Rip Current

by Jill Sanders

  “Like it?” He chuckled and set the bags down by the door.

  “Wow.” She shook her head. “This is his guesthouse?”

  He nodded and took her hand. “Come on.” The place had looked like a small cottage from the outside, but when they stepped in, the vaulted wood ceilings gave it a much bigger look. The house was one big room with the kitchen in the middle, and a sitting area with two over-sized white leather sofas off to one side. An open eating area sat along a glass wall that overlooked a small swimming pool.

  Cole gave a tour of the place. There were two smaller bedrooms towards the back, and the master bedroom overlooked the lawn and ocean. A king-sized four-poster bed sat facing the wall of windows.

  “I’ll say it again. This is his guesthouse?”

  Cole chuckled. “Maka is always having guests. I’ve stayed here myself more than two dozen times.” He fell back onto the bed and crossed his arms behind his head. “So, what do you want to do first?” he asked as he wiggled his eyebrows.

  She smiled and walked slowly towards him. “I was thinking about getting out of some of these clothes,” she flirted.

  “Oh?” His eyes heated as he watched her move closer.

  She nodded slowly. “Mmm, stripping down,” she sighed as she pulled her shirt up slowly.

  “Yeah?” He leaned up on his elbows, his eyes watching her every move.

  She stopped at the foot of the bed and pulled her shirt off all the way, exposing her cream-colored swimsuit she’d worn under her outfit. “Yeah, and then jumping in that pool.” She chuckled as he pulled her down to the bed and covered her mouth with his.

  Later—much later—they relaxed in the pool with drinks he’d made for her. She had to admit, when he’d started to throw stuff together, she’d had her doubts. But after tasting the sweet drink, she was thinking of adding it to the Boardwalk’s menu.

  When they got hungry, Cole jumped out of the pool and disappeared into the house for a while. He came back out and put some chicken on the grill, then rushed back in and brought out a salad and more drinks.

  “I could get used to being served like this.” She held up her glass for him to refill as she lounged in one of the cushioned chairs.

  He smiled at her. “My sister told me that you haven’t taken a real vacation since you started working for her over three years ago.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t really have any place to go. Besides, I’m too busy earning money to pay for Willow’s college.” She took another sip to shut herself up. She didn’t want to think about her real life. Not while she was enjoying watching the sun set over the water.

  He sat next to her and ran his hand over her hip. “What’s she going to school for?”

  She sighed. “This year?” She shook her head. “Marine biology.”

  His eyebrows shot up.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “What?” he asked, continuing to run his hand over her skin.

  She shook her head. “It’s just… A lot of people don’t believe it’s a good field of study.”

  “I’m not one of them. I make my living on the water. I know how important careers like that are.” He sighed. “Actually, at one point, I was pretty interested in it myself.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?” She sat up a little and set her drink down.

  “Sure,” he smiled. “Before…”

  She chuckled. “Before you started selling men’s underwear?”

  He smiled. “Hey, those things don’t sell themselves.”

  She laughed. “So, when does this competition start?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Shouldn’t you be out practicing?”

  He chuckled. “You don’t really practice. Besides, since I’ve won the World Surf League championship for the last two years, I’m not really in this particular competition to win.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I doubt that. You’re in everything to win.”

  He chuckled and nodded. “Okay, maybe I am, but…” He sighed a little and looked off at the sun as it sank lower. “It just gets old, trying to keep up. I surf because I love it.” He glanced back at her. “You’ll see. Tomorrow, I’ll hit the water and have a dozen guys trying to knock me out.”

  “Literally?” She sat up a little and frowned.

  He chuckled. “No, well…” He tilted his head. “There was this guy once in Australia…” He shook his head and got up to flip the chicken.

  She followed him and stood next to him. “I thought surfing was dangerous enough on its own. Now you’re telling me guys try to knock you off your board?”

  He shook his head as he set the spatula down, took her hips in his hands, and pulled her close. “No, just one surfer in particular. I guess he didn’t like that he came in second at WSL for two years.”

  “What’s his name?”

  He smiled. “Why? Are you going to go and beat him up?”

  She chuckled. “Maybe.”

  ***

  He never would have guessed that “maybe” would mean so much to him. Sure, Deyon was an ass, but he would have paid anything to see Wendy tell the surfer off.

  That night, after hanging out on the hammock after dinner, he carried Wendy into bed and spent as much time as he could showing her how much her words had meant to him.

  The next morning, when the sun came up, he was stoked. He woke early and, since Wendy was still sleeping, left her a note that he’d meet her down at the beach. He left directions on how to get to the competition, which was only a short walk down the beach from Maka’s place.

  After grabbing a quick bowl of cereal, a banana, and a bottled water, he went down to Maka’s garage. His friend was already pulling the boards out.

  “Morning.” He smiled over at him. “Ready?”

  Cole laughed. “I was born ready.”

  “Where’s Ka makani `olu `olu?”

  “Sleeping in.” He frowned at his friend’s nickname for Wendy, and then it dawned on him. “Oh, I get it. Wind… Wendy…” He shook his head and chuckled.

