The beat of the Hawaiian drums pounds in tandem with my heartbeat as Tony and I walk onto the festival grounds, trailing the rest of the group.

There are all sorts of colorful tents set up and down the shoreline, each offering some kind of delicacy, the aromas mixing in with the vibrant colors and carried on the warm winds. There are even game booths further on down where people are gathered around, shouting and engaged in fierce competition.

I suck in a deep breath as I take everything in, my eyes feasting on the explosion of culture on display. There are groups of women here and there hula dancing, their tanned bodies moving in a seductive, ritualistic manner. As they swirl around each other, the air seems to come alive with a kind of joyous energy, crackling against my skin and causing goosebumps all over.

With the backdrop of the sparkling ocean, the kaleidoscope of colors, and bright lights, the wild pounding music, dance, and people, I’m almost dizzy with wonder.

“This is beautiful,” I half whisper, shaking my head in awe.

“It sure is,” Tony agrees. He points. “Look over there.” In the center of the village, we can see the recreation of a volcano glowing orange-red and spewing clouds of steam. Some wiseass has even painted a sign in front of it, Mt. Fuka’ayuu.

“A sign?” I ask.

Tony smiles, flashing his beautiful teeth. “Maybe.” He reaches out his hand to me. For a moment, I stare at it and then glance ahead, where Cassie and Caleb are razzing each other, blissfully unaware of us. Meanwhile, Wesley and Alani have already walked off and are talking with a group of locals. None of them are paying attention, but even if they were, it seems everyone already knows there’s something going on between Tony and me.

Smiling, I take his hand. He squeezes, and my anxiety ebbs. My heart swells in my chest as we walk hand in hand together, slightly trailing Caleb and Cassie.

“You’re always talking like I’m not good enough for you,” Cassie is complaining just a tad too loudly. “Like, I’m too young, or I’m too short. Like what the hell? Get out of here with that mess. You want to know what I think? I think you’re just scared that I would rock your world.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, darling,” Caleb chuckles. “The only thing that would end up being rocked is your mind when I gave you the best orgasm of your life.”

“Tell you what, Mr. Hot Shot,” Cassie says, placing her hands on her hips. “Let’s make a bet. If I can grab a girl faster than you can, you have to bow down and kiss my feet. If I lose, I’ll do the same.”

Caleb arches an eyebrow and guffaws in disbelief. “You grab a chick?”

Cassie nods. “I’m not ashamed. I’ll show you that not only am I hotter than you, but I have more swagger and a bigger set of balls, too.”

“You’re fucking nuts!” Caleb laughs. “But game on!”

The two quickly disappear off into the crowd, and Tony and I shake our heads, chuckling.

“Since becoming an adult, I’ve never in my life seen Caleb act this way,” Tony remarks. “You’d almost think he was a kid in the candy store.”

I shrug helplessly. “What can I say? Cassie is a bad influence.” I sigh wistfully as we pass a stand with mouth-watering delicacies on display. “But to tell you the truth, I like having her around. She kind of reminds me of myself a few years back.”

Tony chuckles, arching a skeptical eyebrow. “Seriously? I can’t imagine you acting like that.”

“I was different, sure. But Roxy and I did get into some crazy shit.”

Tony appraises me with interest. “So you’re telling me there’s a wilder version of Hannah locked away somewhere?”

I grin and poke him in the side. “Maybe, so don’t fuck with me.”

Tony laughs. “Oooh, scary. I’ll make a mental note not to cross you.”

“Good decision.”

Tony can’t contain his grin as joy seems to surround us, and he tugs on my arm. He leads me around the festival and we take in the sights. I have to admit, it feels good walking around on his arm in public, like we’re a couple. No one here cares, and it just feels so right. For all of my self-talk about not needing a man to be complete, I know that as I put my arm around Tony’s waist and he pulls me close around the shoulders, I’ve never felt more complete in my life.

We stop by several booths to play games, and Tony shows me his competitive spirit that I’ve come to love, playing aggressively to win. But each time, he gets to the end of the match, only to lose to some local. Finally, in an arm wrestling contest, he triumphs, winning a stuffed animal. A parrot.

I scowl at the parrot in disgust. It even looks like Mo Mo. “I love you for winning this, but . . .”

Tony laughs. “Just think, you got her a boyfriend. She might love you now.”

I certainly won’t miss being called big booty ho, that’s for sure.

