The Baby Proposal Read online

  Life and dealing with Akela had distracted him from wanting Lana, but now that things were settling down, he couldn’t shake these thoughts. The sight of her in her wedding gown with the plunging neckline, the memory of that red-hot kiss on their bed...it haunted him every time he had a free moment to himself. And now, seeing her dance, he was on the verge of losing his tight grip of control.

  This was what he’d been afraid of with Lana. What he’d fought so hard to avoid. She was everything he’d ever wanted but knew he couldn’t have. Marriage had never been his forte, but a temporary one wasn’t so bad. Going into it knowing it would end, without any false expectations of forever, made it much more tolerable. The hardest part so far was not enjoying the benefits. That was their agreement—a sensible one at the time—but now he regretted going along with it. If he was going to have Lana for his wife on paper, he wanted her for his wife in bed, as well.

  When her last number finished, Lana met him in the back of the courtyard. She’d changed backstage this time into a short, strapless dress in a bright tropical pattern. That didn’t help matters. It clung to her curves and showcased the legs he’d been admiring earlier.

  “Are you ready to go? We need to relieve the babysitter.”

  Lana nodded. “Once we get the nanny position filled, I’ll be more comfortable staying all the way to the end and giving notes. Tonight I’ve got Pam watching for feedback to give them at rehearsal tomorrow. So far, the audience really seems to enjoy the new singing number at the end.”

  Aware of the people around them and desperate for an excuse to touch her, he reached out and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go home, then.”

  She didn’t resist taking his hand and following him to the lot where he parked the Jaguar. Once they arrived home, Kal paid the young woman from housekeeping for watching Akela, and she left quickly.

  Akela was asleep. They poked their heads into the nursery to check on her, but all was well. She was in her sheep jammies and contentedly dreaming in her crib. So far, Akela had slept through the night, which was nice. And after that show, he hoped the trend continued tonight.

  “I’m exhausted,” Lana said as they shut the nursery door and headed toward the master bedroom. “I thought being a dancer was hard work, but being a dancer and having an infant to care for is masochism at its finest.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re a beautiful masochist.”

  Lana dismissed his compliment and stepped out of her sandals. Reaching behind herself, she strained to reach the zipper of the dress.

  “Here,” Kal said as he tugged off his tie. “Let me get it.”

  Coming up behind her, he grazed her skin with his fingertips as he reached for the clasp. Lana lifted her hair up, exposing her bare neck and shoulders, and sending a whiff of Plumeria to his nose. His skin tingled as it brushed hers, undoing the clasp and running the zipper down to the small of her back.

  When he reached the bottom, the rough lace of her panties peeked out at him, and he could feel the desire he’d suppressed surge through him again. Kal didn’t let go the way he should then. Instead he moved closer, until his warm breath brushed over her bare shoulders.

  Lana didn’t move away, either. She stood very still, drawing in a ragged breath and slowly letting it out. Kal rested his palms on her shoulders, relishing the silky feel of her skin under his hands. He wanted to touch more of her and prayed that she’d let him.

  She leaned back against him, finally swooping her hair over one shoulder. As she lowered her arms, Kal felt the fabric of her dress slip away until it pooled at her feet. His gaze ran over her shoulders, finding no strapless bra where he expected it to be. Of course not...they didn’t wear anything like that beneath their traditional outfits. It complicated costume changes backstage.

  One glance at her full, mocha-tipped breasts was enough to undo him. “Lana...” he said in a pained voice as his fingertips pressed into her shoulders. The single word expressed everything he needed to say to her in that moment. That he wanted her. That he knew he shouldn’t. That one more minute together like this and he wouldn’t be able to tear himself away.

  Lana didn’t respond. Instead she reached up for his hands and moved them around her until they cupped her breasts. His own groan muffled her soft sigh of pleasure as the weight of them rested in his hands. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples and they hardened to peaks that pressed insistently into him.

