Chapter 10

"Hello again, darlin'."

Nalani had just walked out of the diner after a long shift and stopped, blinking at the sight of Mark, wondering what he was doing here. Hell, she would've thought he'd gotten the point the last time they saw each other, but apparently not. Maybe if she made a run for it to her car, she could possibly make it, but had a feeling Mark would catch up with her quickly. He towered over her with his near seven foot frame and had legs that seemed to stretch for miles.

She was screwed.

"What do you want, Mark?" She reluctantly asked, trying not to notice what he was wearing.

This time Mark wore light blue jeans with a black t-shirt and leather vest over it, a bandana around his forehead, though he also had a baseball cap backwards on his head. He leaned against the diner building, one foot propped up pressing against it with his arms folded in front of his chest. He looked positively scrumptious, especially when those deep emerald eyes locked on hers, forcing Nalani to lose her breath.

"Funny you should ask." He chuckled darkly, pushing away from the wall, his eyes never leaving hers. "That wasn't very nice what you pulled on me, Nalani."

"Mark…" She sighed when he pressed a finger to her lips, having closed the distance between them instantly.

"No more talking." Mark growled, watching Nalani's eyes widen slightly, a smirk crossing his sensual lips.

Slowly, Nalani began backing up away from him, Mark taking a step forward whenever she took a step back. She hit the building and knew everyone else had gone home for the evening, volunteering to stay after and clean up for extra money. Her big blue eyes couldn't help falling under his trance, though Nalani knew she couldn't succumb to this, no matter how gorgeous this man was.

She lifted her hands up and pressed them against his strong chest, but that wasn't stopping Mark from trapping her, one long muscular arm on each side of her head. When she opened her mouth to speak, Mark suddenly went in for the kill and lowered his head, capturing her lips in a passionate hot kiss. Nalani gasped, her hands gripping his vest to try to pull away, but instead she found herself thoroughly enjoying what was happening between them.

Suddenly, she began kissing him back.

Mark growled huskily when he felt her small hands grip his vest, pulling him closer to her, and suddenly pulled her away from the wall. He wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her, breaking the kiss only long enough to press her back against the building, his lips finding hers again. He didn't want her having a clear thought and loved how her legs instinctively wrapped around his muscular waist, feeling the heat between their bodies ignite.

It'd been so long since Nalani had been touched like this and felt a man's lips on hers, especially one that could kiss incredibly well. Losing herself was something Nalani never did, but Mark's mouth was persuasive and she shivered at the feeling of his tongue swiping against her lips. He was begging for access to her mouth, but Nalani wasn't giving in that easily, her hands beginning to explore the rest of his body.

They slid up his muscular tattoo sleeved arms to his broad muscular shoulders, pushing the baseball cap off of his head. Mark didn't care and held her tighter against him, the kiss intensifying when her soft hands buried in his silky black tresses. His hair was pulled back in a loose tail, though that didn't stop Nalani from finding it, her arms wrapping around his neck as soft moans escaped her lips.

Strength and power radiated from Mark's body and Nalani knew he could snap her like a twig within seconds, but the way he held and kissed her right now didn't scare her. It felt wonderful to be in his arms, she hadn't been able to get him out of her mind for the good half of the week, wondering if she'd ever see him again. Hell, what man in his right mind would come back after being treated the way Nalani had to Mark? Apparently he enjoyed punishment and a good challenge, which is what Nalani was to men.

Punishment and a challenge.

With another swipe of that incredible tongue against her lips, Nalani finally succumbed to the desire flooding every part of her body and opened her mouth for him. Mark growled, instantly taking it, and tasted her for the first time as their tongues touched. The sensations flooding each body increased by seconds and Mark could feel Nalani shiver from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Her mouth was so warm and inviting, her tongue felt soft as silk and the way she kissed him took Mark's breath away, which rarely happened. It was usually the other way around and that made Mark believe even more that this woman was meant specifically for him.

