Flustered by his inquisitiveness, she blurted, “Surfing lessons,” and instantly regretted it. She didn’t know how often Liam and Anthony talked, but she didn’t want to risk him saying anything. She scrambled to do damage control. “It’s a surprise for Anthony. He likes to surf, so I’m taking lessons.” She was talking too fast, giving away too much information.
He cocked his head. “Anthony likes to surf? Hmm… I didn’t know that. I’ve never seen any surfboards lying around, and he’s so caught up in his business.”
She could tell from the look on his face he didn’t believe a word she was saying. Tiny beads of sweat popped around her hairline as she forced a laugh. “Yeah… I guess you just never know about people, do you?”
He looked thoughtful. “I guess not.”
“Well, I need to get going. My lesson starts in a few minutes.”
“It was really nice meeting you… Samantha. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a farewell wave as she hastily walked away. She really needed to learn to think before blurting out her business.
Liam seemed like a nice guy, and it was comforting to know he was right next door if she ever needed anything. In another life, she might’ve even been attracted to him. But she knew instinctively that it was better to keep her distance. Anthony had gotten jealous of Koa, the middle-aged concierge who had a wife and several kids. She could only imagine how he would react if he knew she’d been talking to a good-looking, eligible bachelor who happened to live next door.
5
“Hi, Koa.” Samantha flashed a broad smile as she approached the concierge desk. “How are you today?”
“Okay.”
Was it her imagination, or was he acting cool towards her? His bright yellow shirt with red flowers caught her eye. “Nice shirt,” she said, trying to break the ice.
Color crept into his face, and she got the distinct feeling she’d said something wrong. The uncomfortable silence that settled between them was baffling.
“Are you okay?”
He grunted in reply. “Whatta ya need?”
“I’m taking surfing lessons, and I’m wondering if you could tell me where I need to meet the instructor.”
He pointed. “On da grassy area. You’ll have to go out da side and through the pool area to get there.”
“Okay… thanks.” She gave him a pointed look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
His brows bunched, and he looked around before lowering his voice. “I hope you realize that I wasn’t trying to hit on you. I was just being nice.”
Her jaw dropped as blood began pumping furiously through her veins. “I never thought you were trying to hit on me.”
“Well, your fiancé must think so. The dude came by this morning and warned me to stay da heck away from you.” His dark eyes filled with concern. “I don’t want no trouble. I need this job. I have ohana to feed. I can’t have him talking stink about me.”
She couldn’t believe Anthony would stoop this low. “I’m so sorry. My fiancé was way out of line.”
He nodded, looking sympathetic. “Mahalo, Sami, but I hope you understand—me and you can no longer be friends. If the kolohe saw me talking to you, he would go crazy.”
“Kolohe?”
“Troublemaker.”
Her face burned with shame. “I really am sorry,” she mumbled, then turned away, mortified.
Samantha stomped her way across the grass. Anthony might’ve succeeded in taking away her one and only friend on the island, but she refused to let him ruin her surf lesson.
She walked over to the surfboards on the ground and then looked around for an instructor, but there was none to be found. She assumed she was in the right place, but couldn’t be sure. A steady breeze ruffled her hair and clothes. She deposited her bag and towel on the ground and then looked out at the crashing waves in the distance. It felt good to let her mind get lost in the constant motion.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the luggage thief.”
She spun around. “It’s you!” she sputtered, her eyes widening.
Finn laughed. “In the flesh.”
“W-what’re you doing here?” She could hardly believe he was really here and almost wanted to touch him to make sure he was real.
He reached for a surfboard. “Teaching you how to surf.” A fluid grin spread on his face as he wriggled his eyebrows. “You up for the challenge?” He handed her the board.
She laughed, feeling lighter at this moment than she’d felt since her father died. “You’re my surfing instructor?”
“Yep.” He eyed her shorts and T-shirt. “I assume you have a swimsuit on under that?”
She felt shy all of a sudden. “Yeah.” She removed her shirt and shorts—making sure to suck in her stomach—to reveal a red two-piece.
When he removed his shirt, it took all the effort she could summon to keep from staring. How was it possible for a man to look that good? He was a walking, breathing Ken Doll, with chiseled, lean muscles, tapered waist, and a six-pack.
She could feel the blood pumping like a steam engine through her temples. Anthony had been worried about Koa; he would flip his lid if he saw Finn. One more reason she was glad she’d kept the surfing lesson a secret.
“So how do you like Hawaii?”
“Turtle Bay’s great.”
He gave her a look so perceptive she could’ve sworn he was seeing into her soul. “And what about the rest of the island?”
“I haven’t had the chance to venture out yet.” The words left a sour taste in her mouth.
“Really? Why not?”
“I don’t have a car.” She felt like an idiot, trying to explain why she was such a deadbeat.
“Does your brother have a car?”
“My brother?”
“Yeah, the guy from the airport.”
“Oh, him.” She wanted to crawl under the surfboard. That little lie was going to come back to bite her. “He’s been really busy … working on a condominium development on the other side of the island.”
