Waikiki Wedding: Unforgettable Nights in Hawaii Read online

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright 2016 Christine Baena and Linda Steinberg

  Excerpt from Honeymoon For One copyright 2013 Christine Baena

  Excerpt from One Night with a Stranger copyright 2015 Linda Steinberg

  Formatting by Dallas Hodge, Everything But The Book

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, redistributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, print, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Author.

  Books By Chris Keniston

  Aloha Series

  Aloha Texas

  Almost Paradise

  Mai Tai Marriage

  Dive Into You

  Shell Game

  Look of Love

  Love by Design

  Love Walks In

  Waikiki Wedding

  Surf's Up Flirts:

  (Aloha Series Companions)

  Shall We Dance

  Love on Tap

  Head Over Heels

  Perfect Match

  Just One Kiss

  It Had to Be You

  Honeymoon Series

  Honeymoon for One

  Honeymoon for Three

  Family Secrets Novels

  Champagne Sisterhood

  The Homecoming

  Hope's Corner

  More on Chris and her books can be found at www.chriskeniston.com

  Follow Chris on facebook at ChrisKenistonAuthor

  or on twitter @ckenistonauthor

  Sign up for the Chris Keniston newsletter here!

  Books By Linda Steinberg

  Unforgettable Nights Series

  One Night With A Stranger

  One Night With A Fantasy

  One Night With An Obsession

  One Night With The Best Man

  Stand Alone Novels

  Only With The Heart

  Suspicious Heart

  Love Unmasked

  Sins and Secrets

  Romantic Suspense

  The French Deception

  More on Linda and her books can be found at www.LindaSteinberg.com

  Follow Linda on facebook at Author Linda Steinberg

  or on twitter @LindaSAuthor

  Be the first to hear about my next book?

  Sign up for my newsletter on my website or click here: http://lindasteinberg.com/contact.

  Dear Readers,

  This book is a tribute to friendship and working together. On a two day trip to Alabama that turned into three weeks, two authors produced one novella based on two series and no blood was shed.

  As a matter of fact we had the most fun typing side by side as Ray and Amy came to life. We hope you have as much fun at the Waikiki Weddings as we have.

  Thank you to Jim for the house in Alabama, the kitchen table, and the two recliners that were sold out from under us.

  With much appreciation,

  Mahalo,

  Chris and Linda

  Chapter One

  "Oh. My. God," Amy Pratt shrieked. Her cell phone fell to the floor. Turning, she faced her two roommates. She couldn't breathe. Doug. Her brother Doug.

  Linda hurried to her side. "What?"

  "Oh, my God" seemed to be the only words Amy was capable of forming.

  "Oh, for heaven's sake." Linda scooped the phone from the floor and hit Speaker. "Hello?"

  Still unable to find words, Amy looked up at her friend.

  "Amy?" a deep male voice asked.

  "No. This is Linda, her roommate. How may I help you?"

  "Nice to meet you. I'm her brother Doug."

  "You're sure? What's the name of her favorite stuffed toy? The one she's had since she was a baby."

  "That would be Pop. She couldn't say puppy."

  Linda's jaw fell open, and her eyes rounded before she too dropped the phone and screeched, "It's him."

  Amy gulped a breath and then let out a resounding hiccup. Already familiar with the scenario, Linda rushed to the kitchen for some water.

  "Oh, for the love of God." Amy's other roommate, Carrie, stepped around the two and retrieved the phone. Damn good thing Amy's cell had a glass protector and a heavy-duty case that would survive an atomic blast.

  "Excuse me," Carrie said, the phone still on Speaker, "I'm going to apologize for my roommates. This is a big shock. Amy will be right with you. When she gets overly excited, she gets the—"

  "Hiccups. Still?" Doug asked.

  Carrie chuckled. "She's finishing a glass of water. Just give her another—"

  This was insane. Amy was full-grown, and here she was behaving like a starstruck teen. Stomping over to Carrie's side, she stuck out her hand. "Give me that phone." Gripping the device with enough strength to whiten her knuckles, she sucked in a fortifying breath and blew it back out slowly. "Hello?"

  "So you still get the hiccups?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "I heard you've been looking for me."

  She sucked in another breath. "I didn't think you'd ever find me." She hated the tremble in her voice.

  "I thought you'd be better off without me."

  "You what?" Now her voice came across strong and loud. "How could you think such a thing?"

  "I—" he started.

  "You're my brother! How could you think I—"

  "I've been known to have an occasional lapse in judgment."

  "I bet." She blew out another sigh. Years of wondering, worrying, daydreaming came rushing back to soften her tone. "How are you?"

  "I'm good. And you?"

  "Good. I want to see you."

  "Do you have any vacation time coming up?"

  "Some." Between her job and the final stages of her masters degree, some might be a bit of an exaggeration. "But if you come here, I can show you around, and you can meet my friends and see where I live and—"

  "I thought I'd send you an airline ticket."

  Maybe after this semester she could sneak some time off. Find some way to work out taking a trip.

  "I live in Hawaii," he continued.

  "Oh. My. God."

