Sins of the Flesh (Half-Breed Series Book 2) (11 page)

We walked to the resort’s artificial waterfall, grabbing a couple of lattes and watching the giant koi swim about and the flamingos wade by. A Banyan tree hung over the naturalized pool, Spanish moss dripping from its branches.

“Not very Hawaiian,” I commented. From this vantage point, I could have been at a resort in the Caribbean Islands, or in Florida. At least they could have stuck a few orchids on the tables.

Kai waved at the Spanish moss. “Actually it is. Pele’s hair, we call it.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Girlfriend seriously needs some conditioner. And a trim. That hair is a mess.”

Kai smiled, ignoring my comment. “I grew up with one parent who had a little shrine in the pantry to the spirits of her ancestors, and another who told bedtime stories of Pele, Haumea, and Kamapua’a. My grandmother would be the first to say what happened the last few days was an angry god, or unappeased spirit. I’m Hawaiian in the sense that I cherish that part of my cultural heritage. I know the stories; I know hula, and I speak enough of the language to get by, but fire-beings and demon elves? I’m struggling to wrap my head around this, Amber. The only reason I’m not dismissing you as a nutcase is because I
saw
that bamboo. I saw it rise from nowhere out of the floor, growing thick and huge, as big as I’ve seen in Haleakala Park.”

I eyed my new friend, thinking about my revelations to Darci last summer, to her friends, who admittedly were more open than most to the existence of supernatural beings.

“I was raised as a human, with human parents. Even though I always knew I was different, it still was hard for
me
to believe what I truly was. I don’t like to tell people the truth, because I’m afraid it will freak them out and I’ll be all alone. Irix isn’t always around, and I get so lonely sometimes. I just wish I could be honest with everyone about who I am. I wish I didn’t have to lie in order to have friends in this world.”

My words were raw, honest. My breath burned in my chest from the confession. These were things Irix could never understand. It was so hard, walking around, hiding who I was from everyone. It was so hard having other women accuse me of being a slut because they’d seen me picking up a guy in a bar. I’d taken to limiting my sexual conquests as much as possible, hunting for partners in a different town each time. I just wanted for once to meet someone, like them, and not have to worry that they’d hate me if they got a glimpse of who I truly was.

Kai caught her breath. “I never thought about it that way.”

We sat, and I watched the flamingos, admiring their colors and graceful forms. Then I drained my coffee and stood to leave. This was stupid. I’d done the best I could. It wasn’t Kai’s fault if she didn’t believe me, but I couldn’t sit around and worry over whether I was about to lose her as a friend or not. It was what it was.

“Well, see you tomorrow morning— ”

“Do it again.”

Her urgent tone threw me as much as the words. “Huh?”

“Do it.” Brown eyes met mine, tentative sparks of trust in their depths. “Just so I know what happened last night wasn’t a figment of my imagination.”

It was a fair request, and thanks to Irix, I had enough energy to do something small and not be terribly depleted. I looked around for a plant I could work my mojo on, but the resort staff had been diligent about keeping their foliage healthy and pristine. There was nothing I could do that wouldn’t involve more energy than I felt comfortable expending.

But when there’s a friendship at risk, I tend to do reckless things. Walking to a mass of Spanish moss that draped six feet from a tree limb to brush the surface of the pool, I reached down and touched a strand.

Spanish moss isn’t really moss, but a member of the bromeliad family. So instead of spores, it reproduces through flowers and seeds. At my touch, at the stream of energy I lovingly poured into it, the gray strands sprouted light green nubs which expanded into tiny flowers. Sweet fragrance filled the air, and I stepped back, admiring my handiwork.

“There. That’s the best I can do without some hot oil and a flat iron. I don’t know how Pele feels about green, but now her hair doesn’t look like a bunch of dried up sticks.” I turned to Kai. “If you still have doubts, you can pick any plant you want, even walk down the beach and choose one. I’ll cause it to grow or multiply, flower or fruit. Anything but harm it.”

“No,” Kai said, her eyes fixed on the Spanish moss. “You’ve convinced me. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

She stood. “Oh, and please wear the white bikini with the orange hibiscus flowers you had on by the pool yesterday.”

“Because it shows off my tan?”

“No.” She shot me a quick grin. “Because your boobs look amazing in it.”

