Page 14 of One Night in Hawaii

I was nervous for the day. Penelope had texted me earlier. She was going out on her own adventure for the day and asked me to keep Archer busy. I assumed Archer was being a stinker again, and she didn’t want to deal with him. She was paying me two grand a day to keep him occupied and out of the house. That meant I had to spend my day with the sourpuss. I knew he was going to bitch and complain about everything I suggested we do. Penelope was pretty adamant that no matter what Archer said, I was supposed to drag him out into the world. Her exact words were, “you look like a strong girl.”

I went up on deck to tidy up and saw Ryder walking down. “Hey,” I waved. “You’re up early.”

“You should have come up,” he said.

“No, thanks,” I said, laughing. “I had my days partying with frat boys. Did I hear someone puking around two?”

He grinned. “One of the guys thought it would be funny to mix every liquor we had in the house.”

“Gross.”

“Yeah, it didn’t stay down. What are you up to?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” I answered. “I’m helping out a couple of tourists I met the other day.”

“Since when do you help tourists?”

“They are here from New York,” I said. “Brother and sister. The sister is very nice and she is really trying hard to have a good time, but her brother is kind of a downer. They are on his honeymoon after he got stood up at the altar.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, so Penelope wants me to take her brother out to do something fun. I’m just not sure what to do with him.”

I wasn’t going to tell Ryder I was getting paid to take Archer out. Ryder would give me shit. “I have no idea what I’m going to do with him.”

“Me and the guys are going surfing. Bring him.”

“I don’t know if he knows how and I get the very distinct impression he doesn’t do anything unless he knows he’s going to excel at it on the first go,” I said. “Especially with a bunch of surf experts.”

“We teach newbies all the time,” he said, shrugging.

“It’s fine. I’ll broach the subject with him and maybe we can catch up with you guys later in the week.”

“How long are you hanging out with these guys?” Ryder looked a little concerned. “Do you know them? Are you sure it’s a good idea to be alone with them?”

“I’ve swum with sharks, I can handle some tourists,” I joked.

“Alright but keep your phone on you. I will come after the guy if he fucks with you.”

“Thank you.” I smiled and patted his cheek. “I’ll be fine. Are you going to be in your usual spot?”

“Yep.”

“If he’s up for it, I’ll bring him by. Maybe he’s not the alphahole he appears to be.”

“Cool. Bring him.”

It was time to go. The address Penelope sent me was about a mile away. I was pretty sure I could walk along the beach to get to the house. If not, I would find it one way or another.

It was a hot, humid day. The beach was busy, but not as bad as some of the better-known beaches. About half a mile from Ryder’s house, I found myself gazing up at the beautiful homes with beachfront access. I wasn’t surprised by the neighborhood, considering their wealth.

The beach wound into a cove with several signs claiming it was private. That was a bit of an exaggeration. People liked to claim they owned the beach and the water, but experience told me they would never win should a case go to court. The heat of the day was making me feel sticky and icky. There was no one on the beach or in the water, which was just way too tempting for me to resist.

I stripped out of my clothes and left my shorts and shirt sitting on my sandals on the beach. I ran into the water, feeling the cool rush around my legs. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as I waded in deeper, submerging myself until only my head was above the surface. I closed my eyes and let the waves rock me back and forth, taking me away from my worries even if it was just for a moment. I needed to be in the right frame of mind to deal with my grumpy companion.

When I opened my eyes, I saw him standing on the deck of the two-story home, watching me. He was tall and muscular, with a strong jawline that looked like it could cut through steel. His hair was a mess of dark waves that fell over his forehead, and his blue eyes, that I couldn’t quite see from this distance, were piercing.

Damn, the dude was fucking hot.

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