  Leaning down, Kal pressed his lips against her shoulder. Her skin was warm against his lips and smelled like cocoa butter and tropical flowers. He traveled up the exposed line of her neck, inhaling her scent into his lungs. He teased at the sensitive hollow beneath her ear, biting gently at her earlobe until she gasped.

  “Kal,” she whispered, and arched her back to press her rear into the straining length of his erection. The movement elicited a growl from deep in his throat, a sound he didn’t even know he was capable of making until then. Lana was able to rouse something from deep inside him. Something primal that he’d never let out before.

  He got the feeling that if he truly let go with Lana, there would be no going back. He didn’t just want to make love to her, he wanted to claim her as his own. Kal had no right to do that. She didn’t belong to him. But that was what she drew out of him. “Last time I pulled back, Lana. I pulled away when I didn’t want to because I thought we’d both regret it. And yet we’re here again. I don’t think I can walk away from you twice.”

  Lana turned in his arms to face him. She looked at him with her dark, almond-shaped eyes and there was no hesitation there. No concern. Nothing but a blazing desire for him that he’d never seen from her before. Perhaps something new and primitive had been released in her, as well. “Then don’t.”

  * * *

  If Lana felt the slightest hesitation about making love to Kal, it was only in that moment when he finally gave in to wanting her and she saw the passion unleash in him. He was a large man, a strong man, but although she wasn’t afraid of him, she wondered in that moment if she was enough woman to satisfy the lust that rolled off him in waves.

  Then he kissed her and her doubts were put to rest. His powerfully possessive kiss and firm desire against her belly proved that he wanted her and only her. His fingers dove into her hair, pulling her close and refusing to let her go. All she could do was cling to him and go along for the ride. This was something she’d always wanted but had been too afraid to have. Now was her chance and she needed to make the most of every second in case this never happened again.

  His tongue invaded her, deepening the kiss and demanding more, which she gladly gave. Then, just as suddenly, he pulled away, ripping his lips from hers.

  Lana thought for a moment that he had gathered his senses and was about to walk out, but he just stood there. His breath was ragged and his gaze never left her body as he tugged off his tie and slipped out of his suit coat. She was standing there in nothing but the nude panties they wore under their dance costumes. Lana had never felt more exposed yet more desired in her whole life.

  Feeling bolstered by his attraction to her, she hooked her thumbs under her panties and slowly slid them over her hips. Kal watched with his mouth agape and his shirt half unbuttoned as she shimmied them down her legs and kicked them to the side. Then, completely naked, she planted her hands on her hips and waited for him with a sly smile curling her lips.

  The rest of his clothing came off much faster, and suddenly she was hit by a wall of hard, male flesh. It pushed her back until she fell onto the mattress. Kal covered her body with his own, hardly allowing her the opportunity to enjoy the view as he had. Instead his mouth was on hers again and his hands were roaming over her exposed flesh.

  Lana loved the feel of his weight pressing her against the mattress and the insistent desire against her thigh. She parted her legs, letting Kal nestle between them just as he started moving lower down her body. His lips nibbled and tasted at her throat, her collarbone, her sternum, and then finally he drew on
e nipple into his mouth. He sucked hard, teasing at her sensitive flesh before soothing it with his tongue. The powerful caress sent a bolt of sensation straight to her core. Her insides grew molten as they began to pulse with the insistent rhythm of need.

  As if he could sense her building demand for his touch, Kal reached between her thighs. He brushed over her ever so faintly once, then twice, making her nearly want to scream with pent-up desire, even though she knew she couldn’t risk waking the baby. Then his fingertips delved deeper, finding her sensitive center and drawing a silent cry from her throat. Lana couldn’t keep her hips from moving against his hand. She needed Kal’s touch. She needed Kal.

  She wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait. Lana appreciated the extended seduction that Kal likely had planned, but she was ready to jump to the main course. “Do you have...” she gasped between strokes “...protection?”

  Instead of answering right away, he slipped a finger inside her, making her whole body tense up and a soft whimper pass her lips.

