“Thanks,” he responded without taking his gaze away from Kimo. “Think my father would approve?”
Kimo blinked. “Who cares what he thinks? You look…”
“Like James Bond.” Angel walked around Rex with a huge grin on his face.
“Sexy as hell.” Leilani slid an arm around Kimo. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Kimo nodded automatically. The man was hot anyway. In a form-fitting black suit, he made her weak in the knees.
Rex glanced at his watch. “I have a GPS tracker in my pocket. Angel, add it to your cell phone finder. That way you can track where I’m going.”
Kimo swallowed hard at the lump forming in her throat. “In case they kidnap you?” She stepped close to him and laid a hand on his chest. “I don’t feel at all good about this. Maybe you shouldn’t go.”
He laid his hand over hers and stared down into her eyes. “I have to. It’s my father. He knows Holte. If we have a fraction of a chance to learn the whereabouts of Alana, I have to take that chance.”
Rex lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I’ll be okay.”
“Promise?” Kimo whispered. “I kind of like having you around.”
He nodded. “I’m not any happier about leaving you.” With a nod toward Angel, he continued, “Angel and Leilani will be with you. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Angel added the tracking device to his cell phone finder, shook Rex’s hand and then pulled him into a hug. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Rex laughed. “That leaves the field wide open.”
“Okay,” Angel’s lips twisted. “Just remember this is recon. Gather information and get out of there.”
“Will do.” Rex reached for Kimo’s hand. “Walk me to the door?”
Kimo laid her hand in his and let him pull her close. As she walked toward the apartment exit, she leaned into him, soaking up his strength and the scent of his cologne.
He stopped short of the door and turned to face her. “Kimo, we’ve only been together a short period of time, but I’ve never felt as close to any woman as I do to you. You’re strong, intelligent, feisty, and you care about your friends and people you don’t even know.” His voice lowered to where only she could hear. “More than anything, I want to be with you, to keep you safe, to hold you and to?—”
Her heart pounding hard in her chest, Kimo flung her arms around his neck, leaned up on her toes and said, “Shut up and kiss me already.”
His lips curled as his arms came up around her, pulling her body up against his. He claimed her mouth with his in a mind-blowing, pulse-pounding kiss that rocked her world.
She opened to him. Their tongues met and swept together in a wave of passion Kimo had never experienced.
When he set her back on her feet, she swayed, her hands sinking to his chest, her gaze rising to meet his. “Be careful.”
He nodded, kissed the tip of her nose and disappeared through the door, closing it softly between them.
All the air left Kimo’s lungs like a deflating balloon as she reached out to twist the deadbolt. She rested her head against the cool panel. Finally, she remembered to breathe, drew in a breath and let it out slowly.
A hand on her back made her turn, and she was drawn into Leilani’s arms.
“He’ll be back,” she murmured, holding Kimo close.
“If it makes you feel any better,” Angel said from across the room, “Devlin and Teller are headed to Maalaea Small Boat Harbor now. They’ll infiltrate silently and remain hidden, watching Rex's every move. They’ll be there if he gets in trouble.”
Kimo hugged Leilani once and stepped back in relief. “That does make me feel marginally better. As long as they don’t take him away on a boat, somewhere they can’t get to him like Alana.”
“Hopefully, that won’t happen,” Angel said. “In the meantime, we wait and hope Rex comes back with something we can use to locate Alana.”
“Hey, come sit.” Leilani walked with Kim to the sofa and sat down beside her. “Based on that kiss, I’d say you really like the guy.”
Kimo nodded and frowned, looking into her friend’s eyes. “Is it too soon? Battle-forged attraction? Crazy? Real?” She twisted her hands together in her lap.