Knowing they needed oxygen to breathe, Mark slowly and reluctantly broke the kiss, watching those beautiful blue eyes flutter open to meet his. He loved the way her cheeks flushed, the roses blooming fully, making her even more beautiful to him if that was possible. Nalani's chest rose and fell rapidly, trying to regain her breath before she passed out, but couldn't pull her gaze away from those incredible emerald stones. Nalani bit her bottom lip when Mark pressed his forehead very lightly to hers, taking one of her hands and pressing it over his pounding heart, feeling it vibrate against her palm and fingertips.

The feeling was indescribable.

"You feel that?" Mark whispered, his breath hot against her lips and watched her nod, smirking because he knew she couldn't talk right now. "That's what you do to me, Nalani. Every time I see you, hear your voice, anytime you're around me that's what happens."

"Why me?" She finally spoke, confusion entering her eyes as they mixed with desire and lust for him. "I don't understand, what's so special about me?"

"I don't know, but I'm beggin' to find out, darlin'." Mark inhaled, her scent completely engulfing him, and that just made him hold her even tighter against him, their chests pressed together, his forehead not leaving hers. "Tell me you don't want to give me a chance. Tell me to go to hell, but you have to convince me before I even think about walkin' away."

"You never answered my question." She tried pulling away from him, but Mark stopped her from doing so, grabbing her chin in his strong hand. "Mark…"

"You want to know why I want to be with you so damn bad, but I don't know, Nalani. I don't have the answer. If I did, I swear to fuckin' god I'd tell ya. I'd tell ya in a heartbeat, but I don't know what it is about you that makes me keep comin' back and fightin'. Usually, a woman who did what you did to me would've been left the hell alone." Mark was being honest and hoped he didn't hurt her feelings, sighing heavily. "But you're afraid and I wanna take away the fear and pain I see in your eyes right now. I just want it to go away because you don't deserve to feel any fear or pain. All I'm askin' for is a chance, just one chance, and if I hurt ya, you have every right to kill me if you want. Hell, I'll give ya the damn shotgun to shoot me with, but I promise I won't hurt you ever."

Did he know she was really rich and part of the Kensington fortune? Did he know it was her father and sister that was brutally murdered and raped in that Kensington mansion on the outskirts of town? Could he deal with the constant nightmares and pain she felt in her heart over the sudden loss of the only family she had left? Could Mark be the answer to her prayers, the answer to wash away all of that pain and despair, or was Nalani simply a fool?

"Alright," She paused, having had her eyes closed while he spoke to her, his words touching her in so many ways, and slowly opened them. "You have one chance, don't blow it."

Relief flooded through Mark as a soft smile spread on his lips, his knuckle gently caressing her cheek, knowing he was sometimes a volatile man. "Thank you." He then captured her lips again, kissing the breath right out of her and pulled her away from the wall, heading toward his motorcycle. "You wanna get out of here?"

"What about my car?" She asked, already being placed on the bike with Mark mounting behind her, Nalani's eyes widening. "Mark, I can't…"

"You're not leavin' my sight and don't worry, I'll do all the ridin'." He promised, his voice husky in her ear, causing Nalani to do a full body shiver while Mark placed her purse in one of the saddlebags. He'd managed to scoop it up along with his baseball cap while kissing her, Nalani weighing lighter than a feather helping out tremendously.

Pure exhilaration filled every part of her as Nalani leaned back against Mark's chest, the motorcycle speeding off into the deep dark of the night.

~!~

The first couple of months together were rocky, along with some fighting and Nalani trying to walk away from Mark, but he was steadfast. She kept telling him he was making a mistake and to find someone who was good enough for him, but Nalani was all he wanted. He couldn't imagine being with another woman, no matter how stubborn and bullheaded she was. Hell so was he, which made them the perfect couple in his eyes or damned near close.

