Fuck me. I was going to burn inluaahi,but the passage there would be so sweet. She had no idea the power she had over me with that little word.
I folded my large body onto the mattress. At least I had the wherewithal to remain on top of the covers. She shifted back a little, both of us on our sides facing the other. The room had come with four pillows on the bed, and despite only ever needing one or two myself, I’d kept the others. Samantha had burrowed under one, Caroline hadanother, and there were two remaining on the left side of the bed that I now rested on. I took the spare and placed it between our stomachs. Crossing my arms over my chest, I secured my hands under my armpits so I wouldn’t be tempted to touch where I shouldn’t.
“Hows zit?” she asked. I was glad I left the lamp on so I could see the playful amusement in her eyes as she butchered one of my native slang words.
I cracked a smile. “Howzit,” I corrected. “Let it flow like the waves.”
“Howz-it?” she repeated with a slight emphasis on the last syllable.
“Close enough,” I mused. A lock of her brunette curls fell down into her face. I had to pinch my arms down to hold my hands in place. The temptation to move it out of the way for her was strong. “I’m sorry I came in so late. I just wanted to make sure you were good.”
“I’m glad you did. I don’t know what you were doing tonight, but I know it was serious. I was worried for you.”
Unlike some random stranger or a woman one of the others might be seeing, Caroline knew firsthand what my club did on our missions. She hadn’t been there when Aloiki had skinned Jones alive, but she knew for a fact that we’d killed him.
“You don’t need to worry. We’re very good at what we do.” Injuries happened, but we all walked away.
Her frown hinted that her thoughts echoed mine.
I couldn’t risk releasing one of my hands, but I did lean myself forward, arching myself over the pillow barrier I’d placed between us. “I will always fight to come home.”
Her eyes flashed up to mine, her long eyelashes bright in the dim lighting. I didn’t dare say it, and she didn’t dare ask, but we both knew what I was really saying: “I will always fight to come hometo you.”
A sharp pressureon my cheek brought me back to the land of the living. It wasn’t painful, but certainly annoying enough to rouse me.
I cracked an eye open. Sunlight crept in, making the dim shine from the lamp by the couch useless. A speckle of dust danced through the beams like snowflakes. I felt…rested. It had been really late—or early—when I’d snuck into my bedroom to check on the girls. Based on the sun’s position, it was still fairly early. Maybe only two or three hours had passed.
Caroline was stunning in the morning light, her breath even and her face relaxed in sleep. She had one hand curled under her cheek and the other on the pillow that still rested between us. I glanced down and saw my hand also on the pillow.
We weren’t touching except for our pinkie fingers, my massive digit wrapped around hers almost protectively. It shouldn’t have been sensual, that little touch, but it felt like it was. Like even in sleep we couldn’t stand to be apart.
I’d been trying my damnedest not to think about her admission of feelings. I didn’t want to influence either of our actions. But that didn’t mean I’d forgotten about them.
I shouldn’t have gotten into the bed earlier. Regardless of intention, it wasn’t appropriate. A pillow wasn’tactuallya barrier. Even exhausted as I was, I was still in control of my actions. She deserved better from me.
That sharp poke drew my attention again. I shifted my head on my pillow to see Samantha straddling my side as she jabbed her little pointer finger into my cheek.
She smiled down at me as soon as she saw she had my attention. “Aloha kakahiaka,Tangy!”
I shifted onto my back, careful I didn’t dump her off the bed. Settling over my stomach, her short legs bent into two sharp points on my front as she balanced her hands on my chest. “Aloha kakahiaka, Samantha. Did you sleep well?”
She nodded. “Why are you in my bed?”
Her English got better every day, and I loved that she was picking up on Hawai‘ian words too.
“I was talking with your mother last night and we fell asleep,” I explained in the most simplistic way I could without lying. I glanced at Caroline again, and carefully, extracted my finger from hers. “Let’s not disturb her. Want to go get breakfast?”
She bobbled her head up and down enthusiastically. I chuckled, and easily lifted her into my arms as she stood. She was still light as a feather to me, but the doctor was pleased with her weight gain. Caroline’s too.
We stopped in the hall so she could use the bathroom. I waited out in the hall and scared away any of my brothers who came out to use it, only to find it occupied. After Saga, they knew better than to speak negatively about anything regarding my girls.
I stopped Neo mid-step as they were making their way down the hall to stay with Samantha, while I ducked into the bathroom to take a piss. When I came out, Neo was sitting on the floor with Samantha in their lap showing her how they hacked into a millionaire’s bank to syphon off a couple thousand to invest in a friend’s startup company.
I glared down at them. “At least wait until she’s hit puberty before you turn her into a criminal. Shoots!”
Neo wasn’t happy about it, but agreed.
I walked slower down the stairs as Samantha hopped and jiggled her way down. Seven weeks, and she was already so different from the shy, timid little girl who was terrified of making a sound around me. TheLilo and Stitchnightgown she wore bounced around her skinny legs, reminding me of ahau hulaskirt,or a grass skirt. I wondered if Caroline would be interested in signing Samantha up forhulalessons.