“Then how about after we clean up we do popcorn and a movie?”
“What’re we watching?”
“A favorite of mine. It’s called the Heavens.”
Her confusion must’ve shown on her face.
“You’ll love it. I promise.” He then asked, eyebrow raised, “You do know how to wash dishes, don’t you?”
She stuck out her tongue.
“I’ll wash, you dry.”
The work didn’t take much time and they spent most of it directing quiet smiles at each other. Anita noted how relaxed she felt being with him and reflected on the sadness he’d let her see. She got the impression that it wasn’t something he revealed often. Because such things hadn’t mattered to her before, she didn’t know the length of a military tour of duty, nor could she imagine spending even an hour in a war zone, let alone months or years at a time. The servicemen and women putting their lives on the line so that freedom could ring never held a personal connection for her until Steve Blair. Now, a part of her wanted to heal the pain she’d witnessed in his eyes and soothe the sorrow he was carrying in his heart but she had no idea how to go about it. Once again, she was out of her element.
He made the popcorn in a standard air popper, and after pouring the fat white kernels into a large green plastic bowl, he added melted butter and shook in a little salt. He held out the bowl for her to grab some then he did the same.
“Perfect,” she declared.
“Then follow me.”
Outside the sun was setting in a ball of fire. The sheer beauty of it was so mesmerizing it took her breath away.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Steve asked. He thought she was pretty gorgeous, too, but kept that to himself. “You should see it setting over the ocean.”
“It can’t be more beautiful than this.”
“Believe it or not, it is.”
She shook her head as if finding that hard to believe. “And it sets this way every night?”
“Most of the time.”
“We can’t see the sun like this in L.A.”
“No kidding,” he teased.
“Hater.”
He chuckled. “Here, hold the popcorn. I need to grab some seating.”
He returned with two large sleeping bags and spread them out on the ground, one on top of the other. He sat. “Join me, Counselor.”
She did and set the bowl between them. “So where’s the screen, and what did you say the movie was again?”
He reached out and urged her closer. Once she was against his side, he gave her a kiss on her forehead. “The Heavens. Be on soon as it gets dark enough.”
She assessed him. “Are we watching the stars? Is that what you mean by Heavens?”
“I can tell you have a trained deductive mind.”
She punched him playfully and said skeptically, “We’re going to sit out here, in the dark and look at the sky?”
He reached into the bowl. “And eat popcorn. Don’t forget that part.”
“I need to get you a Game Boy, Mr. Sky Pilot.”
“You obviously need distracting if all you’re going to do is talk through the opening credits. Come here… .”
He pulled her onto his lap and her laugh was cut short by the slow infectious kisses he distracted her with. “I got your Game Boy,” he whispered.
Anita didn’t know how she wound up lying on her back with him leaning over her because she was too distracted by the lips moving gently over hers, the fiery tip of his tongue tasting hers and the hand moving possessively over her breasts in the thin white tee. She kissed him back, tempting him with her tongue, trying to brand him the way he’d branded her, and then his lips were gone, her T-shirt pulled aside momentarily so his mouth replaced the hand on her breast. She groaned, her hips rose and her back bowed. “You are so damn good at this,” she whispered.
“Glad you approve. It gets better.”
And angels help her, it did. He had her so hot and bothered, she didn’t care when he pulled her shorts down and off. All she cared about was the bliss emanating from the wicked hand now between her thighs. He transferred his kisses to her belly and slid the hem of her shirt high on her chest so that her damp, jewel-tight nipples were as exposed to the evening as the rest of her.
“You’re probably sore from earlier, so how about some of this… Spread your wings, Counselor, so your sky pilot can make you fly.” His finger circled the node of flesh made specifically for a woman’s pleasure and when he licked her there, she cried out in disbelief and delight.
“Like this, do you?”
Yes, indeed. It was so new, so…scandalous. She’d never had a man love her this way but soon, because he was so damn good at that, too, she lost the ability to protest or to think. The sweet ravishing had her twisting and crooning and raising herself shamelessly for more, while the oncoming orgasm rushed her like white water coming over the falls. Her cries became more vocal.
“No screaming, Counselor. You’ll scare the canyon sheep.”
But when he increased the intensity and gently nipped the throbbing bud, the orgasm grabbed her, shattered her into a thousand glittering pieces, and Anita screamed loud enough to scare the sheep in Saskatchewan.
Dazed and mindless, she came back to earth and knew she’d never be the same. For the rest of her life, she’d be looking for a man to sweep her away. There’d be no more settling for Anita Hunt. She now wanted sparks and fire and everything that went with it, including popcorn.
When she opened her eyes, he was smiling down. He traced her cheek and bent to give her another kiss. “Ready to watch the movie now?”
“You should be in jail, you know.” The orgasm continued to reverberate.
“If I’m in jail, how will I make love to you?”
She reached up and cupped his jaw. “That would be a problem, wouldn’t it?”
“I think so.”
