Page 35

I look out at Alana, straddling her board, her eyes on the horizon as she waits. She doesn’t look nervous anymore. Even from here, I can see that. She just looks calm and at peace. At home.

She isn’t going to win Pipe. That part’s already been decided. But I already know she’s a winner. So does she. So does everyone standing here with me on the beach, waiting for her, supporting her.

They’re all here too. Nate and Sage, Tanner, Miles, Kai, Daisy and Sloane, Owen and even Matt from that food truck we ate at. All of them are watching her, waiting.

This is the heat to see who gets third. Bronze. A place. And for Alana, that also means a shot at turning pro, at getting invites to more comps.

I see the swell lift, watch as she turns her head slightly, her gaze watching, reading the water, seeing what’s about to come. She isn’t just a natural talent on her board, she’s one off it too. Her sense of timing and her ability to pick the perfect wave are like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

And fuck me if all of it doesn’t make me fall even more in love with her than I already am.

“Is this it?” Sage asks beside me.

I can hear the nervous edge in her voice, and I smile. “This is it,” I say, my eyes never leaving Alana as she lies down on her board, her hands already in the water as she turns and starts to paddle.

The water swells, and I know it’s going to be a big one. Beside me, Sage gasps, and I hear Nate laugh as he says, “She’s got this, babe, don’t worry.”

And does she ever.

Alana charges toward the wave, a huge bomb that surges beneath her into the most perfect A-frame I have ever seen. She pops up on her board, dropping in and riding it like it was made for her. And when the barrel forms, she carves in on it, surfing the wave as it increases, the crest now high above her. When she bottoms out, she doesn’t stop, simply charges back into the wave again, this time riding it into the shore.

Beside me, everyone erupts in cheers, the noise practically deafening because everyone, even Sage, knows that was a hell of a ride. A winning ride.

I can’t tear my eyes away from Alana though, watching as she glances over her shoulder, a smile on her face and her hand up as she briefly flips everyone off, the pose identical to the one Nate created for her board before it changes to the hang loose sign.

It was there though, impossible to miss, her silent fuck you to everyone who ever doubted her, and I burst out laughing.

When she reaches the shore, Alana hops off her board, tucking it under her arm as she strides through the surf toward me, our eyes locked. The second she’s within reach, I pull her into my arms, crashing my mouth against hers in a hard kiss, hoping the whole fucking world sees it.

“Holy fuck, babe, that was epic!” I murmur against her mouth.

Alana is laughing and crying and handing her board off to whoever stands closest, the leash still tied around her ankle as she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight, not saying anything.

I bury my face in her neck as all around us, I can hear her friends congratulating her. I know I should let her go, let them have their time with her, but right now I can’t. So I just hold her as she shakes in my arms, her whole body trembling with adrenaline and shock and raw excitement.

I know what this feels like, know exactly what she’s feeling right now, as I turn my mouth to her ear and whisper, “I love you.”

Alana huffs out a laugh, her whispered, “I love you too,” sending my heart into a free fall in my chest.

When I eventually pull back, I cup her face in my hands, staring into her beautiful blue eyes. “That was one of the best rides I have ever seen,” I whisper. “I am so fucking proud of you.”

She smiles, pushing up on her toes to kiss me as Nate now says, “Alright, come on.”

Alana laughs again, and I reluctantly let her go as Nate pulls her into his arms, whispering something that makes her sob out a laugh. Sage is next, and I know with their connection to Mitch, the man who started this but who is no longer here to see it, this moment is important.

Tanner, Miles and Kai all wrap her in a group hug next, with Alana caught in the middle before Sloane and Daisy barge through and pull her into their arms, laughing and crying and yelling with excitement. When Matt and Owen have also said their congrats, I pull her back to me, not giving a shit that I am now as soaked as she is. We all then turn to the scoreboard.

Alana is still buzzing in my arms, her back to my front, as we wait for the numbers to flash up. When they do, my heart practically crashes through my ribcage with pride. My arms tighten as we watch the ten, ten, nine, nine flash up on the screen.

“Oh my god,” she breathes out, turning to me.

My grin is huge as I say, “A near-perfect score.”

“Flynn, oh my god,” she says again, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Breathe, babe,” I whisper, dropping my forehead to hers. “You did it, you placed third.”

“I did it,” she repeats.

“You know what this means, right?” I ask, smiling when she shakes her head. “You’re in, Alana. You get to surf the comps, turn pro, all of it. You did it! You fucking did it, babe!”

She smiles, tears streaming down her cheeks again as she grabs my face and kisses me hard. “Thank you, Flynn. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Chuckling, I reply, “I didn’t do anything. This is all you.”

