Chapter 5

Three months later…

Danny was woken up by the sun’s rays peeking in through her curtains and shining brightly on her face. She turned away and felt Kit’s arm tighten around her waist, pulling her closer to his warm body. Danny lifted her head and just stared at him. She watched as he slept, weaving her fingers in his. Everything he did—sleeping, breathing—at that moment, seemed to be perfect to her. Danny pushed the covers down to his waist, leaving his well-formed chest exposed. She glimpsed the full measure of the man and her pulse tripped. Kit was the whole package, beautiful, strong, rich, and hardworking. He was a distractingly sexy man, and his absolute lack of vanity was refreshing. The only part he was proud to show off was his work ethic. He was proud to be a SEAL.

This one is different, her heart whispered.

Mesmerized, she traced the lines of his face, caressing his cheeks. Danny gently kissed his lips and when she raised her head, she caught him watching her with an amused expression and her neck warmed uncomfortably. He chuckled, the sound low and deep, vibrating into her belly.

“I thought you were sleeping.” Danny tried to pull away, but Kit’s grip tightened.

“I was. Then you started groping me.”

His smirk was wholly masculine and shamelessly confident in his primal allure, proof that animal magnetism sent a shockwave through her feminine core, making her purr. A delicious little thrill coursed along her spine.

“Caressing, you mean. I don’t grope.” She admired his sun-kissed dark skin, the sensitive lips that parted so sweetly in invitation.

“Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

“In a minute,” she whispered.

Listening to the steady thrumming of her heart, she stared into his face. Piercing eyes, strong jaw that only softened when he smiled, the fullest lips she had ever seen on a man.

Who would have thought walking out of the gala as early as they had would lead them here? They had headed straight to the airport and back to the island. They were never more than ten feet from each other and spent most of their time talking about stuff she didn’t remember five minutes later. Danny could honestly say she was happy. Sure, there had always been that sexual connection between them. But the way he looked at her, touched her, kissed her, it was obvious something more, something deeper was happening. Besides that, her heart leaped out of her chest each time he smiled at her. She felt safe, here in his arms.

“How did I get so lucky?” she whispered against the surface of his lips as she kissed him.

“Well, it might have something to do with the striptease on the beach. We hadn’t even known each other five minutes before you showed me the goods.”

“To be fair, you stripped right after I did.”

“I didn’t want you to be the only one. It was my show of moral support.”

“Yeah, right.” Danny snuggled into his arms and lay her head on his shoulder. “How about we spend forever laying here in bed?”

“Ten days from now they can find our rotting corpses in this position. Died of starvation but satisfied by happiness,” he tormented.

“Something like that.”

A knock on the door ruined the moment. Danny watched as Kit got out of bed, his naked butt walking into the bathroom. He then emerged fully dressed and headed for the front door. Danny’s phone beeped and went she went to check. It was a text from Reno. He was on his way to her home. Panicked, Danny pulled grabbed the bedsheet, holding it to her chest and chased after him.

“Don’t open it!” she yelled.

“Why?” Kit asked, his hand already on the knob, pulling the door.

“Because my big brothers are on the other side of it.” Danny’s voice disappeared as she stared into Reno’s bemused expression. She followed Reno’s gaze to her exposed legs. Danny desperately tugged at the T-shirt, hoping it would miraculously grow longer with each pull.

DJ stood behind Reno, his face stretched as he laughed at her expense. Danny didn’t even know what was more humiliating, being caught by her brothers or being the butt of DJ’s jokes later on. She stepped to Kit’s side, holding on to his hand. She pulled him back so that her brothers could walk in.

“Danny, is this the reason you stood us up?” DJ walked past Reno and Kit and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sure Reno would like a hug, too.”

“Before or after he murders my boyfriend?” Danny asked. “Reno, this is Kit—I mean Christian. He’s from New York and he is in the army—”

“Navy,” Kit corrected.

“He doesn’t care,” DJ put in.

“Christian is in the Navy. He is stationed here on the island. And I like him, very much. And he likes me too.” Danny rushed over her words. What the hell was she saying? She sounded like she was in kindergarten. Actually, a pre-schooler could do a better job at constructing sentences than she was right now.