  “I do,” he answered as he slowly, torturously, moved in and out of her. “Are you sure you want me to go get it so soon? I was just starting to have some fun.”

  Lana bit her lip as he continued to tease her, verbally and otherwise. Her muscles were tightening with building sparks of pleasure that she wasn’t ready to give into yet. “Get it,” she managed between clenched teeth. “Now.”

  Kal grinned wide and pulled his hand away. “Yes, ma’am.” He moved to the side of the bed and returned a moment later with a condom in his hand. She took advantage of the view, spying the hard length she’d been longing for. Her eyes widened for a moment as she watched him sheathe himself in latex. Kal was above average in all ways. This would be interesting.

  As quickly as he’d left, Kal returned to his place between her thighs. Instead of entering her, he continued to tease at her with his hand. Whether she wanted to or not, she was responding to his touch. He was driving her toward the edge before they’d even begun.

  “Not yet,” she gasped, reaching one arm out to caress the stubble on his cheek. “With you.”

  His dark gaze met hers, and then he nodded silently. His body hovered over her on his powerful arms. She drew her knees up, opening to Kal when she felt the press of his desire. “Please,” she urged, and finally felt him move into her.

  It was slow, but Lana closed her eyes and enjoyed every moment of it. She bit at her lip again to hold in a gasp of pleasure as he sank deeper and deeper. Kal moved one hand to clutch her hip and lift her up to take him all the way. When he was finally buried deep inside her, they both let out a soft groan of pleasure.

  Kal dropped onto his left elbow and pressed a softer kiss to her lips. Then he started rocking in and out of her. All the sensations he’d aroused in her earlier returned at once as he retreated, then advanced more forcefully each time. The ratchet inside her moved one notch higher with every thrust. Her soft cries and gasps were a steady chorus in the tropical evening air.

  Then Kal let go of her hip and slid his hand down her leg to the back of her knee. He sat up, hooking her leg over his shoulder, and planted a kiss on the inside of her knee. Looking into her eyes, he thrust again, deepening his reach tenfold. Lana couldn’t hold on much longer. She clawed at the sheets as he pounded deep inside her, until at last she couldn’t resist it and shattered into an explosive orgasm. Her whole body shuddered with the power of it. She grasped a pillow and used it to smother her cries, gasping Kal’s name into the fabric as he continued the pleasurable assault on her body.

  He wasn’t far behind. Gripping her leg in one hand and her breast in the other, he thrust one last time and came undone with a silent roar. He shook with the force of his release, as though it were sucking out every ounce of energy he had; then he pulled away and collapsed onto the bed beside her.

  Lana lay there for what seemed like hours with her mind racing, although it was only minutes that passed. She couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. Instead of enjoying the moment and basking in the afterglow, she anxiously awaited Kal’s reaction. She didn’t regret it, but once the erection faded and reality set in, would he?

  She was beginning to think he’d already fallen asleep when he rolled toward her. He wrapped one large, protective arm over her waist and tugged her body against his. Curled against him, she found it harder to worry. With his warm breath on her neck, she snuggled into the pillows and gave in to sleep.

  Seven

  Things in Kal’s world were finally getting back to normal. At least, back to normal in terms of work. He’d returned to the office and Lana was in the dance studio with her team and performing in the luaus with them again. Nanny Sonia had started. She was the fifth nanny they interviewed and came highly recommended. Akela was instantly drawn to the older woman and the choice was easy to make.

  So far, she was amazing, working happily with their strange hours. Even though they hadn’t originally asked for a live-in caretaker, that was where they’d ended up. Once Kal and Lana were working again at all hours, it was just easier for Sonia to move into the guest room. It was next door to the nursery and had an en suite bathroom so she had plenty of her own space.

  At home, things weren’t quite the same. At least not since the night they’d given in to their desire for each other. Looking back, he couldn’t quite figure out how it happened, but he refused to regret it even though he knew he should. It was a night he’d never forget. How could he? His best friend—the one with the fist bumps and reluctant hugs—had given herself to him in a way he’d never imagined possible. Or maybe he had, which was why he’d kept his distance.

