She really hated having that thrown back in her face. She really, really hated it.
“I...” The apology Allie had so carefully thought out that morning evaporated off her tongue. She had no desire to apologize to this man. “Turn my water back on.”
A sly smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he walked straight up to her, his tight T-shirt filling up most of her view. He only stopped when they were nearly toe-to-toe. She had to arch her neck to meet his steely blue eyes. She saw amusement there, but something else: strong-headed determination.
“Make me,” he murmured, grinning again. She took in his broad shoulders, his football player–like frame. There was no way all five foot two of her was going to make that wall of a man do anything.
She wanted to stomp on the toe of his worn cowboy boot, or call him names, or thump on his chest with her fists, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She felt that out-of-control temper flare again. The match was near the powder keg.
“Half of the tank is on my side. Half the water is mine,” Allie argued, trying to keep her voice level and calm. I will not lose it. I won’t!
“The spigots are on my side.” Dallas grinned more widely, showing off the dimple in his cheek and his even, white smile. The fact that he looked as if he ought to be on some tourist ad for a remote stable in Colorado made her just want to punch him straight in the nose.
“Turn my water back on or I’ll...”
“You’ll what? Destroy some coffee?” Dallas rocked back on his heels. “If you do that, it’s just money you’ll lose. I don’t plan on selling, and you need cash. I heard you quit your job to come here. You’re living off savings.”
“Who...”
“Through the grapevine.”
“The lawyer,” Allie exclaimed. “Misu’s lawyer is the only one I told. He...”
“He’s a good buddy of mine.”
Fan-freakin’-tastic. “Is this some more of that locals-protect-locals BS?”
“You should know,” Dallas said. “You used to be one.”
Allie let out an exasperated sigh.
“You still can’t make me turn that water back on.”
Dallas took a step closer. His eyes flicked down, lingering on the scooped neckline of her tank. Her anger burned hot, so hot she wasn’t sure if she could keep a lid on it anymore.
“You’ll turn that water back on,” Allie promised. She stood her ground. His eyes met hers.
“Only if you say...please.”
His blue eyes blazed with mischief, and something more. With a start, she realized he was flirting with her. God, the man’s ego knew no bounds. He’d just cut off her shower, and he was trying to get into her pants? Seriously?
“Say it,” Dallas said, his voice a rumble she almost thought she could feel in her own chest. Stubbornly, she stood her ground. “I’m waiting.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time,” she ground out, spitting mad.
He dropped his head back and laughed. “Then you’ll be waiting even longer for your shower.”
He had her there and she knew it.
“Fine.” Allie let out a frustrated breath. “Please,” she muttered, annoyance in her voice.
“That’s not a nice please.” He took a step forward, and Allie wanted to punch him in the nose.
“You didn’t say it had to be nice.”
“Didn’t I?”
He was so very close to her. She looked into his blue eyes and felt as if she’d fallen into the ocean. For that second, she froze, and she couldn’t tell if the adrenaline zinging through her veins was fueled by anger or something else. She could smell Dallas’s aftershave, and it made her head spin.
Dallas studied her mouth, and suddenly Allie’s throat went dry. “Please,” she whispered.
“What was that, darlin’?” He cupped a strong hand to his ear. “I can’t hear you.”
“Please,” she managed, a bit louder.
Dallas’s face hovered over hers, a smile in his eyes as he moved even closer. Allie thought for sure he’d kiss her right then, but he moved at the last minute, his lips missing hers by millimeters as he leaned into her ear.
“I’ll think about it,” he whispered, and she could feel his warm breath on her earlobe. It made her shiver. And not with murderous rage.
“Damn you, Dallas McCormick,” she ground out, and stomped on one of his booted feet. Her flimsy flip-flop did no good against the thick leather, and Dallas just threw his head back and laughed. She could hear the laughter following her almost all the way back to her the house. Her face burned in humiliation: he’d played her. She was thoroughly tired of being played by men. It wouldn’t happen again, she swore.
* * *
IF DALLAS MEANT to declare war, then, fine, two could play that game. Allie would just have to redouble her efforts to win over Kaimana, get that paper signed and sell her half. She’d love to see the look on Dallas McCormick’s face when she told him she’d sold her half to resort developers. See how he’d fare with just half his crop and no roasting barn.
The only problem was that, whenever Allie went to Kaimana’s house, she found the door locked, the blinds drawn.
Well, Allie wasn’t going to give up that easily. She made her plans even as she rinsed off in the kitchen sink with jugs of water bought from the local grocery store. She didn’t think she’d find herself wishing for an outdoor shower, but anything would be better than this.
One thing was for sure: she’d make Dallas pay.
She knew of only one person who could help her: Kai Brady. After finishing her hasty sponge bath, she got dressed and drove her rental into town.
She walked slowly down the main street of Kailua-Kona, with its brightly colored storefronts facing out to the ocean. Lines of green palm trees swayed against the blue sky nearby, and the sidewalk looked pristine, bathed in bright Hawaiian sunshine. Hula Coffee sat sandwiched between a salon and a little sushi restaurant. Painted a bright baby blue with white trim, the shop boasted an old-fashioned wooden sign carved into the shape of a Hula dancer, a Hawaiian woman wearing a white-flowered lei and green grass skirt, a halo of white flowers in her jet-black, waist-length hair. The small coffee shop was bustling even at two in the afternoon, the window-seat benches filled with people of all stripes. A handsome guy in his midtwenties, wearing board shorts and a tank top, opened the door, holding it for her.
“After you,” he said, taking in her sundress, his eyes lingering on her legs. She ignored him. She didn’t need complications right now. She saw Kai talking to his sister, Jesse, at the register and waved.
