Cara Lockwood - The Big Break

Jun never fought Dante Henley, Po’s father, for support. She wasn’t going to beg anyone for anything. She didn’t like the idea of being indebted—to anyone, for any reason.

Which was why, as grateful as she was to Kai, she hated the feeling that she owed him. One way or another, she was going to find a way to pay that debt. Right now the only thing she could think to do was honor him on every anniversary of that tsunami.

She told herself her preoccupation with the famous surfer had nothing at all to do with the fact that he had the kind of sculpted body and bright white smile expected of a Calvin Klein underwear model. Or that he had enough cash from endorsements to live in a place like this.

She rang the bell once more and peeked in through the wall of glass windows along the front of the house. All she could see was tasteful granite, smooth-finished wood and gleaming floors. Was that a lanai out back? The wall-less living room was bigger than her whole condo! It overlooked a glistening mirrored pool that looked as though it cascaded into the ocean.

Jun blinked rapidly and tried not to press her nose against the glass. This might be the most beautiful house she’d ever seen.

She saw movement inside and held her breath. Was he going to answer the door? Or was he too rich for that? Did he have a butler? Her stomach lurched. She fought the urge to smooth down her ponytail, to double-check her tinted lip balm in the glass. She didn’t know why she cared. As a single mom, she didn’t have time to date. She barely had time to sleep.

She heard the door lock click and the knob turn and Kai stood there, shirtless, clad only in swim trunks.

For a second, all rational thought fled her head. The words she’d been about to utter simply dried up on her tongue. All she could think was...tall...broad...chest. Miles of smooth tanned skin, a wall of rippled, strongly defined muscles and not a single ounce of fat anywhere. She tried to swallow, but she couldn’t. Her mouth was parched. He was so...tall. So...big.

Big muscles. Big, big muscles.

She felt as if she’d devolved instantly into a cavewoman. Big muscles. Me like.

The last time she’d seen Kai, he’d been recovering in a hospital bed, fully clothed, his hurt leg in traction. He’d been tanned and attractive, sure, but he’d been clothed. That fierce six-pack had been safely tucked away under a white hospital gown.

She realized she was staring at his perfectly formed abs, her fingers itching to touch them. How did he get such...definition? She worked at a gym and she was stumped just looking at them.

Also, she noted, he was a lot taller than she remembered. A lot taller. Her eyes were level with his chest. And, wow, what a chest.

His full lips curled up in an amused smile. “May I...help you?”

Oh, yes. Yes, you can. She immediately felt her face grow bright tomato red. She normally wasn’t this forward, even in her own head. She didn’t go around panting after men like a teenager. What was wrong with her? As if she’d never seen a man without a shirt on before. Get a grip, Jun. All those meatheads at the gym should’ve long since inoculated her against the power of the male form. And yet...clearly they hadn’t.

“I...uh...” Why couldn’t her mind form words any longer? She felt as though she’d been hit on the head. Could a person get a concussion from close proximity to Hawaii’s hottest and richest bachelor? He probably got this all the time: women who lost the ability to speak in his presence.

“Yes?” Kai asked politely. With great effort, Jun pulled her attention away from his physique and tried to focus on his face.

She found that was a mistake. His chest might be distracting, but his face was worse. He was all chiseled perfection up there: dark, intelligent eyes, expressive yet playful eyebrows, sensual mouth and the kind of just-there stubble on his square jaw. He slumped his broad, muscled shoulders against the doorframe and crossed his arms, patiently waiting her out. She had to say something. Why wasn’t her mouth working?

“Hi...” Say your name. Your name. “Jun.”

“June? Like the month?”

This was going even worse than she’d feared.

“No. I’m Jun.” Heat flared up the back of her neck. “Uh... Jun Lee. I...”

Kai’s face showed zero recognition. She felt a little pinch in her chest. It had been a year since she’d seen him and she didn’t have Po with her, and yet, somehow, she’d been hoping he’d remember her.

“Maybe you’d like to come in? Get out of the sun?” he offered, looking concerned.

Yes, because clearly she was acting like a sunstroke victim.

She just bobbed her head and stepped inside the cool interior, into the masterful space of a living room leading out to a huge terrace, the massive lanai she’d seen from the window. Cushioned couches filled out the open space, and what appeared to be a small wooden footbridge led out over a koi pond and to the patio surrounding a glassy square pool. Beyond that, there lay miles and miles of pristine blue Pacific.

This didn’t help. She felt like hyperventilating. She didn’t know what was sexier: his house or his body.

“So, Jun, how can I help you?”

“We met last year?” Jun said, now distracted by his expensive furniture and what had to be an $18 million view. At least. Eighteen, maybe even twenty.

“Last year?” He scoffed a little, staring at her blankly. Then he studied her, his dark eyes giving her body a slow, appreciative sweep. “Uh...did we...?” He trailed off.

Jun realized with a start he thought they might have hooked up.

“Oh, no. I mean, no, we didn’t.” Now her neck felt as if it were on fire. Even her ears burned. Not that I wouldn’t go for that. Right here on this gleaming wood floor. “We met at the hospital.”

Kai’s face darkened, the playfulness instantly disappearing. “The hospital,” he repeated.

The tsunami had been life changing for her and Po, but for Kai, clearly it hadn’t made much of an impression at all. And, she understood with sharp disappointment, neither had she.

“I’m...uh...Po’s mom.”

Kai furrowed his brow as if trying to remember. “Po?”

“Kai?” A woman’s voice called from one of the hallways.

“Oh, uh...one minute.” Kai turned toward the voice, moving away from the rich koa-wood table in his living room.

“Kai? Everything okay?” The woman’s voice drifted in from a back room, and as Jun turned, she saw a tall blonde, wearing nothing but a man’s white button-down oxford with the bottom three buttons done up, long tanned legs on display and her ample, gravity-defying cleavage showing. Her mascara had seeped into dark rings around her eyes, but given her half-naked state, Jun doubted anybody else noticed. The woman clearly didn’t care about anyone seeing her either, as she moved closer to Kai and the door. Of course a mansion like this would have an accessory like that: a gorgeous model type ready to serve the owner’s every whim.

“Sorry, sweetheart, just give me a minute,” Kai said as the blonde wiggled her way in for a kiss, putting her hands on the man’s amazing chest, exactly where Jun would have, too, right in the sternum, her other hand trailing the ridges of his abs. Jun felt a hot flash of envy.

“But today’s our last day on the island!” the woman said, jutting her lower lip out in a pout. Great, a tourist, too! Figures.

“Babe?” Another woman emerged from somewhere in the house. Jun moved a little and saw a glimpse of stainless steel, granite and an ornate minitiled backsplash, all slate gray and white. This woman wore a bikini and held a fruity drink in her hand. “We’re out of ice.”

Jun nearly barked out a harsh laugh. Now it had gone from uncomfortable to downright ludicrous. She’d assumed someone as gorgeous and rich as Kai wouldn’t be single, but two women at once? Was it the Playboy Mansion in here?