The voices faded. She was in no hurry to join them, rather liking the solitude. But she knew she shouldn’t delay too long. Night was descending rapidly now that the sun was gone.
She turned around, and alarm flared inside her when she realized just how dark it was, making it difficult to see the path. She picked her way, trying not to trip over the loose stones, and listened carefully to hear the voices long down the path. Almost bumping into a tree, Jimi raised her hands and felt her way through the brush. While this was a beautiful country, she could see how quickly it could turn on you. Totally unprepared for this wilderness trip in Hawaii, Jimi swallowed the fear building inside her.
Being alone out here in the wild was a harsh reminder of her childhood. Getting lost in the bush and spending a night all by herself huddled and terrified in the root of a tree wasn’t something you could easily forget. She kept moving one foot in front of the other—shuffling them over the ground—and stared into the darkness between the trees, hoping, waiting, for a flicker of light from the camp to show her the way. The icing on the cake would be for a storm to roll in. Jimi’s heart clenched at the thought. After her mother died during a storm, she’d never gotten over her fear of them.
“Oh, thank God.” Relief washed through her when she saw a sparkle of firelight off in the distance. The trail was steep and she had to take it to get down to the camp. Hopefully light from the torches would show her the way.
“I knew you were trouble the minute I laid eyes on you.”
The deep, velvety voice in the dark made her jump out of her skin. “Oh! You scared the crap out of me.” She wasn’t going to tell him how glad she was he’d come back for her.
“The last thing I need is for someone to get lost up here. Why didn’t you follow the group down?”
She wasn’t going to admit that she’d frightened herself. “I was so peaceful up there I wanted to stay a little longer. I was finding my way back with no trouble at all. There was no need for you to come looking for me.”
“Right.”
She heard the tinge of humor in his voice and knew he didn’t believe her. That irked her. “So, lead the way, Tarzan.”
“No need to get testy, Jane.” He laughed, a low, slow chuckle that sent shivers along her skin. “You best take my hand—it’s dark, and you can’t see where you’re going. I know how clumsy you are, too.”
“I’m fine. Lead the way. And I’m not clumsy.”
Jimi knew Dallas was standing in front of her by the darker form his body created in the shadows. He didn’t move. Neither did she, until Jimi decided she wasn’t going to wait for him to make the first move. They’d started something earlier, and she’d been yearning for it since. She had to get this man out of her system.
Jimi stepped into him, felt for his arms and grasped them. She stood on her toes and found his mouth with hers, sealing off any form of resistance. There was no fumbling, just his hot lips on hers.
Jimi sighed when his hands slid along her arms, took her wrists and lifted so she could wrap them around his neck. The musical night sounds and the warm, scented Hawaiian air embraced them. Jimi lost herself in the moment.
Without the ability to see in the dark, all her other senses exploded into high alert. It seemed as if he touched her everywhere. The sultry tropical breeze whispered over her heated flesh, rousing her further. Threading his hands through her hair, he pulled her head back so she was at his mercy in the shadows. His lips, more powerful and insistent than before, had her melting into him. Her legs wobbled and Jimi clutched him tighter.
Night birds and other nocturnal animal sounds serenaded them as the creatures woke to their new day as the hour slipped deeper into the night. Leaves rustling in the breeze, distant voices from the camp, the tropical frogs and, mostly, their breathing was all she heard. Dallas’s scent, warm, manly, was tinged with soap, leather and horse. He smelled so good she could eat him.
Jimi reached her tongue, wanting—no, needing—to find his. When the tips met, she moaned in ecstasy as molten fire flowed through her. He was magic, this man. This Hawaiian cowboy had the touch and she was thrilled to be at the receiving end of it.
He tightened his arms around her and shuffled her back until the solidity of a tree trunk pinned her sweetly between the rough bark and his powerful chest. Hooking a foot around his calf, she pulled so he had nowhere to go except closer to her. And like lava flowing over the craggy ground, he filled her. But not in the way she desperately needed. Jimi ached for him, and she clutched his shoulders, wanting him to take her here and now. In the dark. Under the rising tropical moon and rustle of leaves overhead.
“Now—”
“Easy, hemahema.” His lips silenced her.
Jimi ran her hands up into his hair, and it fell over her fingers. Thick and soft, it made her want to discover more. He held her against the tree and she fell victim to his lips. Never had she been so thoroughly kissed. It was exquisite—the delicious fusion of their mouths, the way their arms held each other, the feelings that exploded inside her.
All from a kiss.
She moaned into him and he pressed deeper. His tongue danced with hers lightly, then firmly, only to tease her again. He was wooing her with his mouth, and she was falling for him in the most elemental way. His hard body pinned her, and she felt his erection nudge her belly.
Jimi felt like a schoolgirl again and she loved it. This man made her feel it was okay to let go—not hang on so tight—and give up her control, handing it over to him. She sensed it deep inside. He was safe. Hadn’t he come to find her in the dark? After what seemed like a sweet eternity, he broke the kiss. His breathing was ragged, just like hers.
She was desperate to see his face, the expression in his eyes, but the dark hid him from her. “Take me to your tent. Or mine. I don’t care.”
“What I’ll do is take you back down to the camp. The tent can come later when everyone is asleep.”
He slid his hand from her neck, along her shoulder and down her arm, taking her hand in his. He left a charged trail of excited nerve endings where he touched her. Dallas tugged her and she followed him in the dark. “I’ll hold you to that, cowboy.”
He chuckled. “I had no doubt that you would.”
Jimi smiled and her heart did a little tumble.
Dallas led her into the camp by the long barn, where she’d first fallen into his arms. The bright light from camp beyond the barn caught her attention. She was surprised at how much it had changed since the trek up to the ridge.
It was almost...pretty.
Through the trees and past the tents, she saw torches and twinkle lighting strung through the trees. Tables had been covered with some kind of cloth, and wide leaves with flowers grouped into them sat in the middle as centerpieces. The backs of chairs were draped with more flowers and leaves, as were some tree trunks. Torchlight lit the paths between the tents. It had a magical look, like a tropical fairyland, and Jimi loved it! Now she wanted to see what else had been done in the way of decoration.
“Just a quick walk through the barn to make sure the horses are all settled. That way, if we’re spotted no one will think anything,” Dallas told her as she followed him into the barn. The horses were dozing in their stalls.
“I don’t really care if anyone thinks anything,” Jimi confessed.
He stopped halfway down and turned toward her. “Well, I do. This is business, and reputation is very important to the family. I wouldn’t want it to get around that a guest had been taken advantage of.”
“I’m