Page 12 of One Night in Hawaii

“That’s my brother, Archer.”

“Hello,” Shiloh said, smiling at me.

She didn’t have a drop of makeup on. Her sun-kissed skin didn’t need makeup. She was absolutely beautiful. I had a hard time pulling my eyes away from her.

“Sit, sit,” Penelope said and patted the couch beside her. “Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”

I thought about getting off the boat. Penelope had a friend. She didn’t need me. Penelope could make friends with anyone, anywhere. She and I couldn’t be more different. She was outgoing. A real social butterfly. I preferred to hang out at home and enjoy evenings in. I didn’t mind the occasional dinner out with associates or my fiancée, but the idea of shaking hands and introducing myself to new people for hours on end was not fun.

The boat started to move, and soon, we were far enough from the shoreline that I couldn’t make out the people flocking to the beach. The whole time, Shiloh and Penelope talked like they had known each other for years. They were both very energetic, and normally I would be irritated by the nonstop chatter, but I found myself hanging on their every word. I was intrigued by the bubbly woman that had come aboard.

“You should take us with you on some of your adventures!” Penelope exclaimed. “Wouldn’t that be fun, Arch?”

I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, but that wasn’t what came out. “Maybe.”

I wanted to spend some time with Shiloh. She was a vibrant woman that seemed to breathe life into a day I thought was going to be miserable. It wouldn’t be horrible to spend time with a gorgeous woman.

The drinks and hors d’ oeuvres were plentiful. I found myself relaxing a bit more while even getting in on the conversation now and then.

“You guys want to drop anchor here?” Shiloh asked. “It’s a beautiful spot.”

“For what?”

She got to her feet and kicked off her sandals. “To go swimming!”

“Yes!” Penelope jumped up. “I’ve always wanted to dive into the ocean.”

I thought they were both crazy. I couldn’t even begin to guess how deep the water was. Or what was swimming in that water. “Pip,” I said with enough warning to make her stop taking off her summer dress.

She gave me a dry look. Before either of us could say anything, there was a splash. “What the fuck?” I asked and jumped up. “Did Shiloh just jump overboard?”

“Yes!”

My sister flung off the dress, revealing the two-piece she was wearing underneath. She walked to the edge like she was actually going to go over the side.

“No, Pip. At least go down to the swim platform. That girl is a little on the wild side. I don’t want you to try and keep up with her.”

She rolled her eyes. “Go get on your swim trunks. Let’s live it up!”

“You’re only saying that because you’ve had a couple of drinks. You should wear a life jacket.”

“I’m a damn good swimmer,” she said.

I watched her walk down the stairs. I followed her down. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if it looked like she was going to sink, but I had been looking out for her all of her twenty-five years.

Just then, time seemed to slow. Shiloh burst above the surface, wiping her hands across her face and pushing her hair back. I was mesmerized. Her eyes looked even greener and her smile bigger. If there was ever a poster in a teen boy’s room that he could get off while looking at, that was the image. She was a fucking goddess.

“I’m coming in!” Pip turned around and perfectly executed a back flip into the water.

I knew she was a good swimmer. We grew up with Olympic-sized pools in all of our houses. We spent hours in the pool with our friends. I waited for her to resurface and shook my head at her. “You’re lucky you didn’t knock yourself out.”

“The water feels amazing,” Penelope called out. “Get in!”

“No, thanks.”

I didn’t care if they thought I was a party pooper. Maybe I was. I took a drink from my glass and watched the women swim around. They dove under, coming up laughing, and seemed to be truly enjoying themselves.

Shiloh slowly swam to the short ladder and pulled herself out of the water. Water dripped down her tanned body, glistening in the sun. My eyes followed the droplets as they traced her curves, down her flat stomach, and disappeared into the waistband of her tiny black bikini bottoms. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sudden tightness in my shorts.

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