Lana(14)

We thanked the restaurant staff and left. I was walking on my own at that point, but Akira quickly took my arm hostage as we walked to his car.

Curiously, my hair came loose as we walked, and I glanced behind my shoulder, wondering how it had happened. I sent Akira a suspicious glare. He gave me a toothy white grin, holding up my hair tie without remorse. I elbowed him in the stomach. I thought it hurt my elbow more than it hurt his stomach, but he still threw me over his shoulder for the jab, smacking me soundly on the ass.

We were still in the hotel for that little spectacle, and I still couldn’t bring myself to care, cursing him colorfully as I swatted at his back. He threw his head back and laughed at all of the things I came up with to call him. He brought my tirade to an abrupt end as I resorted to calling his mother nasty names. “I’m telling Tutu,” he said quietly, a smile still strong in his voice. It shut me up, though. It wasn’t smart to mess with Tutu. If you started a fight with Tutu, you lost. It was a well-known fact to the locals.

“I’ll tell you what. If you promise to go surfing with me in the morning, I won’t tell Tutu what you called her.”

He dangled me farther down on his back as he spoke, tormenting me just because he could. It brought me into reach of his ass, so I didn’t mind, smacking it as hard as I could. It hurt my palm, and he just spanked me right back. I spanked him again, softer this time, studying that perfect ass. I was convinced he had the best ass in the world. No one could convince me otherwise. It was perfectly shaped, and, well, perky. He had a perfectly rounded, perky butt. I squeezed it with both hands, and he pulled me higher, squeezing my own ass with one of his hands, in revenge.

“Deal. I’m not stupid enough to mess with Tutu. Now, put me down!”

He just laughed again. It was an evil sound.

“At least let me squeeze your butt some more, if you won’t put me down,” I teased.

He set me down then, but I saw that it was because we’d reached his car. He opened the door for me, and I bounced inside, feeling happier than I had in so long…

I cursed suddenly as I realized I’d forgotten my purse. It was still back in the office. I told Akira so.

He just shrugged. “I’ll have one of my cousins bring it by when they get off work.” Akira had about a million cousins, and many of them worked for our resort. I’d almost forgotten that, for some odd reason. I had been too long from the island.

Akira was quiet in the car, just shooting me occasional, concerned glances.

We had been driving for about ten minutes when I realized that we weren’t headed to his house.

“What beach are we going to?” I asked him.

He sent me a small, happy smile. “Guess.”

It didn’t take me long to guess, since I remembered the island well, and I couldn’t help but see exactly where he was going. “Oh, we can’t, Akira. I don’t even know if anyone’s been taking care of the house. The yard is probably so overgrown that we won’t even be able to navigate through it to get to the water.”

His smile got bigger and wider, flashing me straight white teeth. “I’ve been taking care of it. It’s as beautiful as ever.”

I studied him, not sure what to think. “Has my father been making you? You know you don’t have to do everything he asks.”

He shook his head. “No, he never asked me to. I’ve just been doing it. I enjoy it, and I have cleaners come in every week to do the cleaning.”

“You’ve been doing that this whole time?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath. “Ever since you left.”

“Why?”

“I told you, I enjoy it. But also, I guess it was always just wishful thinking. I never wanted to lose hope that you would come back, and when you did, I wanted your little slice of paradise to stay just how you remembered it.”

I had to look away, touched to the point of tears by his actions.

He gripped my hand in his. It was so warm, and I clutched it tight.

We arrived at the long, private drive that led to my family’s island estate. I’d known that I missed the place, but as we approached the house, it was driven home to me just how much. As a kid, I’d thought I’d be living here forever. If anyone would have suggested otherwise, I’d have been baffled, and possibly burst into tears. This was home. This island and this house.

The house was a colossal, modern villa, with pale stone built into clean lines, and huge windows showcasing the glory of the nature surrounding it.

We went through the house to get to the backyard. We didn’t linger in the house long, but everything looked to be how I’d left it. It even smelled of plumerias, as I remembered.

“Oh, hey, hold up,” Akira said as I pushed the button that opened a huge panel at the back of the house up to the elements.

I glanced back at him. He held up a tiny island dress, bikini, and flip-flops that he had clutched in one hand. I’d seen him ruffling through the back of his SUV when we’d arrived, but I hadn’t seen what he was grabbing.

I smiled at him. “Thanks.” I grabbed them from him, heading past him to the nearest room to change in.

He grabbed my arm, grinning. “It’s just the two of us, Lana. Do you really need privacy?”

I raised my brows at his about-face. Taking his question as a challenge, I stepped out of my shoes, unzipping my skirt to let it drop around my ankles. I unbuttoned my shirt, and had my bra unclasped before he could do more than stare. I’d never been shy with my body. Growing up on the island, spending every day in a bikini, it had never even occurred me to cover up. And frankly, I knew his reaction to my stripping would be gratifying. I was not disappointed. His jaw dropped as I got out of my clothes in record time.