Hawaiian Heartbreak (9 page)

Jay
rounded the back of a large tree, pinning her against the rough bark so they
were totally hidden from the path. He leaned in until his face was inches from
hers, then stopped. Kayla leaned in, uncertain, but he pulled back again,
keeping his face only millimetres from hers.

“You
sounded a bit unsure before,” he whispered, his voice husky with need. “I
certainly couldn't have you thinking I'm taking advantage. Are you sure you're
sure?”

Kayla
groaned and leaned in again, but he pulled back a fraction, a smile playing
around the corners of his mouth as he kept the same tiny distance in place.

“I'm
getting some mixed messages from you,” Jay whispered again. “A definite yes? A
maybe no?” His hand played with the hem of her short summer dress, fingers
skimming lightly along the inside of her thighs. Kayla narrowed her eyes.
Throwing her arms around his neck, she gave him no chance to pull back, her
mouth crashing into his.

Jay
inhaled sharply, and his body crushed hers against the tree. The bark pulled at
her skin through the thin cotton of her dress, adding a sharp edge to the
warmth spreading through her body. Kayla felt his fingers skim upwards, under
the skirt of her dress, gently stroking the outside of her underwear.

“You'll
be my undoing,” he groaned against her mouth. “I can feel how much you want it.
It's impossible to hold back from you.”

In an
instant he pushed her panties to the side, stroking her, his movements urgent
and intense. Their breathing started to quicken to the same rhythm, their
mouths still working against each other. Kayla let out a small moan.

“Shh,”
Jay admonished. He grabbed her hips and pushed her slightly above him, before using
his body to pin her against the tree once more. She wrapped her legs around his
waist, pulling him harder against her. She could feel his manhood straining
against the constraints of their clothes, and she ground herself against it,
causing him to groan again.

Kayla
pulled at the waistband of his shorts, frantically yanking at his zipper. For a
split second she paused, feeling the weight of his pulsing erection in her hand,
before guiding him into her. It took everything she had to stifle the cry that
wanted to burst from her lips as she felt him enter.

Achingly
slowly they ground their hips against each other. Kayla clung to him, her arms
around his neck, her back pressed against the tree, legs wrapped around his
waist. His face still never left hers, their foreheads pressed together. It
felt like they were making love with every inch of their skin.

A sea
of pleasure was taking over Kayla's senses, and she could feel she was close to
giving in to it. His rough hands caressed her rear, and he plunged into her,
deeper and deeper, until she felt like she couldn't take any more. Her breath
rasped in her throat, every muscle taut and waiting for release.

The
pressure of their bodies, so tight against each other, added friction in all
the right places. Kayla had never felt sex take over her body so quickly, and
so completely. She stifled a cry as she came, biting into the back of her hand.
Through the haze, she felt him climax as well. The moment felt perfect and replete.

“I
think I love you,” he gasped into her neck.

Kayla
went perfectly still. That wasn't part of the plan. Fear pooled into her chest,
a cold and heavy feeling of dread. She didn't want to talk about her feelings
for him. Not to Jay, not to herself. They were supposed to be having a holiday
fling. She'd barely pulled her heart back together after Danny. There was no
future in this. They didn't even live in the same country.

Jay seemed
to sense her distress, and pulled back fractionally. He scanned her face,
trying to read her reaction. She offered a weak smile, but felt frozen to the
spot. Silence stretched out between them, and she slid back down the trunk of
the tree to the ground, stumbling slightly as she regained her footing.

“Look,
it's fine,” he burst out finally. “It just kind of came out, it doesn't need to
be a big deal. We don't know where this is going. I was just in the moment.
Forget about it. No reason for us to stop having fun.”

“Are...
are you OK with that?” She stammered out. “You just... took me by surprise I
guess. Um. I really wasn't expecting it.”

“Clearly,”
he laughed, but there was a brittle edge to the sound. “It's fine.”

He
paused for a beat. “You know, there's a spot where the lava runs straight down
to the ocean? You can hear it hiss as it meets the sea. We'll have to drive a
bit from here, but I know you'll love it.”

“Sure,”
she smiled at him, still unsure, but not wanting to push him any further. They
walked back up the path in silence.

* * * * *

Dinner
by lava glow should be so much more romantic than dinner by candlelight. Kayla
stared sadly out the window of the restaurant, which was perched at the edge of
the volcano's crater. Floor to ceiling windows offered expansive views of the
desolate landscape. Against the dark night sky, the fiery orange of the lava lake
shone brightly. They’d been happily walking through there together just this
morning.

She'd
been looking forward to this ever since she'd first read about it. The
anticipation had only intensified when Jay had suggested he travel with her. It
was a romantic and exciting spot, the kind of experience that was better when
you had someone to share it with. Well, usually, at least.

Kayla
snuck a glance at Jay, sitting quietly beside her. They'd both tried to ignore
the bombshell he'd dropped earlier in the day, but it was the proverbial
elephant in the room. She stifled a sigh. Admitting the problem aloud would
surely only make it worse. Best to plow through and try to get back to the
playful vibe they'd had before.

“I
don't think I'll ever forget today,” she ventured. “So much lava. Lava in
craters, lava flowing into the sea, lava rolling down hillsides. I can't
believe they have chocolate lava cake on the menu. Who could handle any more?”

“I
suppose they get some true lava fiends,” Jay answered, but his usual easy
manner had deserted him. “Too much is never enough.”