  The last thing done for the night, Kal decided to head home. Normally he would put in a few more hours walking the resort and making sure the guests were all happy. Lately he’d just rather go. Even with the situation being different, he found that he looked forward to the end of his day more than he had when he was a bachelor. There was actually someone waiting for him at home. A houseful of someones.

  It hadn’t taken him long, but he found he missed those chubby cheeks and that toothless grin while he was at the office. That must be why people always put pictures of their family on their desk. He’d never understood that before, but he was considering it now. He found he was also missing Lana. They’d spent more time together than ever before, but it wasn’t enough. The more he had with her, it seemed like the more he wanted. It was a dangerously slippery slope, but a part of him was tempted to see where it would lead.

  That night, when he walked in the front door of the house, he wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but what he got was a hell of a lot more.

  Christmas had arrived in Maui.

  In the great room, a huge Christmas tree was placed in front of the picture window. It was decked out in a rainbow of ornaments, lights and tinsel. A silver star shone on the top. Between the tree and the pine garland that went across the fireplace mantel, the house was thick with the fresh scent of real, imported Norfolk pine from the mainland.

  Four stockings hung beneath the pine garland, one for each of them, including Nanny Sonia. The coffee table had a festive poinsettia runner and bowls of sparkling ornaments and peppermint candies. There were lights and candles all around the room, and festive Christmas music playing in the background.

  Kal wasn’t entirely sure what to say. He didn’t own any Christmas decorations. This was his first Christmas in the house and he hadn’t given much thought to the holidays with everything else going on. It was such a busy month at the resort he was more concerned with decorating the hotel and pleasing his guests than worrying about his own place. Who would see it aside from him anyway?

  “You’re home!” Lana said as she came out of the kitchen and spied him, dumbstruck by the front door.

  “I am. Is this our house?” he asked. “It looks a little like our house, but not really. Now it looks more like the North Pole than Hawaii.”

  Lana beamed at his words. “It does, doesn’t it?”
>
  “Where did all this come from?”

  “The store. I just realized that this was going to be Akela’s first Christmas and I wanted it to be nice. It’s also our first Christmas together, so I thought people might think it odd if we didn’t decorate at least a little bit. I had some free time this afternoon, so I went crazy at the home store.”

  “It looks great,” Kal said. He listened and heard Akela babbling in the kitchen over the crooning sounds of Bing Crosby on the wireless surround-sound system. “What are you all doing in there?”

  “We’re baking cookies.” Lana reached for his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

  Akela was sitting in her high chair with a bottle of juice and a scattering of Cheerios. Sonia was pulling a tray of just-baked cookies out of the oven.

  “Are those chocolate chip?” Kal asked, his mouth starting to water involuntarily as the smell hit him.

  “Yes,” Sonia said brightly. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. We’ve also baked white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, sugar cookies, coconut snowballs and fudge.”

  “Wow,” Kal said. He reached over and snatched a cooling cookie from one of the wire racks and shoved it in his mouth. It tasted like gooey, melting chocolate butter heaven, if that was even a thing, and it should be. “I love cookies.”

  The holidays had always been a big deal with his family, but like most things, they were more traditionally Hawaiian than mainland Christmas. There was always kalua pork in the imu, lomi salmon, coconut haupia for dessert, and Santa or Kanakaloka, wearing flip-flops and his best Hawaiian shirt.

  He did get a taste for more Americanized Christmas from his father, however. His father was born and raised in upstate New York before he joined the navy and ended up stationed in Hawaii. While his father was happy to fall in love with a Hawaiian girl and escape the hellish New York winters once and for all, there were things he still missed. He would go shopping at the PX for things he couldn’t normally get here, like gingerbread cookies and peppermint candy canes. More of it had made its way into stores over the last twenty years, but when Kal was a kid, those special treats had been his favorites. Especially the cookies.