Black Dahlia (The Dahlia Trilogy of The Gilded Flower Series Book 2) (7 page)

Dahlia sits up and wraps the sheet around her. “Please tell me this is some metaphor or whatever spiritual allegory or word you want to use for personal growth.”

Kai shakes his head. “I wish I could.” He runs his hand through his thick, dark hair and walks out onto the balcony.

She watches from bed, admiring his naked silhouette in the light. Could this same man, the one with a warm smile and whose attentive lovemaking takes her out of her body, be a murderer? “Was it an accident?”

He looks back at her, his face eclipsed by the moonlight. “Technically, yes.”

Dahlia resists the urge to pull him to her. He’s listened to her talk about Shane and the baby. Now it’s his turn to reveal his pain.

Her silence becomes his cue.

“Melia was my everything. Her father was my father’s best friend and business partner. They were local surf boys who did well and owned a few surf shops around the island. We were born only days apart, although my mom always said that Melia was born under a lucky star and I was born cursed.”

“My mom would probably say the same about me and Lil.”

Kai nods. “We were inseparable growing up. It seemed inevitable that we would fall in love. I swear, I think I was seven when I looked at her and just knew she would always be in my life.”

“So how did you kill her? I’m having trouble believing that you would hurt someone so precious to you.”

“We only have the power to hurt those we love.”

Dahlia swallows at the reminder of how much she and Shane hurt each other. Rodrigo as well. She closes her eyes, wishing away the painful thoughts. 

“I was so jealous and possessive of her. I wanted to be with her all the time.”

“You were young. I think first love is so overpowering we don’t know how to handle the emotions.”

“Maybe . . . It’s just . . .” Kai hesitates. “I introduced her to drugs in high school. Growing up on an island, sometimes you get bored, you start dabbling. I’m not trying to excuse it, I mean, she was really not into drugs anyway. My friends and I would sometimes smoke meth or whatever and surf. You know how it is.”

Dahlia nods. Drug use among surfers was not at all uncommon. Even Shane struggled for a while.

“But Melia was smart. Really smart. She got into Berkeley. It was her dream to go to California and get away from island life. She wanted to be a writer. Melia loved poetry. But I didn’t get in. I was lucky I even graduated high school with the grades I had.”

“And you couldn’t let her leave you, could you?”

Kai shakes his head. “I was afraid she’d outgrow me, us. She vowed it wouldn’t happen. Even asked me to move with her and get a job or go to community college. But I was afraid to leave my world, and I fully expected her to stay in it with me. So I did something terrible.” He turns his back on Dahlia and rests his hands on the balcony.

Tension fills the space between Kai and Dahlia. When he doesn’t turn around, she gets up and walks out to the balcony. “What did you do, Kai?”

“I convinced her father not to let her go. It was easy because her parents were hesitant about Melia living so far away since she was an only child. It became a big decision that involved both of our families, our fathers agreeing to our future and taking on the surf business, which she never wanted. But no one gave her a say.”

“And even though I loved her,” he continues, “I was blind to her needs. Not once did I put her dreams before mine. What I felt was love was something distorted by my own fears. It made me a monster in our relationship. After that, she began to change.”

“How?”

“It sounds cliché, but in taking away her dreams, she lost her way. Melia was so brilliant, her energy and smile could fill a room. I wanted to believe that I could be her reason for living like she was mine.”

“Did she break up with you?”

“Maybe she’d still be alive if she had, but she just lost her will to live. She dropped out of community college. Melia was dying before my eyes, and it was my fault.”

“It was too late to reverse the decision?”

Kai swallows. “At some point I got clean, although it wasn’t difficult because it was just recreational. But she got in so deep, and I couldn’t see it. I only saw what I wanted. Besides, Melia didn’t trust me anymore when she found out I supported her parents’ decision. She felt I had betrayed her so she had been pulling away from me for a while. What’s worse than living without someone you love is living with her indifference. Her drug use just kept getting worse.”

“Is that why you say you killed her?”

Kai nods, tears beginning to stream down his face. “One day, she just didn’t wake up. She was a strong woman in a little body. Her heart couldn’t handle all the drugs. I got her using, and I denied Melia her dreams. Her death taught me that a person not living her passion is already dead.”

Dahlia glances over at Kai sleeping peacefully. It took a long time to get him to come to bed, the memory of Melia clearly still haunting him. She finally understood what he meant when he said you don’t get over someone’s death, but you become strong enough to endure and accept the sadness and pain their memory brings.

