Chapter 2
I wake up in a vaguely unfamiliar room. I can tell it’s a hotel room, though, and beside me, I can hear the soft snores of someone who doesn’t wake early to catch waves like I do.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I roll to the edge of the bed, swinging my legs out as I sit butt naked, my elbows resting on my knees as I try to wake up. I’ve never really been a morning person either, but I love surfing enough that I’ve trained myself to become one.
There isn’t much I love more than surfing, to be honest.
Well, except for my family and friends.
And fucking.
“You’re leaving?” comes a muffled question behind me as fingers walk a slow path up my back.
With a grin, I glance back over my shoulder at the chick I picked up last night. A tourist, obviously, out here with her girlfriends for a weeklong bachelorette party. Not the soon-to-be bride, though; that’s where I absolutely draw the line.
I might like to fuck around, but I always make sure the girl is single and willing.
“Yeah, was gonna go catch some waves,” I say, my smile widening as she props herself up on her elbow. The sheet falls from her body to reveal her tits, the telltale tan lines from a week in the Hawaiian sun obvious.
“Sure I can’t entice you to stay a bit longer?” she asks, biting her bottom lip.
I chuckle, reaching over to trail a slow finger along one of those tan lines. “I mean, I really wanna go surf,” I start. “But I guess I could be enticed,” I add, my finger dropping to her left breast, tracing a slow path around her already hardened nipple. “What did you have in mind?”
She smiles, throwing the sheet the rest of the way off now as she slides toward me. “I was thinking of a repeat of last night,” she suggests.
“Getting drunk with your friends?” I tease as she moves so she’s sitting beside me on the bed.
“I was thinking,” she starts, throwing a leg over so she’s now straddling me, her arms resting on my shoulders as she arches her back a little, so her tits are pretty much at mouth level.
“Yeah?” I ask, leaning down to flick my tongue over her nipple as my hands grip her hips.
“Maybe I could take you for another ride,” she suggests, pushing her other tit toward my mouth.
“Fuck it, okay,” I growl, sucking her into my mouth as I reach for another condom on the nightstand.
The front door slams behind me as I stroll inside to find Eli standing at the kitchen island in nothing but a pair of running shorts, a bottle of Gatorade in his hand, as he scrolls through the phone in his other.
“You just getting in or just getting up?” I ask, throwing my keys and phone on the counter.
“Up,” he says with a laugh, giving me a quick once-over as he adds, “Just getting home, I see. You stink of sex, you know.”
“Don’t be jealous,” I rib, flipping him off as I open the fridge, searching for something to eat before I head out for a surf.
Even though Kate, the girl from last night, asked me to stay and have breakfast with her, I didn’t, pretty much leaving after I’d fucked her again. Not that I was a dick about it or anything; I just don’t stay for things like breakfast.
Staying for breakfast implies stuff, and I am always crystal clear, whenever I pick someone up, that it is just sex and just fun. I’m not looking for a relationship, and that’s part of the reason I focus my attention on tourists.
Because I know they are leaving and they aren’t gonna stay and expect stuff from me that I don’t want to deliver. I like my life the way it is: surfing, hanging with my friends, working with my dad and brother, and fucking whoever I want. No expectations and absolutely no relationships.
Lisa is the only exception to that rule, but she and I are both on the same page when it comes to fucking and expectations and relationships, so she doesn’t count.
Besides, it’s not like we are a thing. We’re friends who fuck.
Fuck buddies. Nothing more.
And we’re both happy with that.
Eli laughs, shaking his head at me as he says, “Not even close to being jealous, Kai. Not exactly struggling in the getting laid department, you know.” He waves a hand over himself as if to make a point, and I have to admit, he’s probably right.
Dude is fucking ripped from all the training he does in his job as a firefighter. A job he’s been doing on Oahu for the better part of a year before coming back to Maui recently.
It’s cool he did. Not just because it gave me a new option for a housemate after my little brother finally pulled his head out of his ass and won his girl back, buying and renovating a house for her before moving in with her like the sad domesticated sap he now is.
Eli is also a really cool guy. He’s a couple of years older than me, but we went to the same school, and he’s Owen’s cousin, so I’ve known him since we were kids.
“Take it that’s what you were doing last night then?” he now asks with a grin.
“You know it,” I reply.
“So, who was the chick?”
Chuckling, I glance over at him. “Bachelorette party, one of the bridesmaids.”
“Jesus,” Eli says with a laugh. “You’re hopeless.”
My grin widens as I hold my arms out. “Nope, the ladies just love me.”
He lets out another laugh, his head falling back as he throws his phone onto the counter. “I think it’s more a case of the tourists seeing you as a bucket-list fantasy item. Screw the hot surfer guy and take a story home to the mainland.”
“Meh, works for me,” I say with a shrug. “Not looking for anything more, anyway.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Eli replies, finishing off his Gatorade. “Much as I’m glad my cousin finally got his girl, relationships are for pussies, and I certainly don’t need one to get my fill of pussy.”
“Preaching to the converted, dude,” I say, holding out my hand for a fist bump. “My little brother is so pathetic these days, it’s nauseating. I’m actually glad I don’t live with him and Daze anymore,” I say, even though we both know that’s not entirely true.
