Free DaughterofFire by Courtney Sheets

out there,” Kalama said, biting her lip when she realized how
crazy the comment made her sound.
    “Right. Okay, I’ll go with this for a second. Pele’s your
mom. So, what does that make you?”
    “Demi-goddess. My father was mortal.”
    “Well that explains why the earth actually moved when you
orgasmed this morning,” Jack said, finally cracking into a smile.
    “That is a hazard,” she answered with a laugh. The tension
between them melted away. Kalama let out the breath she’d been holding. Jack
stood up and crossed the distance between them. Reaching out, he grabbed her
elbows and gently pulled her close to him.
    “I can’t wait to see what happens when we have full-blown
sex. You might set off the Ring of Fire,” he said with a comical leer. “Can you
explain to me what is going on? I can’t promise I’ll believe everything, but
I’ll try.”
    “The vandalism at the volcano, that’s the handiwork of my
aunt. She and my mom have been at odds for centuries. Namakaokaha’i even chased
Pele across the sea from Vaka Nui until Mom formed Hawaii as her safe place.”
    “Why is she attacking the artifacts?” Jack wrapped an arm
around her waist and yanked her closer.
    Kalama laid her forehead on his chest and waited, breathing
in the clean scent of him and enjoying the feel of his strong arm around her
for a moment. She was a two-hundred-and-seventy-year-old fire guardian. She’d
been raised to be strong in the face of anything the gods threw at her. The
volcano and all of Hawaii was hers to protect. Her lineage demanded it. For
once it was nice to pretend someone else would take care of her.
    “It’s my fault in a way,” she whispered. “My aunt and mother
fought because of my father. Namakaokaha’i never forgave my mom for taking him
from her, or for having me. She thinks I should have been her child.”
    “That’s not your fault. All of that happened before you were
even born. You can’t blame yourself.”
    “We have to find the tiki pieces, Jack. If she gets to them
first, Hawaii as we know it will be destroyed.” Kalama raised her head and
looked him dead in the eye. “That’s why all the incidents on other islands.
She’s searching for the remaining pieces. Once she puts them all together she
can command the lava. She’ll unleash the Ring of Fire and wreak havoc across
the Pacific.”
    “Then let’s get moving. I’m assuming whatever happened with
the whirlpool has slowed her down a bit,” Jack wrapped his other arm around her
and placed his palm on the small of her back.
    “Yes, it should give us at least a day or two head start,
depending on how far down my uncle takes her.” Kalama placed her hands on his
pecs. She gently kneaded the sculpted muscle she encountered before moving them
up to wrap around his neck.
    “Good to know,” he said, leaning down slowly. “I’m going to
kiss you first and then we’ll get moving.”
    Her eyes drifted shut as she felt his lips touch hers. He
gently rubbed his lips over hers. He was so warm, so soft, so intoxicating. A
zing of sexual heat streaked through her. A simple kiss turned into so much
more when his tongue took hers. She gasped, growing instantly wet and aching at
the touch. Instead of fighting the hunger, Kalama gave herself up to the power
of his demanding mouth. All the tension of their battle with Namakaokaha’i
seemed to fuel their lust for each other. She let herself free-fall with the raging
passion tightening in her belly.
    “Jack, we need to stop,” she whispered, breaking the
embrace, but pressing kisses along the edge of his jaw.
    He stepped away from her, putting his hands on her
shoulders. “You’re right. Later. We finish this later.”
    He scrubbed a hand over his face and she watched him compose
himself as best he could with the sizable erection tenting his jeans. Flashing
a goofy smile, he turned and headed to the wheel.
    He turned the key in the ignition but nothing happened.
    “Not again. What is it with