“The spigots are on my side.” Dallas grinned more widely, showing off the dimple in his cheek and his even, white smile. The fact that he looked as if he ought to be on some tourist ad for a remote stable in Colorado made her just want to punch him straight in the nose.
“Turn my water back on or I’ll...”
“You’ll what? Destroy some coffee?” Dallas rocked back on his heels. “If you do that, it’s just money you’ll lose. I don’t plan on selling, and you need cash. I heard you quit your job to come here. You’re living off savings.”
“Who...”
“Through the grapevine.”
“The lawyer,” Allie exclaimed. “Misu’s lawyer is the only one I told. He...”
“He’s a good buddy of mine.”
Fan-freakin’-tastic. “Is this some more of that locals-protect-locals BS?”
“You should know,” Dallas said. “You used to be one.”
Allie let out an exasperated sigh.
“You still can’t make me turn that water back on.”
Dallas took a step closer. His eyes flicked down, lingering on the scooped neckline of her tank. Her anger burned hot, so hot she wasn’t sure if she could keep a lid on it anymore.
“You’ll turn that water back on,” Allie promised. She stood her ground. His eyes met hers.
“Only if you say...please.”
His blue eyes blazed with mischief, and something more. With a start, she realized he was flirting with her. God, the man’s ego knew no bounds. He’d just cut off her shower, and he was trying to get into her pants? Seriously?
“Say it,” Dallas said, his voice a rumble she almost thought she could feel in her own chest. Stubbornly, she stood her ground. “I’m waiting.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time,” she ground out, spitting mad.
He dropped his head back and laughed. “Then you’ll be waiting even longer for your shower.”
He had her there and she knew it.
“Fine.” Allie let out a frustrated breath. “Please,” she muttered, annoyance in her voice.
“That’s not a nice please.” He took a step forward, and Allie wanted to punch him in the nose.
“You didn’t say it had to be nice.”
“Didn’t I?”
He was so very close to her. She looked into his blue eyes and felt as if she’d fallen into the ocean. For that second, she froze, and she couldn’t tell if the adrenaline zinging through her veins was fueled by anger or something else. She could smell Dallas’s aftershave, and it made her head spin.
Dallas studied her mouth, and suddenly Allie’s throat went dry. “Please,” she whispered.
“What was that, darlin’?” He cupped a strong hand to his ear. “I can’t hear you.”
“Please,” she managed, a bit louder.
Dallas’s face hovered over hers, a smile in his eyes as he moved even closer. Allie thought for sure he’d kiss her right then, but he moved at the last minute, his lips missing hers by millimeters as he leaned into her ear.
“I’ll think about it,” he whispered, and she could feel his warm breath on her earlobe. It made her shiver. And not with murderous rage.
“Damn you, Dallas McCormick,” she ground out, and stomped on one of his booted feet. Her flimsy flip-flop did no good against the thick leather, and Dallas just threw his head back and laughed. She could hear the laughter following her almost all the way back to her the house. Her face burned in humiliation: he’d played her. She was thoroughly tired of being played by men. It wouldn’t happen again, she swore.
* * *
IF DALLAS MEANT to declare war, then, fine, two could play that game. Allie would just have to redouble her efforts to win over Kaimana, get that paper signed and sell her half. She’d love to see the look on Dallas McCormick’s face when she told him she’d sold her half to resort developers. See how he’d fare with just half his crop and no roasting barn.
The only problem was that, whenever Allie went to Kaimana’s house, she found the door locked, the blinds drawn.
Well, Allie wasn’t going to give up that easily. She made her plans even as she rinsed off in the kitchen sink with jugs of water bought from the local grocery store. She didn’t think she’d find herself wishing for an outdoor shower, but anything would be better than this.
One thing was for sure: she’d make Dallas pay.
She knew of only one person who could help her: Kai Brady. After finishing her hasty sponge bath, she got dressed and drove her rental into town.
She walked slowly down the main street of Kailua-Kona, with its brightly colored storefronts facing out to the ocean. Lines of green palm trees swayed against the blue sky nearby, and the sidewalk looked pristine, bathed in bright Hawaiian sunshine. Hula Coffee sat sandwiched between a salon and a little sushi restaurant. Painted a bright baby blue with white trim, the shop boasted an old-fashioned wooden sign carved into the shape of a Hula dancer, a Hawaiian woman wearing a white-flowered lei and green grass skirt, a halo of white flowers in her jet-black, waist-length hair. The small coffee shop was bustling even at two in the afternoon, the window-seat benches filled with people of all stripes. A handsome guy in his midtwenties, wearing board shorts and a tank top, opened the door, holding it for her.
“After you,” he said, taking in her sundress, his eyes lingering on her legs. She ignored him. She didn’t need complications right now. She saw Kai talking to his sister, Jesse, at the register and waved.
“Allie!” He motioned her over. “Come in. Say hi to...”
He hadn’t even got out Jesse’s name before the tanned, petite brunette had launched herself over the counter and clobbered Allie in a huge hug. “Why are you never on Facebook?” she scolded. “Seriously—we need to catch up! It’s been a thousand years!”
Allie had forgotten about Jesse’s bubbling enthusiasm for everything. She and Kai had the same mom and different dads, but they both had their Irish mother’s warm, hazel-colored eyes. She was two years younger than Allie and Kai, and what Allie remembered was a fierce little girl who wanted to climb every tree they did.
“This is a great place,” Allie said, meaning it as she looked around at the warm koa-wood tables and the easy conversation happening across the various nooks in the small but surprisingly open shop. Pastries of every kind called invitingly from behind a glass counter, and the air smelled like coffee and vanilla.
“Thanks,” Kai said, standing a little straighter, clearly taking pride in his establishment. “I never imagined having a life other than surfing, but my finance guy said it’s good to diversify.”
“That’s only because surfing is probably going to kill you,” Jesse scolded. “This guy liked to surf the big waves. Like seventy feet!”
“Seventy...?” Allie’s mouth dropped open in shock. Kai had always been fearless, even as a toddler, but somehow she couldn’t quite imagine his muscled body handling such serious surf.
“That was on a slow day,” Kai said, half teasing, half not. He pointed to the espresso machine. “Care for a cappuccino? On the house.”
“Well, I...” Allie hesitated for a split second, but before she could even properly answer, Jesse had bounced over to get started.
“You don’t want him making one. He doesn’t know