Obligation(54)

“She’s afraid of him,” Pika says quietly.

“She is. She hasn’t spoken to me about why she fears him, but I know she does. She moved in with his family when she was young. She wasn’t even really old enough to build real memories of her biological parents at that point, so all I can think is he scared her and she never got over it,” I say, but something in my gut tells me that her fear has a much larger foundation than that.

“I don’t know, man.” Pika shakes his head.

I know he has seen the fear that comes into her eyes even when just her brother’s name is brought up.

My jaw clenches and I growl, “Let me worry about Myla.”

“Done,” he mutters, holding up his hands, hearing the warning in my voice.

“We need to meet Rich,” Junior says, coming back into the room.

“Let’s go,” I say.

We go out to the car, and this time, Junior gets behind the wheel and Pika hops in the back seat. When we arrive at the law firm, Rich and his father are both waiting. I let them know as much as I can. Rich’s father has been taking care of my family since before I was born, but I trust anyone only so much.

“Are you heading back home?” Rich asks.

I look at him and shake my head. “No, I need to find a house here in Vegas before I leave.”

“You’ve got your condo,” he says, confused.

“I can’t control the building. I need to find something out of town that has a few acres.”

“I know an agent. I’ll get you the info.”

“Thanks,” I mutter, shaking his hand before heading back out to the car.

I now have a few days to get things done before heading back to Hawaii and explaining to Myla why we will be staying in Vegas for a while. I know she feels safe at home, and I hate taking her out of that environment, but I need to be here, and I won’t be here without her.

Over the next two days, I look at over two dozen houses, and I am just about to give up and go home to my wife when I finally find a house I know Myla will love. It’s a two-story adobe-style home on twenty acres. The house is much smaller than our house in Hawaii, but its open floor plan and updates are perfect for what we need, and I know my men can make it secure enough for us to live there comfortably while staying in Vegas.

*

I walk into the house and go to the kitchen, wanting to grab a bottle of water before heading to find Myla. She doesn’t know I’m home yet. We spoke earlier in the afternoon, and I told her I would see her tomorrow, but after signing the contract on the house, I got on the plane to come home. My body felt like I was going through withdrawals from being away from her.

I open the fridge, and I’m grabbing a bottle of water when something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. I stand to my full height and flip the overhead light on. My eyes take in a cake that looks like it could grace the cover of a cookbook. I walk towards it and take in all the detailing. The white frosting looks smooth yet creamy. Three layers sit tiered one on top of the other, each layer displaying a single flower so perfect that, if you were not looking closely, you would believe they were real.

“You didn’t tell me it was your birthday. Uncle Frank mentioned it, and I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know.”

I look from the cake to my woman, my wife, who is wearing a pair of light sleep pants and a tank top. Her shoulder is resting against the doorjamb, her arms crossed under her breasts, lifting them higher, and the mass of hair she normally keeps tied up is down around her shoulders, framing her face.

“I never celebrate it,” I tell her, and I honestly didn’t even remember it’s my birthday until this moment.

“That’s what they said, but I wanted to make you a cake anyways.” She shrugs.

I like that. I could imagine her floating around the kitchen, baking a cake with a smile on her face—the smile I only ever see on her when she’s doing something she loves.

“You gonna feed me a piece?”

Her eyes go half-mast, and that look has my cock jerking in my pants. I step towards her, placing a hand on her hip, then look over her shoulder, seeing my uncle standing in the hall.

“Frank, you’re dismissed.”

He smiles and shakes his head, knowing exactly why I’m being so short with him.

“Thanks, Uncle Frank,” Myla tells him then turns red when he gives her a wink.

Once I know he’s out of earshot, I use my hand on her hip to pull her closer to me. “Missed you, makamae,” I whisper against her mouth before kissing and licking the seam of her lips.

Her mouth opens and her body melts against mine as her taste floods my system. Her nails dig into my skin through the material of my dress shirt. With my mouth still on hers, I lead her backwards to the counter, lifting her up, spreading her thighs, and making room for my hips.