Free My Salvation by Michelle Dare Page B

breakfast they descended the front steps
to a waiting sport utility vehicle. Steven was in the driver’s seat
and his wife was in the passenger side. “Are they coming with us?”
Cali asked, not minding if the answer was yes.
    “No, they are going out for lunch. They’re
dropping us off on the way. We slept in much later than them,” Owen
said with a bit of huskiness to his voice. Hearing that tone from
him sent shivers down her spine.
    Opening the door to the SUV, Owen smacked her
ass slightly when she stepped to get in. The drive didn’t take long
for them to reach the destination. She was surprised to see a
helicopter waiting when they pulled in.
    She looked over to Owen who wore a smile. “We’re
taking a tour of Kauai from the air.”
    Shaking her head, she said, “You’re spoiling me.
I don’t know how to repay you for all of the wonderful things
you’ve done.”
    Owen leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I
do.”
    She lightly smacked him on the chest and
whispered for him to stop teasing. Steven and Adeline were in the
car and she became a little embarrassed.
    They spent a little over an hour in the air
flying over the island. Kauai was beautiful. The waterfalls,
canyons, crater, and valley, the list of sites was never-ending.
The mountain ridges and the lush green cliffs, seeing areas from
the air not able to be seen on foot. She could stay in the sky all
afternoon.
    As the tour came to an end and they were heading
back, Cali glanced over and saw him watching her, making her wonder
how long he had been doing so. She was captivated by the scenery
and hadn’t stopped to see how he was enjoying the view. Of course,
he could have been in the air many times, she wasn’t sure.
    When they were in the SUV on the way home, she
brushed the hair off of her shoulder and asked, “Like something you
see, Mr. Matthews?”
    “Very much, Ms. Crawford. In fact, it’s taking
every ounce of restraint not to grab and devour you.”
    “Hold that thought. The day isn’t over yet.”
    Adeline sighed from the front seat and said, “Oh
to be young and in love.”
    In love?
Cali thought.
Am I in love
with Owen already?
She knew she was falling for him, but kept
holding a piece of her heart back, scared of being hurt. Plus she
was unsure if the feelings would be reciprocated. He’d said he had
wanted her for years, but was he in love? She didn’t know.
    He reached over and took her hand, pulling her
from her thoughts. Handsome didn’t even begin to describe him.
Blonde hair tousled from the wind, green eyes only on her, the
dimples in his cheeks, she could stare at him for hours. He was
masculine, solid and hers.
    Cali’s thoughts quickly went from wondering how
he felt to wanting to run her tongue over his chiseled abs. She
licked her lips at the thought causing Owen to lift an eyebrow. She
winked and turned to watch the coastline drift by the window.
    They spent the remainder of the afternoon
walking on the beach, talking and holding hands. Owen made a
reservation at a restaurant in a nearby town that served some of
the best Italian food she had ever eaten. She noticed some of the
women checking him out as they walked to the SUV after dinner.
    Cali was laughing quietly and he noticed.
“What’s so funny?”
    “Didn’t you see the women staring at you? They
were looking at you, devouring you with their eyes and whispering
to one another.”
    Shaking his head he said, “No, I didn’t. But
what I did see was our waiter checking you out a couple of
times.”
    “Sure, whatever,” she said, laughing louder.
    “Cali, you are gorgeous and I am the lucky man
who gets to take you home tonight and kiss every inch of your
body.”
    They reached the SUV and she wove her arms
around his waist, tipping her head to look in his eyes and kiss
him. He tasted like the wine and she couldn’t get enough.
    Owen’s hand went to her face and tilted her head
to get better access. Then she remembered they were in a parking
lot and