“No,” she says, shaking her head again. “You did everything. You stayed, you chose me.”

“Always.”

We all stay to watch the finals, cheering when Kristy Swanson, the Aussie girl, beats the Brazilian who knocked Alana out of the semis. For the first time in a long time, Jade doesn’t even place. She doesn’t stick around for the presentation either, and I don’t feel guilty about any of it.

When Alana’s name is called and she steps up to receive her bronze medal, I swear the cheers can probably be heard on Oahu. The smile on her face is huge, and she scans the crowd, taking in all of the familiar faces, all those who have been with her, supported her this whole time. When her gaze lands on me, I wink, her smile changing to something that’s just for me as she touches her fingers to her lips before pointing them at me.

“Man, you two have it bad,” Owen teases, elbowing me in the side.

Laughing, I turn to him. “She was worth the risk,” I tell him, before tipping my head in Sloane’s direction. “Maybe she is too?”

Owen laughs, shaking his head as his gaze moves to where Sloane stands with Daisy, the two of them waving at Alana. “Oh, I already know she’s worth the risk,” he says, almost as though he’s talking to himself.

“You gonna take it then?” I ask, knowing every risk I took was worth it to get to this point.

He turns to me, a cheeky grin on his face. “I will, yeah. When the time is right, I will.”

“Don’t wait too long,” I tease, as the presentation starts to wrap up.

“Nah, I won’t,” Owen says, bumping his shoulder into mine as he moves over to where Sloane and Daisy stand.

Alana finally comes down, the medal now hanging around her neck and a huge bunch of flowers in her hand as she walks toward me. I sling an arm around her shoulders and pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “So you wanna get out of here and go celebrate?” I ask.

“Celebrate you and me or celebrate everyone?” she asks, a huge smile on her face.

“Both?” I suggest with a laugh.

Alana grins, nodding in agreement, but as we turn to go, we’re stopped by one of the reps from Billabong.

“Flynn, hey, good to see you again,” he says, shaking my hand as he offers me a smile. Trent and I go way back. He’s a really nice guy, was one of the last to let me go when my career started to tank.

“You too, Trent,” I reply. “Have you met Alana Hale?” I now ask, turning my attention toward my girlfriend. “She just placed third. As an amateur.”

Trent chuckles, shaking Alana’s hand. “I know, I saw. Congrats, it’s actually why I’m here,” he says to her.

“Oh?” she asks, swallowing hard, and I have to bite back the smile when I realize she’s actually nervous.

I swear, this girl can surf a double overhead no problem, but put a rep from one of the biggest surfing brands in the world in front of her, and this is what gets her nervous.

Trent laughs again, his hands in the pockets of his board shorts as he says, “So yeah, we were wondering if you were considering going pro now? And if maybe you were interested in a sponsorship deal with us?”

He says it all so casually, like it’s no big deal, but when Alana turns to me, her eyes wide, and her mouth open in shock, this time I do laugh, pulling her close as I drop a kiss to the top of her head and say, “Say yes, babe.”

She swallows hard, still looking up at me, her shock slowly morphing into something else before she turns to Trent, a sly smile on her face. “I would be, yeah,” she starts. “But I wonder if you could do something for me too?”

“Oh?” Trent asks, an amused look on his face as he glances at me before turning back to Alana.

“Get Flynn a wildcard entry into Pipe Masters, and I’ll take your sponsorship deal,” she blurts out.

Trent bursts out laughing, his head falling back as I say, “Babe, wait, what are you doing? You can’t do that.”

She smirks up at me, not saying anything as Trent scrubs a hand over his jaw, shaking his head at her comment, and says, “How about I do you one better than that?”

“Oh?” Alana asks, repeating Trent’s earlier comment.

Trent grins, his gaze moving between us as he says, “I’ll get him a sponsor’s exemption entry. And if that goes well, maybe we can talk about another deal.” He turns to me as he says this last part, the implications loud and clear.

Alana grins up at me, waiting for my answer. I’m shaking my head at her, even as a grin pulls at my mouth too. “You are impossible, you know that, right?”

She shrugs. “No, I love you, and I want you to have a shot at that dream again.”

“You think that’s what I want, huh?” I ask, even though we both know the answer to that.

She smirks. “I know it is, Flynn.”

Chuckling, I lean down and kiss her, whispering, “I fucking love you,” before I lift my head and turn back to Trent. “Looks like you got yourself a deal,” I tell him.

Everyone heads back to The Pipe Dream to celebrate, but while they all set up, I drag Alana into the house, needing a minute alone with her.