  Maka just looked at him like he was crazy.

  “Sorry, I guess I was a little jet-lagged yesterday.” He picked out his board for the day, and Maka grabbed his backup board.

  By the time they made it down the beach, there was a light trail of sweat dripping down his bare back. He was aching to get into the water, especially after seeing the waves kicking up.

  “Look.” Maka nodded towards the shore. “Your friend.”

  Cole glanced in the direction and groaned. Deyon was walking towards them, a hot blonde on either arm.

  “Maka.” He nodded towards Maka, then stopped right in front of them and looked at Cole. “Cole.” Just the way the man said his name set off his nerves.

  “Deyon.” He held out his hand, only for it to be ignored, like usual.

  “I didn’t think you were going to make it, what with all your injuries.” He chuckled.

  “Injuries?” he asked.

  “Didn’t you crash your bicycle?” The man’s English wasn’t very good, but Cole knew he’d used the word bicycle instead of motorcycle on purpose.

  Cole chuckled. “That was a while ago. Since then I’ve won the RCP and the ASP.” He smiled and set his surfboard down.

  “Yeah, I heard about that.” He chuckled. “If you call those competitions.” He nodded in Maka’s direction then walked off before Cole could say anything else.

  “That man’s an ass,” Maka said, causing Cole to laugh. He’d never heard his friend use the English version of the term before, always the Hawaiian, which sounded less harsh. “What?” Maka turned to him. “He is.”

  “True. I guess I’d better go check in.” He nodded towards the line that was quickly growing.

  “You go sign in; I’ll stay here and wax.” Maka sat in the sand and started working on Cole’s surfboards.

  Cole walked over to the check-in table and chatted with a few friends. Most of the surfers he’d seen over the years w
ere pretty cool. Most of them looked out for one another, if the occasion called for it. There was always an underlying competition, but it was an honest sport. At least in Cole’s mind.

  There was a group of women that seemed to follow the circuit, and then there were the surfer chicks, as they were called. Some of them scared the hell out of Cole. He would be the last to admit it, but he wondered how the hell he was supposed to compete against a girl that could, if she wanted to, do a back bend on a surfboard. Not that he’d seen anything like that in person, but…

  His thoughts were broken when a cool hand reached up and ran down his back. Turning around, he smiled at Carly.

  “Hey.” He leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek. Carly was one of the followers. He’d never seen the woman step foot in the water, even though she always wore a stark white bikini, which she filled out very nicely.

  “Hi, I was hoping you’d be here.” She leaned a little towards him. He’d known her for almost as long as he’d been on the circuit. She was a good ten years older than him, and turned every head on the beach.

  “Oh?” He moved up in the line and saw that there were only two people now in front of him.

  “Yes, I haven’t seen you since the Gold Coast,” she purred. “I was hoping that maybe we could see one another.”

  With her chest pressing up against his, he fully understood her meaning. She’d shown interest in him a few times, but nothing as blatant as this before.

  “Uh, I’m with someone,” he blurted out, taking her hands in his and removing them from his waist, where they were dangerously traveling lower.

  “Oh?” She blinked and then looked around.

  “She’s still sleeping, but she’ll be along later.” He moved farther away from her and smiled. “I’ll talk with you later,” he said, just as it was his turn to step up to the table. He felt a surge of relief flood through him when she frowned and walked away.

  A few months ago, he would have been all over that. No matter how empty it would have made him feel. He was so thankful that streak of his life was over.

  After checking in and stopping almost a dozen times to chat with other friends, he made his way back to Maka. He smiled when he saw Wendy sitting next to him in the sand.

  She’d brought a portable beach chair and a cooler. “I brought lunches.” She smiled up at him as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips.

  “Hmm, and dessert,” he whispered against her lips. She chuckled as he sat next to her in the sand. “I’m all checked in.”

  “Good.” She blinked a few times and he watched her bite her bottom lip. “Maka was just telling me about Carly.” She nodded towards the blonde, who was glancing his way.

  “Oh?” He felt his stomach flip a little.

  “Yeah.” She sighed. “She sure looked glued to you.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t worry, she’s not my type.” He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He watched her eyebrows shoot up in question.

  “Really, because I seem to remember—”

  “Wendy.” He smiled as he interrupted her. “I didn’t spend last night with Carly, and I don’t want to spend tonight or the next with anyone other than you.”

  She frowned a little and then glanced down at their joined hands. “It’s just so hard to…” She sighed.

  “Hey, I guess we haven’t talked about…” Just then Maka stood up and walked over to them.

  “Ready?” He nodded towards the shore.

  “Yeah, I guess I’d better get out there and show these guys how to surf.” He smiled and looked down at Wendy. “Later.” He waited until she nodded then grabbed his board and headed out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next few hours were complete hell for Wendy. Every time Cole disappeared below a wave, her heart skipped. She watched in amazement as he rode each wave with ease, weaving in and out of the other surfers or the photographers that littered the water.

  Since her eyes were glued to Cole, she didn’t see the big wipe-out that had broken another surfer’s board. He’d been carried out of the surf in a neck brace.

