Page 18 of One Night in Hawaii

I was absolutely spent after a few hours. Ryder and the guys drifted down the beach to talk with some of their buddies. Shiloh was stretched out on the sand, her gorgeous body on full display. I understood how she stayed in such great shape. Surfing was a lot of work.

I lay down next to her, and the warm sand felt good. “How long have you been surfing?” I asked.

“My dad took me out when I was younger. I can’t say I’ve ever really surfed.”

“You were surfing just fine,” I said.

“I would never win a competition,” she said, laughing.

“Where did you grow up?” I asked.

“San Diego. My dad was a beach bum.”

“And your mom?” I asked, prying into her life a little.

“She’s a teacher. They’re both in San Diego.”

“Did I hear you tell Penelope you moved here to work with your uncle?” I asked. I had only been partially listening to the two of them talking on the boat the other day.

“Yes, he was a marine biologist. When I was in junior high, my family visited him here in Hawaii. I immediately fell in love with what he did. He told me I could live with him and get started on my own career. He died a year after I moved here to start school. He didn’t have any kids of his own and made me his beneficiary. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough for me to buy my boat and pay my living expenses for a couple of years.”

“You live on your boat?”

“Yes.” She turned to look at me. “You don’t sound like you believe me.”

“It’s just different.”

“I love it. I get to pull up anchor and move every few days if I want. I’ve got a lot of friends around all the islands. They let me use boat slips or use their docks when I need to be on land.”

I was impressed. Her life was one big adventure. She was a free spirit who made a living doing what she loved. I couldn’t imagine waking up every morning and being excited to go to work. I didn’t hate my job but I could honestly say I didn’t love it. I wasn’t excited to put on a three-piece suit every day and sit inside an office dealing with clients and investors.

“Do you ever have a bad day?” I asked her.

She burst into laughter. “Of course, I do. Everyone does.”

“You just seem to be so happy.”

“I am happy,” she replied. “I love what I do. I love where I live. I’m looking forward to keep doing what I do.”

I turned my head, both of us looking at each other with our noses inches apart. Her green eyes drew me in. I wondered what it would be like to kiss her. My eyes dropped to her mouth, taking in the lush lips that I imagined were perfectly soft. I imagined she tasted like the sea she spent so much time in, but she’d also be sweet. They were perfectly kissable. But I didn’t want to make things awkward. Instead, I cleared my throat and looked away.

I had no business trying to make moves on a woman. A few days ago, I was prepared to marry another woman. I was on my honeymoon. Kissing another woman was out of the question. It didn’t matter how good I knew the kiss would be.

As we continued chatting, I couldn’t help but steal glances at her every now and then. The way she spoke about her life with such passion was contagious and I found myself getting drawn into her world.

One kiss. One kiss couldn’t hurt, right? She was talking about coral samples and the importance of protecting reefs, but I couldn’t focus on anything else. I decided to throw caution to the wind and leaned in a little closer. I felt her breath brush over my mouth and closed my eyes.

“Hey, we’re going back to the house,” Ryder announced.

Shiloh and I both pulled away. The guy’s timing couldn’t be worse.

“I’ll see you later,” Shiloh said.

“We’re going to the bar,” Ryder said. “You guys should come. After all that surfing, a cold beer is exactly what you need to finish the day.”

Shiloh sat up, her back covered in sand. I wanted to reach out and brush it away, but touching her would be a very bad idea. I didn’t think I could stop myself if I did.

“Do you want to?” Shiloh asked.

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