“Nah, I was out past the reef at six, and I got some great shots. I got here early and saw how calm it was and decided to take advantage of nature’s gift to this humble photographer.”
Lexi wanted to ask him all about his photos. She hesitated, and then decided it was time to get out of her shell. “I’d love to see some of those pictures and check out your camera, if you wouldn’t mind showing me.”
Derek’s mouth turned up in that easy smile, and he nodded. “Okay, sure. Do you want to snorkel for a few more minutes as we make our way back to shore?”
“Definitely.” Lexi busied herself with her mask and breathing tube. She needed to put her head underwater before she ended up asking Derek out on a date.
They swam around the reef, and Derek pointed out more turtles and brightly colored fish. The marine life was unlike anything Lexi had imagined or could describe. She would have to call her brother and tell him he needed to take a vacation. Lexi kicked lightly with her flippers and followed Derek’s lead as he swam close to the reef and pointed at a bright pink piece of coral on the ledge. Lexi admired the rainbow of colors on display and watched another school of fish jet by.
The current shifted, and the rocks that had seemed so far away suddenly loomed close. She put her hands out in front of her, but then remembered the strict commands she’d heard about not touching coral. Kicking backwards, she fought against another wave pushing into the reef. She panicked and opened her mouth to cry out, the salty taste of the ocean reminding her to keep her lips closed. Derek grabbed her around the middle and hauled her away from the reef. His arms were as strong and confident as she’d thought they’d be. She relaxed, thinking she could snorkel like this all day long. To her disappointment, he shifted his hold to her hand and continued to swim forward.
She lifted her head out of the water, and Derek followed. “Sorry about that. The tide is changing. It’s time to get back inside the reef. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know what was happening. I thought I was going to be a rock sandwich.”
Derek shook his head. “I wouldn’t let that happen. Follow me, and we’ll get back to the beach. I’m sorry I didn’t get you out of there before the tide changed. It’s kind of scary if you don’t know what to expect.”
“Okay.” There wasn’t time to say more, because Derek went back underwater. The change in the rolling motion of the waves was scary, and her heart beat in her throat. She focused on the feel of Derek’s palm against hers as she swam beside him.
Once they were back inside the swimming hole, Derek slowed his pace and pointed out more fish. He didn’t tell her not to be scared, or laugh off her worries—he’d apologized and told her he would protect her. He was giving her the chance to feel comfortable and enjoy the water like she had at first so she wouldn’t be afraid to go back out. Instead of judgment, Derek offered understanding. As her heart rate decreased, she thought about the scenario and realized she probably hadn’t been in any real danger.
Derek’s genuine kindness, the way he took her hand in his, and that brilliant smile made Lexi’s heart skip a beat and take off running again. She watched a blue-and-yellow fish swim in front of her and gripped his hand, wondering if he could feel the thrum of energy in her fingertips.
5
Once they reached the shore, Derek took off his rash guard and squeezed the excess water out of the shirt. He toweled off, trying not to watch Lexi do the same. The hot-pink paint on her toenails matched her pink-and-green bikini, which he’d reluctantly helped her cover up with his extra rash guard. She’d done great for her first time snorkeling. The edges of her mouth kept turning up in a smile, so hopefully that meant she was happy with the lesson she’d had despite the few moments of fear.
“Our gear is over there.” Derek pointed a few hundred yards away.
“I feel lost after being underwater.”
“It takes a few minutes to get your bearings, but I always mark my spot by a certain tree or something so I know where to head.” He touched her shoulder to turn her toward their bags in the sand. She stiffened slightly, and then relaxed under his touch, her skin warm and inviting. He quickly moved his hand, afraid that maybe he’d crossed a line.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said. “Makes me want to sit here all day and stare at the ocean.”
“It’s one of those things that will hold your interest for a lifetime.” He glanced away from her face before she caught him staring.