  • • •

  “So this is paradise.”

  Ray Varner handed his rental car key to the valet and, grabbing his sister’s suitcase as well as his own, stared in wonder at the palm trees, the beach, the ocean nearly close enough to touch. The almost-winter sun warmed his bare forearms like June in Oklahoma. If this wasn’t paradise, it was damned close.

  Apparently oblivious to the splendor, Tish texted on her phone. “Courtney’s coming down to the lobby to meet us,” she said, shoving the phone into the pocket of her white pants.

  Courtney. The bride, if he remembered correctly. Waving away the bellman’s help, Ray wheeled the two-roller bags through the glass doors of the imposing hotel and barely avoided colliding with a trio of bronzed bathing beauties. He breathed in the coconut scent of sunscreen. He could get used to this.

  “Welcome to the Aloha Hotel.” The stunning native woman at the desk wore a sarong and a large flower in her hair. He’d heard that Polynesian women were the most beautiful on earth. So far, the claim seemed well-founded.

  Ray eyed the murals painted on the walls—colorful scenes of Hawaiian history—as Tish handed the reception clerk their printed confirmation. The woman quickly found the reservation on her computer and produced two key cards.

  “First visit to Hawaii?” The receptionist spoke to both of them, but her gaze was clear
ly focused on Ray.

  “Yes.” Not counting his brief stop in Los Angeles, this was his first visit anywhere that didn’t grow corn or wheat. “It’s beautiful.”

  Though she probably heard that a dozen times a day, the woman beamed as if he were the first person to ever compliment her island. “Enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Webster.”

  “I’m not—”

  “About that.” Tish placed her key card on the reception desk. “I believe I requested a king bed. Can we change that to two doubles?”

  The woman stole a quick glance at Ray before answering. “Certainly, Mrs. Webster. But it will take a few moments before another room is ready. Would you mind waiting in the lobby? Or you can grab something to eat on the terrace. We can hold your bags for you.”

  “Thanks,” Tish answered. “We’ll wait here.” Grasping the handle of her own bag, she led Ray toward an arrangement of comfortable chairs.

  “Tish! You made it.” An attractive brunette coming from the elevator headed their way. The two women hugged as if it had been months since they’d seen each other instead of days. “And Brady—” With her arms already poised to embrace him, the woman stopped and backed away. “You’re not Brady.”

  “This is my brother Ray.” Tish linked her arm around his waist. “The director called Brady back to India at the last moment to shoot a few extra scenes. So Ray is filling in as my plus-one.”

  “We’ll miss Brady, but I guess that’s the glamorous life of an actor.” The brunette shrugged, then smiled at Ray. “Nice to meet you. I’m glad you could join us.” She extended her hand for a shake, then, thinking better of it, opened her arms again and wrapped him in the hug she’d originally started.

  “Nice to meet you, Courtney. I’m honored to attend your wedding.”

  “Oh, I’m not the bride.” The brunette moved out of Ray’s arms.

  “This is Lisa,” Tish explained. “She’s the groom’s sister. And the maid of honor.”

  “Sorry.” Ray hoped his smile made up for his mistake. “I’ll study harder for the quiz.” He’d need a cheat sheet to remember all the names of Tish’s friends and their husbands.

  “No problem.” Lisa waved away his embarrassment. “I just came down for a snack."

  But, apparently in no hurry, the brunette—Lisa, maid of honor, he reminded himself—continued to chat with his sister about the bridesmaid’s dresses, the bachelorette party, and all things wedding.

  Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Ray watched the hotel guests milling about as if they had no place to go and time had no meaning. A middle-aged man wore the Hawaii tourist uniform: shorts, tennis shoes, and a floral shirt. His wife balanced a huge floppy sun hat on her petite head. A young couple, obviously honeymooners, took every step in rhythm, arms locked around each other’s waists, gazing into their beloved’s eyes.

  At the lobby bar, a couple of young guys cased the female population, like wolves on the prowl. The Aloha lobby was a great hunting ground. Almost everywhere Ray looked were bikini-clad women of assorted sizes and shapes, all of them beautiful in their own way.

  But the woman who caught Ray’s eye sat at a table on the terrace, fully clothed, wearing a bright yellow blouse and a flowing white skirt. Lost in her own space, she tapped away on her phone, then studied the tablet in front of her, her gaze darting every few seconds to the lobby. Unlike the relaxed tourists, she seemed intense. Focused. The only person in his view who didn’t blend in with the scenery.

  Suddenly her gaze shifted and met his, followed by an embarrassed smile. He grinned back. Her attention recaptured by her phone, she started tapping again.

  Ray stretched his shoulders. “You know, while we’re waiting, I think I’ll check out the beach.”

  His sister and her friend nodded without a pause in their conversation.

  Ray walked slowly toward the shore, even slower as he crossed the terrace where the serious, attractive blonde sat. But she didn’t look up from her phone. Shrugging, he continued on toward the rolling ocean waves.

