Page 6

“I hate to do this,” I say hesitantly, Flynn relaxing in my bed, both of us sated and thoroughly fucked. His hands are tucked behind his head, looking incredibly comfortable. Not that I’m not enjoying his naked ass in my bed, but Sloane’s going to be home soon.

“I gotta go, huh?” he responds back, sounding far more disappointed than I expect, almost like he thought I might have changed my mind.

“Listen, it’s not you, I promise. I’m not trying to kick you out,” I tell him, but he lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head playfully.

“I think you are trying to kick me out.” His comment back has me laughing now. I am trying, not actually trying, I need him to go before Sloane gets home. “Do you have a boyfriend? A husband?” he now questions.

“No, nothing like that. It’s just my roommate, she has some childhood trauma, and my other roommate Daisy and I have made it a point to not bring…” I trail off, trying to find the right words so it doesn’t sound like I’m insulting him. “We just don’t have guys here. It’s a guy-free zone. At least guys we don’t know well.”

I’m rambling, and it’s starting to sound really shitty. I close my mouth because if I keep talking, I’m just going to dig myself in deeper.

“I’d like to change that, Alana,” Flynn says, and there he goes again, saying my name and setting me on fire. It’s that damn accent and the way he says the letter A. Fuck, I love that my name has three of them.

“I would too,” I reply, draping myself across his bare chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. I have no idea what I’m doing, as I keep reminding myself not to get attached. “Want to meet tomorrow? The swell is always the best in the late afternoon.”

“Yeah, I’m in,” he croons, and my heart skips a beat, loving that I have someone to surf with and who’s good in bed. “Maybe you could think a little more about Maui Pipe while we’re out there. Get some training in.”

As soon as he says the words, it’s like a punch in the gut. It didn’t used to be this way. Every time someone said Maui Pipe, they couldn’t shut me up, but now it feels like a goddamned swear word.

“Yeah, maybe,” I mutter, not really wanting to discuss it anymore. Honestly, I wish it were over already so I could move on.

“You realize what winning would mean, right?” Flynn now says, and I roll my eyes, letting out a scoff. “You don’t think you could win?”

“Not a chance in hell. Not with surfers like Jade Whitlock and Emily Amos. You know that Jade is only eighteen and she’s already a world champ.” I sound bitchy and jealous as I say this, all of it coming out in a rush with a clipped tone.

“She’s not that great,” Flynn says, and I sit up abruptly, hitting him with a severe look. “What? She’s not. You’re just as good, Alana. Not just anyone makes it as an amateur.”

“Yeah, I get that, but she has the sponsors and the money backing her. I have a small surf shop in Maui and fucking hope.”

“And talent,” Flynn adds, but I just laugh. “I’ll meet you out there tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes. Something tells me you’re better than you let on.”

“Something tells me if you don’t get out of here soon, my roommate is going to come home and lose her mind,” I tease, leaning down to kiss him.

I get up from the bed, letting Flynn do the same as we get dressed, and I walk him to the door. The house is still quiet and I’m thankful Sloane hasn’t gotten home from the library yet. Not just because I have a guy over, but because I really don’t want to fill her in on what I’ve been up to.

She’s gotten so much better with us inviting people over, and she would probably be okay with Flynn here, but I’m not going to push it. This is her house too, and when Daisy and I let her move in, it was the first thing she asked us to do.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I start, and he cuts off my words, his mouth capturing mine in a kiss that takes the air from my lungs.

It’s the kind of kiss that I’m going to find myself dreaming about, telling Daisy and Sloane about, romanticizing it. His hand wraps around to the back of my neck, tightening his grip as his tongue tangles with mine. I lean in closer to him, his knee slipping between my thighs, and I groan into his mouth.

“Where tomorrow?” Flynn murmurs, his breath soft against my lips. The way his body feels in line with mine, the warmth of his breath, the smell of his skin, it all feels so damn right.

“My bed.” My eyes close, my head falling back against the door as I let out a hard sigh, feeling like I need him inside me again.

“Alana,” he growls, his fingers tangling in my hair, pulling my head to the side, his mouth connecting with my neck, sucking and biting. “Meet me in my bed and then surfing.”

I shake my head. The last thing I need is Nate and Sage knowing about this, and since he’s staying in the cottage behind the shop, they would know immediately.

“I’ll just meet you,” I reply, breathless, and wondering how I could possibly have this much self-control. “Pe’ahi?” It’s a suggestion that makes Flynn’s eyes widen.

“So we are training for Maui Pipe then, huh?”

“Or maybe I just like to live recklessly.” I push up on my toes, kissing him quickly, before I give him a playful shove out the door. “My roommate, remember?”

“Yes, your roommate,” Flynn echoes, nodding as he turns to leave. Looking back over his shoulder, he smiles. “Tomorrow, Alana.”

Flynn is the first thing I’m thinking about when I wake up in the morning, eager for the afternoon to come so we can meet up. I have no idea what this guy has done to me, but he has my head a fucked up mess. The good news is, I’ve stopped worrying about Maui Pipe, my brain is only consumed with thoughts of Flynn and how he makes me feel.

I find Nate around back of The Pipe Dream working on a surfboard repair. His music is playing loudly, a mask over his face as he runs the sander over the fiberglass bond.

