Page 32 of Hula Girl

A wave of emotion passes over her face, but she quickly shrugs it off. “Pretty much. He basically said I’m not marriage material. And so, I walked away.”

“Whoa,” Pika says. “Like a badass.” He holds up an imaginary drink since he still doesn’t have one and toasts her.

She can’t mask the hint of sadness in her face. Still, she gamely raises her now almost empty bottle to toast with him.

“It was actually a good thing,” she continues. “It made me realize I’m not willing to settle for anything less. Women are always told they don’t have to compromise, that they can have it all. I’m willing to test that proposition, to put myself first and stay true to what I really want.”

I sit back in wonder at this statement. She’s a rare creature. Someone to admire, especially as I’m still trying to come to terms with how to stay true to myself after losing my way for so many years.

“Yeah, well, your boy Ford knows all about walking away from things,” Pika says with a laugh.

I ignore him, giving Ava my full attention. “You deserve nothing less,” Itell her.

She watches me for a moment, searching my face, I’d guess, for some hint that I’m mocking her. But there’s nothing but earnestness in my expression. Despite the fact that I don’t really know her, I can’t deny this overwhelming desire for her happiness.

When she smiles, her eyes sparkle. That flash of sadness has disappeared. “Right?” she says with a laugh.

I lean in and kiss her.

I kiss her like she’s my girlfriend.

Like she’s the one.

Because at this moment, that’s what our connection feels like. I don’t stop to think that our time is slipping away. It feels too good to pretend that’s not the case. Especially when she kisses me back with the same intensity.

“Okay,” Hiro says loudly. “We’ll take a hint. Let’s go, Pika.”

Pulling away from Ava just enough to give the guys a nod goodbye, I then whisper to her, “Let’s get out of here, Hula Girl.”

12

Ava

Once we’re back in Ford’s truck, I suggest we go to my hotel and he readily agrees. While he drives he tells me about growing up with Pika and Hiro. I listen, enjoying the stories of misadventures he shares as I play with the hair at the nape of his neck. We’re both relaxed and the twenty-minute ride passes by easily.

“Go ahead and use the valet,” I tell him as he approaches the entrance to the Ritz-Carlton. “I’ll have the cost charged to my room.”

He gives me a wink. “It’s okay. I do have a little money.”

“I just meant—”

Pulling my hand up to his mouth, he kisses the back of my fingers. “No worries. It’s all good.”

The valet opens my door before I can respond. I hadn’t meant to offend him. I just assumed he’s not exactly rolling in dough, not with the spare way he lives, and so I didn’t want him to feel obligated to take on the cost of parking himself.

He meets me at the entrance to the hotel where a doorman greets us with analoha.

“Are you hungry?” I ask as I lead him to my suite.

“Starved,” he replies.

When I glance at him, I see that he’s not talking about food. He’s got lust in his eyes. I feel a spark of the same desire. My heartbeat quickens and a rush of warmth travels through my core and settles between my legs.

We come to my suite and I slide the key card into the slot at the door and he follows me inside.

“Nice room,” he says.

The suite has a separate living area with views of the ocean along with a balcony. The floors are hardwood, and there’s both a comfortable couch and a separate small dining table. It’s an insanely expensive room, and not the kind of indulgence I’d spend my own money on. I’m suddenly hyperconscious of how this makes me look.

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