“The one near Ko Olina?”
“I think so.” She didn’t have a clue where Anthony’s development was located, but she didn’t want to come across as a complete moron.
He frowned. “Is that the one the locals are up in arms about?”
“I’m not sure. What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said anything, because it’s probably not even the same development.” He smiled apologetically. “Anyway, you didn’t come here to talk about real estate.”
“Tell me, I want to know.” In that moment, she realized how very little she knew about Anthony’s business.
Finn hesitated, making her wonder if he was going to just change the subject like Anthony would. She was impressed when he began telling her about it. “When the land was being excavated, human skeletons were discovered, revealing an ancient burial ground. A few of the skeletons are over a thousand years old. The locals are petitioning to stop the development from taking place so the sacred spot can be preserved.”
“I don’t blame them. It’s horrible to think a development would be built on top of that.” She shuddered.
“The sad part is that the locals are losing the battle. The last I heard, the development’s moving forward. The builder has all of the necessary permits, so there’s not much anyone can do.”
“What’ll happen to the skeletons?”
“By law, they’re required to transfer them to another site.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know if it’s Anthony’s development,” she said, even though the sinking feeling in her gut told her it most likely was. Anthony’s mind computed the cold, hard facts of profit and loss, not sentiment. He would think nothing of exhuming human skeletons and moving them elsewhere, especially when money was at stake.
He chuckled ruefully. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get off on that.” He winced. “A heavy topic for surfing, don’t you t
hink?”
“Yeah, but I don’t mind.” She appreciated how Finn talked to her like she was an intelligent human being rather than a child.
His eyes sparkled. “You ready to learn to surf?”
She grinned. “Bring it on.”
Finn started the lesson on the grassy section, showing Samantha how to position her body on the board and the proper way to stand. Then they ventured into the water, where they practiced catching waves on their stomachs.
Samantha was so mesmerized by the idea of having Finn by her side that it was hard to focus on his instructions. That changed the minute she waited a second too long to catch a wave. A wall of water crashed down on her, and she felt like her head was being slammed into the ocean floor. Luckily, Finn was there to fish her out. She shook all over by the time they got to shore. Her hair was caked with sand, to the point where she feared she would never get it all out, and her mouth was coated with icky salt. Even though she felt like bursting into tears, she held her composure as Finn sat down beside her on the sand and patiently explained all that had gone wrong.
“You braved your first hard knock,” he said with a grin. A lock of hair fell over his eye, and he pushed it back. “It happens to the best of us. Next time, don’t hesitate. You have to catch the wave when it’s beginning to swell. You don’t want to get caught in the break.”
“Obviously,” she said with a shaky laugh.
He draped an arm around her. “Look at the ocean. Watch the motion of the waves. You’ll start to feel the energy. It’ll become part of you.”
She turned her eyes to the ocean as he instructed, but all she could think about was him. She liked the protective feel of his arm around her as they sat in comfortable silence watching the swell and ebb of the ocean.
She was surprised when Finn hopped up and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. “Okay, let’s go.”
Her eyes widened in apprehension. “Right now?”
“Yep, no time like the present. The longer you wait to go back in, the worse it’ll get. You have to face it head-on. No hesitation.” He touched a strand of her hair, sending electricity pulsing through her veins. “Besides, we’ve got to get the sand out of that lovely hair,” he murmured. His eyes grew intense as they locked with hers. She half-feared, half-hoped he would kiss her.
Before she could do anything stupid, she gained control of her senses and backed away. He gave her a questioning look. “Like you said, there’s no time like the present,” she chirped.
He shook his head, chuckling. “All righty, then. But let’s scale things back a bit. This time, I want you to practice getting on and off the board until you can easily get into the correct position. Tomorrow, we’ll work on popping up to a standing position.”
She tilted her head. “But I only signed up for one day of lessons.”
He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”
“I don’t know. The cost …”
He laughed and casually touched her arm. “I told you I’ve got it covered. We’ll meet the same time and place, every day, until you get the hang of it.”
The prospect of spending a couple of hours each day with Finn was thrilling… and dangerous.
He held out his hand. “Deal?”
Now would be the perfect time to make some trite excuse and end this flirtation, friendship, or whatever the heck was between them. Even as the thought entered her mind, it got snuffed out by his sparkling green eyes and confident smile. As much as she hated to admit it, her resolve was crumbling. All she could think about were those cute dimples and how she longed to rub her hands over his perfectly tanned biceps and broad shoulders. She avoided looking at his muscled chest and tight abdomen for fear of having heatstroke. The essence of him was overtaking her, and there was no way she could resist. Heck, she’d thought of little else since she met him at the airport, and that was before she spent time with him. He was lighthearted and easy to talk to. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive.
“Deal,” she heard herself say as she grasped his hand.
6
The tangy aroma of teriyaki chicken sizzling on the grill wafted over Samantha, causing her stomach to rumble. She used the spatula to turn the chicken and stood nearby to keep a close watch over it.
