Page 26

It’s been a couple of days since Flynn and I finally gave in, and my life has never been better. I wake up and train, head into work, and then finish my day at Flynn’s place. We’ve had dinner together every night and fallen into bed next to each other.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Flynn asks, pulling me into his arms as we lie in bed, the sun just beginning to rise.

It’s amazing to have someone who wakes with the sun and is ready to start the day. It’s always been an issue for me in the past. Guys I’ve dated, who don’t understand the surfing world, are never okay with me spending hours surfing. I even had one call it a stupid hobby that would never amount to anything. He’s part of the reason I’m where I am today. It’s a ‘fuck you’ to him, and I hope he sees me surf Pipe, seeing my hobby possibly turn into a career.

“Honestly, nothing,” I tell Flynn, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. “I was thinking we could do some snorkeling. You ever been out here?”

I have no idea if he’s supposed to be with Jade today, and I really don’t care. After listening to her on the phone the other day and knowing she’s not even supposed to be here yet, Flynn shouldn’t have to cater to her every need.

“I actually haven’t,” he replies, and I push up to look at him, my mouth falling open in mock surprise. “I know, crazy, right? I’ve always wanted to check out Molokini, but I’ve never had the time when I’ve been here.”

I smile, shaking my head. If he thinks we’re going to Molokini, he’s got another thing coming. It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations, and we’d definitely be recognized there. Putting us at risk is not something I want to do at this point in time.

It’s one thing for me to sneak over here at night and then slip out in the morning, but it’s a whole other thing to intentionally go where there are crowds.

“We’re not going to Molokini. You can take Jade to do that so she can pretend not to enjoy getting noticed,” I tease, and he grabs my hips. Pulling me on top of him, his fingers hold me firmly in place as he thrusts his hips up to meet mine, smiling when I moan at the sensation.

“You have anything going on today?” I ask, knowing I have that signing that Nate set up at The Pipe Dream, but that’s not until this evening.

“Nope, nothing.”

“Nothing with Jade? There’s the signing tonight, remember?”

He rolls his eyes, letting his head fall back against the pillow as I run my fingers softly down his chest. Goosebumps pop up on his skin at just the simplicity of my touch.

“I’ll be at the signing, but not for her,” he tells me, pushing up on his elbows. I lean down and kiss him. “I told her we aren’t training today, and we won’t be training until next week. She wasn’t supposed to be here until then anyway.”

“Think she’s going to take no for an answer?”

Flynn chuckles again as his grip on my hips tightens. His broad shoulders are splayed out on the pillow as he looks up at me through his thick, dark lashes, and when he winks at me, I feel my stomach flutter.

“I thought we weren’t talking about Jade anymore?” His tone is clipped, but there’s a small smirk on his full lips, and all I want to do is lean down and kiss them.

“You’re right. We’re not. So a little snorkeling this morning?” I suggest, waiting for him to respond from before.

“Snorkeling it is.”

An hour later, we’re on the Luna Mae and heading to one of my favorite spots. I had texted Tanner to see if it was cool if we took the boat out, and he gave me the all-clear. But not without reminding me that his boat is not for casual hook ups and dirty sex in the bed he shares with his wife.

I still have no idea if he knows it was me, but I’m not going to be the one to say it. And as pissed as Sage was that she took the fall for it, I don’t think she’ll tell Tanner either.

“Back to the scene of the crime,” Flynn jokes as I ease the Luna Mae out of the harbor and onto the ocean.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I wouldn’t call what we did a crime. Maybe reckless, but never a crime.” I smile at him, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth.

Holy shit, that hook up was hot, and probably one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. I put it up there with making it to Maui Pipe and catching my first barrel. That hook up led to so much more, and here we are now, out on the water together.

“It means that I had no idea I’d fall for you so quickly after that, but Alana, you fucking stole my heart that day,” Flynn admits, and it feels like my own heart has belonged to him from that day on too.

