Pleasure in Hawaii (Kimani Romance) Read Free

hopelessly in love, placing traditional flower leis over their heads.
    “Aloha!” they said back excitedly.
    Sloane gave them a big smile, wanting all the guests to feel at home and prepare to have the time of their lives. She could only imagine what it must be like to be in love with someone and share that affection on the island of Maui, where everything was so beautiful and idyllic. Maybe someday she would get to find out, assuming such a man would enter her life and they could both fully commit themselves to each other.
    Her mind wandered to an hour earlier when telling her colleague and new friend, Kendra Arquette, about her scary and exhilarating experience on the beach.
    “I never saw the wave coming,” she related. “If my hero hadn’t come along when he did, who knows what might have happened…”
    Kendra, who had worked at the hotel for a year since moving to Hawaii from Illinois, leaned forward over the front desk. “No reason to even go there. Besides, from what you tell me, this hottie hunk you’ve described would never have let you drown.”
    “So he says.”
    “Looks like he backed it up with action. Lucky you.” Kendra smiled, brushing her long brown yarn braids away from her face. “Why can’t I ever have a gorgeous guy drop everything to save me?”
    Sloane chuckled while feeling a tad guilty. Maybe I should’ve done more to show my appreciation. “I suppose I should find a way to properly thank him for being a gentleman and coming to my rescue.”
    “You said he runs a bed-and-breakfast, right?”
    “Yes.” Sloane couldn’t help but wonder if he was as thorough in bed as he was in the sand. “But I couldn’t just intrude—”
    “Why not?” Kendra asked.
    “Well, for one, his wife or girlfriend might not approve.”
    “Who says he has a wife or girlfriend?”
    Sloane fluttered her lashes. “A good-looking man like that running a bed-and-breakfast in Maui all by himself? I don’t think so.”
    “You won’t know unless you go,” Kendra advised. “Besides, it’s not as if you’re trying to marry the man. Or are you?”
    Sloane laughed. “Oh, no. Marriage is the furthest thing from my mind these days.” Something short of that might work, assuming they were on the same page. That had rarely been the case from past experiences. Most men wanted, even expected, everything while offering something far less.
    “Well, then, you have nothing to lose. Even if there is someone in his life, you might make another friend. Or two.”
    “You’re right,” Sloane decided. “I’ll give it a shot.” Hopefully, she wouldn’t regret intruding upon his life.
    Sloane’s thoughts returned to the present. Maybe she would see Gene again on the beach tomorrow. That way she wouldn’t make either of them uncomfortable by showing up at his bed-and-breakfast and perhaps making a fool of herself.
    She put on a bright smile as a family of four entered the hotel’s lobby. “Aloha,” she said warmly, placing a flower lei around each of their necks. “Welcome to the Island Shores Resort.”

Chapter 2
     
    S loane kept her distance from the water as she did her morning jog. Her unfortunate mishap had forced her to cut it short yesterday. Not that she had a problem being scooped up into the muscular arms of Gene Malloy. He’d seemed to enjoy it every bit as much. And maybe that was a bad thing for both of them, if his attention should have been directed elsewhere.
    Sloane had done a little research on Gene’s business. It wasn’t too difficult to locate Malloy’s Bed and Breakfast on the internet. It had been in business for four years and had won several awards for hospitality. There was a small picture of Gene’s handsome face on his web page and no indication of whether or not he was truly operating it alone. Perhaps his wife or girlfriend had chosen to keep a low profile.
    Either way, Sloane was determined to make good on her desire to thank Gene once more. When she reached the area where