Being with Shane helped her develop the strength to finally face the death of their daughter. She no longer had to bury the experience of loss through constant partying and one-night stands. Now, Dahlia realizes she doesn’t have to do that in order to cope with losing Shane either. Rather, she can keep him alive in her memory and in her heart. Hopefully one day she’ll feel strong enough to accept that he’s gone.

Kai’s stirring distracts Dahlia from her thoughts.

“Good morning,” he says sleepily.

Dahlia smiles sweetly at him. She can’t bring herself to judge him for what he did. He’s clearly not the same person he was then. As much as he can accept his role in her death, it seems he’ll never forgive himself. That’s his perpetual punishment.

“Sleep well?” She asks.

“Very,” he nods, his mouth curling into a seductive smile.

“You had me rather worried. You were pretty upset.”

Kai sits up and leans against the pillows. “Talking about what happened with Melia will always bother me. No matter how much I’ve changed, I can’t change who I was then or what happened.”

“You seem like a different person than the one you described. It’s hard to believe you were ever like that.”

“But I was. The Old Woman helped me see that my anger and fears were misdirected. We can be afraid and be angry. They’re powerful emotions that are meant to be experienced and can be used in positive ways.”

Dahlia leans in and kisses Kai at the nape of his neck.

“What was that for?” He asks smiling, his hand gliding up her thigh and over her ass.

“For sharing.”

“Sharing what?” Kai raises an eyebrow and flashes a wide smile.

Dahlia straddles him and holds his gaze. “You. Your story. You know what it’s like to lose somebody you loved. I feel like even if I didn’t cause Shane’s death, if I wasn’t in his life, he’d probably still be alive. Maybe he would’ve ended up with someone who didn’t fight with him all the time and make him miserable.” She traces a finger around his left nipple then bends down and flicks it with her tongue.

Kai palms her ass with his hands and squeezes. Dahlia lets out a low groan as she feels his cock stirring beneath her.

“Any man would be lucky to have you, Dahlia. You are a blessing, not a curse.”

“What am I to you?” She asks.

Not hesitating, Kai replies, “Both. I’m blessed to have you here with me, but you will leave soon, and that day for me will be one of the saddest I’ll have experienced in a long time.”

Dahlia searches his face and runs her hands through his soft hair. “I think this time with you was the best gift I could’ve ever been given.”

Dahlia wraps a hand around the back of Kai’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss. Their kiss becomes deeper as his hands, already familiar with every sensitive area, begin to explore her body.

Dahlia throws her head back and gasps as he tugs on her erect nipples, the pain and pleasure filling her with desire.

“I can feel how wet you are for me,” he says in a low voice, his steaming lips making their way down her neck and back up to her chin, before continuing the scorching kiss.

Kai pulls up one hand and begins to fondle her breast, kneading and massaging as his mouth works over the other. He tugs and teases her nipple until it hurts so much she wants to cry, but the sheer joy of having the other sucked and licked makes her only want it more. His tongue finally gives up its assault on her hard nipple and moves over the other breast, licking the skin all around from the bottom to the side.

He continues to work over her tits slowly, allowing the excitement to build up just enough without overwhelming Dahlia.

Dahlia reaches down to massage his throbbing cock beneath her wet love tunnel.

“Not yet, babe,” he whispers. “I don’t want to come yet. I still haven’t had breakfast.” He smiles mischievously.

Kai’s hand eventually finds her soaking cunt. “Damn, I’m going to miss this.”

He pushes her gently onto her back and wraps her legs around his neck while he dives in to smell her.

“The most fragrant flower on the island is right here.”

Dahlia closes her eyes as she feels his hot lips kiss and suck her clit. He invades her with two fingers as he continues to lick and suck and kiss her pussy. She grabs hold of her breasts and pushes them up to her mouth, flicking and kissing her nipples.

Kai’s fingers continue thrusting in and out, making Dahlia wild. She can feel her muscles begin to tense around his fingers while his tongue works its magic over her swollen clit.

“We’re not even close to being finished, babe,” Kai says, kissing the inside of Dahlia’s thigh. He moves his mouth up her body, licking and kissing as he goes, stopping briefly on each breast before planting a passionate kiss on her lips.

He dips his tongue into her mouth, probing and licking her tongue before sucking it into his mouth. The feeling sends an electrical current throughout Dahlia, making her even wetter.

