Page 9 of Knot Your Sunshine (Snugverse Romcom #2)

Chapter eight

Mia

I sink into the jacuzzi's bubbling heat with a sigh that comes from somewhere deep. Above me, stars scatter across the Hawaiian sky like diamonds on black velvet, and the moon hangs low and full, painting silver paths across the dark ocean below.

My muscles melt into the jets' pressure, and I tip my head back against the cushioned edge.

Finally. Alone. Quiet.

Well, mostly quiet. My brain, traitor that it is, keeps circling back to tomorrow.

Or whenever Josh's mysterious boss returns.

I've been rehearsing my pitch in my head for weeks.

Maybe I should actually write it down instead of trusting my sleep-deprived brain to remember everything when the moment comes.

But then, warm jets find a knot between my shoulder blades, and a groan escapes before I can stop it. My carefully organized business thoughts suddenly scatter like startled fish.

Josh's shy smile drifts into my mind uninvited. Then Keanu emerging from the waves.

Maybe that's exactly what I need to think about right now. Just for a few minutes. To take the edge off this restless energy humming under my skin.

I close my eyes and let my imagination wander.

I'm walking through the resort at sunset. The dining terrace overlooks the ocean, torches already lit. Josh sits alone at a corner table, those glasses catching the light as he reads something on his tablet.

He looks up as I approach, and that shy smile of his spreads across his face. "Mia." He stands so quickly his napkin falls to the floor. "Would you like to join me?"

I slide into the chair across from him. He's explaining something about the volcano that formed this island, passion lighting up those beautiful whiskey-brown eyes.

"The lava tubes underground are actually—" His fingers brush mine as we both reach for the water pitcher. He freezes. I don't pull away.

"Sorry, I—" he starts.

"Don't be," I whisper.

The scene shifts in my mind, melting like watercolors.

The beach at twilight. Keanu walks out of the ocean.

"I've been thinking about you all day," he says, voice low enough to make me shiver.

He sits on the edge of my beach chair, so close his thigh presses against mine through the thin fabric of my cover-up.

My breathing deepens. The hot tub water around me suddenly feels much warmer somehow.

In my fantasy, Josh appears on the beach, but instead of awkwardness, there's heat in his gaze. "Mind if I join?"

Keanu grins, shifting to make room. "We were just talking about you."

Now I'm between them on a beach blanket as the sun sets. Josh's hand rests on my lower back, his fingers tracing lazy circles while Keanu plays with my hair. "You're trembling," Josh observes, voice soft with concern and something else.

I am trembling. Right now, in the jacuzzi.

My hand drifts down my stomach, fingers trailing over sensitized skin.

The fantasy shifts again. We're here, in this very jacuzzi.

Josh behind me, my back pressed against his chest, his arms around me.

His hands explore… gentle at first, then bolder when I gasp.

Keanu kneels in the water before me, those sea-green eyes holding mine as his palms slide up my thighs, his thumbs making me squirm.

"Let us take care of you," Josh whispers against my ear, his breath hot.

"We've been thinking about this all day," Keanu adds, voice rough. "How you'd look. How you'd sound."

My fingers find their destination between my thighs, and I bite my lip to stifle a whimper. The jets pulse against my back as I shift, finding the perfect angle where the water pressure hits just right. My hand moves in rhythm with the jets, circling, teasing.

In my mind, it's Josh's fingers. Keanu's mouth is on my neck, teeth grazing that spot below my ear. "That's it," he murmurs. "Don't hold back. Want to hear you."

The pressure builds, coiling tighter in my core. My free hand grips the jacuzzi's edge hard enough to hurt. I can almost smell them… those tantalizing, muffled scents that drove me crazy all day. Something earthy from Josh, and citrusy from Keanu.

"Beautiful," Fantasy-Josh breathes against my shoulder.

"Perfect," Fantasy-Keanu agrees, fingers joining Josh's.

