apartment, her gaze caught on his, so familiar, so similar to the kind of man she’d always seemed attracted to. There had always been a type for her and this was it—large, wide shoulders, big enough to shield her, cover her. Arms that could surround her, stretch to bend and take her, engulf her. Hands that were strong, twice the size of her own with pronounced veins indicating years of training and athletic ability, precise maneuvering. Biceps that were large, developed; that could hold him over her, that could lift her and carry her anywhere she needed to be. Thighs that were thick, a powerhouse of muscle; strength made tangible; that could sustain him, them both—a body that promised stamina and strength, pleasure and pure masculinity. It had always been men like this for her. She knew why. She knew who she was trying to recapture, but Gia could not help herself.
Out on that balcony that beautiful body stretched, those massive arms moving over his head, that brown, smooth skin shining in the sunlight. And there was more of what she found erotic and sensual—those tattoos. Not simple cartoons of birds and flags, logos or sayings that represented contemporary life. But, ancient symbols of cultural pride. Glyphs of family and language, ways of life that had begun to die and were being reborn. There was honor in those marks, the distant memory of generations living and breathing in the shadows of ink covering those beautiful bodies.
This man was no different. He moved, arms outstretched, and Gia made out waves of black ink depicting the sun and sea creatures, fire, earth, wind and water. She’d seen similar markings and knew their meaning. Seeing them in front of her now told her there was something so familiar about this man, so beautiful…
And then, Gia didn’t think about his beauty or how just watching him had affected her. She disregarded the way her nipples hardened and how the ache between her legs had begun like a low pulse and crested to a hard throb the more the man moved, once he turned, lowering his arms, catching her gaze and freezing as he looked right at her.
A frown shifted over his mouth as he spoke into his cell. Then he nodded, taking no time at all to end the call, his attention trained on Gia, his features softening as he seemed to recognize her. Then, Kai Pukui pulled the buds from his ear and wrapped the cords around his cell, that frown of confusion, moving with a twitch along his top lip as he walked away from the railing and came into the apartment.
By the time he stood in front of her, the frown was gone, his arms were crossed, and Kai’s lips were curved up, his straight teeth visible as he grinned down at her. “Miss Gia Jilani,” he started, moving his tongue along his bottom lip. “How’d I get so lucky?”
There were a lot of thoughts flying around Gia’s head. They warred with the emotions that bombarded inside her. She wasn’t sure what to make of any of them and held up her hand, giving the lineman her palm, needing a second before she moved to the window, inhaling deep.
Gia wasn’t blind. She wasn’t stupid. The reflection she caught of his grin, and the way the man watched her should have insulted her. After all, she was his boss and he still wasn’t acting like he cared much about that fact. But she was still too angry and irritated and confused to do any real arguing with him. So, instead, she decided to ask questions.
“Why, Mr. Pukui,” she started, turning to face him, not surprised that he hadn’t stopped grinning like a fool at her, “are you in my building?”
“Your building?” he asked, that grin morphing into a full-fledge, highly pleased smile. “It is my lucky day.”
“Can you just…answer the question?” Gia mimicked him, crossing her arms, annoyed with herself that her thoughts had shifted to the reminder of Lydia telling her husband how rough Gia looked after her run. Why the hell should Gia care how she looked at the moment?
Kai lowered his smile moving to the sofa still in his living room, this one smaller than the one presently wedge in his open doorway. He leaned against the back, still watching her intently. “You were the one that said there were no promises made to me or my head coach for this season because of his…issues with McAddams.” Kai shrugged,