Sneaking up behind him, I grab his side, making him drop the sander and yell out loud.

“What the fuck, Alana?” he shouts, switching off the sander, his grumpy face shooting daggers at me. “You know I hate it when you do that.”

“And that’s why I do it,” I tease, pushing up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Where’s Sage? Class?”

“Nah, she’s inside. I think she’s helping Owen with some stock,” he says, starting up his sander again, but he first runs a hand over the spot he’s been repairing.

“It looks good,” I call over the sound of the sander. “It’s missing your design though.” I wink at him, and he smiles back. I love that he’s still the grumpy jerk I forced to become my friend all those years ago, but that underneath it all, he’s a softie too.

I head inside; the shop is still closed for another hour, but we need to get our lessons organized. The guys will be in soon to get their assignments, and the shop will get busy with surfers who have started filing in for Maui Pipe.

“Hey!” I call to Owen and Sage, and they both toss a hand up in a greeting, buried deep in boxes of boardshorts and The Pipe Dream T-shirts. We’ve been spending the last few days trying to get everything ready for Maui Pipe and the people who will be popping into the shop. It’s one of our busiest times of the year.

I’m hoping it also helps Nate and Tanner book some more custom boards. It’s another reason why I struggle with dropping out of competing in Maui Pipe. Nate designed a board for me with Mitch’s help, and I know it being used for the competition will give him and Olsen Custom Boards tons of exposure.

“Hey, Alana,” Sage calls back, but she doesn’t stop what she’s doing, just having a conversation across the store. “Wanna grab dinner tonight?” she now asks. “Sloane and Daisy too?”

As soon as she mentions Sloane’s name, I see Owen smile. You only have to say her name in his presence, and his whole face lights up. I really wish Sloane would just give him a chance.

“I’m heading to Pe’ahi after my shift, but I should be free for dinner,” I tell her, and that’s when Owen chimes in.

“Jaws, huh?” he says. “You back, Alana?” He knows what heading to Pe’ahi means. The waves are some of the biggest in Maui, and the only people who go there are the ones who are serious surfers. People who are training for something big.

“I don’t know, but I might be,” I start as the front door opens, Kai, Miles and Tanner walking in, arguing about something.

“It wasn’t me,” Miles says, and Kai lets out a laugh. “What the hell are you laughing at?” He punches his brother in the shoulder.

“We know it’s not you. You’re still out there pining after Daisy. Give it up, dude, and get laid.” Kai’s words are loud, and now Owen laughs too.

“What are you even arguing about?” I ask, hands on my hips as I stand behind the counter, printing out the lesson schedule for the day.

“Someone used the Luna Mae…” Tanner keeps talking, but I hardly hear him, realizing he’s talking about me and trying to blame it on Miles or Kai. “One of these assholes is using mine and their mother’s boat for dirty sex.”

“How many times do I have to say that it wasn’t me before you believe me?” Miles quips, Kai pointing a finger at him.

“It’s you because you’re the only one not getting laid and you’re out there trying to sneak around and shit,” Kai says. “Did you bring Daisy to Dad’s boat for a secret hook up and then leave a condom wrapper on the table?”

“It tracks,” Owen adds in, and I stay quiet, waiting for them to stop talking about this.

“If anyone’s bringing random girls to Dad’s boat, it’s you, Kai,” Miles hits back, clearly getting annoyed by the conversation. “You’re the one who hooks up with tourists, being all stereotypical surfer to draw them in.”

“I have my own place. I don’t need to use Dad’s boat, dude,” Kai says, walking over to the counter. He begins to look over the printout of his scheduled lessons. “Maybe it’s Alana or Nate,” Kai now adds, and my mouth falls open. Sage pops up from the floor with an equally shocked expression on her face.

“Oh my god, don’t you dare include me in this. Nate and I have our own house where we do those kinds of things,” Sage says, her cheeks flushing bright pink with embarrassment.

“And the outdoor shower too,” Miles says, and now Sage’s face is flaming red. “Don’t think we all haven’t heard you, Sage. You know, we all use that shower after surfing, right?”

“This is mortifying. You guys are all…” she trails off, covering her face with her hands. “You all need to mind your own business.”

“So it was you on the Luna Mae then,” Tanner now accuses, looking right at Sage, who is now shaking her head, her eyes wide.

“It was not me!” she squeals, wholly embarrassed, and as much as I want to jump in and save her, I’m not admitting to this. Even if it was me. I feel horrible letting her take the blame, but I’ll make it up to her later. Plus, it’s kind of funny watching Sage squirm, and we all know she and Nate are all over each other, all the damn time.

I don’t need these guys knowing what is going on in my life. They’ll never let me live it down that I’m having sex on Tanner’s boat, something that is way more fitting to Kai than me.

“At least whoever it was, used a condom,” Tanner chimes in. “Safety first.”

“See, it wasn’t me!” Sage now blurts out, but instantly realizing what she’s done, her face blooms red all over again.

“Ohhhh,” Miles says, laughter erupting from all of us, even Sage with her embarrassment painted on her face.

Good thing Nate isn’t here. He’d be all over their asses for embarrassing Sage. And I’m glad he’s not because the conversation dies there, leaving me in the clear.