As they walked up the beach, he noticed how Lexi kept watching the waves, looking wistful. He was intrigued by Lexi. She hadn’t shared much about herself or why she was here on this island, but the way she’d tensed when he touched her shoulders spoke of too much stress for too long. He wondered if she’d last. He’d seen it before: people came to Kauai to get away from it all, but after a few weeks they were restless and looking for ways to fill the void that they’d carried with them all along. He wanted to ask her out on a date, but he didn’t want to get his heart tangled up with someone who would be hopping to another island in a month. And Lexi was the type of woman who could definitely tangle up his heart.
“I’m excited to see if I recognize any of the fish in your pictures now that I’ve been on my first snorkeling adventure,” Lexi said.
She sounded genuinely interested, so when they reached their bags, Derek took out his camera, scrolling through a few of the shots from that morning. Lexi sat next to him on the sand, her shoulder brushing his as she leaned in to look at the screen on his camera. He pulled up several shots of the sea turtles playing in the water outside the reef, knowing she was partial to them.
“I could watch them for hours,” Lexi said. “I mean, I’ve already spent a few doing that when I should have been unpacking, but it’s addictive. I never thought something as simple as a sea turtle would make me feel so, so . . .”
“At ease? Joy and excitement wrapped together?” Derek supplied.
Lexi brightened and pointed at a group of turtles on his camera. “Yes. I feel like a little girl at the zoo. Only now I’m not just visiting—I live here.”
“This island will keep surprising you if you give it a chance.” Derek found himself grinning at Lexi as he talked about Kauai. His heart clenched when he considered his thoughts from earlier. He hoped Lexi would last on the island.
“Oh, I like that one.” Lexi pointed at two turtles he’d photographed underwater.
Derek zoomed in a couple notches. “These two look like they are just about to kiss.”
“Now that’s romantic.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, two bumpy, wrinkled turtles.”
“I’m serious. I love the way you captured them in that tiny moment where they appear to be looking at each other, like they know each other’s souls.” Lexi’s voice trailed off, and she ducked her head.
Derek turned to her, noticing how her upper lip formed a perfect bow shape. As a photographer, he noticed fine details all the time, but a flash of heat ran through his middle as he wondered how it would feel to kiss her. He cleared his throat and looked back at the turtles. “You’re right. Now if you’d come and talk about my pictures like that at the street fair . . .”
Lexi laughed. “Print that one up in several different sizes. I bet you’ll sell them all in the first hour.”
He liked the glint of a dare in her eyes. “You think so, huh? Care to wager on that?”
She scooped up a handful of sand and let it sift through her fingers. “Okay, if you don’t sell out I’ll buy you a mahi-mahi dinner. But if you do, then you owe me.”
Derek held out his hand. “You’re on.”
She grinned and shook it. Derek found himself smiling almost as big as Pika did when he caught the perfect wave surfing. That thought knocked Lexi out of his brain, and he glanced at his watch. “Man, I didn’t realize it was already nine o’clock. I’d better get to work.”
“Oh, I thought you were ‘at work.’” Lexi pointed at his camera.
Derek carefully packed up a
nd zipped his bag. “My friend Pika sells coconuts at the base of the hiking trail right over there.” He pointed at the mountain rising up beyond the lifeguard tower. “I’ll be chopping for the rest of the day because he’s shorthanded.”
“Chopping?”
“Haven’t you had a coconut water yet?”
“The kind in the little box with the straw? Yeah, I picked a few up in the airport.”
Derek wrinkled his nose. “No way. The kind in the coconut with the straw.”
Lexi furrowed her brow. “I thought coconuts had milk inside?”
Derek smiled and shook his head. “Now, see, I knew you were a tourist.” He laughed when Lexi huffed. “Coconuts have liquid inside—their water. It’s full of vitamins and minerals that are especially great for hydrating after a long hike. If you want coconut milk, you have to make that by grinding up the coconut and squeezing out the pulp.”
Lexi jumped to her feet. “Can I see? That sounds so cool.”
Derek stood next to her and shouldered his bag. She probably wouldn’t be impressed when she saw the gritty work it took to open the coconuts, but she hadn’t balked at spitting in her mask, so she should be fine. “Okay, but I’ll warn you now: don’t believe anything that Pika says.”