I might not want a relationship like Miles has, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him and Daze and am beyond happy they’re back together again. It was fucking shit watching them fall apart and even worse watching that asshole so-called friend of his move in on Miles’ girl.
And while he might have taken his time getting her back, now that they are back together, I know it’s the real deal.
The two of them are beyond sappy, head over heels in love. They’re engaged, for fuck’s sake.
Eli laughs. “Well, at least we’re staying the course,” he says.
“Someone’s gotta,” I reply with a shrug. “So, you working today?”
“Nope, was gonna go for a surf, actually. Wanna come?”
“Fuck yes,” I reply. “Would’ve been out there sooner, but you know,” I say with a grin.
“Jesus,” Eli mutters, shaking his head at me. “Come on, let’s go, horn dog.”
Thirty minutes later, Eli and I are paddling out to catch waves, surfing them in to shore, only to turn around and do it all again.
For me, this is the perfect start to the morning: a good fuck and then a good surf.
Nothing compares, and as I pop up on my board to catch a huge breaker, I can’t help but let out a loud whoop.
“Get some!” Eli laughs from behind me, and when I glance back, he’s grinning, giving me a shaka as I ride the wave in.
When I reach the shore, I jump off my board, right next to a woman standing knee-deep in the water, a look on her face that suggests she isn’t sure if she should go further in or turn around and get out.
“Hey,” I say, tucking my board under my arm. “You good?”
She gives me a look that I’m pretty sure says she isn’t interested in talking to me, but then says, “It’s colder than I thought.”
Laughing, I reply, “It is winter.” I take a step closer, my eyes raking over her as she stares out at the horizon. Jesus, she’s fucking gorgeous.
She turns to me now, squinting as she says, “It’s Hawaii.”
Chuckling, I reply, “So it’s Hawaii winter.”
“I thought it was summer all year round out here,” she says now.
“I mean, yeah, it kinda is. This is about as cold as it gets,” I tell her. “Where are you from?”
“New York,” she replies, just as a wave comes in, crashing against her legs and splashing onto her. “Shit.”
Laughing, I give her another once-over. Gorgeous and a tourist. Win-win. “Just dive under, you’ll be warmer then.” She hits me with another look, and I can’t resist grinning as I add, “Or, if you prefer, I can always warm you up.”
She scoffs out a laugh, immediately biting her bottom lip as though she didn’t mean to.
It’s what encourages me to keep going, despite the fact she hasn’t responded to my suggestion like most women quickly do.
Not to brag or anything, but I don’t usually have a problem picking up chicks, especially ones who are vacationing in this tropical paradise and looking to have an extra good time.
“Is that a yes?” I ask.
She shakes her head, that bottom lip still between her teeth as though she’s fighting a smile.
“But it’s not a no,” I tease.
She nods her head this time, her eyes meeting mine.
“It is a no?” I clarify, my hand moving to my chest to rest over my heart. “Ugh, so quick.”
She lets out another laugh, not bothering to hide it this time. “I’m sorry, I’m just not interested.”
“How do you know you’re not interested when you don’t even know me well enough to know if you could be interested?”
She laughs again, the sound causing a weird flutter in my chest. “Has anyone ever told you, you are extremely cocky?”
Ignoring the feeling, my grin widens as I reply, “All the time.”
She shakes her head, still smiling as she says, “Well, as flattering as it is, it’s still a no.”
“Sure?” I tease, ducking down to meet her eyes again. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I’m sure you will,” she replies. “But I think I’m probably too old for you anyway.”
“Pfft,” I scoff. “Age is just a number. It’s not important,” I add, waving a dismissive hand. “Besides, I happen to find older women extremely sexy.”
“Oh,” she says, huffing out a laugh. “So you’re saying I am older?”
“You brought it up,” I say with a laugh. “But like I said, I’m not the one who cares about it.”
She turns back to the horizon, shaking her head again as she holds a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. “So cocky,” she whispers.
Leaning closer, so my mouth is by her ear, I say, “Extremely sexy.”
She turns, jumping a little as though she doesn’t expect me to be so close. I don’t pull back, instead staring into her gorgeous brown eyes before mine drop to her mouth. A mouth I would very much like to kiss.
“I don’t think so,” she murmurs, and I’m not sure if she’s still referring to my offer to warm her up or my comment about her being sexy.
“I do,” I tell her, knowing I’m referring to both.
She scoffs, her cheeks flushing as she turns away from me, murmuring, “Not a good idea.”
“What’s not a good idea?”
She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she pushes her hands through her long brown hair before twisting it into a knot at the back of her head, securing it with a band from around her wrist. As soon as it’s done, I want to pull it loose, watch as her hair falls down around her shoulders and back.
I want to run my fingers through it, wrap it around my fist as I use it to pull her head back so I can kiss my way down her neck.
Fuck.
I don’t know what it is, but I really want this woman. I want to change her mind about me and us, and whatever it is she thinks is a bad idea.
Stepping closer, I gently brush my knuckles against the back of her hand as I ask again, “What’s not a good idea?”