Chief Distraction Read online

  She tripped and almost fell as she stumbled through the thick brush, but Mak’s firm grip kept her upright and she quickly fell into step with him. Each stride sent a ripple of pain down her arm. She placed a hand on the wound to add pressure. This seemed to ease the chronic ache but slowed her down somewhat.

  Physically fatigued and dizzy, Mak slowed their pace but kept them moving in the opposite direction – opposite the men at base camp. Blythe followed, never questioning his intentions.

  “Was that the same guy we saw at the docks earlier or are there more men?”

  “That’s him, the guy who killed Lou.”

  “He said he saw me on the video.”

  Mak kept walking for a bit before answering. “So they did look at Lou’s camera. And now we’ve seen your attacker. If he gets back to the others, they’ll want to eliminate us for sure.”

  “We should have killed him then, right?” Blythe shuddered at the thought of taking another person’s life, but that apprehension dissipated the second she thought of how he’d attacked her in the bunkhouse. After having his way with her, he would have killed her without hesitation. “Yep, we definitely should have killed him. We have his gun now, maybe we should go back and do it.”

  “Do you think you could do something like that?” Mak asked.

  “If I had to, yes. I never thought I’d hear myself say that, but yes.”

  Mak kept walking without saying a word.

  “Hold on,” she stopped and shortened the binocular strap around her neck. “That’s better.”

  “Are those heavy? Want me to carry them for you?” Mak swiveled.

  “I can manage. That guy’s skull was so thick I think I broke them when I hit him the first time. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. Thank you, Mak, again.”

  “My pleasure. Seems to be my lot in life. We might as well accept it – I’m meant to save you on an ongoing basis. Are you sure you’re not the one who’s cursed?”

  “Ha, that’s a good one. You could be right. We’re officially cursed together.”

  “At least we have each other, then.”

  She followed his brisk pace, feeling much better in her now bare feet. She wondered why she hadn’t ditched her shoes long ago. “Don’t those men have a conscience?”

  “Money, Blythe. It makes you forget you ever had a conscience to begin with.”

  “True.”

  “What about you? Reporting seems pretty cutthroat. I’m sure you’ve had to report on something that made your skin crawl, but you did it anyway for the money.”

  If he only knew. “You have a point. I did what I had to do to pay the rent. To be honest, I regret some of the article’s I’ve written over the years. Problem is, once you write them it’s impossible to take it back. As you said, it’s in print.”

  “Hmm. I wonder if that Angela Dyson regrets writing the article about me. Probably not.”

  “Don’t be so sure. I bet she’s full of regrets. Where are we heading now?”

  Mak pointed to the distance. “The Lua Makika research lookout. We’re going up.”

  The climb to the research lookout was physically grueling but they kept going without a break. The night air had cooled right down without cloud cover to trap the hot day’s humidity.

  Blythe shuddered again, not from fear but from the chill that now found her bones. She fantasized about a deep hot bathtub with bubbles and candles and a glass of wine. And then, as if in self-preservation mode, her mind drifted to images of Mak joining her in that tub, all naked and tanned. She envisioned him lying back against her breasts as she cradled him between her open legs. Reaching around, she would soap up his broad chest, his arms, and leaning him forward, his muscular back. When he leaned against her again, she would kiss her way up his neck to his ear. And then he would turn his head and find her mouth, giving her a deep passionate kiss as her hand slid down his firm chest, his ripped stomach and down to his glorious…

  “Blythe? Did you hear me?”

  Blythe shook the image from her head, a little annoyed that it had to end so abruptly. It was just getting good. “Pardon?”

  “I asked if your feet are sore.” He sounded slightly agitated.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Then we’ll keep moving.”

  Mak had morphed from an easygoing local Fire Chief to a tightly coiled island warrior ready to charge. His tanned skin and athletic build reminded her just how otherworldly he was, like an island God. He was in a league of his own. Lust as hot as wildfire traced through her. Resolved to the fact that Mak was off-limits, she swallowed hard and practiced self-control. A difficult task, but she could always resort to the tub fantasy and take it from there.