The combination of the jet's relentless pressure and my own touch sends me spiraling. My thighs shake. Heat races through my veins like lightning. I arch back, a cry escaping despite my best efforts to stay quiet as waves of pleasure crash over me, leaving me gasping and boneless.

For long moments, I float in the aftermath, my heart gradually slowing to something approaching normal.

My gaze lands on the slim pager Josh gave me, sitting innocently on the jacuzzi's edge where I set my phone. The temptation hits like cold water. He did say to page him for anything I needed...

And technically, another orgasm would qualify as a need, right?

I actually snort-laugh at myself. Sure, Mia.

Page the sweet assistant for a booty call.

That's exactly the professional impression you want to make before your big business pitch.

'Hi, yes, I'm here to discuss distribution deals and also maybe could you come help me with this totally urgent situation in my jacuzzi? '

I shake my head at my own ridiculousness and let myself sink back into the water until just my nose stays above the surface. The jets knead my now-liquid muscles, and I should probably grab my phone, finally write pitch notes—

But something catches my eye in the dark water below.

Blue lights.

Tiny sparks of electric blue dance in the waves, like stars have fallen into the sea. The water glows wherever it moves, creating ribbons of light that pulse and fade with each wave, then pulse again, brighter.

What is that?

I sit up so fast water sloshes over the edge. The lights multiply as I watch, spreading along the shoreline until the entire beach glimmers like liquid starlight. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I grab my phone and text Elena: You HAVE to see this! The ocean is GLOWING!

I set the phone down and watch, mesmerized. The lights seem to respond to the waves, growing brighter with each crash against the shore, then fading to embers before flaring again.

Five minutes pass. Then ten. The phenomenon shows no sign of stopping.

I glance at my phone. No response from Elena. Maybe she's passed out on pina colada or something…

The lights continue their ethereal dance, and something in me stirs… that same reckless impulse that made me accept a stranger's flight offer.

My feet are already moving, pulling me up from the water. I need to see this up close. Touch it.

* * *

My bare feet sink into cool sand, the resort lights fading behind me as I follow the shoreline, drawn by those mysterious blue lights.

A wave pulls back with a gentle swoosh, and there, threads of electric blue streak through the receding water like liquid lightning.

I wade in up to my ankles, gasping as the next wave rushes in, bringing the light with it.

The glow swirls around my legs in ribbons that pulse and fade with my movement.

I cup my hands and scoop up seawater. The blue light clings to my palms, tiny stars pulsing between my fingers. When I pour it back, each droplet creates its own small constellation before rejoining the sea.

Pure magic.

And that's when I hear it, music floating on the night breeze, a melody that seems to reach inside my chest and tug.

The beach curves around a gentle bend lined with palm trees. On the other side, orange firelight flickers against the darkness. An alpha sits on a piece of driftwood, cradling a ukulele. His fingers dance across the strings, creating cascades of notes that rise and fall like the ocean's breath.

I stop just beyond the firelight's reach, transfixed.

The flames paint him in gold and shadow: broad shoulders curved protectively over the small instrument, dark hair falling slightly forward as he plays.

His face is turned toward the ocean, eyes closed, completely lost in the music.

Every note seems pulled from somewhere deep inside him, raw and honest.

The blue lights in the water pulse in rhythm with his playing, as if the ocean itself has stopped to listen.

The final chord vibrates in the air for a heartbeat, then two, before fading into the sound of waves.

He turns toward me slowly, no surprise on his face. Eyes the color of midnight ocean meet mine.

"Aloha."

The word rumbles from his chest, warm as the fire between us.

"Hi." My voice comes out breathless. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I saw the lights in the water, and then I heard your music—"

"You're not intruding." A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he pats the space beside him on the log. "The fire's for sharing."

My feet move without permission. I settle beside him, hyperaware of the fire's heat in front of me and the warmth radiating from his body on my right.

And his scent... God, his scent. Like the Josh and Keanu, it's muffled somehow, wrapped in cotton, but the woodsy notes that break through make my omega want to jump him and sniff him for more.

"The—the water," I manage, forcing myself to focus on something else. "It's incredible."

