Page 28

“I made plans for us today,” I tell Flynn the second my alarm goes off. Again, it’s early, and he groans out, still sounding tired, opening one eye to see the room is still shrouded in darkness.

“Maybe if someone didn’t keep me up so late, I’d be okay,” he teases, his voice gravelly and deep. “So what’s on the agenda today, my sexy little tour guide?”

Rolling over, so his chest is to my back, he reaches around and cups my breast. Neither of us has slept with clothes on since I’ve been spending the night here. We usually have sex before we fall asleep, sated and calm.

“Haleakala sunrise hike and then some surfing,” I say, and when I turn in his arms, I love the loose smile on his lips. “I made a reservation yesterday. Called in a few favors because those suckers are hard to get without a tour.”

“You have some good connections, huh?”

“When you grow up on this island, it’s not hard to have connections. Everyone knows everyone. It’s like a small town. If you really wanted to, you could drive the entire island in like nine hours.” I tell him this as I slip from his embrace, knowing we need to get moving.

“Where are you going?” he questions somewhat desperately.

“We gotta get moving. The hike is at its best before six. Now get your lazy ass out of that bed, Flynn Roberts. And I can consider this training too. Get my heart rate up and get those active minutes in.”

“No time for a quickie?” he asks, hitting me with a stare that nearly penetrates my skin. He’s far too sexy for his own good.

“Not today, you insatiable god. Get dressed. It’s going to be cold up there, so make sure you dress for it. And warm coming down.”

“You are quite bossy this morning,” Flynn barks out, moving from the bed to the bathroom to get ready. “I kinda like it. But seriously, so I need to basically prepare for anything imaginable today?”

“I figured you’d be used to the bossiness. Dealing with Jade should have prepared you,” I joke, and he shakes his head as his eyes close, and he lets out a bothered sigh.

“You being bossy and her being bossy are two different things,” he says, and then he turns to look at me. “There’s gonna be a minor problem. I don’t have any pants. Or anything more than a jumper.”

He looks down at his legs, and I laugh.

“What the hell is a jumper? Are you legit traveling with a onesie?” I’m laughing so hard now, picturing Flynn walking around in some feety pajamas with a zipper up the front.

“It’s a jumper. You know, like a jumper,” he says, and he’s doing nothing to explain this better. But then he walks over to the closet and pulls out a hoodie, holding it up for me.

“Ah, a sweatshirt or a hoodie,” I say, laughing. “Here you go again saying cute shit, and we have somewhere to be.”

“Want me to say your name and see if I can get your beautiful ass back in bed?” His tone is sweet but sexy, and he winks at me.

He pulls on his boxers, adding a T-shirt and as he rifles through the dresser drawers, he comes up short. Looking over at me, he shrugs.

“Nothing but jeans or shorts.”

“Don’t worry about it. Give me a second. I’ll run over to the shop and grab you a few things,” I tell him, and it’s not all that surprising that he isn’t outfitted with the right gear. He came to a tropical destination with all the stuff he’d need to surf. Before sunrise hiking wasn’t on his list.

Twenty minutes later, we’re in Flynn’s rental with me driving, and since I’m not on the rental agreement, I take it as easy as I can. It’s going to be a tough one, once we’re done with the hike and heading to the location I have in mind for surfing. It’s secluded and over tons of bumpy terrain, but it’s so worth it.

I pull up to the window at the entrance to the park, giving them our name and paying the fee, we then move to find a place to park.

It only takes a couple of minutes for us to get ourselves together before we’re off on our hike. I’ve done it hundreds of times, but each time it feels different. I’ve done it for sunrise and sunset, and it’s honestly some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen on the island.

We start our hike up the dormant volcano, silently walking next to each other as Flynn takes in the scenery. The ground is covered in obsidian lava flows, leaving rutted paths along its way with cinder cones dotting the landscape.

It looks like the surface of a planet other than Earth, strange and new, but beautiful, and I’m glad I’ve been able to take Flynn to see it.

“It’s amazing,” he says as we overtake a tour group, several of them not as prepared as we are. Hopefully, their guide clued them in on the weather situation at the top. It’s about to get the coldest it gets on Maui. “Thank you,” he now says, slowing down to pull me into his side, dropping a soft kiss to my temple. “I’ve never done this and it’s something I want to do over and over.”

He looks around and I nod, taking his hand in mine, threading our fingers together. We continue our hike.

I know exactly what he means, despite the darkness and the impending cold, it’s an experience like no other. The terrain and the view, and the scenery are unreal, like nothing you’ll find on the island. It’s even hard to put into words how beautiful it is. I think it’s up there with the most popular of tourist destinations, but it’s different.

People are quiet. The world feels still and peaceful.

“We can do it again whenever you want,” I tell him, now leaning over to kiss his cheek. “I think you’re going to love the surfing location too. Although, I don’t know if your rental car will. Did you get the extra insurance?”