“You forgot date and place of birth, his pedigree, rank in the military, and if he got his wisdom teeth out,” DJ teased.

“Ha ha! DJ funny. Almost as funny as the time you were booted out of a girl’s bed with a shotgun, butt naked, and got arrested for indecent exposure,” Danny snapped back.

DJ lifted his hand in surrender and retreated.

“Reno Kent. And you are?”

Danny wanted to intercept the handshake. Reno’s hand was so much bigger than Kit’s. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in Kit’s strength, but this was Reno. So instead, she held her own hands behind her back and watched as the two men shook hands.

“Christian Henry.”

“I’m Dennis, by the way. Can we get this show on the road? I have other things to do,” DJ said, his cavalier attitude grating on Danny’s last nerve.

“We are going to get dressed,” Danny said as she pulled Kit behind her.

Danny’s house wasn’t big. A sneeze in the living room sounded just as loud in the bedroom. So, as she quickly dressed and Kit stood there watching her, they could hear everything Reno and DJ were saying.

“I’m surprised you didn’t kill him,” DJ said.

“I didn’t doubt you for one second. You could totally take him,” Danny whispered, and Kit shrugged in response.

“I’d be a hypocrite because I think AJ is with his sister.” Reno laughed.

“Are you serious?”

To Danny, Kat and AJ was old news, but since DJ had barely been in contact with the rest of them, she understood his surprise. Kit didn’t seem that shocked by the news, either. But it was obvious it bugged him. Which brother wouldn’t be slightly disturbed by the news of his sister shacking up with a man?

“Very. How many Henrys from New York do you know who can afford the Rolex his has on? Besides, the sandy blond hair and blue eyes are identical to Kat’s.”

“Kat and Kit. Kit Kat. That family must have an incredible arsenal of jokes.”

Danny chuckled at DJ’s unique but annoying sense of humor. Kit, on the other hand, didn’t find it slightly funny. Danny quickly turned her chuckles to coughs.

“So, when are you coming home?” Reno asked.

“New York? I’m not ready for New York.”

It was obvious what DJ meant to say was that he wasn’t ready to come face to face with their father. Sure, after Danny had come out of her drug and alcohol stupor, she'd had a difficult time absorbing everything their father had done. But having made so many mistakes, Danny knew she would just be a hypocrite if she didn’t try to understand their father.

“I’m not trying to rush you, but you have responsibilities,” Reno said.

“They are your responsibilities now,” DJ shot back.

“I have a family. I want to make it home in time for dinner, tuck my kids in bed, and read them a story or two. Have breakfast with them and attend the recitals and games that will soon come. I need help, DJ, and you are the only one who can help me. It’s a family business.”

“How are the boy and the baby?” DJ asked. Not that he cared, but he wanted to change the subject. Danny had grown up with that defensive tone, so she knew it very well. She also knew DJ’s next step would be the offensive. She needed to rush in there. She held a finger up to Kit, asking him for a minute. He nodded his head in understanding.

“When are you going to let it go?” Danny asked as she walked into the room. “It was Reno and Rhyne who were abandoned. Reno has forgiven father. Why won’t you?”

“The only reason Reno decided to let him off the hook is for his kids. I don’t have any children for him to play Pop Pop with, so I can hold on to my grudge if I want to.”

“He is our father,” Danny said.

“Yes, and it is because of his excellent child-rearing capabilities that we are here today, in Hawaii, looking for our long-lost sister!” DJ yelled.

“You are not pissed because he abandoned Rhyne and me, or because his negligence led to Rhyne’s disappearance,” Reno said. “You are angry because the image you had of him is tarnished. It’s the reason you won’t go home and why you won’t go back to the company. You cannot run away from who you are or whose blood runs through your veins. Take it from a man who spent twenty years planning vengeance on the man. All that hate, it’s not worth it. You need to find your light within this dark cloud that has consumed you. For me, it was Lisette. You need to figure out what yours is.”

“We need to follow this lead on Rhyne first. Then I’ll follow your advice, Yoda,” DJ said dismissively.

“Rhyne isn’t on the island,” Kit said.