"Bioluminescent plankton," he says, watching the glowing ocean before us pulsing with otherworldly light. "They only light up like this a few times a year. You picked a good night to wander."

"Do you come here often?"

His fingers absently pluck a quiet melody. "When I need to think. The world gets noisy sometimes."

"What kind of noise?"

The melody falters for just a moment. "Expectations. Responsibilities." He shrugs, the movement bringing him slightly closer. "Out here, it's just the ocean and the music."

I watch his profile in the firelight, the strong line of his jaw, how his fingers caress the ukulele strings with practiced ease…

"That song you were playing. It was beautiful."

"Thank you." His thumb brushes across the strings, coaxing out a whisper of sound that makes my skin prickle. "Music describes things words can't."

"What was it describing?"

He turns to look at me fully, and the intensity in his gaze steals my breath. "Longing."

The word hangs between us, heavy with meaning. A wave crashes nearby, sending up a spray of blue sparkles. The fire pops, releasing embers that spiral upward like tiny phoenixes.

"Would you..." I wet my suddenly dry lips. "Would you play something else?"

He studies me for a long moment, something shifting in his expression. Then he positions his fingers on the frets. This melody is different, slower, dreamier. It winds around us, each note seeming to pull me closer. The firelight dances across his hands as they move, confident and sure.

I find myself swaying slightly, hypnotized by the combination of music and lights.

When the last note fades, neither of us moves. The air between us feels charged, like the moment before lightning strikes.

He sets the ukulele carefully aside and turns to face me fully. The firelight catches something on my cheek, making him lean closer.

"You have bioluminescent water on your face," he murmurs. His hand lifts slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.

I don't.

His thumb brushes across my cheekbone, wiping away the glowing droplet, but his hand doesn't leave. It cups my face, and I lean into the touch without thinking.

"Noa," he says quietly, like he's sharing a secret.

"What?"

"My name. It's Noa."

"Mia," I whisper back.

"Mia." He savors my name like expensive wine, letting it roll off his tongue. Where Keanu was playful with it, Noa makes it sound like a prayer.

His other hand comes up to frame my face, and I'm the one who leans in first, drawn by something stronger than logic.

Our lips meet, soft, questioning. He lets me lead for a moment before responding, one hand sliding into my hair while the other traces down to rest at my throat, feeling my racing pulse.

The kiss deepens. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I open for him with a sigh. He tastes like mint and something darker, richer. The hand in my hair tightens just enough to tilt my head, changing the angle, and suddenly the kiss isn't gentle anymore.

It's hungry. Desperate.

He pulls me closer until I'm practically in his lap, my hands fisted in his shirt. His mouth leaves mine to trail along my jaw, and I gasp when his teeth graze the sensitive spot where my neck meets my shoulder.

"You smell incredible," he growls against my skin, and my omega purrs in satisfaction, knowing she's not the only one affected by pheromones today."

His hands are everywhere, tangled in my hair, skimming my sides, pulling me impossibly closer. I'm drowning in sensation, in his scent that's growing stronger, in the sound of his breathing getting ragged—

But then, two brain cells of self-preservation flicker to life and I pull back, chest heaving. "I should go."

His hands immediately gentle but don't release me entirely. "Did I—?"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." I extract myself from his embrace on shaking legs. "I just... I can't do this. I'm sorry."

Understanding dawns in those midnight eyes. He's an alpha. I'm an omega. This story has been written a thousand times, and it never ends well for the omega who gives in too fast, who mistakes desire for something more.

"I'm here on business," I babble, backing away. "There's a meeting, and I need to focus, and I don't—I can't get tangled up in something that's just going to end when I leave."

He nods once in quiet acceptance, which somehow makes it even harder to leave.

"Thank you for the music," I manage.

"Anytime, Mia."

I turn and walk away on unsteady legs, my body screaming at me to go back.

Behind me, the ukulele starts up again, a different melody, sadder, like regret set to music. It follows me down the beach, mixing with the sound of waves and the glow of pulsing blue lights.