After her surf lesson, Finn tried to talk her into spending the day with him. But she’d declined. As tempting as it was, she had to be somewhat sensible about this whole situation. Going surfing with him on a daily basis was bad enough. She couldn’t risk spending the day with him as well.
She practically floated back to the condo and took a long, hot shower in the hope that it would soothe her aching muscles. Guilt didn’t set in until she was getting dressed. She berated herself for being so attracted to Finn. It was so wrong, and yet she couldn’t control it. The harder she tried to stop thinking about Finn, the more intense her feelings grew.
Finally, at about one p.m., she couldn’t handle it any longer. She needed to do something to keep her mind off Finn. A walk on the beach or trip to the pool wasn’t going to do the trick. She considered actually getting a massage. After all, Anthony had given her the okay. Ultimately, she decided to do something constructive—something that would help mend her relationship with Anthony. She took the bus to Foodland, a nearby grocery store in a town called Pupukea. The island prices were insanely expensive, and it cost her a quarter of her reserve money she’d managed to squirrel away since her dad died to buy chicken, a pineapple, baking potatoes, French bread, and the fixings for a salad. She loved to cook, but hadn’t made anything since coming to the condo, because (a) the kitchen wasn’t well stocked, and (b) she didn’t want Anthony to freak out over a mess.
Spending time with Finn had opened her eyes to how truly miserable she’d been the past week and a half. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life tiptoeing around Anthony. He would soon be her husband, and the condo would be half hers. She’d always heard that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. She could only hope that would be the case with him, because she was running out of ideas.
“Smells great.”
She looked over and saw Liam walking towards her, a small dog trotting happily beside him. “Hi.” She smiled and waved. “Cute dog.”
“Thanks.” He tossed a tennis ball across the yard, and the dog took off at full speed to retrieve it.
“What kind of dog is it?”
“A Yorkshire Terrier. Her name’s Rebel—a very appropriate name, considering all the trouble she gets into.”
Rebel dove at the ball, pushing it forward with her nose. Then she grabbed it in her teeth and charged back to Liam as fast as she could go. He threw the ball again, and she took off after it.
Samantha laughed. “She’s a bundle of energy.”
Liam stepped up beside her and peered over the grill. He shook his head in admiration. “You’re beautiful and can cook too? Anthony’s certainly a lucky man.”
“Thank you.” The compliment took her by surprise, but she didn’t get the feeling he was flirting with her. And it felt good to be appreciated. “Would you like to try some?”
He held up his hands. “Oh, no, I don’t want to impose.”
“No imposition. I made extra, and it’s almost done.”
A broad smile curved his lips. “In that case, I would love to try a piece.” He motioned to a nearby chair. “May I?”
“Of course.”
Rebel trotted up, wagging her tail, and dropped the tennis ball at Samantha’s feet. She placed the spatula on the ledge of the grill before picking up the ball and tossing it across the yard.
“It looks like you’ve made a new friend.”
“Indeed.”
“How were surf lessons?”
Finn’s face flashed in her mind. “Disastrous, I’m afraid. I got a face full of sand.”
He chuckled. “Sounds about right for the first go-around.”
“Do you surf?”
“A little. I mostly winds
urf.”
“Wow, that’s really neat.” She wiped her hands on the kitchen towel and removed the chicken from the grill. “Hang on a sec. Let me get you a plate.”
“No need. Just hand it over, and I’ll eat it caveman style.”
She grimaced. “It’ll burn you.”
“Nah, I’m tough.”
“At least let me place it over to the side to cool.”
He nodded.
A few minutes later, she handed him a large piece, then wrapped aluminum foil over the remainder of the chicken to keep it moist. She’d already put together the salad, and the potatoes were baking in the oven. The only things she had left to do were cutting up the pineapple and baking the bread, which she would do when Anthony got home.
“I hope I’m not keeping you,” Liam said, as if reading her thoughts.
“No, I’m almost done.” It was nice to have someone to talk to. She was spending way too much time alone. She sat down in the chair across from Liam as he began eating.
“This is outstanding,” he said, relishing every bite.
Warmth bubbled inside her. “Thank you.”
“I feel guilty eating this in front of you.”
“No, don’t. I’m going to wait until Anthony gets home and eat with him.”
He nodded in understanding and continued eating.
Rebel wandered up to her, and Samantha rubbed her head, then pried the ball from her mouth and threw it. Tail wagging, Rebel trotted off to retrieve it.
“She’ll do that all day, if you let her.”
“I don’t mind. I love dogs, and she’s really sweet.”
He finished the chicken in record time. “Where’s your garbage can?”
“Here, I’ll take it.”
“What sort of chap would I be if I handed you the bone of the chicken I’ve been gnawing on?”
She laughed. “You make a good point. It’s in the corner of the kitchen.”
A couple of minutes later, he returned. “Thank you. That was delicious. Much better than the TV dinner I was planning on having.”
Everything to Lose (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 4