Their eyes held and the bond between them tightened and cemented. He confessed quietly, “I’m going to miss you when you go back to L.A.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
“Then let’s watch the movie and not talk about the future.”
She nodded.
He settled her on his lap. She savored the feeling of being held against his heart, and watched the stars come out.
She had to admit, the show put on by the night sky was in its own way as spectacular and impressive as the Hawaiian sunset. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many stars.” They were like diamond dust shining overhead. He pointed out the Big and Little Dippers.
“That’s Polaris, the North Star,” he added. “The Hawaiian name for it is Hokupa’a.”
“What’s it mean?”
“The stationary star.”
Were she home in L.A., she’d be multitasking between work and phone calls. The idea of spending any portion of the night hours watching the stars would’ve been laughable. Granted, once she returned home and resumed her old routine of work and more work, the idea might become laughable again, but for the present moment, this was wonderful and it made her wonder if her life should hold more experiences like this one. Without a doubt she was a changed woman but she wasn’t certain who that changed woman might eventually be. As the sounds of the waterfall played like distant music, she turned her attention to the man holding her as if she were the most precious thing in this world, and knew for certain that she wanted as many experiences with him as this short interlude in paradise would allow. “Make love to me out here beneath the stars.”
For Steve, it was an arousing request, and because he couldn’t deny her and it was what he’d been longing to do, he replied with a kiss that left them both restless. She was already nude below the waist, so he gently placed her supine and began. He wanted this to be memorable, lasting. For the rest of her l
ife, every time she looked up and saw the stars in the night sky, he wanted her to remember their lovemaking and yes, him. He wanted her to remember the feel of her nipples tightening like jewels in his mouth and the way his fingers opened the treasure between her thighs and plied her until she was hot and running with love. When she saw the Big Dipper, he wanted it to trigger the memory of him sliding kisses down her body and carnally worshipping her with hot flicks of his tongue while she spread her legs wide. Mostly, whenever she made love in the future, he wanted her to remember a sky pilot who turned her over and impaled her on his rigid shaft and let her ride while he rocked her possessively until the starry sky exploded like the Fourth of July.
The next morning, Steve awakened in bed with the still-sleeping Anita in his arms. What a night. They’d made love until the wee hours of the morning and now, it was all coming to an end. The pilot in him could hear the distant sounds of helicopter rotors approaching and because Ferg’s place had the only chopper pad within miles, Steve assumed whoever was inside would be using it to land.
He roused her gently. “Wake up, darlin’. Company’s coming.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. “Morning.”
“Morning, Counselor. You should probably hit the shower and get dressed.” Steve stroked her cheek while he tried to ignore the sadness in his heart.
She sat up and there was confusion on her face. “What?”
“I hear a chopper coming.”
“Here?”
“More than likely, yes.”
“Damn,” she said sounding dejected. She searched his eyes.
“I know. Go get clean. I’ll meet whoever it is.”
“Steve, I—”
He kissed her forehead. “No time to waste. Hurry now.”
She looked like she wanted to argue but sighed and left instead. Filled with a reluctance of his own, he pulled on his shorts and dug out a clean tee from Ferg’s dresser drawer. It was his hope that it would be Ferg back from babysitting the hangar in L.A., but when he stepped outside with the binoculars, he checked its markings. It belonged to one of the tour companies from the Big Island.
The large white helicopter set itself down just as Anita stepped outside. The sight of her parents deplaning and being buffeted by the wings of the rotors as they hurried toward the house made her heart both rise and sink. “My parents,” she told him.
She left Steve and went to greet them. Her father hugged her like he’d found treasure. “Are you okay!” he yelled.
She nodded. “What are you two doing here? Hi, Mom. Daddy, I thought you were still in Peru.”
“Nope. Right after we talked, I caught a jet to Honolulu and your mother met me there. I know you said you were okay but I wanted to see for myself.”
“What happened with Greg?” her mother asked. “Sylvia and I are beside ourselves.”
Anita’s lips tightened. “I’ve no idea, but let’s go inside.”
They entered and, before Anita could make the introductions, her mother eyed the silent Steve. “Are you the pilot who crashed with my daughter?”
“Yes, ma’am. Steve Blair. We ran into some bad weather.”
“You are licensed, I assume, and you carry insurance?”
“Mother, the man saved my life. You should be thanking him.”
The look on her face said no such thing would be forthcoming. Anita forced herself not to act as though she and Steve had spent the last twelve hours making mad hot love, and concentrated on making eye contact with her father.
He stepped forward, introduced himself and shook Steve’s hand. “Thanks for taking care of her.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her father then asked, “Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You look familiar. Where are you from?”
“Texas.”
“Blair from Texas,” he echoed, thinking out loud. Then as if a lightbulb came on in his head, he pointed at Steve. “Marcus Blair. I knew an Marcus Blair at Morehouse. Are you two related?”
Steve grinned. “That’s my dad.”
“I knew I knew that face! You look just like him.”
