Gold flecks in her green irises glimmered with joy and satisfaction.

He’d seen her skepticism about dinner—even more so when he’d pulled the truck into the parking lot for the Poké Pond. The tiny restaurant set off Ali’i Drive in a four-store plaza that housed a real estate office, a barber shop, and a laundromat. Not necessarily the place one would expect to find some of the best food on the island.

“This is so good.” Her voice bubbled with excitement. She raised a spoonful of poké and offered him a mega-watt smile before shoveling the bite into her mouth and moaning.

A wave of desire shot through him. How could watching a woman enjoy her dinner be such a turn-on? He admired her for trying the food with enthusiasm despite her initial hesitation.

She had an adventurous side. It may need a bit of a tug, but spunkiness lived within her.

Bringing out her daring nature for the next week became his new mission.

Her tongue darted out and licked at the soy sauce at the corner of her lips catching his attention. Kokami!

“I told you you’d like it.” He downed a bite of poké and smirked. He hadn’t been sure how this evening would turn out when he took his mother’s advice and asked Mia to dinner.

Dating hadn’t been his thing. Did this qualify as a date? Did she think it was one? Maybe he thought too much and should just let the evening play out.

“Like it?” She lifted another bite from the bowl. “I love it.” She moaned again, catching the attention of a man crammed at the table next to them.

Kekoa glared at the man still looking their way. “And to think you wanted to share a bowl because you weren’t sure about it.” He chuckled. Never had he witnessed a woman so into eating. Lana and Hannah both ate like rabbits, at least in front of him. He enjoyed Mia’s robust appetite. She didn’t appear to be counting calories. Nor did she pretend it had crossed her mind. “I’d be a starving man if we’d agreed to share.” He pointed with his spoon to her almost empty bowl.

“I doubt you’d be starving.” She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

“Are you calling me fat?” He clutched at his gut and feigned hurt. She released an enthusiastic belly laugh. He loved the melodious sound. Hard to believe the noise made her more beautiful. But it did.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t have an ounce of fat on you.”

“So, you have been checking me out?” he teased.

A blush flashed over her neck and cheeks like it had when he either complimented her or called out her attraction to him.

She looked at her bowl and stirred the remnants of her dinner.

Sassy and feisty one minute, shy the next. He liked that. A natural beauty, sweetness, and a hidden wild side that piqued his interest.

“So, what exactly brought you to Kona?” He’d change the subject to try to diffuse her discomfort. Plus, he’d get a chance to know her.

“My fiancé cheated on me with a stripper from his bachelor party. I needed to escape. Time to think.”

Her blurted words barrel-wave crashed into him. Wow! Her story mirrored his in some ways, reminding him of his experience with Lana. They’d both been in serious-enough relationships to be engaged to another. The idea of her married to some other guy caused his stomach to twist, and that caught him off guard. Lucky for him, her ex lacked intelligence and now she sat across from him.

“That sucks.” The desire to reach out and squeeze her hand like she’d done for him on the ride over flooded through him. But he refrained. Her compassionate response had melted some ice in his chest.

He fisted his hands in his lap. Too much physical contact might blur the lines. He needed to keep a clear head. She would be gone in a week so he couldn’t get emotionally attached, even if things were bound to get physical between them.

“It should suck. I mean, it stung for a minute when I found out. But I’m glad it happened.”

She pulled her lips into a tight grimace as a mix of emotions flashed across her face. He sat up straighter. She grappled with something more than a cheating fiancé.

He tried to find words that would put her at ease and sound supportive. “Well, it’s good to know the type of person you’re going to marry before you marry him or her,” he said, echoing the advice he’s received when Lana left him. “It’s a lot harder to get out of a marriage than it is a relationship.”

She shrugged. “You’re right. But I know Vuk well. I don’t think he is a bad person.”

Kekoa couldn’t understand her nonchalance about a cheating fiancé. Lord knew he hadn’t been so forgiving or indifferent. She spoke of her ex more kindly than he’d spoken about Lana when he’d found out about her betrayal. The infidelity and his complete obliviousness to it still pricked.

“A good person wouldn’t have cheated on you.” He used his sternest tone. He didn’t like the idea she made excuses for a man who didn’t respect her enough to keep his dick in his pants. He traced the word “aloha” carved into the wooden tabletop with his finger, hoping to diffuse the anger percolating inside him.

She adjusted in her seat. “You have a point, but I wasn’t totally honest with him either.”

“Did you cheat on him?” That she could have been with another man while engaged to someone else disturbed him. He’d already walked down that path and planned to stay clear of relationships for that exact reason. Not that they were in a relationship, but his entire perception of her would be altered if she had strayed.

“No. I’d never do that.” Her tone was sharp but sincere. “I probably would have married him if his drunk friend hadn’t accidentally outed him.”