DaughterofFire Read Online Free PDF Page A

most kissable lips
she had seen in years. She regretted not letting those lips claims hers
earlier, but what she had told Jack was true. The night in Volcano did have
eyes. And she was in enough trouble without compounding it. Shaking her head in
disgust, she forced her attention back to the foliage lining the road.
    “How far is the house?” she asked, her voice cutting through
the silence surrounding them.
    “Not far now. Just a couple miles down the road,” Jack said,
never taking his eyes from the road. “What the hell?” he asked, the question
mumbled under his breath. Kalama sat up in her seat.
    “What is it?”
    “Down the road a bit, do you see something white?” Jack
asked, pointing with one hand over the dashboard toward something farther down
the road. Kalama felt the breath in her lungs hitch. He was right. On the right
side of the road, an old woman in a white muumuu stood hitchhiking.
    “You better stop and pick her up,” Kalama said, eyeing the
old woman for a moment before turning to Jack. His brow was furrowed in a
frown.
    “I’m not stopping in the dark for some strange woman. How do
we know she isn’t some psycho killer?” Jack asked.
    “She’s not a psycho killer. She’s just an old woman who
needs a ride. Be nice, pick her up.”
    “You don’t know that. She could have a knife or something.
We pick her up and bam, she chops us up,” Jack said. The car was pulling up
closer to the woman. She stood there smiling, her thumb out, waiting. The
woman’s bronzed skin was craggy and her smile was missing a few teeth. Her feet
were bare and the hem of her muumuu was dirty.
    “Where’s your aloha , Jack?” Kalama sat, amazed. “ Aloha isn’t just a way to say hello, it’s a way of life.” At the moment, Jack was
severely lacking in island spirit.
    “Don’t give me that, Kalama. I don’t need to pick up some
weirdo on the side of the road to demonstrate my aloha ,” he said
sarcastically.
    “I’m telling you, pick her up. Trust me on this. You want to
pick her up,” Kalama said.
    “I’m not stopping for some old woman in the middle of the
night and that’s final.” Jack sped past the woman. Kalama shook her head, her
lips pursed tight in displeasure.
    “I warned you,” Kalama said under her breath.
    “What’s the big deal, Kalama?”
    “How long have you been in Hawaii, Jack?” Kalama asked, watching
the woman’s reflection disappear in the side view mirror.
    “A couple years. Why?”
    “You should know better,” Kalama said, mumbling under her
breath.
    “Know what? What’s the big deal?”
    “Never mind, you’ll understand soon enough.” Jack heaved an
annoyed sigh, which seemed to be his standard response for the night and turned
his attention back to driving.
    * * * * *
    The air was cooler in Volcano due to the higher altitude
than the Hilo coast. Goosebumps rose on Kalama’s bare arms and she ran her
palms over them to ward off the faint chill. The house was a sweet, green
one-story that sat a ways off the main road. Thick, tropical foliage wrapped
itself around the white trim, engulfing the house in an embrace. Leaves rustled
in the darkness, the wind plucking at the trees. Kalama felt something watching
her, hunting her. Stalking her.
    “Are you cold?” Jack asked, reaching in to the back of the
Jeep to grab Kalama’s backpack.
    “A bit. I’m pretty hot-blooded and tend to get cold easily.
Let’s go in.”
    Jack grinned and gestured to the pathway leading to the
front door. A single sound escaped her, a soft breath of understanding. Kalama
watched Jack fumble with the key. She couldn’t help imagining those strong,
capable hands stroking over her body. No sooner had the thought entered her
mind than she shoved it away. The last thing she needed was this haole arousing her interest, among other things.
    “It’s a little stuck,” he said sheepishly. Placing her
backpack down, Jack braced a shoulder against the door and heaved. The wood
scraped