They
lapsed into strained silence again. It had been like this all day. Staring down
the side of the volcano at the thick swathes of black the lava had burned
through the countryside, only disjointed bursts of conversation had filled the
silence. When they watched the lava hiss slowly into the ocean, Jay had wrapped
his arms around her from behind. But they hadn’t slotted into each other in the
easy way they did before.

“So,”
Kayla tried again. “Have you heard of a place called Pig Beach?”

That
got his attention. Jay shook his head, looking confused.

“It's a
place in the Bahamas. There are pigs there, obviously. They're technically
wild, but apparently they're pretty tame. They swim around in crystal blue
water, and basically live the life.” Jay’s eyebrows shot up, the most reaction
she’d got out of him all day. Kayla took it as a sign to keep talking.

“I read
about it once. They reckon the only time you've got to worry about them being
aggressive is if you've got food. Then the greedy things might even try and
climb into your boat to get at it. So you're supposed to anchor in deeper
water, to stop them being able to get in and wreck your stuff.”

“Huh.
How'd they get to the island in the first place?”

“I'm
not actually sure. I didn't read that far. But I really want to go at some
point. It sounds so weird, I have to see tropical island pigs for myself.”

“Maybe
that'll be your next adventure,” Jay smiled at her, but there was no warmth in
it.

Kayla
smiled back, unsure of herself again. His sudden and unexpected declaration of
love had highlighted just how short their time was going to be together, and
now it seemed impossible to ignore. They’d clearly become far too deeply involved
already. She picked at her pasta, wishing things could go back to how they were
before.

“You
know, I spotted some massage oil in that care package the hotel gave us,” Jay
winked, suddenly seeming to switch gears to be more relaxed again. “Why don't we
head back, maybe watch a movie, unwind a bit?”

“That
sounds like a plan. A little return to normal after an adventure day!” Kayla
nearly bounced out of her seat. Their physical connection had always crackled.
She knew she could rely on that to ease the tension and get things back to
normal.

They
wandered out of the restaurant to the car. Kayla's arms were folded
protectively in front of her, and for a moment she missed how easily they'd
held hands earlier. It was only this morning, but it felt like years ago. She
knew it would feel unnatural if she reached for him now.

Kayla flicked
on the radio for the drive back, trying to mask the silence in the car. It
would take a while, but she knew they could patch over this. What had he really
expected to get from such an outburst? He knew she was leaving. His ego would
be wounded by her shocked response, but he'd recover.

As soon
as they pulled into the driveway Kayla was out of the car, and leading the way
into their little cottage. She stepped lightly through the doorway, heading straight
for the gift basket. Grabbing the bottle of oil, she whirled around to face
Jay. She gave him an impish grin, and tugged at the hem of his t-shirt.

“Off,”
she commanded.

He
complied and lay face down on the bed. It didn’t take Kayla long to find a
movie, and turn the TV to face them. She bounced lightly on the mattress as she
joined him, before straddling Jay's back.

“Ready
for some serious relaxation?” She whispered into his ear.

“Sure.”

Kayla
rubbed a small amount of oil onto his shoulders, and started gently kneading
them. But something wasn't right. Instead of relaxing, he seemed to be getting
tenser. She frowned, and tried a slightly firmer pressure. No, definitely
getting tenser.

“Not a
fan of the movie?” She asked lightly.

“It's
fine.”

Kayla
raised her eyebrows, and lightly ran her fingertips down his back. His muscles
tensed again.

“You
know, I thought the point of this was to relax. I kind of thought you'd enjoy
the thing you suggested.”

“Well
maybe I thought it would be enjoyable,” Jay snapped back. “I didn't exactly
expect to be lying here wishing I was elsewhere.”

The
words cut into Kayla, deeper than she'd expected, and she recoiled from him.

“What?
Why would you want to be somewhere else?”

“Why
would I want to be here?”

“I... I
don't know. You said you wanted to be. I didn't question why.”

“Well
maybe I changed my mind.” Jay pushed away from her, rolling off the bed. “I
mean, tell me, what is the point of any of this? You're leaving. You have no
intention of finding anything meaningful. Why waste my energy?”

“I...”
She didn't want him to leave, but his words were slamming into her with brute
force, robbing her of any ability to answer. This change was so unexpected.
She'd never seem him angry before. She didn't know how to deal with it.

“Exactly.
You don't care if I'm here or not. I'm just some travel buddy you can have sex
with. Excuse me, but I have a life to lead.”

“That's
not what this is!” Hot tears threatened to spill from Kayla's eyes as she
rounded on him. “You know I've just been through a break up! I'm here for a
holiday, then I go back to my friends, my family, my job! What, do you want me
to be broken hearted twice in as many months?”

“Who
says I'd break your heart?”

“Reality
does! When I leave, and I
am
leaving, as you've known all along. I can't
be responsible for your heart when I'm still trying to guard my own after it
was stomped on! You want me to let go and fall in love with you? How selfish do
you get.”

“Oh,
I'm
the one who's being selfish, am I?” Jay suddenly went cold. It was more
intimidating than when he'd been angry. “Let me fix that for you.”

He
shrugged a jumper over his head, spun on his heel, and walked out the door. The
room was suddenly quiet, and empty.

Kayla
stared around her. The whites and greys that had looked pristine and pure
before now looked stark and barren. Everything in the room was set up for a
romantic getaway, but now simply served as a reminder that she was suddenly
abandoned and alone. Her eyes started to blur with hot, frustrated tears,
blocking out the vision of the hateful cottage. Kayla threw herself face down
onto the bed, buried her face in a pillow, and sobbed.

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