Danny appreciated that he was here with them. Especially since he had used his connections to find out information about Rhyne. But the last thing she wanted was for him to see her brothers at each other’s necks.

“What do you mean, Kit Kat? I mean Christian, Danny’s boyfriend, or Navy person.”

“DJ!” Danny yelled. She massaged her temples and prayed that Reno and DJ’s visit would end soon, with all of them alive.

“I had some downtime, so I helped your sister with looking for Rhyne.”

“Amongst other things,” DJ blurted out. “Sorry, go on.”

Danny stared at her feet and begged the ground beneath them to open and swallow her up. She wanted to cry, since DJ was determined to embarrass her without cause. For a second, she wanted to point DJ toward Reno, the source of his aggression only moments before.

“I looked into Kono, your mother’s, past.” Kit turned to Reno.

“The woman is dead. She can’t tell us anything,” Reno said.

“I talked to your old neighbours, and they told me about the boyfriend. He’s dead—”

“Damn shame.”

“I looked into his known associates. Anyway, I knocked on a few doors and they directed me to a hotel.”

“I already know about that,” Reno said.

Reno’s authoritative tone didn’t seem to bother Kit one bit. Actually, Kit was respectful and seemed to be looking up to Reno. It was probably as a result of his Navy job. He got on well, albeit, weirdly with Reno—better than he did with DJ.

“They told me that she left with another maid there. They left the island.”

“So, another dead end.” DJ put his arm on Reno’s shoulder. For a moment, there had been a spark of hope in his eyes. Before it was snuffed out, Danny saw it and it broke her heart. But there was good news.

“Not a dead end,” Danny said. “She is in New York.”

“What!” DJ and Reno both exclaimed in unison.

“The other maid, her name is Nola. She got married to some businessman and left for New York. She took Rhyne with her. I know that it seems like we aren’t getting any closer to finding her, but we are the Kents, and with the Ross’ help, two of the most influential families should not have a problem finding one businessman.” Danny’s endless river of optimism was something she wished to bathe her two brothers in today.

“What do we do now?”

“We go back to New York,” Reno said. “I mean, I go back to New York.”

“I don’t want you to think that we are leaving you alone in this,” DJ quickly said.

DJ was obviously going to run back to Nice. Confrontation wasn’t his thing. He had stayed away from New York for this long. He wasn’t going back now to face their father.

And in Danny’s case, New York wasn’t the place she wanted to be right now. Kit was leaving in a day, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could. She felt guilty. If it hadn’t been for Reno forcefully bringing her to Hawaii, there wouldn’t be a Kit and her, to speak of.

Danny took Reno’s hand. “You are not alone in this. DJ and I need some time to catch up with you. Your life is so perfect right now and we are a mess. You are helping us. You saved me from being a statistic. Overdosed in a rundown motel would not have been a good look for me.”

“I know.” Reno hugged and kissed the top of Danny’s head.

“I’ll take a hug. No kisses for me,” DJ said as he embraced his brother. “You are not alone in this. We are just a phone call away if you need us. Right now, use that big piggy bank of yours and hire the best detectives that money can buy.”

“I’ve tried. Anyway, I love you guys and I’m sure I’ll grow to like you too, Kit,” Reno said with a smile.

“I’ll go get my bag and we can all go for dinner,” Danny piped up. She dashed into the bedroom. On her way back, she stopped when she heard Reno’s question.

“So, what are your intentions toward my sister?”

Danny didn’t know what she wanted Kit to say. It sure as hell wasn’t what she heard. Her heart seemed to drop into her stomach with each answer Kit gave to their questions.

“I like her. We are having fun.”

“You like kids?”

“I don’t intend to have children or to ever get married.”

That was it, the hammer that shattered the ice glass that her heart had turned into after each of Kit’s cold answers. This was a red flag, especially since all Danny wanted was a winter wedding and two perfect children, a boy and a girl. She already had their names picked out.

“I need you to do something for me Kit. I need you to go back to the Navy and stay there. You are not right for my sister.”