Mark would be outside of the diner every night Nalani worked, always making sure to put Nalani before his job. She didn't understand that because he'd worked so hard to acquire the business and get it started...only to push it aside to make her the center of his world. Nalani had tried telling Mark it was pointless wasting his time on her, but again Mark wasn't walking away, which warmed her heart to the core. He would pick her up from work, always leaving her car there for the morning when they would reluctantly part ways.

There were some nights they didn't see each other, around two or three days out of the week, which was good because space apart gave them both time to miss each other.

On Nalani's nights off that she did see Mark; he would always bring her something, no matter how small it was. Though they weren't the typical cliché gifts every day men bought their girlfriends or spouses. No, these gifts made Nalani's cheeks flame to the point where they looked like cherries. They consisted of lingerie, body oil, candles with the sweetest smelling scents Nalani ever experienced, bubble bath, massage lotions -Mark was incredible at using them and knew exactly what to do- and even body candy, especially for Nalani's lower extremities.

Sex was definitely not a problem in the relationship and they had just enough of it to make it mind blowing.

Nalani sighed as she stared in the mirror, not believing her and Mark had been together for six months, a soft smile spreading on her lips. She felt completely safe with him, especially after finding out what kind of business Mark decided to open, which was a security company. It specialized in training new cops of the Houston area on weapon training, though other companies contacted him to install his state of the art security system that Mark's company was becoming rapidly famous for.

Calaway Security Incorporated.

Nalani couldn't help laughing and made a joke, calling Mark's business CSI, to which she got growled at for. She loved his growls and the way he carried himself, everything about this man drew her in; Nalani already knew she was falling in love with him. CSI was taking off without a hitch and Mark was traveling all over Texas, which made him gone for more than three days in a row sometimes. Nalani was fine with it though, wanting to support him in any way she could, always telling him to be careful and she'd miss him.

The feeling was more than mutual to Mark.

He'd spend his nights in his hotel room wishing Nalani was by his side and even asked her about traveling with him. Nalani was loyal to the diner, loving her job, and declined his offer because she enjoyed working to make a living for herself. The woman was incredibly independent, which made Mark wonder if she would ever consider getting married. That would be a huge step, one that he knew both of them were not ready to take, but he had other plans in mind.

Finishing up her makeup for their date, Nalani nodded in the full length mirror of her bedroom, hoping she could save up enough money to get out of Kaci and Randy's hair soon. She knew they needed this room, but Kaci assured Nalani she could stay as long as needed. Nalani wore a simple of pair of skinny blue jeans with an off the shoulder black top that had flowing sleeves down her arms, knowing they would more than likely be going for a ride on Mark's Titan.

She quickly strapped on her steel toed boots Mark got for her so she would have proper riding shoes, her hair pulled back in a tight braid that hung over her shoulder. Mark hated it when she put her hair back and always managed to get it down before the night ended, which nine times out of ten was at his house in his bed. Nalani flushed and tried clearing her mind, pulling her leather jacket on because it was chilly tonight, her heart leaping when the doorbell echoed throughout the house.

Taking a deep breath, Nalani walked out of her bedroom, flipping the light switch off and headed toward the front door. Randy and Kaci were out for the evening with Jen, so Mark and Nalani had the entire house to themselves, which didn't happen often. She opened the door and nearly lost her breath at the sight of her boyfriend, gasping when he yanked her into his arms and kissed her hungrily, Nalani completely melting against him.

They hadn't seen each other in four long days because Mark had to go to San Antonio to overlook a security installation that was happening at a school.

"Goddamn I missed you." He muttered against her lips, finally pulling away long enough to stare down in those enchanting blue eyes, loving the smile that lit her face.

"I missed you too." Nalani reached up to caress his face with her soft hand, reluctantly pulling away to pick her purse up, which went flying when Mark pulled her into his arms. "So, what are the plans for tonight, Mr. Secretive?" For the past few days, Mark had been hinting he had a surprise for Nalani and, no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't get him to spill the beans.

"Move in with me."

Nalani dropped her purse and stared at him in shock, seeing the next gift from her boyfriend.