Page 9 of No Time Off (Lexi Carmichael Mystery #15)

NINE

Lexi

T he first thing that came to my mind when we walked out of the airport in Hawaii was that the sun was so bright neither of us could see. I shielded my eyes with my hand, squinting. When that didn’t work, we paused a moment to slip on our sunglasses as the warmth from the sun instantly heated our heads and shoulders.

“Wow, it’s hot.” I fanned myself with my fingers. “And this wig isn’t helping matters.”

“It’s more humid than hot,” Slash replied, the sun glinting off his dark sunglasses. “That’s Hawaii for you. I’m worried my mustache will slide off. We just have to wear our disguises until we get to the hotel.”

“It won’t be soon enough,” I groused.

He pointed in the distance over a raised highway toward lush, green mountains, their peaks hidden by a soft, rolling mist. “Look at that gorgeous view. We can’t quite see it from here, but that’s Pearl Harbor at the base of those peaks.”

“Cool. Are any of those mountains volcanoes? If so, I bet it would be fun to get a closer look at them.”

“I’m pretty sure there are no active volcanoes on Oahu. The active ones are primarily on the big island of Hawaii. Anyway, I don’t think a volcano visit is a good plan, given your history of calamities. Does your spreadsheet have a column for volcano eruptions?”

“In fact, it does not. But I get your point. We opted for the quiet, nothing happens honeymoon, so let’s not tempt fate.” I sniffed the air. “What smells so good? Is that perfume?”

“Plumerias.” Slash gestured to his left, where a riot of purple and white flowers burst from several small trees, apparently part of the airport’s immaculate tropical landscape. “It reminds me of Sicily. We have white plumerias there. They look and smell slightly different from these, but similar enough. We call them frangipani or pomelia .”

“It’s really pleasant, and I typically don’t like strong smells.”

“I’m with you there. But this is a soft fragrance. Very nice. Apparently, we’re going to have a lot to see in our short time here.”

Slash steered me toward the car, where our driver stood waiting for us, the trunk open for our luggage. We piled in and admired the landscape as we drove toward our beachside resort.

Slash stared out the window. “Exotic and stunning beauty. I can already tell we should have planned for more than a day in Hawaii. That’s on me.”

“We wanted remote for our honeymoon,” I reminded him. “As far away from prying eyes and paparazzi as possible. Hawaii doesn’t really give us that option.”

He sighed. “I know.”

“But I’m glad we decided to risk a one-day layover here. It’s always been a dream of mine to see Hawaii.”

“Mine, too.”

“Then we made the right choice.” I leaned my head against his shoulder. “It doesn’t mean we can’t come back someday for a longer stay when all the craziness at home dies down. If it ever does.”

“It will.” He took my hand and lifted it to his lips. “We’ll make it happen.”

I liked his confidence. “I hope you’re right.”

We enjoyed the view as we passed giant ferns, lush bushes, and colorful and vibrant flowers. We climbed through the mountains that divided the island, and as we descended toward the coast, we caught glimpses of turquoise waters dotted with small boats and sparkling white beaches.

Finally, we pulled up at our beachside resort and headed inside to check in. Once we got to our bungalow, the first thing I did was open the French doors onto the balcony.

“Wow, Slash, look at this!” I said, stepping out onto a private veranda framed by coconut palms and lovely flowering bushes. An empty beach stretched out in front of us, a beautiful expanse of soft, white sand glimmering under the midday sun.

Slash slipped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. I could feel his body relax into mine. Relaxing, rejuvenating, and revitalizing. Things we both needed badly.

The ocean was a mesmerizing mesh of turquoise and dark blue. “This view is stunning,” he said. “I keep saying that, don’t I?”

“You do, but you’re right. The waves are surprisingly calm. I hope that is a metaphor for our honeymoon.” I turned around, still in his embrace. “So, what’s the plan for the first official night? I remember you saying something about a luau.”

“Yes, but the natives call it ?aha?aina. It literally means ‘a meal gathering.’ But it’s a luau of sorts. I’ve booked us a tour and dinner, or luau, if you will, at a nearby Polynesian village for the evening.”

“That sounds incredibly interesting and fun.”

“Don’t forget romantic,” he added. “At least, that’s the plan.”

“I’m so glad you said that, as romance and intimacy is another important piece of the marriage code,” I said. “It’s number three, by the way.”

“Is it now?” he said, sounding amused. “So, we have trust as the number one piece of the code, followed by mutual decision making. Now we have an intimacy element. This code keeps getting better and better. You can rest assured I’m fully on board for this code. In fact, I’m willing to help make it even more robust, if you’d agree. Do I get to see the code when you’re finished programming it?”

“Absolutely. Your input will be vital, as the outcome is a shared achievement.”

“Excellent.” Grinning, he headed back into the room, pulling off his fake mustache with a grimace. “Oh, it feels good to have that bruco off my face.”

“What’s a bruco ?” I asked, pulling the pins out and removing my wig with a grateful sigh. I tossed it on the bed, unpinned my hair, and massaged my scalp.

“A caterpillar,” he said.

I laughed. “It did kind of look like an insect.”

He gave a mock sigh. “So, not sexy at all?” He removed his sports coat and shirt and hung them on the back of a chair.

“Ha. Only you could make a caterpillar mustache look sexy.” He chuckled as I walked over to my suitcase, flipped it on its side, and rolled the small combination lock to open it. “Do we have time to shower before the luau?”

A slow smile crossed his face. “We have plenty of time for that…and maybe a bit more.”

I glanced at him over my shoulder. “A bit more what? Don’t tell me you’re referring to gaming.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not referring to gaming.”

I straightened, pretending to ignore the eyeroll. “So, what did you have in mind? Are you saying I’m going to get lei’ed?”

He winced. “Ouch. You did not just say that.”

“I did.” I laughed happily, kissing him on the chin. “I thought you’d be proud of me for recognizing a sexual innuendo at first blush. You didn’t like my pun?”

“I did not. But we are in Hawaii, so I am hoping the lei’ed part is on the agenda.”

“Well, hope no more.” I pulled him toward the bed, and we fell on it together. “I think it’s a perfect activity for the first day of our honeymoon, and, well, with you, anytime, actually.”

He grinned, rolling us over until he was on top. “You were kidding about the gaming, right?”

“Of course I was kidding. Now that I fully understand my options, if you’re among the choices, nothing else is ever going to win. That includes gaming. You’ve ruined me for life, you know.” It was the absolute truth.

He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “Good. Because until I met you, nothing would have kept me away from the keyboard for twenty-four hours, either. And now look at us.”

“Yes. Look at us.” I touched his unshaven cheek with my fingertips, marveling that this man was my husband. “Happily married…twice…and finally on our honeymoon. And the funny thing is, Slash, when I’m with you, I don’t even miss the gaming.”

A smile lit his face. “Me, neither. But it doesn’t mean we can’t do it from time to time or even often, on occasion.”

I paused for a moment, hoping he meant what I thought he meant. “I’m really glad you said that.”

He laughed. “I know you are, cara . That’s why I said it.” He nuzzled my neck with his lips. “Now, where were we?”

I tugged his mouth toward my lips. “About to officially start our epic and über-relaxing honeymoon.”

“It’s about time,” he said.