  His tennis shoes sank into the soft sand, creating small craters wherever he stepped. Ray bent to untie his shoes, slipped out of them, and then took off his socks. He wanted—needed—to feel the sand between his toes. Clutching the laces, tossing his sock-stuffed shoes over his shoulder, he dug his feet deep into the gritty warmth. Oh, man. For a guy from the center of the country who’d never seen the ocean, this was like a trip to heaven.

  He shuffled past rows of beach chairs and blankets packed with sun worshipers, tots with pails and shovels, kids building sand castles. Salty air filled his nostrils. When he reached the strip of darker, harder, cooler sand at the water’s edge, Ray dropped his shoes and rolled up the cuffs of his jeans—and glanced back at the terrace.

  The woman who’d smiled at him still sat at the corner table. As Ray tried unsuccessfully to catch her eye, she jumped up from her chair, nearly knocking it over. With a delighted squeal she sprang toward a handsome young man sprinting toward her and fell into his arms.

  Ray let out a long breath. Gotta figure she wasn’t here alone.

  He turned back to the ocean. A light mist sprayed his face, teasing, inviting. Shading his eyes from the sun’s glare, he gazed into the endless blue expanse. The Pacific Ocean. He was standing at the edge of the freakin' Pacific.

  A bald older man with his belly extending over his Speedo waded a few feet from the shore. Farther in, people floated on rafts, and kids roughhoused in the water. Bracing himself for icy wetness, Ray stepped into the ocean.

  The water was pleasant. Hiking up his cuffs all the way to his knees, he waded in and let the rivulets wash over his ankles, then his shins. He sighed. This was paradise. He couldn’t imagine anything more relaxing, more peaceful.

  The two boys playing in the waves ahead of him were splashing and shouting in some foreign language. So much for the idyllic sense of peace. Wait a minute. Only one of the boys was screaming now, and the other was … Shit. The boy’s head disappeared underwater, then bobbed up and went under again.

  Ray forged into the water with long strides. It should have taken seconds to reach the drowning kid, but the tide pushed him back. Using his arms as oars, he sprinted forward with his fastest gait from his running-back days, fighting his way through, as if the waves were a pack of defensive linemen.

  He reached the boys just as the smaller one went under and didn’t bobble back up. Ray wrenched the young boy from the ocean’s arms and threw him over his shoulder, pounding his back, moving at top speed to the shore—this time helped by the waves.

  Laying the boy on the sand, Ray heard unintelligible shouts all around him. He straddled the kid and applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Breathe, dammit. Receiving no immediate response, he pressed his hands against the boy’s chest. When he heard a gurgle, he placed his ear to the boy’s heart and heard it beat. Yes!

  He turned the boy’s face to the side. Water trickled, then streamed, from his mouth. Ray heaved a huge relieved sigh. Not until the kid actually sputtered and coughed did he notice the shrill shrieking voice and look up.

  An Asian woman tore down the beach, holding an old-fashioned sun parasol, yelling something he couldn’t understand. She made a beeline toward Ray, and, before he could stand up, the petite woman closed the parasol and pounded him in rhythm with her shrieks.

  What the hell? “Ma’am, please.” She must be the boy’s mother. But, instead of thanking him for rescuing her son, the woman continued swatting the side of his head. Ray rolled onto his back. Sunspots blinded his eyes.

  The woman raised her umbrella again.

  From a blanket nearby, a swarm of screaming Asian women ran toward them. Ray covered his face to fend off the aggressors, but, instead of attacking, the women grabbed the umbrella lady and pulled her away before she could land another blow.

  Ray lifted himself on his elbows to make his escape, but here came the umbrella woman back to his side. Shit. He’d never struck a woman before but …
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  The woman fell on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and smothering him with kisses. “Aregato, aregato. Hi-ro.”

  Clasping the petite woman by the waist, Ray stumbled to his feet. What a strange place this paradise was.

  Chapter Two

  Amy couldn't believe she was in paradise. The terrace restaurant attached to the hotel had a beach view to die for. She could almost envision the Polynesian beauty rising from the crashing waves in the opening scene from the TV show Hawaii Five-0.

  Even more remarkable was that, any minute now, she would be standing face-to-face with her big brother. She could remember the day almost twenty years ago when she'd been ripped from his side. Though her adoptive family, the Pratts, were fantastic parents who had loved and nurtured her and given her a picture perfect life and a baby brother, she'd never forgotten her Doggie. Her phone pinged. Another text. Doug had his bag in hand. Excitement zinged in her for the umpteenth time.

  "Is everything fine? Would you like a refill?" the waiter asked.

  "Yes, please." The fresh-squeezed lemonade was a treat. She'd ordered lunch but now realized she was too excited to eat.

  The first time Doug had called her a few months back, she'd nearly screamed his ear off. The dream of her lifetime had finally come true. It took all the self-discipline she had not to say, screw her MBA classes, and catch the first flight to Kona to see her big brother in person, but Doug had refused to allow her to ditch her classes or to delay her degree. Instead they spoke often, catching up on the details of each other's lives. She knew, by the shift in his voice from time to time, that he'd been holding something back, but she wanted to know every little thing about every single second she'd missed not growing up with her big brother.