  Blythe glued herself to his side, matching his steps as the path widened. The attack had shaken her more than she let on, her blind fury and hatred for her predator spurring her onward. She noticed Mak had slowed a bit, his steps a little more cautious and haphazard. He leaned into her a couple of times too, like he was punch drunk and unstable on his feet. Each time he would apologize. And each time she grew more concerned for his wellbeing.

  <><><>

  Touching his swollen eyebrow with his fingertips, Mak realized the split was bigger than he’d initially realized. That guy had done a number on him and the wound wasn’t clotting like it should. The sweat and blood mixed as it trickled down the left side of his face. He wiped it away with his strong forearm, but the metallic taste of blood indicated it was gushing with each pump of his pounding heart, with each footstep. When he turned to offer Blythe more water from the small glass jar, she gasped at the sight of him.

  “Mak! You’re covered in blood.” Her hand reached out as if to touch his face before she brought it down quickly, keeping distant. Instead she took the glass jar and swigged. “You’d better put pressure on that or you’ll bleed to death.”

  “That’s the least of my worries,” he half mumbled, but clasped a firm palm to his eyebrow none the less. “We have to keep moving. The research lookout is probably another two miles ahead, but it’s a drastic incline, Blythe, it’s going to be a difficult walk from here. I won’t lie.”

  “We’ll get there. If they follow us, we have the gun. If we’re elevated, we’ll see them coming, right?”

  “That’s the plan. Those men know help will be on the way for us if we don’t return to Maui eventually. We just have to hide and wait them out.”

  “But you said it yourself, who’s going to notice we’re gone?”

  “I’m hoping my colleague Pono will notice the missing rescue boat. He’s bound to investigate, but that won’t happen until morning.”

  “Maybe the men will give up and leave once their shipment arrives.”

  “Or maybe they’ll finish us off first, erase any trace like that guy said.” Mak took the glass jar and swigged. “Sorry. I’m not feeling so well. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No, I appreciate your honesty.” She pointed to the glass jar. “We’d better drink that water sparsely. Haven’t got much. Is there another cistern near this research lookout we’re going to?”

  “No, that was it. We’ll have to be smart about it.”

  Walking on, Mak’s pace slowed right down and his head spun out of control. He stopped suddenly in front of her. With skewed depth perception from the darkness, Blythe careened right into him.

  “What is it? Is someone there?” she asked in a hushed whisper. Mak groaned, holding his forehead. He swayed a little as he locked eyes with Blythe. Her face showed her alarm.

  “Mak, what’s wrong?”

  “I think I’m losing a lot of blood. Feeling light-headed.”

  “We have to take care of that cut. Here,” she reached out and guided him toward a large boulder. “Sit for a second.”

  Mak groaned, his eyebrow throbbing in white-hot pain. Every facial expression was agony. Every movement of his head now torture. He pulled the small first aid kit from one of his many cargo pockets and flipped it open. He k
new he needed stitches, but a butterfly bandage would have to do. “I know it may be difficult in the dark, but do you mind?” he held out the bandage.

  Blythe came closer, taking it. Blood had congealed along his dark eyebrow. “If only we had clean water to spare, I could cleanse the wound properly before dressing it.”

  “Nope. Can’t waste the water on this. We need every drop in that jar.”

  “Hey, wait a minute.” She dropped her hands and rummaged through her stylish satchel, pulling out a small package of baby wipes. “These might work.”

  “Baby wipes? Is there something you’re not telling me?” He smirked and then winced in pain.

  “Uh, no, definitely not. I carry them in case I have to fix my make-up before going on camera.”

  At the mention of the word camera, Blythe’s gaze dropped and her sadness emanated.

  “You’re thinking of Lou.”

  She nodded. “Big Lou touched a soft spot in my heart and the thought of never sharing time with him again is devastating.”

