Page 15 of His Hawaiian Heart (Stateside Doms #26)

Chapter Ten

Samuel

I might have been born on this island, had lived here for thirty-six years, but today it felt like I was seeing it for the first time.

Samantha’s genuine awe at our surroundings, whether it be a bird swooping across the sky or an animal curious enough to poke its head out from behind a branch had me looking through her eyes.

And when I guided McNut up the final rise before reaching our first destination, I heard wonder in the gasp she uttered.

We’d stopped at the top of a ridge. Huge boulders that had been spewed from the mouth of a volcano as easily as one might spit out a piece of gum lay all around us.

They were ancient and yet thousands of years hadn’t diminished their powerful impact in reminding one that while we would walk this planet for only a short time, they’d remain until time itself ceased to exist. From where we sat on McNut’s back, I could feel the mist begin to coat my flesh.

It wasn’t rain but droplets that hung in the air and became diamonds refracting the colors of Sam’s hair when they landed on her curls.

Though I had nothing to do with it, it was if nature itself knew I was working hard to impress the girl.

A rainbow curled from the top of the cliff and down one side as if considering taking a dip in the pool that millions of gallons pouring off the edge formed beneath the waterfall.

“This really is Eden,” Samantha said.

I wasn’t going to disagree. Nor was I going to attempt to convince her to get naked and play no matter how badly I wanted to show her what it felt like to shed your clothes and simply be. Not to say I was giving up on doing so, but I still had an awful lot of ice to chip away.

She twisted around in order to look at my face.

“This is unbelievably beautiful and is exactly where I’d want to live if I were a caterpillar.

However, I’m afraid that there is too much activity with the falls and the winds that sweep over the cliff are far too strong for most insects. Still, thank you for bringing me here.”

I grinned. “I agree and this isn’t the spot. That doesn’t mean we can’t do a bit of research if you’d like. I thought maybe we could take a break here and discover what Cookie packed for our lunch.”

Her head tilted to the side. At first I thought she was considering where to picnic, but realized she wasn’t looking past me, but at me.

“What?”

“I’m just pondering how you couldn’t know what we’re having for lunch when you helped pack it.”

I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to hers. “True, but that doesn’t mean I know everything.” She didn’t appear to be buying that so I clarified with, “Like I know there are cookies, but I don’t have a clue as to what kind of cookies.”

Her smile widened and then she kissed me. It was only a peck, but at this point, I’d take it and be grateful for the contact. “You should have started with that, silly. Come on, let’s eat.”

I slid my hand behind her head. “I think I’ll begin with dessert,” and then I kissed her and it wasn’t a peck.

It was a tangle of tongues and mingling of breath.

It was the taste of copper as I nipped her bottom lip.

It was a battle of choosing to accept the pain of my confined cock stiffening in order to enjoy the pleasure of the connection.

And when I had to break away to breathe and saw what I was feeling reflected in her eyes, it was transformative in a way I’d never experienced.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow,” I parroted.

She traced her lip with her fingertip and dabbed at the spot where I’d nipped her. When she pulled her finger away, I took it in mine and licked the blood free.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t,” she said softly. “I liked it. In fact, I find a bit of pain only increases the pleasure.”

God help me. It was as if I was being tested, and I’d never been more afraid of failing anything in my whole life.

Samantha smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m okay with going slow, but just wanted to let you know that I’m also good with perhaps picking up the pace just a little bit. Is that okay?”

Before I could even come close to thinking of how to respond to that, she’d slid out of my arms and had jumped to a rock beside us and then clambered to another and another until her feet were planted firmly on the ground.

“Feel free to sit there as long as you want, but could you please hand me the backpack?”

“Don’t think I’m not keeping score,” I said as I dismounted in the normal way.

“Oh, I’m counting on it.”

If I’d thought she’d choose a spot away from the edge, I was wrong. In fact, I was the one who reached out and hooked her around the waist and hauled her back against me. “Didn’t your parents ever caution you to look before you leap?”

She stared up at me and nodded. “Yes, but they also told me not to go off with strangers.”

“Do you actually consider me still a stranger?”

“Well, no, but?—”

“No buts about it. I’m serious. Standing too close to the edge can mess with your balance.”

“Even if I fell over, I can swim.”

The Dom inside me tightened his grip and spoke with a sternness I’d not yet used.

“Being able to swim won’t do you a damn bit of good if you crack your head open on a rock on the way down.

Or break every bone in your body because you have no clue how deep the water really is.

It won’t matter if you’re an Olympic gold-medalist if you break your neck and are paralyzed. ”

Her eyes had widened, but the humor had fled them and in its place was horror.

Not exactly what I wanted her to get from the lesson, but dammit, I wasn’t just speaking to hear myself talk.

As a kid, I’d lost a good friend who’d leapt off a rock only to break his neck when he hit the bottom of the pool that was far shallower than it looked.

He hadn’t been paralyzed. He’d died in my arms before the paramedics could reach us.

“If you’d like to go swimming one day, I’ll be happy to take you to a place where it’s safe to do so.”

“But I don’t want to swim in a pool or even the ocean. I want to discover what it feels like to swim in a waterfall.”

My dick twitched at the thought of showing her how to dive beneath the falls and come up on the other side.

I wanted nothing more than to hold her on my lap as she rode my cock until she came, knowing I was the only witness because the veil of water concealed us while its volume drowned out her cries of pleasure.

I played with a wayward curl that had escaped her ponytail, trying not to visualize how those curls would look against her bare breasts.

The image of the hard bud of a nipple peeking through all that gorgeous hair had my cock pressing uncomfortably against my zipper.

And fuck me if the little minx didn’t know exactly what reaction she was causing.

Her palm slid up my arm and then against my chest. “What if we hike down? We can dip our toes in and get wet.”

Baby, I don’t need water to get you all wet.

Thankfully, my brain kicked in before I actually uttered that aloud.

The memory of her informing me she was sans panties hadn’t been forgotten or set aside.

I’d be glad to show her just how wet I could make her, but there would be no swimming and no fucking.

Not here and not today. Today was all about proving I could be more than a snake, more than a Dom.

I could be a man who enjoyed just being with her—even if it fucking killed me.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t wait to see exactly how good at math my little scientist was.

If her tally kept increasing at this rate, it would bode well if she was a math savant.

“I know a lot of places with waterfalls, Sam. I’ll take you tomorrow and you can play mermaid to your heart’s desire. But for now, let’s eat.”