Desperate for a taste of her, I started to erase the space between us when a loud throat clearing cut through.
Julia stilled, darting her eyes to her left where Naomi stood, brows raised, hands on her hips.
“So nice to see you again, Mr. Hale,” Naomi said, her tone exuding a certain level of professionalism I never expected, especially after our rather colorful conversation this morning. “What brings you here today? Or do I even need to ask?”
“I came to steal Julia away.” I turned toward her. “Unless you have more to do.” I glanced at my watch. “You said this was over at six. I didn’t want to wait another hour to see you, so I figured I’d see if I could take you home myself.”
“Of course you can ‘take her home’.” Dropping her serious demeanor, Naomi playfully waggled her brows, giving Julia an overly dramatic wink. “Hell, for all I care, you should ‘take her home’ all night long.”
“On that note…” Julia rolled her eyes. “Let’s get out of here.” She turned toward Naomi. “Do you need help cleaning any of this up?”
“Go!” She practically pushed her toward me. “Enjoy your time in Hawaii. And everything this island has to offer… If you know what I mean.”
Julia laughed, cheeks reddening once more as Naomi pulled a large, leather tote bag from beneath the table.
“Here. Now go.”
Just as she was about to take the bag from Naomi, I stepped in front of her. “I’ll get that.”
“Thanks,” Julia said with a smile as I slung her bag over my shoulder.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Ready.”
Without giving it a second thought, I grasped her hand and started pulling her through the store. She immediately stiffened, stopping in her tracks as she flung her gaze to mine, then to our joined hands. It hadn’t even dawned on me that I shouldn’t be doing this. That we were in public, in a place where people certainly recognized her. Hell, they’d specifically come out here just for her.
“Sorry,” I muttered, quickly dropping my grip, giving her some space so as to not bring any attention to us.
Or at least no more attention than we already had.
But as we continued through the aisles, I felt her fingers slowly link with mine. I snapped my eyes toward her, silently questioning if she were truly okay with this. When she smiled, tightening her hold, a lightness filled me.
I walked proudly beside her, ignoring all the stares as I waited to pay for my cookbook. Once I did, we made our way out of the store and onto the sidewalk, my steps quickening with every second.
“Where are we going in such a hurry?” she asked, struggling to keep up with my long strides as we practically ran around the corner and toward the parking lot.
Coming to an abrupt stop, I yanked her against me. A gasp fell from her throat at the sudden movement. I slammed my lips against hers in a hungry kiss, tongue swiping, teeth clashing.
Instantly, all the tension evaporated from my body, a sense of peace filling me. “I’ve been dying to do that all bloody day.” Burying my head in her neck, I ran my hand along her frame, trying to memorize every curve, knowing in mere days, all I’d have left of her were memories. “You’re a goddamn drug, Julia.”
She grabbed my face, bringing my lips to within a breath of hers. “Then why don’t you take another hit.”
I circled my hips against her. “With pleasure.” My mouth descended. “With immense pleasure.”