  “It was a terrible thing, Blythe. That won’t happen to us, I promise. I’ll get us out of here.” Mak reached up and touched his forehead lightly.

  Blythe took her cue and stepped closer to help. Her breasts were right in front of his face and he couldn’t control his response. Frankly, he didn’t want to anymore. For one thing, it would be agony. For another, he loved the power she held over him, her ability to make him respond this way simply by breathing and smelling so damn good. Like peaches or mangoes – something sweet, succulent, and juicy. Even after all the walking they’d done and the dust and beating sun, she still smelt great.

  Mak’s fingers curled into fists on his thighs. He groaned, clenching the muscles in his legs. It was torture having her this close. His jaw tightened. But he couldn’t chance getting close either, especially since it looked like Blythe was here to stay. It was only a matter of time before she discovered, like so many others had, what being involved with him romantically might result in…frustration, pain, or death. If she didn’t realize this by now, what more would it take to convince her that the curse was alive and kicking – she was smack-dab in the middle of its furious rage.

  “You’re in such pain, I can tell,” she said quietly.

  If she only knew how much pain she was causing him in certain regions of his body, regions completely unrelated to the gash in his eyebrow. Mak’s heat was rising and he willed his libido to cool. He looked straight ahead, her breasts in a direct line with his vision.

  “It’s going to leave a nasty scar, but I’ll try my best to keep the steri-strips tight and even. That might make a difference.”

  <><><>

  She gently stroked away the caked-on blood with a wipe, being careful not to widen the wound. Applying the antiseptic ointment to his brow, she kept her touch light, delicate, not wanting to hurt him anymore than she apparently was. His skin scorched beneath her fingers, the sensation of being so close consuming her and sending threads of anticipation racing through her body. Though the act was simple, even innocent, the moment seemed heavy with sensuality.

  Mak groaned, but Blythe could tell it wasn’t caused by her tender touch on the cut. It was a groan of blatant need. Sensing his arousal, her nipples tightened as if to advertise her hidden thoughts. Feeling the intensity of the moment, she turned to reach for the steri-strips as a distraction. She couldn’t ignore the heat between them, the blazingly hot cravings.

  Blythe turned back and positioned her legs between his, leaning in close. She suppressed a nervous grin, finding it very hard to control anything. She looked down into his face, his gaze piercing her with inexplicable emotion. There was no hiding his desire. It was all out there now, even more unabashed than the look they’d shared earlier. She matched his growing need, the intensity almost unbearable, but a million little warning flags waved in her conscience, breaking the spell once more.

  “That should do it,” she took a step back and put her hands on her hips, breathing deeply to calm her rising heart rate. Staring at him, all bandaged and tense with frustration – sexual as well as fight-or-flight frustration – she decided she didn’t want to wait any longer. For a moment, she stood there as tension split through the night. Striding forward, her mouth found his in a tender connection. Mak kissed her back forcefully, placing a hand on the back of her thigh and pulling the kiss deeper – a magical, lusty kiss teaming with pent-up want. Her lips were warm and gentle…cautious at first, then she matched his forceful need. She settled her body against him and felt his heart beat wildly. She was so thirsty – thirsty for him. She murmured for more.

  Chilled to the bone, Mak’s powerful kiss warmed her to the core – a pure, fiery heat. Mak took the kiss even deeper, their tongues entwined in a dance of discovery. Time stood still and Blythe had not a care in the world; their shared kiss was the best escape ever. She clung to him, her hands reaching out to touch the hard planes of his taut body as he brought his arms around her protectively. She felt safe, if only for that instant. No one had ever caused her heart rate to accelerate from calm to warp steed like that – ever. There was no denying the strong connection they shared. Mutual lust.

  <><><>

  Mak broke the unexpected kiss, shaking his head slightly. “Wait,” he managed. Her eyes latched onto his. They were sensuous, making his pulse race. He inhaled deeply, calming his inner drive – a drive that wanted to move things forward in a hurry. He captured her fingers with his hands and held them at his chest as he leaned in and whispered, “Slow down a second.” His voice now sounded raspy and hoarse, like every word, every breath was a struggle to maintain self-control.

