the air in the room moist and cool, but his body was radiating heat, a heat that only increased the flush that kneeling naked with my hands bound to the headboard had produced.
His big hands reached around and cupped my breasts as his mouth pressed against my shoulder. Frissons of pure pleasure coursed through me as his hot mouth trailed kisses along my back. All the while, his fingers teased my nipples into tight buds.
“God, you taste like candy, Holliday, like fucking candy.” The strain of his voice only increased my desire. As his mouth moved over the cheeks of my ass, I found myself instinctively pushing against the pressure of his lips and tongue, pleading with him for more.
My quick, short breaths stopped on a gasp as his hand slid down my belly and between my legs. “Yes, Denver. Please take me.” My hands gripped the headboard tightly and I waited for him to push down his pants and move behind me. Instead, he lowered himself to the mattress, rolled onto his back and slid his head between my legs. My blush intensified, and my cheeks burned hot at the thought of his gaze just inches from my pussy.
“Beautiful,” he growled in a low, hoarse tone. “Fucking beautiful.”
His fingers reached up and parted the moisture laden folds of my pussy. Another gasp left my lips, and my hands jerked back but were held in place by the strand of flowers. I sucked in an audible breath and released it on a long, luxurious sigh as he relieved some of the tension building in my body by stroking my clit and pussy with his tongue. I found myself moving up and down, writhing against the pressure of mouth and fingers, all the while begging him to go deeper. He knew just how and where to touch and the amount of stimulation I needed to send me over the edge. “Yes, Denver,” I said breathlessly. “God, you’re good at this.”
I squeezed my thighs closer, and my pussy tightened around his fingers as his tongue coaxed me to orgasm. I turned my face and pressed my mouth against my arm to stifle a cry as his mouth continued to devour me. My entire body trembled. The lei kept me from collapsing into a shuddering heap on the bed.
He slid out from between my legs. During my haze, I heard a foil package rip open. Seconds later, he was behind me on the bed. His naked thighs pressed against the back of my legs as he lowered his mouth to my ear. “You and that sweet pussy of yours have me so damn hard. Can I fuck you like this? Please, Holliday, let me take you like this.”
“Yes, I want you to. Yes.”
He moved closer. I could feel his warm, ragged breaths on my skin as he took hold of my hips. I jutted my ass out farther, and he used his thigh to push my legs apart. My knees scooted across the blanket, and I sank down farther, straining against the string of flowers. With each erotic movement, the flowers gave off a strong, heady cloud of perfume, almost as if they’d been programmed to add to the sensual atmosphere with their intoxicating fragrance.
As my head spun with the afterglow of orgasm, of the feel of Denver’s hands on me and the scent of the flowers, he pushed his thick, hard cock into me. I cried out in pleasure, and my pussy, still tingling, tightened around him.
The headboard rocked rhythmically against the wall as Denver thrust his hips against me, pushing deeper and harder with each pass.
One strong hand held me in place, while the other reached around and slid between my legs, once again finding the sweet spot between the folds of my pussy. To my surprise, my body and pussy reacted immediately. It seemed for the first time ever, I was going to come twice. Denver sensed my need to be fondled into oblivion again, and he worked his fingers magically over my throbbing clit, all the while filling me with his cock. “Come for me again, baby. I’m about to explode, but I want your pussy to weep with pleasure for me.”
I moved my hips back and forth, gathering more of his hand as I rolled forward and more of his cock as I thrust backward. Each time we slammed together, a sweet ache jarred my entire body. Our movements quickened, and in seconds, my pussy convulsed around his cock, sending me into another breath-stealing orgasm. “Denver!” I cried out, not bothering to muffle the sound this time.
“Yeah, fuck baby, hearing you scream my name, that’s it,” he grunted and pushed against me one last time before his body tightened and a deep groan rolled up from his chest.
He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his chest against me, kissing the back of my neck as his breathing slowed to normal.
My legs were shaking, and my hands felt slightly tingly. “I’ll never think about Hawaii or leis the same way again. I’ve never come twice in a row,” I confessed.
He slowly withdrew and reached up to untie my hands. “Well then, you haven’t been with the right person.”
“Until now.”
“Until now.” He dropped the flowers onto the adjacent pillow and pulled me into his arms as we collapsed down onto the mattress to spoon. His manly scent of soap and sweat was even more intoxicating than the flowers.
I pulled his arm tighter around me. Rain still splattered against the window pane and thunder rumbled in the distance. “The only thing that could make this more perfect would be if room service showed up with strawberries, champagne and chocolate.”
He kissed my shoulder and squeezed his arms tighter.
I turned my head toward my shoulder. “No, seriously, it would be just that much more perfect.”
He laughed. “Don’t think they have room service, but I think I saw a little guest shop where they might have champagne and chocolate. Probably have to substitute pineapple for strawberries though.”
I smiled. “No, that’s all right. If it means you having to let go of me, then I’d rather skip the goodies a
nd just stay tucked here forever.”
Chapter 17
Denver
Jami was doing a poor job of hiding an amused grin as I walked over to her. She’d sat quietly on the sidelines while I performed my model duties, a job I was already getting bored with. I much preferred hammering nails or jumping motorcycles. Primping and preening was definitely not my thing.
The rain had cleared as quickly as it’d started, and the advertisement team didn’t waste a second of time transporting us all to the shoot location, a jungle-like backyard of some big house near Diamond Head.
For Jami, it had been entertaining watching me have my nose powdered, my hair brushed and my picture taken a million different ways until the shot was perfect.
“What I am wondering,” Jami asked before I reached her, “is why the female model, Britney, was dressed like Jane? Shouldn’t they have dressed you like Tarzan to get the full impact of the jungle theme?”
Once the sun had returned, the heat had returned with it. And in Hawaii, it was a moist, steamy heat. Not the dry heat of California. I took hold of the water bottle in Jami’s hand. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until the liquid poured down my throat.
“The photographer’s assistant, the woman in the pink boots and shorts, had suggested they dress me like Tarzan, but I assured them with one look that it wasn’t happening. Not even sure what the jungle theme has to do with motocross gear, but apparently, some brain from the marketing department came up with what they considered to be a brilliant slogan—‘whether you’re swinging from vines or launching off a kicker, Crushin’ It Gear will fly with you.’”
Jami looked past me. “Britney seemed happy to be posing in the fake leopard skin bikini.”
“Britney is always happy when she’s in front of a camera. I much prefer to work with her friend, Amy. She’s way more down to earth and easy to talk to.”