“I know that feeling well,” I tell him, and it feels like we’re inching closer to saying what I’ve been feeling since I read Mitch’s letter.

I’m falling in love with Flynn Roberts.

But the conversation stops there, and we stare out at the water. The mountains and all their greenery fill where the ocean isn’t. It’s stunning. There were times in my life when I would have done anything to leave this island and never return. Now, I can’t imagine my life anywhere else.

“You ready?” I ask Flynn, the boat now idling as I get ready to anchor it. “We’re just out here, floating, but I’ve seen octopuses and turtles and even some reef sharks out here.”

He nods, moving to where the anchor is stored, and tosses it over with ease, lowering it until it no longer has any give.

“I’m sure it’s got nothing on Australian snorkeling. Those massive whales. You ever swim with them?” I ask as Flynn comes over, sorting through the gear I grabbed.

“Yeah, I’ve snorkeled at Ningaloo Reef before, but never got to experience the whale sharks. Someday. Maybe even with you,” Flynn replies, and again, that feeling returns to my stomach, my head filled with the words I want to say but don’t.

He hands me a mask, and then we both put our fins on. Stepping to the side of the boat, Flynn goes in first, and I follow.

As soon as we hit the water, the sea life scatters, scampering off in all directions, but we both know if we wait, they will return.

And return they do. Within five minutes, the area is filled with rays and colorful fish, dodging and weaving around us. Coral clings to the rocks, muted in spots and colorful in others, and Flynn points out a turtle swimming casually below us.

We flutter along, our fins barely moving as we float in the water. The view is just gorgeous, and the sea life is calm and natural, making the experience even more perfect.

And that’s when I see it, its eight legs dancing through the water as if it were following the beat of a song.

Flynn has his back to me, and I make my way to him, taking his arm. I point, and I see his eyes go wide. He gives me a thumbs up, and we stay here, watching it.

It’s not often you see a day octopus in the waters of Maui, despite being native. They tend to shy away from areas with crowds, and not just that, it depends on the time of year too.

We got lucky, and I can’t help but think I got lucky when I met Flynn too.

We snorkel for another hour or so before climbing back onto the boat to have something to eat. It’s still early, and the water is calm. As I look out around us, it’s hard to not feel like we’re the only people on Earth, the ocean empty.

“What’d you think?” I ask as I open the cooler, pulling out a couple of sandwiches and some fruit I packed.

“It was fucking epic. I’ve never seen an octopus. It almost looked fake,” Flynn says, reaching for a strawberry.

“It does. I remember thinking that the first time I saw one too. Almost like they’re made of rubber. I don’t know,” I say, laughing.

“Kinda does.”

“Hawaiians have a saying about the octopus,” I tell him. “Pua ke kō, kū mai ka he‘e. It means when the sugarcane flowers, the octopus appear. So, it means that fishermen should be out on the water to catch octopus when farmers are harvesting sugarcane.”

“Does the sugarcane need to be harvested now?” he asks me, and I shake my head.

“No, that usually happens in November, so I think we just got lucky. That particular octopus wanted to put on a good show for the tourist,” I tease.

“It did a damn good job.”

We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, each of us eating, quelling the hunger we built up while snorkeling.

Picking up my water bottle, I take a drink, watching Flynn as he looks out on the water. His face is relaxed, a calmness to him that only seems to be present when we’re alone. And I love that.

“Tell me about your first world championship,” I now say, and he turns to look at me, his eyes sparkling in the sunshine, his tanned skin glistening with tiny beads of water.

He looks like the kind of guy you’d see in a surfing magazine as he runs his hand through his thick, brown hair. It’s messed up in a way that’s still perfect, and it reminds me of the way he looks after we’ve fucked. Disheveled and tousled, but expertly mussed. Sex looks good on him. And we haven’t even had sex today, but now I want to.

Not on the Luna Mae!

Again!

“It was unreal. I was still so young. I couldn’t even believe it happened. You know how surfing is like fifty percent skill and fifty percent luck?” he questions, and I nod.

