Page 37 of One Night in Hawaii

I took the shot, feeling the burn and coughing once. “Damn. You know that’s like two shots, right?”

Ryder laughed. “Yep.”

Shiloh, with her carefree spirit and infectious energy, was the life of the party. She moved gracefully to the rhythm of the music, her laughter ringing through the air like a melody. Ryder’s friends and some of the other guys all took their turn dancing with her. She wasn’t necessarily dancing with any of them, but dancing in general. Her head was back and her arms spread wide as she looked up at the stars dotting the dark sky. As I watched her from afar, jealousy gnawed at me, tugging at my emotions like a relentless undertow.

Part of me wanted to join in the fun, to dance with her, and be swept away in the euphoria of the moment. But another part of me was held back by insecurity and self-doubt. I felt like an outsider amidst her circle of friends, and it made me question whether I truly belonged in her world. I was a few years older than she was and not quite like them.

As Shiloh’s laughter reached a crescendo, my jealousy intensified. Why couldn’t I be as carefree and uninhibited as her? Why did I let my insecurities get the better of me? I tried to shake off the envy, taking a sip of my drink to distract myself. But no amount of alcohol could drown out the nagging feeling inside me.

Ryder pulled Penelope into his arms and danced around the beach with her. My sister was laughing and clearly enjoying herself as well. I could honestly say I had never seen her laugh quite so hard in all my life. Shiloh’s influence was contagious. Soon, Shiloh was dancing with Penelope.

Ryder came to where I was sitting and handed me a fresh beer. “You should dance,” he said.

“I’m not much of a dancer.”

“Dude, do you see us out there,” he said, laughing. “None of us are good dancers. It’s like being in the water. You just let the music speak to you. Your sister is a hell of a dancer.”

“Ryder, you do know Penelope is engaged, right?” I asked gently.

I could tell he liked her and didn’t want him to have his heart crushed. My sister had that effect on men.

“Shoot, man, it don’t matter. She doesn’t even like me. She tells me I annoy the hell out of her. I think she’s just tolerating me to be nice.”

We both knew that was a crock of shit. Penelope was putting out the vibes. I was her brother and even I was picking up on it. I had to admit, Ryder was a poor dude with no real career and no home, but he was ten times the man Matthew would ever be. And he made Penelope laugh. That alone made him a good guy in my book.

“She’s only nice to people she likes,” I said. “If she doesn’t like someone, they know it.”

I quicky downed the beer for a little liquid courage and then got to my feet. “No one better be taking pictures or filming this,” I said to Ryder.

“Dude, look around. No one has their phones out. Hell, I bet half of them don’t even have their phones here. When we party, we party to have fun and make memories. We don’t need to see our fun through a two-inch screen.”

He was right. I never realized it before now. They weren’t on their phones. They were living in the moment. That was something I needed to learn to do. I put on a smile, trying to match the enthusiasm around me, and walked toward Shiloh.

Shiloh noticed me and gave me a bright smile, inviting me to dance with her. Despite my inner turmoil, I couldn’t resist the pull of her charm. As we moved together, her laughter contagious, I felt a momentary respite from my jealousy. She was in my arms. She was dancing with me, not around me.

I twirled her around, feeling the heat of her body against mine. She smelled of lavender and the ocean. I breathed in deeply, savoring the scent. As the music slowed, she leaned in closer, her lips brushing against my ear.

“I need to talk to you,” she whispered, her voice husky and low.

I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through me at her words. I knew what she was saying, and my body was already responding. I couldn’t deny her, not when I wanted her just as badly.

“Didn’t you warn Penelope about sneaking off with boys?” I teased.

She playfully pushed at me. “I’m not engaged to be married.”

She took my hand and led me away from the party. We were far enough away from the more populated areas on someone’s private property. Apparently, Ryder’s friend’s dad was filthy rich and owned a huge chunk of property. I could see myself enjoying something like this.

We could still hear the music and the laughter in the distance, but it was just us. She led me to a spot up the beach, nestled between tall palm trees and giving us plenty of privacy.

We sat down with our shoulders touching. “What’s up?” I asked when I noticed she suddenly looked very serious.

“I just thought we should clear the air,” she said.

“Clear the air?”

“Yes, earlier today, I think I might have sent the wrong signal,” she said.

“You’re going to need to be a little more specific,” I teased.

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