“Got it.” Lexi nodded, and then tilted her head. “He’s your friend, though, right?”
Derek laughed. “Yep, best friend that treats me like a little brother every chance he gets.”
“Should be interesting.” Lexi quickened her step.
For a moment, Derek wondered if maybe it wasn’t a good idea for Lexi to meet his rough-around-the-edges friend. Pika liked to make fun of tourists even though they made his job possible.
They passed the sign for the Kalalau Trail and Lexi grabbed his arm. “Oh, this is the hike I read about in my guidebook!” Lexi clapped and gazed upwards.
“Do you like hiking?” Derek followed her gaze, his skin tingling where she’d touched his arm.
“I’m from Chicago, so not much hiking there, but I love exploring, and I want to get to know this island.”
It was the perfect excuse to ask her out. Derek had held back earlier, and because of Lexi’s dare that he turned into a wager, they would be seeing each other again. But the street fair didn’t take place for almost another week. He didn’t want to wait that long to see the sparkle in Lexi’s green eyes. He pointed at the mountain and then at her. “Would you like to go Monday morning?”
Lexi turned to him with a smile. She nibbled the inside of her cheek as she considered his offer, probably noting the significance of them doing something together again so soon. Her shoulders rose and fell as she took in a breath. “I would love that. What’s the best time to start?”
“Any time, but how about seven again? The trail is pretty quiet that time of day, and Pika will probably be here chopping coconuts by the time we get back.”
“So you can go to work, right?”
Derek shrugged. “Unless something better comes up before that.”
“I think that sounds like a perfect way to start the week.”
“Me, too.” Derek’s heart thrummed in his chest, and he was acutely aware of Lexi walking close to his side.
They continued walking toward Pika’s beat-up red pickup. The tailgate was down, and Pika stood in the center swinging his machete with precise strokes while tourists watched him. It only took a few chops to remove the outer shell of the coconut, the skins piled up in the back of the pickup behind Pika. He hefted the milky white coconut to a pile and started on another one. Pika’s mother, Kima, bent over a cooler and retrieved a coconut. Her eyes nearly disappeared in the folds of wrinkles as she gave the fresh coconut to an older gentleman.
“Is that your friend?” Lexi asked.
Derek nodded. Pika wore a tank top and shorts, and his thighs were probably as big around as Lexi’s waist. Derek looked at Lexi out of the corner of his eye to see if she was ogling Pika like so many of the women who stopped here tended to do. He breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Kima handing out coconuts. He and Pika had vied for more than one girl’s attention the past few years. They usually went for the chiseled islander heaving a machete, not the lanky photographer beside him.
Derek steered Lexi toward Kima. “Hey, makuahine, how about one of those coconuts for my friend, Lexi?”
Kima straightened and reached her arms out to hug Derek. “So good of you to come and help Pika. He’s chopping fast, but so many people already today.” She released Derek and moved to Lexi. “Oh, your beautiful friend. If you want to keep your wahine, give the proper introduction.”
Derek’s face burned at Kima calling Lexi his “woman.” He should be used to Kima’s teasing about him finding a woman by now, but he was self-conscious today, like Lexi meant more than the other girls he’d brought around—not that there had been many. “Lexi, this is Pika’s mother, Kima.” He glanced at Lexi, and she was smiling, her face tinged red as well.
She held out her hand. “Aloha, I’m Lexi Burke. I just moved to Princeville, and I have to say that your island is the beautiful thing.”
Kima waved off Lexi’s hand and embraced her. “Mahalo nui loa. I say, thank you very much.”
Derek saw a break in the line of people. Any minute, Pika would stop chopping and start hollering; then he’d stop working altogether when he saw Lexi. Derek grabbed a coconut out of the cooler and put a straw in the center. He handed it to Lexi with a smile. “Lexi’s never had fresh coconut water before, and I told her this is the place to try it.”