I struggled to breath, the aforementioned body parts becoming alert as I thought about her nudging the fabric aside with her thumb to touch.... I opened my mouth to call Kai back, but she was already skipping down the steps to the beach, her braid swaying, the black tip brushing the top of her ass. Talk about sex on a stick. Wow. Just wow.

Chapter 9

I
rix wasn’t in our room, so I left him a note that I was going out for a recharge. Halfway to the pool bar, I hesitated. From Kai’s reaction yesterday, it might not be a good idea to troll for sexual partners right in my own backyard. I should probably take my pheromones elsewhere, otherwise I could end up with a lynch mob of Irix’s resort admirers, ready to take out that cheating ‘ho’.

Walking past a few more resorts, I finally found a beach hotel that seemed a suitable distance away. There were several spots by the pool, but I headed toward the beach and a huge grass-topped pavilion with ukulele music coming from tiny speakers. Perfect. Plopping onto a barstool with a view of the beach as well as the patrons, I ordered a drink and settled in for the hunt.

There were a number of potentials enjoying their noon happy hour at the tiki bar. Three middle-aged guys sipped their pints, more interested in the basketball game on the bar’s TV than the bikini-clad women on the beach, let alone me. Two young women were on their third dark-and-stormy and flirting with the bartender. The bartender was a definite maybe, but he’d already informed me he didn’t get off work for another few hours. I didn’t want to jeopardize his job by seducing him on the clock, so that left umbrella-rental guy or the attractive tourist chatting on his cell phone.

Umbrella-rental guy was an easy mark, already checking me out from his seat just outside the bar. No wedding ring that I could see, no socks with sandals, and he was grinning like a fool as he got up and strutted my way.

Hmmm. Easy. I could get this done and be back to work on my thesis by the pool in less than twenty minutes, but Irix’s recriminations rang in my head. This was exactly the sort of guy I’d been banging my entire senior year, and I probably did need to be a bit more selective. Fast-food hamburgers weren’t the only offering at this buffet. There were other choices. I just needed to get off my ass and work, for once.

Turning my back on the umbrella-rental guy, I faced the man arguing on his cell phone and let loose the pheromones. He flickered a quick glance in my direction then froze, taking a longer look. I sent him a slow, seductive smile, lowered my eyes and took a sip from my drink. To seal the deal, I licked my lips and stretched, arching my back to let my cleavage do the talking.

“Rudy? I gotta go. Get the shipment out the door by two, and send me the tracking info. No, I gotta go.” He punched the phone’s screen, tapped a button on the side, and shoved it in a pocket.

I smiled. “A gorgeous day in paradise, and you still can’t escape the office?”

He grimaced. “It’s not really paradise when you’re here for a sales-kickoff.”

I murmured in sympathy. “Are you off the clock now? Because I’d like to buy you a drink.”

His gaze roved over me, a smile curling his lips. “As of right now, my workday is over, and happy hour has commenced.”

Umbrella guy would have been a two-word pick-up line, a quick screw behind the beach house, and a see-ya never again. This guy would take some finesse to reel in. Still, I could feel his interest, the strength of the energy he held. Irix was right. Easy-sleazy was good for a quick snack, but sometimes a girl needed a decent meal to really feel satiated.

I drained the rest of my ginger margarita and waved at the bartender for two more. He eyed my new companion with a jealous scowl but promptly set about mixing.

“So... you here on an extravagant spring break?”

I bit back a smile, realizing the guy was trying in a roundabout way to make sure I was above the age of consent. The bartenders here didn’t seem to care, but I appreciated that my potential sexual partner had enough restraint to put the breaks on anything illegal before it got rolling out of control.

“My senior year in college. I wanted to cut loose one last time before I became a slave to the corporate world.”

The phone rang from his pocket, and he winced. “Yeah. Live it up now before any pleasure is constantly interrupted by business.”

“I thought you were done for the day?” Worried I was in danger of losing my prey to another work-related call, I turned up the pheromones a notch.

“I am.”

He took the phone out and silenced it, making a show of turning it off before stuffing it back into his pocket. “Now, where were we?”

I gave him a coy look. “You were going to forget about the weight of your responsibilities while I told you all the wild things I wanted to accomplish on my big fling here in Maui.”