Danny stared up at the ceiling, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall and expose her, back. A few hours before, she had thought she was heading into happily-ever-after in Kit’s arms. But then DJ’s words echoed in her head. You are not right for my sister. Danny hated admitting that DJ was right when it came to anything. However, this time, she had to agree with him. The three months she’d viewed as a foundation to their future instantly turned into memories of the past.

***

To say that Danny was silent throughout dinner would be an understatement. Kit noticed that since they left the house, Danny had been distant toward him. She held on to Reno’s arm like it was her lifeline and stuck to DJ’s side like he was the anchor that kept her from floating away. Hours before he’d thought he was both of these things for Danny, but apparently, he’d been wrong. Or was it Danny being a little sister? Kit didn’t know the next time she would be with her brothers, so he stepped back and tried not to take the distance to heart.

However, it was hard not thinking about what DJ had just said to him. Kit wondered if Danny had heard everything that they had been talking about. He hoped not. Knowing that the guy you are with had no plans for the future beyond boyfriend-and-girlfriend had to be depressing for a woman. This was the reason why he never got into committed relationships.

When they got back home, Kit’s fears were reawakened. There was no nightly tease, like she had consistently done for the past three months. She didn’t bother to snuggle up to him as he watched television, but instead stayed up on her laptop, working. There were no radiant smiles, just the lazy pull of her lips.

“So, what do you want to do tonight?” Kit asked as he tailed her around the room. He wrapped his arms around her waist, but she easy and quickly slipped out of them with a pretend yawn.

“I’m tired. My brothers exhausted me. So, I am going to take a shower and go to sleep.”

“You want some company in that shower?” A heavy pause filled the room as Danny turned to face the wardrobe. “Or not?”

Kit blocked her path to the bathroom. He stared at her as Danny looked everywhere and nowhere to avoid meeting his gaze. “You heard what I said to your brother?”

“I live in a matchbox. Of course, I heard. And you knew I would hear, otherwise you would have lied or not answered at all.” Danny shrugged her tiny shoulders and fake-smiled once more before trying to walk around him.

“Did you want me to lie to your brother? Make him have expectations that aren’t going to happen?”

“No! My family has been buried by lies before, so on behalf of the Kents I would like to thank you for your honesty.” The sarcasm in her tone cut the air. “I just wish you’d told me about not having expectations before we left New York.”

“Why? What did you think would happen between us?”

“Oh nothing, a future that went beyond the bedroom.” Danny started to chuckle, then sat down on the bed. “It’s my fault, really. You are too obsessed with your job, and I am addicted to you. It’s my fault thinking that this world had something more for me than what I am. I should be grateful I’m alive, and not greedy. Wanting a husband and children is just covetous. You are the universe’s reminder. A come-and-go boyfriend is what I need.”

Kit stood aside and watched as she berated herself. He felt awful for having given her false hope and for staying with her for this long. He’d known it would all blow up in his face, but he hadn’t thought that Danny would take it this hard.

What exactly was he supposed to say? Yes, there was a time he’d never wanted to get married or to have a family. But having her with him these past three months, he did fantasize about a life with her. However, Kit loved his job. He loved leaving more than he did coming back. He didn’t think Danny had changed that for him. It would be something to see when he left this time. Last time, it had only taken a week before all thoughts of her had been replaced by the ocean’s embrace. Plus, with his career it would be unfair to have a family. He would be gone ninety percent of the time. He would probably miss the most important events of his children’s lives.

What was the point of having children if he couldn’t be there to raise them?

Kit couldn’t do it.

He didn’t do anything halfway.

He did things completely, or not at all. Leaving a family behind while he went out to sea would be raising his family halfway. He had to explain that to Danny, although he didn’t want to let her go. He was being selfish, but he had feelings for her. Feelings he would never tell her, because it would be cruel to torture her like that. He preferred to keep it all to himself. Somehow, after tonight they would both head their separate ways, and maybe when he got back, however unlikely, Kit would love Danny more than he did his job.

“What exactly do you feel for me, Danny?”

Danny stood up and walked up to him. “I’m in love with you, but don’t worry, I’ll get over it. Recovering from addictions is what I do best.”

Kit watched as she walked away from him, shutting the bathroom door behind her. He just hoped that it would be that easy for him, too.