Page 16 of Pure Temptation

Kendall snorted. “The internet is full of wonders, isn’t it?”

Daxon let his gaze wander down her body. “I have many ideas,” he said softly.

Her cheeks flushed, and pleasure danced on her face. “As long as it doesn’t involve any strain on your calf I’m all for it.”

“I hope you don’t regret saying that later,” he said with a lusty laugh. “I’ve got a dirty mind and too much time on my hands.”

“Now I’m curious.”

“That’s definitely off-duty material,” he said, smirking. “Looks like you’ll have to come back.”

She laughed and then turned for the door. “Bye, Dax. See you later.”

And she walked right out without telling him when off-the-clocklaterwould be.

CHAPTER SIX

THELATE-AFTERNOONsun glittered on everything, reflecting off the blue-green water and the white sand beach. It was a beautiful day, the kind Kendall had imagined when she left everything behind in Northern California. The warmth surrounding her as she walked barefoot through the shallow waves, on her afternoon walk with Alana.

“So he asked you on a mystery date.” Alana lifted her sunglasses and gave Kendall a look, the kind that saidright on. “Not really following why you’d say no to this.”

“It’s not a date. And it’s complicated,” said Kendall, shading her eyes from the sun. “Though I’m not on the clock, which was my first concern. I’m notthatkind of professional.”

Alana grinned. “But the paid escort game sounds rather fun.”

Kendall gave her friend a little shove, and Alana kicked a splash of water her way in return. She opened her mouth to respond when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the screen.Home.Her heart jumped, and an ominous shiver ran through her. Her mother was calling in the middle of the day. Something must be wrong. Kendall frowned and blew out her breath.Chill out.Not every unexpected call had to be a tragedy. She’d thought moving across the ocean would make her less jumpy about her father’s health, but apparently that part of her psyche was immune to the mellow Hawaiian vibe.

“Sorry. I have to take this,” she said to Alana.

Alana waved her off as Kendall waded deeper into the water and accepted the call.

“Mom? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, honey.” The lightness in her mother’s voice sent a rush of relief through her. After years of anxiety that wore on her family, fire season after fire season, Kendall had learned to read her mother’s voice well. “Am I catching you at a bad time?”

“No. This is fine.” She tried to shake the last of her worry.

“I thought quitting the traveling PT job and moving to Hawaii was supposed to be relaxing.”

“I’m relaxed...most of the time.” Or as relaxed as she’d probably ever be. Her father was sure she’d outgrow her goal of becoming a physical therapist after the fear of his career-ending injury had faded, but her mother understood all too well that the mark that night had made was permanent. Who wouldn’t err on the cautious side after almost losing her father? Okay, maybe Kendall had leaned just a little too far in that direction, but now she was spreading her wings...safely. “It’s just that you usually call in the morning, and I wondered if...” Her voice trailed off. “Never mind.”

“You wondered if something had happened to your father?” Her mother’s voice was more serious. “He’s fine. No emergency.”

Kendall hung her head. “Sorry,” she mumbled. She let out another breath, then injected a little more cheer into her voice. “How are you?”

“We both took the day off, so your dad’s out surfing, and I’m about to sit down on the deck with a book.”

“Sounds great,” said Kendall, keeping her tone light, but the unease came back. Why did her parents take the day off? Her mother had to be calling for some reason.

“You’re still worried, aren’t you?” said her mother gently. “Honestly, nothing’s wrong. We just got back from your dad’s appointment, and I promised I’d call right after.”

Her father had begun to feel the long-term effects of smoke inhalation—yet another occupational hazard.

“How’s his breathing?”

“No worse than it was on his last visit.”

The words settled in, relief spreading through her muscles. Thank God. She didn’t spend all her days worrying about her father’s health, but these unexpected calls still triggered the same feelings they did when she was a kid, when she and her mother would jump every time the phone rang during fire season. It was the kind of thing she thought would dull after a while, but it didn’t. Even years after her father retired from hotshot duty.