  Blythe looked at him longingly. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, not at all. But it’s not uncommon to experience a rush of passionate adrenaline during a hazardous situation. I’ve heard of this kind of thing.”

  “And have you experienced it personally?”

  “Hell, no. This is a first for me. I’m very attracted to you and was since the moment I hauled your ass into that fire truck at the cane burn. I guess I’m drawn to the stubborn kind.”

  “Oh, really. So I’m stubborn?” She took a step back. As her agitation and confusion grew, her face became puzzled.

  “As stubborn as they come. Yes. I won’t fault you for it. Like I said, I’m attracted to your fiery disposition. But let me be perfectly clear. I would never take advantage of you.”

  “I understand.”

  Mak sensed her disappointment. He rose from the boulder, wincing, and put out a hand to invite her. She placed her hand in his, the action igniting a flurry of sparks between his legs. Although he was lending a helpful hand so she’d hurry and keep up with him as he half dragged her up the mountain, Mak knew something had changed within. It would be easy to pull her back into a strong kiss that led to more, right here on the path with a billion stars overhead and murderers on their tail. It was like something out of an adventure book, but the reality of escaping far outweighed desire. He had to get them to safety before indulging in Blythe Davenport. He knew deep down she’d be worth the wait.

  “The minute we get off this island…” Mak let the phrase drop as they kept walking. The possibilities were endless and his mind wandered the prospects. He’d love to lay her gently on his bed, peel off her clothes and explore every inch of her with his hands and mouth. Make her squirm with hot, sweet desire. The flame between them burned brightly, the heat threatening to scorch him if he couldn’t have her. Dwelling on the heated thoughts made it difficult to walk, his growing manhood tricky to hide.

  Would things change between them once reality set in? Once they were safe in Maui again? If they were ever rescued, that is. The thought of making love to Blythe without the risk of being killed gave him a surge of hope. It kept him pushing onward.

  “How much farther?”

  “Not much. Up at the top of that ridge.”

  The air grew thin as they climbed and Blythe’s breath was forced. “
We can do this. We’ll make it, I have a good feeling, like luck’s on our side.”

  “I thought you weren’t superstitious?” Mak jabbed playfully. The impenetrable ice had been broken between them as they crossed a lusty line.

  “Lets call it optimistic.”

  Mak began to see her in a different light. Maybe all reporters weren’t soul-sucking piranhas out to ruin innocent lives at all; at least maybe not this one. “So what brought you to Maui?” Mak asked, trying to keep her mind on something other than the dangers they faced, something other than the difficult climb. That, and deep down he knew he wanted to know this woman on every level.

  “I wanted a change of pace from the bump and grind of Chicago. You were right when you mentioned how competitive it can be in the world of journalism. I found it quite distasteful at the end. What about you? I know you have nephews, so you have a sibling. Tell me about your family,” she asked as they climbed the endless incline.

  “I have a brother named Noki and a sister, Shayla. She’s had a tough couple of years. Her husband left her for another woman and moved to the big island. The boys have only seen him a handful of times since he left. It was quite upsetting and totally out of the blue.”

  “How’d you feel about that?”

  “Angry. I was tempted to track him down and teach him a lesson, but I know the way our world works and he will receive was he deserves.”

  “What, you mean like karma? What goes around comes around?”

  “In a way. Our omens are what make us unique,” Mak looked out over the ocean, lost in a memory. “I’m proud of my Maui traditions.”

  “Even if they limit your happiness? Like this curse, why can’t you leave and start fresh?”

  Mak looked over, confused. “Because the island is my home. It’s not as easy as that, not as factual or clear-cut. We’ve been over this already, Blythe.” His tone was clear-cut though, razor sharp.

  She seemed to get the hint. “Sometimes I find it hard to relate to that kind of passion. We moved around a lot when I was little and that sense of belonging eluded me. You have to adapt when you bounce around.”