The Baby Proposal

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

One (#u7e5f3ed9-1439-5bba-819e-82231a9b6fd7)

Showtime.

The rhythmic sound of the drums pounded in the distance. On cue, one spotlight, then another, lit up the stage at the center of the open courtyard. With loud whoops and cries, the Mau Loa Maui dancing troupe took the stage.

Kalani Bishop watched the show begin from the dark corner of the courtyard. Spread out across the lawn of his resort were hundreds of hotel guests. They were mesmerized, as was Kal, by the beautiful movements of the traditional Hawaiian dancers onstage. He had no doubt that he had the finest traditional dancers on the entire island of Maui. He could have nothing less at his hotel.

The Mau Loa Maui had been the brainchild of Kal and his younger brother, Mano. Their family hotel, the original Mau Loa, was located on Waikiki Beach on Oahu. Growing up, they had dreamed of one day not only taking over the Oahu location but expanding the resort chain to other islands. First—Ka’anapali Beach in Maui. Kal had fallen in love with the island the moment he arrived. It was so different from Oahu—so lush and serenely beautiful. Even the women were more sensual, in his opinion, like ripe fruits waiting for him to pick them.

It was without question the most beautiful hotel on the island. The look on his grandparents’ faces when they arrived at the resort the first time was proof enough that they approved of his work. The tourists certainly did. Since they opened, the resort had remained at capacity and had reservations booked solid a year in advance. They made vacation fantasies come true.

Part of the Hawaiian fantasy included attending an authentic luau with the kind of dancing seen in movies. At the Mau Loa Maui, the luau took place three nights a week and included a full dinner of kalua pork, poi, fresh pineapple, mango rice and other traditional Hawaiian foods. The guests sat on pillows around low tables that surrounded the stage.

Kal had worked hard to craft the perfect atmosphere for this hotel. Flames leaped from torches stationed around the wide lawn, lighting the area now that the sun had finally set into the sea beyond the stage. The fire cast shadows that flickered across the faces of the dancers and the musicians who beat drums and chanted along with them.

One of the female dancers took center stage. Kal smiled as his best friend, Lanakila Hale, commanded the attention of every person in the courtyard. Before she even began her solo dance performance, she had captivated the audience with her traditional Hawaiian beauty. She had long, wavy black hair that flowed over her golden brown skin. A crown of Plumeria flowers sat atop her head and circled her wrists and ankles. She was wearing a skirt made of long, green ti leaves that showed the occasional flash of her upper thighs and a bright yellow fabric top that bound her full breasts, leaving her stomach bare to highlight her toned core.

He couldn’t help admiring her figure. They were friends, but it was impossible to ignore that Lana had an amazing dancer’s body. It was hard, sculpted and lean after years and years of professional dance training. While she specialized in traditional Hawaiian dance, she had studied dance at the University of Hawaii and was well versed in almost every style including ballet, modern dance and hip-hop.

As the drums continued to beat faster, Lana kicked her movements into high gear. Her hips gyrated and swayed to the rhythm as her arms moved gracefully to tell the story of that particular hula dance. The hula wasn’t just entertainment for tourists; it was his culture’s ancient storytelling method. She was amazing, even better than she had been the night he first saw her dance in nearby Lahaina and knew he wanted her at his new hotel as the head choreographer.

Lana was the human embodiment of contradiction. She was both an athlete and a lady: strong and feminine, hard and yet with womanly curves in abundance. He couldn’t imagine a more physically perfect specimen of a woman. She was an amazing person, too. Smart, quick-witted, talented and not afraid to call him on his crap, which he needed from time to time.

He turned away to focus on the crowd as he felt his body start to react to her physical display. He didn’t know why he tortured himself by watching the show when he knew what it would lead to. With each beat of the drum and thrust of her hips, his muscles tensed and his pulse sped up.

Kal reached up to loosen his tie and take a deep breath to wish away his attraction to Lana. It happened more often than he’d like where she was concerned, but who could blame him?

She might be his best friend, but she was undeniably his type. She was every red-blooded male’s type, but she specifically checked every one of his boxes. If he had a list, and he didn’t, because Kal didn’t do relationships. Even if it wouldn’t damage their friendship—and it would—there were other issues at play. Namely that he wasn’t interested in the family and the white picket fence, and of course, Lana wanted the whole shebang more than anything. He couldn’t risk sampling the forbidden fruit because she’d want him to buy the whole fruit basket. Giving in to his attraction for her could be a disaster, because if she wanted more and he didn’t, where did that leave them?

Former best friends.

That wasn’t an option, so they were to be friends and nothing more. He just wished he could convince his erection of that. They’d been friends for over three years now and he’d been unsuccessful so far. That meant the occasional cold shower to keep things in check, but he was managing.

The other female dancers joined Lana after her solo to complete the routine. That was a helpful distraction. When they were finished, the male dancers took the stage and the ladies made a quick exit to change into their next dance costume. At the Mau Loa, the show went through the whole history of hula, covering years of styles and dress as it evolved. Kal didn’t just want some cheesy performance to entertain the hotel guests; he wanted them to learn and appreciate his people and their culture.

“Do we meet with your approval, boss man?” a woman’s voice asked from beside him.

Kal didn’t have to turn to recognize Lana’s low, sultry voice. He glanced to his left and found her standing beside him. As the choreographer, she did some dancing and filled in for ill or absent performers, but she didn’t participate in the majority of the numbers herself.

“Some of you do,” he noted, turning away from the show to focus all his attention on her. To be honest, the only dancer who could truly hold his interest was standing right beside him. “Alek is looking a little off tonight.”