Lexi took the coconut and sipped the straw tentatively. She swallowed with a puzzled expression. “It’s good, not what I expected at all. Thank you.”
Kima patted her cheek. “It’s good for your skin and your heart.” She glanced at Derek, but he pretended not to notice. Kima was anything but subtle when it came to matchmaking.
“I’d better get chopping,” Derek said. “Enjoy your coconut.”
“Thank you, I will.” Lexi put her hand on his arm. “Thanks for the wonderful morning. I hope you have a lot of success today.”
“Saturdays are crazy busy, so I’m sure we will, and I won’t be able to lift my arms tomorrow.” He covered her hand with his and smiled. “See you later.”
Derek stowed his gear and then stepped toward the pickup, hopping up next to Pika.
“Hey, bro, finally decided to let the girl drink her coconut in peace? Thought you’d never get up here,” Pika said.
Derek laughed. Pika thought he was just flirting with one of the customers. Time for him to stake his claim if he wanted any chance of getting to know Lexi without Pika interfering. “That’s Lexi. She moved to the island, and I taught her how to snorkel this morning.”
Pika stopped and lifted his chin. “She like you?”
Derek shrugged. “She’s a nice girl. She likes my photos.”
Pika smiled wide and smacked Derek across the back. “She must have been looking at pictures of me, then.”
Derek shook his head. “Could have been, but she thought they were turtles.”
Both of them laughed, and Pika started chopping again. Derek pushed aside the husks, clearing a space for him to work. He was grateful that Lexi wouldn’t have to endure Pika’s “charm.”
“My uncle’s bringing another load after noon.” Pika grunted as he rolled another coconut into place. “It’s gonna be a big day.”
“Hand me that machete.” Derek stretched his arms over his head, watching Lexi talk with Kima before walking back down toward the beach. He moved into position and chopped the green from the coconut, revealing the rough, white flesh. When he and Pika were in the zone, they could chop four coconuts per minute. His mind was already busy retracing every moment he and Lexi had shared that morning.
It wasn’t until after Lexi left that Derek realized he still didn’t have her number. He had wanted to give her space and time to trust him at first, but now he wished he’d been bold. He brought his machete down hard on the next
coconut. He’d just have to pray that she showed up Monday morning.
About an hour later, Derek stopped for a short break. He stretched his shoulders and ate a few mouthfuls of coconut flesh from one of the fruits that had split open. His phone vibrated with a text, and he pulled it out of his pocket and slid his finger across the screen.
Thanks so much for teaching me how to snorkel! And teaching me about coconuts! You have my number now.
One side of Derek’s mouth lifted, and he pocketed his phone. Lexi had kept the business card with his number he’d given her last night, and she’d reached out. He’d wait until later to reply—Pika would never let him hear the end of it otherwise.
6
Lexi’s cheeks hurt from smiling by the time she walked through her front door. Derek had been featured in at least every other thought all the way home. She’d turned back to watch him chop coconuts while he talked with Pika. The Polynesian man was stunning with his dark skin, bulging muscles, and quick strikes of the machete, but Lexi’s eyes were drawn to Derek. He carried himself with an ease and agility that belied the strength she’d felt when he’d pulled her away from the rocks that morning. A thrill zinged through her when she remembered the feel of his hands around her waist.
It was time to get her mind occupied with something besides Derek.
She pushed herself to unpack the remaining boxes and made a checklist of things she would need in her new living space. The home was sparsely furnished, but what she really needed was a comfortable overstuffed chair. She could sit in front of the window off the kitchen that overlooked the ocean and enjoy the view on a stormy day.
After lunch, which consisted of a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich, Lexi walked around her house trying to decide what to do. She stubbed her toe on the box of art supplies she’d partially unpacked, but instead of cursing it, she smiled. The new stretched canvas she’d purchased leaned against the wall in her bedroom, tempting her with possibilities. Lexi stretched her arms over her head and rolled her shoulders back. She found the bag of new supplies and stepped outside.
Hawaiian Masquerade (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 4