I know exactly what he’s talking about. Sometimes the waves don’t cooperate or even if they do, everything you do has to be spot-on, perfect. One minor slip up can make it all come crashing down.

“That day it was one hundred percent luck,” he says, closing his eyes. He smiles. “I’m serious. The waves were shit, and I hadn’t caught anything worth more than a four. The time was counting down, and the heat was almost over.” He lets out a hard sigh. “And then out of fucking nowhere, this big arse motherfucker rolls in. You could hear the crowd, like a rumble of thunder, the noise was insane. They could see it building, and the excitement set the damn place on fire.”

As he tells the story, I feel like I’m there. I know that sound, the din of the crowd over the sound of the waves. It’s one of those things that feels unreal, but it vibrates through your body, encouraging you on.

“And I barreled that fucker. Rode it all the way in. It was the first time I ever got a perfect score. Three tens and one nine and a half.”

I can tell by the look on his face that he’s never been prouder of himself. And rightfully so. It was the first time he became a world champion, something that could be pretty much unattainable for even the most prolific surfers.

“I think my parents were more excited than I was. I’ve never seen my dad jump like that. It was hilarious and my mom was there sobbing her eyes out,” Flynn explains, a smile on his face that’s so wide his eyes crinkle up in the corners. “They didn’t even know I had won at that point. They were just so excited.”

“Your parents sound amazing,” I tell him, taking his chin between my fingers. I kiss him. His smile spreads, infectious and sweet, and I can’t help but smile back, our lips pressed together in a simple kiss, but it feels like forever.

“I want you to meet my parents,” he now says, and I’m taken aback. It’s not that I don’t want to meet his parents, it’s just that it’s not something I would ever say.

I wouldn’t care if my mom ever met Flynn. She’s not a part of my life, and if anything, he knows everyone who is important to me. Nate, and the girls, Tanner and Kai, and Miles, and Owen, they are my family.

“I’d love to,” I tell him, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck. He pulls me closer, our lips brushing softly.

“And I want to be there when you win your first world championship, too,” Flynn says, and my heart skips a beat.

There’s nothing I want more than to have him by my side.

I kiss him again, these thoughts lingering in my head. The idea of falling in love with him is burrowed so deeply into my heart that it feels like nothing can go wrong.

“We need to get back,” I tell him, hating to ruin this quiet moment between us. Being out here on the Luna Mae in the middle of the ocean, with the world feeling miles away, has been just what we both needed.

“We do. You have the signing and I have…” He doesn’t have to say it. Even though he shouldn’t have to deal with Jade, he does.

“Yeah, I know. It’s okay though. I get it. She’s kinda like having a kid. A kid you didn’t want, but still a kid,” I say, laughing.

“Totally,” Flynn quips as he pulls his phone from the backpack, turning the sound back on.

Big mistake, because it’s going off like it’s been forgotten about for too long.

“Fuck’s sake,” he mutters, dragging a hand over his face. He holds his phone out for me to see it, and not only does he have a bunch of missed calls from Jade, but he also has several text messages too.

And the first one has an attached picture.

Jade: I got a dog today!!!!

The message is followed by at least ten smiling face emojis along with a bunch of dog ones.

Flynn clicks the picture, showing it to me, and as ridiculous as the situation is, and how even more ridiculous it is that she bought a dog, the dog is adorable.

It’s this fluffy little thing, all a ball of fur and dark eyes. She adds in that his name is Mochi, and I kind of want to squeal out loud at how cute he is. But the look on Flynn’s face tells me to keep my thoughts to myself.

“We gotta head back. You gotta go walk Mochi,” I joke, but Flynn doesn’t laugh, just letting out a grumble of annoyance.

“She can’t even take that fucking dog back with her. I have no idea what the hell she’s thinking,” he hisses, again dragging a hand down his face.

Maybe I should tell him I love him. He looks like he needs some good news right about now.

But I don’t. It’s too early.

And with that, we head back.