Chapter 7
I wake to the sound of pounding, and at first, I think it’s someone knocking, but as I lie here, half awake, it dawns on me that it’s a hammer.
Kai.
Rolling over, I glance at the clock through one open eye, seeing it’s a quarter after six. What the hell is he doing up so damn early? Doesn’t he know that normal people aren’t up this early, and if they are, they’re certainly not hammering a nail into someone’s front door?
I climb out of bed, still tired and a little disoriented as I make my way to the front door. Pulling it open, I find Kai, shirtless, with the hammer raised to strike the nail again.
“Good morning,” he says with far more enthusiasm for this hour. “Sleep well?”
Any response I have is stuck in my throat as Kai stands there looking like something out of a surf magazine. Shirtless, water droplets running through the lines of his toned abs, a deep tan that only comes from hours out on the water in this tropical paradise.
Then there’s that smile, that cheeky yet oh-so-gorgeous smile of his, with perfectly straight white teeth that are set off even more by his sun-kissed skin and striking deep brown eyes.
His hair is damp, as if he’s just showered or come from the ocean, and when I glance over his shoulder, I see his car parked in the driveway with a surfboard strapped to the top.
“How long have you been up?” I ask groggily, letting out a yawn, and when Kai continues hammering, I close my eyes. The sound is too much for it being so early.
“Been out on the water since five,” he tells me as he adjusts the pineapple, positioning it back to upright. “Swell was fucking epic. You should get out there.”
“Out where?”
“On the water,” Kai replies, looking at me like I’m crazy, and I guess if I’m going to be here permanently, I need to learn the lingo.
“I don’t surf. I’m much better at sleeping. Do you know how early it is?” I say, letting out another yawn but sounding a little bitchy in the process.
“Yeah, it’s when the swell is the best,” Kai clarifies, tapping the pineapple with his knuckles. “All good now, Quinn. No one will think you’re up for swapping partners now.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, still attempting to adjust to the early morning wake-up.
“Wanna learn?” Kai now says, and I feel like I have whiplash. The questions are hard for me to keep up with.
“Learn what? Swinging?” I question, confused and in desperate need of coffee if I’m going to be up for the day.
I have a job interview in a few hours, the second one I’ve had since I got here, but that first one didn’t really pan out.
The one plus I have going is I did take half from our joint account before I left, so I’m good for at least a few months.
But the idea of living off Sean kind of makes me sick, and I’m even more grateful that I never quit my job like he wanted me to. I’d be left with nothing right now.
Or maybe I’d be eligible for spousal support.
Not that I want it.
“Quinn,” Kai purrs, and suddenly I don’t feel as tired as I did before, my stomach flipping and my thighs clenching at the way he says my name. “I don’t like to share. I told you that earlier.”
His eyes scan my body as I stand in the doorway dressed in a tank and underwear. I jumped out of bed so confused and tired that I didn’t even think to put on more clothes.
I can’t remember the last time Sean looked at me the way Kai is looking at me right now, and something about it feels so freeing and intimate and erotic.
Wetting his lips, his eyes graze over my bare thighs and then to my breasts, but he moves higher, his eyes connecting with mine. A fire burns in them, and we stand suspended in this moment, a moment that feels like there’s something between us, something I’m not ready to admit to.
“I was talking about surfing. Wanna learn how to surf?” he asks, smiling sweetly. “I happen to know one of the best instructors on Maui.”
“Let me guess, you’re talking about yourself,” I tease, stepping aside so I can invite him in. He’s been standing on the deck since I opened the door. It’s rude not to ask him in given he fixed my door decoration. “Coffee?” I now ask.
“Sure, and yeah, I’m talking about myself. You can’t come to Hawaii and not learn to surf. Come on, it’ll be fun,” he presses, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Fun? There are fish and sharks and turtles and all kinds of other things that live in the water. I’m not sure ‘fun’ would describe me running into one of those things.” I shudder, and Kai lets out a chuckle. “Oh, and jellyfish. No thanks.”
“I’ve been surfing since I could walk, and I’ve never gotten attacked by a shark,” Kai tells me as he pulls out a chair at my small kitchen table.
And again, his eyes fall to my barely covered body, reminding me that I’m not wearing enough clothes for this interaction.
A silence passes between us, and the room feels charged with electricity.
Having him in here with me feels like I’m dancing dangerously close to doing something I’m going to regret.
A broken heart is a liar and will make you think the way to heal is to find someone to dull the ache, but it’s wrong. Hooking up with Kai will only make things worse, even if he does look like his abs were chiseled from stone, and he has a smile that makes me want to drop my panties.
Tossing a thumb over my shoulder, I say, “I’m going to put on some more clothes.”
“It’s not bothering me,” Kai calls out as I disappear into the little bedroom, and I find myself smiling at his comment.
Flirting with him is fun, but that’s all it can ever be. Especially after Daisy told him to stay away from me. That was all I needed to hear to know he’s not for me.
I refuse to go into a relationship thinking I can change him. That’s what happened with Sean, and look where that led.
All those years I spent thinking I was the reason he stopped sleeping with other girls, all those years I thought I was the reason he gave up his rockstar lifestyle.