  “He’s young,” Maka said, sitting beside her in the sand.

  Since they’d been there, many people had stopped by to talk to Maka. Some he chatted with, other’s he’d just nod his head at and they would go on their way.

  “You seem to know a lot of people.” She propped her elbows on her knees as her eyes zeroed back in on Cole.

  “I’ve been surfing since I was five.” He smiled at her. “Most come and go, but those who stick around know my name.”

  She smiled. “I think the whole world knows your name.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t tell that to my kids.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You have kids?”

  He laughed and then pointed to another surfer. “My son, Makaha. This is his tenth competition.” He smiled. “My daughter, Maka Nani goes to the university next year.”

  “Are they both named after you?” She chuckled and leaned back.

  He smiled. “My actual name is Maka Koa, fierce one.”

  “Oh, yes.” She laughed. “I can see it now. You’re so fierce.”

  He smiled. “Again, don’t tell that to my kids.”

  “How did you meet Cole?”

  Maka laughed. “I saw him surf years ago and approached him after.”

  She tilted her head in question.

  “If you haven’t noticed, a lot of surfers approach me and ask that I train or teach them.”

  She nodded. Over a dozen had already done so that day. All of which he’d declined.

  “I have only approached two myself.”

  She let that sink in. “Who was the second one?”

  He smiled and then nodded towards a surfer in blue shorts. “Deyon Colston.”

  “Is he any good?”

  He chuckled. “Second best in the world.” His eyes traveled over to where Cole was swimming out. “I still regret it.”

  “Oh?” She turned a little towards him and watched him nod.

  “He has a hole, here…” He tapped his chest over his heart.

  Wendy’s eyes moved back over to the surfer and watched him for a few minutes. He was a powerful surfer, but she watched as he repetitively came too close to the heads of swimmers or cameramen.

  “Is that the guy who knocked Cole off his board.” She frowned as she watched the man jump off his board into the water near Cole.

  Maka glanced at her and then burst out laughing. “Oh, I do like you Ka makani `olu `olu.”

  She smiled. “Thanks. I like you too.”

  She thought Cole would come in for lunch, but instead, he just drank some water and headed right back out to the water. She didn’t know how they were being judged, or for that matter, who was doing the judging.

  She knew the competition lasted two more days, but Maka told her that Cole would just have one more day to compete. By the time Cole called it quits for the day, she was tired herself and could only imagine what he must feel like. He must be exhausted and extremely hungry.

  When Cole walked up to her, he looked like he was energized.

  “How do you do it?” She shook her head as he jogged next to her in the sand.

  He chuckled. “It’s like having my batteries recharged.” He smiled over at her. “Let’s go out tonight. There’s this little place not too far from here.

  She nodded. “I’ll need a shower first.”

  He smiled and stepped closer to her, and even with the large surfboard between them, she felt his heat. “I’ll need one too.”

  She swallowed hard and nodded slowly.

  ***

  Cole sat across from Wendy and couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was wearing a white cotton dress, which hugged her curves beautifully. She had large dangling silver hoops in her ears and she’d left her hair down, flowing around her face.

  They sat at the Hukilau Cafe, one of his favorite hole-in-the-wall kind of places and ate some of the best burgers in t
he world.

  “I’ve never had eggs on a burger before.” She frowned down at the burger.

  He smiled. “Once you try it, you’ll never eat burger without one again.”

  She nodded, then picked up the large thing and tried to shove it into her mouth. He watched and felt his own mouth watering just watching her.

  After taking a bite, she closed her eyes and sighed as she chewed. “Wow,” she said after taking a drink of her soda. “Incredible.”

  He chuckled and picked up his own burger. “Told you.” She nodded as she took another bite.

  “So, how does this competition thing work? I mean, I didn’t see any judges.”

  “Depends on the competition. Something like this one, we’re usually judged on speed, style and the power of the ride and wave. Since this is a big wave competition, the bigger the wave and ride, the higher the points.” He took another bite of his burger.

  He loved talking about surfing, so for the next half hour, he told her all the ins and outs of his trade. The fact that she hung on his every word was not only a happy surprise, but exciting. Most of the women he’d been involved with before didn’t like it when he talked shop. In fact they all tried to steer the conversation towards his modeling career and which celebrities he’d met.

  “So, that’s how it’s decided who gets to ride the wave.” He finished up the conversation as he slapped down some cash on the table to pay for their meal. “Now, I know this great place to get ice cream.”

  She laughed and followed him as he took her hand and led her outside. “I like this side of you.” She smiled as he helped her into the Jeep.

  “Oh?” He turned and looked at her as she nodded.

  “Yes, you seem less… hindered.”

  He thought about it as he walked around and jumped behind the wheel. “I guess I feel that way in the water.” He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Angel’s Ice Cream shop a couple miles away. “It’s the way you are… behind the bar.” He glanced at her and saw that she was frowning. “Come on, don’t try to deny it.” He smiled. “You enjoy your job.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, but…” She glanced towards him. “I never really thought of it as what I was meant to do. I mean, I have other dreams.”