He looks at me, tilting his head to the side. “Maybe you could take it a little easy,” he suggests, and I let out a chuckle.

“Remember, I like it rough.”

When we finally reach the summit, the air is cold. The wind is whipping through the vast open air, sending a chill up my spine.

“Fuck, I’m glad you grabbed me gear from The Pipe Dream. I gotta remember to pay Nate,” Flynn says, slinging an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.

“I already took care of it,” I tell him, and I did. I paid for it, ringing myself up like I work there or something.

“Then I gotta pay you back,” Flynn counters, and I shake my head.

“You pay me back every night and sometimes in the morning,” I tease, leaning into his side. “We’ve got the perfect day for this,” I add, watching the sun’s rays just beginning to burst through. “Once I hiked all the way up here with Daisy and it dumped a ton of hail on us, and the sky was so cloudy you couldn’t see a damn thing.”

“Sounds like a nightmare.”

“It was, but I felt horrible for the tourists who got up at three in the morning to be here and the show was less than stellar.”

I curl into Flynn’s side, pulling out the thermos of coffee I brought with us, pouring him a cup along with one for myself. Holding the mug close, I let it warm my hands, the steam floats up, and with it comes a small blast of heat.

The sun begins to fill the sky, backlighting the clouds with sherbet-colored hues of pink and orange and red. A stunning mix that feels like a painting, and we bask in it.

Reaching back into the backpack, I pull out some trail mix and a banana, offering one to Flynn. He chooses the trail mix, opening it, he offers me some. I pour some into my hand, rooting around, pushing the almonds out of the way.

“What are you doing?” he asks, watching me.

“I hate almonds. They taste like sawdust.”

“When was the last time you ate sawdust?” he questions, chuckling.

“Never, but they’re dusty tasting. I hate them. Sloane loves almonds, so when I eat trail mix, I give them to her. We make a good team.”

“I love learning all these quirky little things about you,” he says, smiling as he plucks the almonds from my palm, tossing them into his mouth.

“Tell me something about you,” I say, the crowds beginning to disperse as the sun loses its appeal.

“Hmmm,” he starts, his eyes focused on the sky, still enjoying the view. “My mum’s a Brit, so she loves mushy peas.”

“Mushy peas?”

“Yeah, it’s like mashed potatoes, but with peas. I hate it. She made it all the time when I was a kid, and she’d always say, ‘Just try it, Flynn. Maybe you’ll like it this time. Tastes change.’ My taste never changed. That shit is disgusting. Still is.”

“Do you like regular peas?”

“Nope. Hate those too.”

I laugh. His hatred for peas matches mine for almonds. I note it and remind myself not to make anything with peas for dinner.

We both finish off the last of the coffee, standing as we get ready to head back down. But this isn’t where our time at Haleakala ends. It’s where most of the tours end. Racing up the mountain to see the sunrise and then back down and into the tour bus.

There is so much more to see here, and we’re going to cover it.

And cover it we do. Driving over to the east side, we take in the waterfalls and the lush bamboo forests and green glowing gulches. It’s a place that most don’t see, and I love how much Flynn is taking it in and enjoying it.

Neither one of us checks our phones, only snapping pictures with the Go-Pro I brought with me. I love to disconnect, and it seems Flynn does too. He needs it with all the drama he deals with, Jade being the bulk of it.

“God, Alana,” he says, letting out a hard sigh when we make it back to the car for the second time today. “This has been unreal. Thank you.”

Wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, he grips tightly, pulling me to him for a kiss.

“You’re one hell of a tour guide,” he now says, his forehead resting against mine. “You should start charging people for this.”

“Never. I like to reserve it for the people I really like.” As the words leave my mouth, the words “I love you” float around, begging to be said.

I’ve never been in love. I used to think I had been when I was young and stupid, falling for surf boys with hot bodies and skills on the water. It was lust, hardcore lust because they turned out to be dicks, leaving me for someone else or disappearing just as quickly as they came into my life.

It’s all for the best, though. I wouldn’t know that what I’m feeling now is love without them. Skating around telling him, the words desperate to escape, but I take the easy way out.

“I really like you too,” Flynn whispers, his lips close to mine and I feel the heat of his breath setting my skin on fire.

I can’t believe there was a time I thought I could stay away from him. It feels insane now, especially with how much we have in common and how much I enjoy spending time with him.

He loves everything I love. Hiking and surfing, spending nights on the couch watching TV, and cooking together. Waking up early for crazy shit like this, and there’s no one I’d rather be with at four in the morning than him.

“You ready to do some of the best surfing of your life?” I ask him, knowing he’s hit up plenty of the well-known spots, but this is something else entirely.

Private and untouched, and the swell is some of the best and most predictable. We’ll catch wave after wave if he’s up for it.

And I’m sure he is.

“I was born ready, Alana.”