Pulling her into the bathroom, I peel off her shorts and T-shirt, untying the strings of her bikini until she stands naked in front of me.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I whisper, my hands on her hips as I bend and press a kiss to her neck. I can feel the hard beat of her pulse beneath my lips as I suck and lick and kiss her again.

Alana moans, her hands moving to my shorts now, ripping the button open as she says, “And you have far too many clothes on.”

Chuckling, I quickly pull off my clothes before walking us both into the shower, the water warm as steam quickly fills the room. Pulling her close, I wrap my arms around her, my mouth on hers in a soft, slow kiss.

Her hands slide up my back, her nails digging into my shoulder blades as I deepen the kiss, my tongue tangling with hers. Backing her up against the tile, I smile at the gasp she lets out when her back meets the coolness of the wall.

Sliding my hands down to her arse, I lift her, Alana’s legs wrapping around my waist as her hand circles around my cock. I groan at her touch, at the way she slowly strokes me, guiding me toward her.

My eyes open to find hers are too, watching me. As I push slowly inside her, my heart pounding in my chest, I whisper, “I love you, so fucking much.”

She smiles, a sexy, sweet and oh so gorgeous smile. “I love you too, Flynn,” she whispers, her hand curling around the back of my neck as she pulls me in for a kiss.

We start slow, Alana’s body pressed against the wall as I push inside her over and over and over again. I’m so fucking hard and she is so goddamned wet, her pussy gripping me tight with every thrust.

Soon though, her moans are getting louder, echoing off the tiles as her heels dig into my arse, urging me deeper.

“Harder,” she groans, biting my bottom lip.

My grip on her arse tightens, my fingers digging into her flesh as I tilt her hips and murmur, “Hold on.”

She wraps her arms around me, holding me close as I now pound my hips against hers, my movements rough, hard, relentless. We don’t stop kissing, our teeth and tongues clashing, as we bite and suck and lick. I can feel her nails digging into my skin and I fucking love it as I continue to thrust deep inside her.

Alana’s moans get louder, her body clenching around mine. I know she’s close, can feel it in every part of me, and when she pulls back from my kiss, her head falling back against the wall, my mouth finds her neck, biting and sucking until I leave a mark.

“Flynn, fuck,” she screams, her pussy clenching around my dick as she comes hard.

It’s enough to pull me right over the edge with her, my hips punching forward in rough, ragged movements as I groan, “Alana.”

We don’t move for what feels like hours but is probably only minutes. Eventually, though, I reluctantly pull out, lowering her to the ground before pulling us both under the water.

Alana rests both of her hands on my chest, tipping her head back as she wets her hair. I reach for the shampoo, pouring some into my hand as she says, “I think that might have been better than surfing that final wave.”

I burst out laughing as I lift my hands to her hair and start washing it. “Really?”

She smirks up at me, her bottom lip between her teeth. “Okay, maybe equally as good then.”

Chuckling, I gently ease her back under the water, rinsing the suds from her long brown hair. “I think we can safely say that you and I are excellent at both surfing and fucking.”

Alana laughs, her hands on my hips as she lifts her head. “To that, I would agree,” she says, tipping her head toward her conditioner bottle. She’s basically been living here with me ever since we gave in to this thing between us, and I fucking love every second of it.

Smiling, I grab it, squeezing some out before I lift my hands to her hair, that all too familiar coconut scent now filling the shower stall.

“Are you really going to stay?” she asks, her hands still on my hips.

My hands still as I drop my eyes to hers. “In Hawaii? Yes,” I say. “You want me to, right?”

She laughs, pushing up on her toes to kiss me quickly. “Yes! I want you to stay, I want you to surf again, and I want us to tour the world, surfing all the comps together.”

My hands slide down her back as I pull her into my arms. “That’s everything I want too, beautiful.”

“So, you’ll do it?” she asks. “Surf Pipe Masters?”

“I kinda have to now, right?” I tease. “My girlfriend’s deal and all.”

Alana smirks, knowing it was a ballsy move and very cheeky of her to suggest that to Trent. “Yeah, you kinda do,” she says. “But I’m gonna be right there with you, Flynn,” she adds, serious.

“I know,” I say quietly, knowing that as tough as it’s going to be getting back on a board and competing, I’m not backing out. Not after everything I have seen her do.

Alana tips her head back, rinsing the conditioner from her hair before she turns us so I am now standing under the water. “Should we go outside and celebrate then? Tell everyone the good news?” she asks, grabbing the soap before she starts to run it over my body.

With a grin, I grip her wrist, lowering her hand to my dick, which is already half-hard. “I think we have a little more celebrating to do in here first,” I whisper before crashing my mouth against hers.