“I insist,” she said. “I’m not a freeloader.”
He shook his head. “Didn’t say you were.” Though he didn’t like doing it, he handed her the receipt and held her door open.
As she climbed into his truck, she stared down at him, holding the door for her. “Since so many people have seen me with you, you might consider a disguise of your own.”
“I have something I can use at my apartment. I won’t take long.” He closed the door and rounded to the driver’s side.
Once he settled behind the wheel, he drove to his apartment and backed into a parking space. He’d watched in his rearview mirror and along the sides of the road for anyone who might be tailing them. So far, he hadn’t spotted any suspicious activity. When he got out of the truck, he hurried around to the passenger side and helped Kimo down, using his body as a shield. He didn’t think anyone had followed him, but if they knew he was with her, they could have someone staking out his apartment.
“We have just enough time to change and get over to the marina in Lahaina,” Kimo said as she entered his apartment.
After he closed the door and twisted the lock,
Rex pointed to a door off the small living area. “You can have the front bathroom while I change in my room.”
Kimo ducked in and closed the door behind her.
Rex stared at the door for a moment, amazed at the woman’s resilience. She should be exhausted and ready to collapse. Instead, she was chomping at the bit to get out on the water, find her camera and save her friend.
Yes, she was like his mother in some ways. Kind, caring, strong.
Still, he didn’t feel at all like Kimo’s son. Quite the opposite, in fact. He found himself wanting to pull her into his arms, and not in a brotherly way.
Something about Kimo made his blood stir in a way no other woman ever had.
“I’ll be ready in two minutes,” Kimo called out through the bathroom door.
Aware he had more changing to do than she did, Rex hurried into his room, leaving the door slightly ajar. As he crossed to his dresser, he kicked off his shoes, shucked his jeans and pulled his shirt over his head.
He dug into the bottom drawer for the loud green and yellow swim trunks he’d bought to go with an equally obnoxious Hawaiian shirt.
Once he was suitably dressed, he dug in his dive bag, located his dive watch, snorkel and mask. He’d use the regulator and tanks Leilani was to provide, but he liked his watch. Angel had one like it, too. They’d be able to perform basic communications between them while underwater.
After checking the battery charge, he slipped the watch onto his wrist and emerged from the bedroom, carrying his snorkel and mask.
Kimo had pulled her hair up and tucked it beneath the floppy hat, hiding it completely. The beach cover-up hung open, revealing a bright red bikini that complemented her dark, Hawaiian skin tones. Yes, he’d seen her naked in the dark reflection on the hospital monitor, but seeing her gorgeous body peeking through the cover-up, her luscious breasts pushed up by the bikini top...
Rex’s groin tightened. “Uh.” He cleared his throat. “Great disguise.”
As Kimo’s gaze swept over him head to toe, Rex moved his mask to cover that part of him that was having a purely involuntary reaction to her.
Kimo’s widened, and she blinked, grinning. “You look like a pineapple plantation and a neon green paint factory exploded on you.”
“Thanks,” he grimaced. “I thought it looked touristy.”
“It looks something,” she said. “You bought that outfit?”
“In my defense, the guys pranked me.”
Kimo walked around him, studying his choice of beachwear. “I gotta hear this.”
“I was invited to a Christmas party at the Swaying Palms Resort, where Devlin’s woman, Kiana, worked.”
“Kiana’s my friend. I was invited to that party, too, but couldn’t make it at the last minute because I came down with the flu.”
“You didn’t miss anything. They’d told me it was mandatory to wear an ugly Hawaiian outfit as there would be a contest, the Hawaiian version of an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. I showed up in this with matching neon green flipflops and neon green-rimmed sunglasses.”
Her brow furrowed. “I thought the dress code for that event was business casual and cocktail attire.”