Turns out, I was just stupidly oblivious, blinded by love and the idea that I had changed him.
I felt important and honored at the time, but again, I should have known it was just an act.
Bullshit.
It’s all bullshit.
The love of a good woman changes no one but the woman. She leaves brokenhearted and feeling like shit.
Changing into something more sensible, I head back out to the kitchen to find Kai wandering the small space, looking around at all the strange artwork and furniture that came with the place.
It was the reason I decided to rent here. It came fully furnished, and the price couldn’t be beat. It is a little eclectic—okay, that’s a lie—it’s a lot, and I mean a lot.
But it’s kind of fun being in a place that doesn’t look like what I lived in with Sean. That was cold and sterile and so damn expensive, and I was always afraid I was going to spill salsa on the pristine white couch. To be honest, I never once felt at home there.
Too big.
Too empty.
Too void of feeling.
But here, in this weird lime green abomination on this massive plot of land, I feel like I’m home. Comforting and quiet, a stillness that brings me peace.
“I always knew this place was weird, but being inside here, it’s even weirder than I thought,” Kai says, laughing as he looks at an abstract, multicolored painting of a cow. “Did you buy this place?”
“No, just renting, but…” I start to say but stop. I have no idea if I’m going to stay, and I don’t need to share every detail with him, even if just yesterday I poured my heart out to him. “Renting,” I add. “Just renting.”
“It’s kinda cool,” he adds, pushing aside the heavily patterned curtains to reveal the bright sunlight that is starting to make an appearance.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing when I walked through it. I guess it has been for sale for a long time, so the owner decided to rent it.”
“It has been, which is strange because everything on the island sells so quickly. But I know this can’t be subdivided even though it’s on tons of land. Some law that was passed for this area of the island,” Kai tells me. “Developers want land. This place needs a local.”
“You should buy it,” I prompt, and Kai laughs, melodic and sweet. “What? You’re a local, right?”
“I am, but…” Kai says, sitting down at the table as I set down a cup of coffee.
“But what?”
“I don’t know,” he replies with a look that tells me he’s honestly thinking about it. “I guess I never thought about buying something here. I rent with Eli, and before that, my brother.”
“You should do it. I mean, if you can afford it,” I add, not wanting to be too presumptuous. “It feels like your vibe.”
“What about you? Maybe you’re interested in buying it.” He smiles sweetly, and there’s something about him that’s very calming. He has this presence, an air of relaxedness I’ve never felt before.
“Not with what I make. Don’t get me wrong, I earn a decent living, but I don’t think I’d ever be able to afford to buy something here.”
“What do you do, Quinn?”
“I’m a masseuse,” I tell him, but with a hesitation in my tone. I scan his face, watching for the judgment I used to get from Sean when I would tell people.
He’d chime in with, “It’s just a hobby,” or “She’s planning to quit soon and go on tour with me.” None of that was true in my eyes, and going on tour with him was my worst nightmare.
I only did it once, using vacation time from my job to do it, and I regretted every second.
Late nights, loud parties, so much drinking and drugs, him ignoring me, him telling me I had to be nice to the fans because they were his livelihood.
But I knew it was more than that, and in the back of my mind, it whispered to me that he was enjoying the attention way too much.
“That’s awesome!” Kai nearly cheers, and something in me swells with happiness. “You got a job yet? Because Owen’s parents own the Orchid Bay Resort, and it has a spa. You should check it out. Remember Owen from last night?”
“Yeah, I do. His girlfriend is Sloane, right?”
Kai nods, his smile still bold and bright. “We should go over there today and see if they’re hiring. If not, there are a ton of other places. I mean, if you don’t already have a job.” He adds this, his head cocked to the side, waiting for me to answer.
“I don’t. I took a couple of weeks to just get settled here, but I’m certainly going to need one,” I tell him, thoroughly enjoying this conversation with him. “But I would hate to impose or make anyone think I’m looking for a handout.”
“Ah, fuck that, you’re ohana here. We help family,” Kai says so casually that I almost believe he wants to help me. “And if you can’t find a job, I’d be happy to come by daily and let you rub me down.”
And there it is. That flirty nature he’s prone to, and even though I’d normally be annoyed by a comment like this, there’s something just so endearing and sweet about him.
“And what do you do, Kai?”
“I make surfboards,” he says, and I can’t help the laugh that falls from my lips so quickly. “What?”
“It’s just so fitting. The whole chill surfer thing you’ve got going. And now you tell me you make surfboards for a living.”
“Family business. Didn’t really have any other option.” He shrugs casually. “I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. My grandpa opened the business, and when he retired, my dad took over, and now Miles and I will do the same when my dad decides to be done.”
“That’s really cool. I’d love to see some of your boards. I bet you’re very talented.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, and they aren’t just said out of kindness. I really would love to see what he does because it’s such a big part of the culture here.
“And maybe I can convince you to try one out.” He hits me with a signature wink, making my heart flutter wildly.
“Maybe.”
“So what do you say we head over to Orchid Bay? Let’s get you a job.”