“I get that a lot.”
“I’ll be damned. We pledged together. Haven’t seen him in probably forty years. How is he?”
“Doing well.”
“He still in the oil business? We used to call Marcus, O.K. for oil king. Richest kid on campus.”
Steve saw Anita’s surprised look. “Family’s still in the business.”
Her mother gave him a dismissive look and cut into the conversation. “Can we stick to why we’re here, Randall?”
Still smiling, he said, “Sure, Diane. Run the show.”
She turned to Anita. “I’ve retrieved your things from your suite at the resort. I put your change of clothes in here.” She handed her a large overnight bag. “So, go get dressed, please. I’d like to return to the airport in Honolulu as soon as possible. Our flight back to L.A. is in a few hours.”
Hoping her disappointment didn’t show, Anita turned to Steve. “Mr. Blair, thanks so much for everything.”
“You’re welcome. Have a safe flight home, Ms. Hunt.”
She nodded and hurried to the bedroom.
Once there, Anita changed into the long summery skirt and blouse she’d taken from the bag. Inside she also found a comb, brush and makeup. Doing what she could with her hair, she applied the makeup and viewed herself in the mirror. The knot on her forehead was still there but smaller and she was surprised her mother hadn’t added that to the list of complaints. She tossed the clothes she’d removed onto the bed. Would she ever see Steve again?
Not knowing the answer added to her melancholy. Because of her parents’ presence, they wouldn’t be able to share any last words, and there’d definitely be no goodbye kisses. Sighing over the unfair turns her life had taken in the past few days, she picked up the bag. Before leaving however, she looked back at the bed and relived all the pleasures he’d given her there and how nice it had been to wake up with him beside her that morning. She placed the memories of their time together in her heart and walked out to rejoin her parents.
He wasn’t with them.
Her dad must’ve seen her confusion. “Blair said he had to check the solar batteries, or something like that. I gave him my card and told him to have his dad call me.”
As the pilot took the chopper and its passengers up into the air, Anita looked down at the dwindling house and prayed she’d get one last glimpse of Steve.
Her mother’s voice distracted her. “Anita, tell me what happened with Greg.”
“There’s nothing to tell, Mother. He broke off the engagement.”
When she looked down again, the house was gone.
* * *
An hour later, while Anita was boarding the jet for the return trip to L.A., Steve stood out in front of the house watching another chopper land. Ferg.
When Ferg got out, he told Steve happily, “I’m finally free.”
“Welcome home. So Old Man Tate’s back?”
“Yeah, but without the new young wife. Guess she ran off with a house painter in Seville. He’s going to file for divorce. What’s this I hear about you crashing a bird? You didn’t have a passenger with you, did you?”
“Yeah, Ms. January.”
“The one with the great legs and the bad attitude? You didn’t kill her, did you?”
“No, but I think I’m in love.”
“What!”
Steve chuckled. “Come on in. Got a story for you.”
Chapter 10
Once home, Anita booted up her computer and ordered a new mobile phone and replacements for the credit cards and passport lost in the crash. That done, she sat down
on the sofa and let the weariness take over. Seated next to her mother on the plane had been a nightmare. When she wasn’t giving Anita the third degree about the breakup with Greg or intimating that somehow it had to have been Anita’s fault, she was pressuring her to move back East to facilitate finding a new job and a replacement fiancé.
Never mind the potential partnership, it was more important to get a ring on her finger, Diane advised pointedly. Even if she divorced the mythical replacement later in life, at least she’d be able to claim she’d been married. Anita thought she might go insane. Finally her father had had enough. Leaning over from his window seat, he succinctly told Diane to shut the hell up and stop trying to micromanage Anita’s life. Anita could’ve kissed him.
And now her thoughts shifted to Steve. She wondered what he was doing and if he was wondering the same thing about her. Her body still held the physical memories of last night’s lovemaking and she would’ve given anything to have had a bit more time to enjoy his company, not for just the pleasure, but for his sense of humor, his outlook on life and his popcorn.
However, their idyllic adventure in paradise was over and she was back in her own world again. Her plan was to stay home tomorrow and return to work the day after. With that in mind, she dashed off one last email to Jane to let her know about the crash and that she’d be at work in two days. Hoping that missing Steve would fade over time, she powered off the laptop, took a long hot shower and climbed into bed.
The phone rang. She grabbed the handset from the base and prayed it wasn’t her mother. The display on the caller ID filled her with a surge of new energy. “Hey, sky pilot.”
“Hey, Counselor. Just called to make sure you got home safe. Your dad gave me your number. Hope that was okay.”
“It is. How are you?”
“Missing you.”
The sound of his voice made her ache for him. “Missing you, too.”
“That’s good to hear. Sorry for not sticking around when you left. I’m not real good with goodbyes.”
“It’s okay.” Anita leaned back against the pillows. “What’re you doing?”
“Besides missing you?”
“Yes, besides missing me.”