She returns the deep kiss, and just as she draws his tongue into her mouth, he pushes his thick cock into her pussy. Dahlia moans as he slowly fills her. She arches her back reflexively, pressing her tits up against his chest, her nipples craving his touch.

Kai pushes himself even deeper until he’s all she can feel, then pulls out completely, teasing Dahlia’s clit with the head of his cock, rubbing it gently, before pushing himself once again inside her. This time even deeper. He does this a few more times, Dahlia losing herself in the overwhelming sensations of his hands on her tits and his cock plunging inside of her.

She runs her nails along his back and digs them into his muscular ass, barely able to withstand the intensity of the moment. Her lips find his and together they dance, passionately, each biting the other’s lips. Dahlia resists the urge to scream, trying to contain the pleasure that’s building inside her.

Just as Dahlia feels her release begin to build, Kai pulls out of her and lays on his back, taking her with him. Dahlia sits up and turns around, his hard shaft lined up with her stretched cunt.

He thrusts his cock back into her flaming hole. Kai grabs hold of her hips as she begins to lift herself off him, coming off his cock completely before slamming back down over it. The feeling of being stretched over and over again begins to take Dahlia to the edge. Kai reaches around and rubs her clit with one hand, while he pulls and kneads her tit with the other.

Dahlia can’t hold herself back anymore. She can feel longing at her core as Kai works her over. All at once, just as her muscles tighten around his engorged cock, he explodes inside of her, her orgasm going on and on, pulling at him until she collapses onto his chest, completely spent.

“You’re really leaving tomorrow, huh?” Kai asks as they lounge on the beach.

Dahlia looks away from the water and nods at him. “It’s what my ticket says.”

“You feel ready to face the world? Because I can easily find you a place to stay on the island. Maybe introduce you to a few artists over on Bali. Island life is easy and simple.”

“I’m sure it’s far better than life on my island of Manhattan. But just as much as you believe you belong here, I know I belong somewhere else.”

Kai nods. “Fair enough.”

“Do you think you’ll ever leave?” Dahlia asks. “Maybe see your family again?”

Kai shakes his head. “Doubtful. Melia’s family blames me for her death. I brought shame to my family and damaged my father’s relationship with hers.”

“Are you in touch with your sister? You must miss her.”

“Yeah, I do. She emails from time to time. But she understands that it’s probably best to keep the peace, give everyone time to heal.”

“It’s been five years,” Dahlia says, although she knows there’s no timeline when it comes to grief.

“And it could be another five, who knows.”

“You’ll never leave these islands, will you?” Dahlia asks the question, already knowing the answer. It’s Kai’s self-imposed prison.

He leans over and kisses Dahlia tenderly on the lips. “The waves are beautiful today, like you. Let’s surf for a bit. You’re appointment is in two hours.”

“How did you convince her to see me again?” Dahlia asks. “I thought you said she’s pretty sought after.”

Kai shrugs. “The Old Woman’s always been kind to me, and I help her out with errands and chores whenever she needs it. She’s kind of a surrogate aunt if you will.”

Dahlia falls quiet, wondering what the Old Woman will see, if anything. It seems only right to visit her one last time before she returns home. Although she hasn’t yet decided where that will be, she has some idea. Already, she feels different from the shattered, broken woman who was lying on the Old Woman’s cot a few weeks ago. And by the woman’s expression, she notices it too.

Quietly, like the last time, she approaches Dahlia with a warm smile and cups her face in her small but strong hands.

Her deep brown eyes search Dahlia’s for a few moments before motioning her to lie down. She moves her hands over Dahlia’s body without touching her, stopping for a moment when she reaches her knees and ankles.

“What is she doing?” Dahlia asks Kai.

He smiles and holds his finger to his lips. The Old Woman looks from Dahlia to Kai and smiles. Laughing, she begins speaking rapidly to Kai. After a moment, concern passes over her and she pauses, holding a hand above Dahlia’s heart. Kai and the Old Woman continue to speak a few more minutes. Dahlia resists the urge to interrupt, knowing full well that Kai will tell her everything, just as he promised.

As soon as the woman stops talking, she turns to Dahlia, bows slightly, smiles, and leaves her alone with Kai. If Dahlia weren’t so aware of herself in the moment, she would have sworn she was reliving her previous experience.

They walk out in silence. As soon as Kai opens the car door for Dahlia, she says, “You’re not allowed to make me wait to tell me what she said.”

Kai laughs, playfully pushes her inside and closes the door. “Patience is an underrated virtue, Dahlia.”