Lana’s head snapped around to the stage and she narrowed her gaze at the performers. She watched the male dancer with her ever-critical eye. “I think he’s a little hungover. I heard him talking to one of the other dancers about some wild night in Paia during practice this afternoon. I’ll talk to him in the morning. He knows better than to mess around the night before a performance.”

That was one of the reasons that Kal and Lana were such good friends. They both had a drive for perfection in all they did, Lana even more so than Kal. Kal liked everything to be just so, and he enjoyed his success, but he also enjoyed his play time. Lana was superfocused all the time, and really, she had to be to get to where she had in life. Not everyone could pull themselves up from poverty and turn their life into exactly what they’d wanted. It took drive and she had it in spades.

Sometimes he liked to point out faults just to watch her head spin like a top. Her cheeks would flush red, her nostrils would flare and her breasts would heave against her tight little tops in anger. It didn’t help lessen his attraction to her, but it certainly made things more interesting.

“Everyone else looks great, though,” he added to soothe her. “Good job tonight.”

Lana crossed her arms over her chest and bumped her shoulder into his. She wasn’t the most physically affectionate kind of person, never one to hang on other people. A bounce off the shoulder or a fist bump was about all she was comfortable with unless she was upset. When something was bothering her, all she wanted was a hug from Kal. He’d happily hold her until she felt better, enjoying what little affection she was willing to share.

The rest of the time, Lana was a no-nonsense kind of woman. He was actually kind of glad he wasn’t one of her dancers. He’d seen her drill them in rehearsals, accepting nothing less than the perfection she herself was willing to give.

He was pretty sure that friends or no, if he ever got fresh he’d earn a stinging slap across the face. He liked that about her. Most of the local women he encountered on Maui knew exactly who he was. That meant they also knew exactly what he was worth. Like flies to honey, they’d do whatever he wanted to get close to him. He liked Lana with her tart vinegar to break up the sweetness from time to time.

The stage went dark and silent for a moment, catching both their attention. When the lights came back on, the men were gone and the ladies were returning to the stage in their long grass skirts, coconut bras and large headdresses. Kal lovingly referred to this routine as “the bootie shaker.” He had no idea how the women moved as quickly as they did.

“There’s a good crowd tonight,” Lana noted.

“We always sell out on Sunday nights. Everyone knows this is the best luau in Maui.”

Lana’s dark gaze flicked over him and returned to the stage. Kal was bored with the dancing and instead focused on her. A light breeze carried the fragrance of her Plumeria flowers along with the sweet smell of her cocoa butter lotion to his nose. He drew it into his lungs, enjoying the scent that reminded him so much of nights laughing on the couch and sharing platters of sushi.

They spent a lot of their free time together. Kal dated periodically, as did Lana, but it never went anywhere. Him, by choice. Lana, because she had horrible taste in men. He loved her, but she was a loser magnet. She’d never get the husband and family she wanted with the kind of men she spent her time dating. That meant they spent a lot of time together. Kal’s family was all on Oahu. Lana’s family just wasn’t worth the effort. Occasionally she would go visit her sister, Mele, and baby niece, Akela, but she always came back to the resort in a surly mood.

Thinking of family and free time jogged his memory. “Do you have plans for Christmas?” he asked. It was less than a month away, but the time would go by quickly.

“Not really,” Lana answered. “You know it’s so busy around here at Christmas. I’ve got the musicians working on some Christmas songs to do caroling, and we’re adding a new holiday dance medley to the luau next week, which means extra rehearsals. I wouldn’t ever presume to ask for time off around the holidays. What about you?”

Kal chuckled. “I’ll be here, of course, helping guests celebrate Christmas at their tropical home away from home. Shall we carry on our annual holiday tradition of Christmas Eve sushi by my new fireplace while we exchange gifts?”

Lana nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Kal was relieved. He didn’t know what he would do if Lana ever found the man of her dreams. If she were to fall in love, start a family and build a life outside the Mau Loa, he would be all by himself. She’d been at his side since they broke ground on the hotel and he’d gotten used to her always being there.

Finding out his brother was engaged and expecting a baby with his fiancée made the worry crop up in his mind lately. His brother, Mano, had been fairly dedicated to not getting seriously involved with a woman, and yet Paige had gotten under his skin. Before he knew what hit him, he was in love. Kal didn’t expect anything like that to ever happen to him—he was too stubborn to let anyone get that close.

But Lana...she deserved more than sushi with him on Christmas Eve. She deserved the life and family she wanted. He knew her childhood sucked. She wouldn’t say as much, but he knew that having a family of her own was her way of building what she’d never had. He’d just have to find an outlet for his loneliness and jealousy when she was gone.

He glanced over and noticed Lana was leaning against the wall. She looked tired. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said as she stared intently at the stage. “It’s just been a long day. I’m going to go back to my room and change. Are you up for a late dinner after the show?”

“I am.” Kal nodded in agreement. He actually couldn’t remember when he’d eaten last. He could lose himself in work so easily.

“I’ll meet you at the bar in half an hour. Let me know how the show goes.”

“You’ve got it.”

* * *

Lanakila made her way upstairs to her suite in the farthest corner of the hotel. It was, for all intents and purposes, her home. Kal had recently completed the construction of his private residence on the other side of the Mau Loa golf course. The sprawling home had taken quite a while to complete with its four bedrooms, large gourmet kitchen, three-car garage and tropical pool oasis in the backyard. Prior to that, he’d been living in a suite in the hotel so he could oversee every detail of operations.