The bartender chose that moment to shove our drinks in front of us, grumbling the whole time about how he could ditch work early if I really wanted him to. I glanced at the pineapple-shaped clock for the time, thinking if I rushed things along with this guy, I could return, bang the bartender, and be back to the resort in time to meet Irix for a late lunch. He’d be so proud of me — two quality sexual partners in one afternoon.

My businessman-victim remained ignorant of my plans as well as the bartender’s jealousy and concentrated on the rise and fall of my breasts. “I’m hoping I won’t just be enjoying these tales vicariously. Perhaps I can help you make some of these wild flings come true?”

“I’m sure you can.” I smiled appreciatively, putting as much suggestion as I could in my words without appearing too slutty. “Are you staying nearby?”

I pursed my lips as I sipped my drink, the man’s fantasies flooding into my mind. He wanted me on the beach at sunset, incoming tide lapping at our hips
Thorn Birds
style. Crap. I didn’t have the time to wait around until sunset, and I completely hated all that sand in my nether parts. Hopefully I could get him to change his mind, otherwise that bartender was looking better and better.

He gave me a sheepish look over the rim of his pint glass. “Yeah, but... who wants to be inside on a day like this? There’s a beautiful little cove down the beach with a tidal basin and some shady trees. How about we take our drinks and enjoy Maui in all its glory?”

Fuck. The dude really was fixated on the sex-on-the-beach idea. My ass clenched at the thought of grit and saltwater rubbing me raw. If only I were one-hundred-percent demon, I’d be able to easily heal any rash. And provide additional lubricant. I’d so much rather have sex with him in a proper bed. Or on a lounge chair, or soft moss, or bent over the railing of his hotel-room balcony.

But it wasn’t what I wanted — it was what he wanted. Again the sucky reality of my succubus-self intruded, wiping away my more human sensibilities.

I let the demon take over, releasing pheromones that had everyone at the tiki bar breathing heavy. “You’re absolutely right. It’s far too beautiful to be inside today. The sun warming the sand, dancing off the crests of waves in a sparkle of light — let’s walk to that little private cove and enjoy paradise together.”

Business Man downed his drink and stood, practically vibrating with excitement. I slid to my feet and felt a presence reveal itself, similar to Irix’s rich warmth, but with differences that made me wary.

Another sex demon? I hadn’t encountered a lot of demons in my life, but whoever this was, they were clearly not human. I turned, trying to look casual as I scanned the area, and saw her. She was tall and willowy, with golden skin, jet-black hair, and dark eyes that glared into mine. The sexual energy washed over me, hot and far more aggressive than Irix’s. She looked like a Hollywood version of Cleopatra standing there, and I was the nasty peon who’d dared to insult her with my presence. What the fuck was
her
problem? There were plenty of men, and women, here. Scarcity of willing sex partners didn’t seem to be a problem on Maui, and I doubted she cared whether hers were willing. Screw it. If she was going to be all pissy about my hunting here, then the best thing would be to take Business Man and get the heck out of the area.

“Come on, hon.” I entwined my arm in his, rubbing the side of my breast against his bicep.

The beach was empty for lunch, aside from a few diehard sunbathers and a handful of surfers. We strolled along the edge of the surf toward a rocky outcropping as I spun a fantasy of beach seduction –
his
fantasy of beach seduction, repeated back to him in my most sultry voice. Behind the red sea-marked rocks of the hidden cove was a tiny bamboo and palm shelter. He shed his sky-blue T-shirt, completely under my spell as I waded to the edge of the water, skimming my toes along the wet sand.

Warm hands caressed my back and loosened the ties of my swimsuit. I let the top drop into the water, carried to the shore in the gentle tide of our sheltered cove. The hands at my waist shook, working their way to the front of my body and upward to cup the underside of my breasts. Closing my eyes, I leaned against him, feeling his skin along mine, the abrasive scrape of his waistband, the press of his erection into my lower back.

“That’s mine. Get lost, bitch.”

Total mood killer, at least for me. My partner didn’t seem to notice the interruption, probably due to the huge volume of conflicting pheromones flowing from both me and the other woman. His fingers played around the edge of one of my nipples, and he bent his head to trail kisses along my shoulder.