We come up to a food stall, where they have a whole pig roasting on a spit. Tony tries it, then holds out a sample to me. “Here, it’s hot but delicious.” I take it into my mouth, and he’s right, it’s sweet, salty, a little spicy . . . it’s the best pork I’ve ever had. I suck on his finger, lost in the flavor, when Tony chuckles and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Watch it, you’re going to make me pop wood out here in front of all of these people.”

I chuckle and wipe at my mouth with my pinkie finger. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

He grins, motioning over to a group of couples dancing. “Wanna give it a go?”

“You’re joking!”

“Hell no, I’m not!” Tony says, pulling me toward the group. A couple of the locals look surprised, but when Tony strips off his shirt and starts dancing, recreating the moves that we did for the competition, they’re getting into it. My heart soars so much that I wrap my arms around him, kissing him hard.

“I can’t believe we just did that!” I say as we get applause. He’s covered in a fine sheen of sweat, but I don’t care. He’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen as he kisses me back.

“Let’s go get a drink. I’ve worked up a sweat.”

We go to a punch bowl stand, grabbing two massive cups. I see that this is the real stuff, not shit from a bottle. Tony makes a joke about keeping the punch in the cup and not in his face this time. It seems like that happened a lifetime ago, as I give him a little sheepish grin. I’m finishing my last drop when Cassie comes by with a girl on her arm. “See? What’d I tell you?”

Caleb, who’s just coming up empty handed, looks shocked. “No fucking way.”

“Way. Told you, don’t doubt me,” Cassie boasts, triumphant even though her newfound friend is at least half drunk. “Kalena, say hello.”

Cassie’s newfound friend giggles and squeezes her cheeks. “Hello. And who wouldn’t love her dimples?” she says.

“Well if it weren’t for Tony’s dancing messing up my game, I would've won,” Caleb says, stopping by the water balloon game stand. “His little display has all the girls around here eyeing him.”

“Sure. Excuses, excuses,” Cassie says, kicking off her sandals and brandishing her petite feet. “But you know what time it is. Don’t be a sore loser. Get down on your knees and get to worshipping!”

Cassie’s so caught up in her gloating that she doesn’t appear to notice Caleb’s hand moving behind his back as he moves his lips toward her feet. But with mere inches to go, he shakes his head.

“Kiss ‘em real good,” Cassie gloats, winking at Kalena. “Don’t be afraid of the toe jam.”

Caleb hikes his arm higher, opening his mouth.

“Tell me he is not gonna—” I begin to say, but Caleb is fast, throwing the water balloon right into Cassie’s chest, where it explodes, soaking her and her friend.

“Boom! Money shot!” he yells, taking off running.

“Motha . . . fuck!” Cassie yells, shoving Kalena to the side and running after him. We both laugh at them as Cassie calls after him, “Get back here, asshole!”

“Someone’s gonna end up dead.” Tony laughs as Cassie’s newfound friend squawks, then shrugs and walks off. “We’re so gonna have to patch one of them up.”

“Forget them—let’s go for a walk,” I reply, taking his arm. I grab a water balloon to hold as we pass. It feels cool in my hand to hold, refreshing against the heat. We move away from the main festival, melting into the shadows as we walk. The moon is still high, and while not quite full, it’s beautiful as we head down a walking path that connects the village to Wesley’s place. “This whole trip has been life changing.”

“I know what you mean,” Tony says. “I can’t believe it’s going to end soon.”

“I don’t want it to,” I admit. “Tony . . . I don’t want it to end.”

We stop, and he pulls me close, kissing me softly. I wrap my arms around his neck, my desire tempered by the mood. He’s tender, looking at me with something that shakes me to my core, and I lay my head against his shoulder when we’re done. Tony strokes my back, his voice heavy with feeling. “For now, let’s just enjoy the night.”

“Okay,” I reply, feeling a little better. I don’t want to ruin the night thinking about it. I want to retreat to a safe place from my feelings, and I look back toward the village. “I wonder if she’s caught him by now and beaten his ass.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s all talk,” Tony says with a chuckle. “But still, she’s a feisty little thing. I can’t picture you being so bold.”

“Oh, you wanna bet?” I ask.

“I do,” Tony challenges me.

I lob the water balloon I’ve been carrying in his face. Splat!

“That was for doubting me!” I yell, running for my life.

“You’re so dead!” he shouts, laughing.

I pump my legs fast, feeling like a child. Everything drops away, all the worries, all my thoughts about how it’s going to end. Instead, there’s just this moment, my muscles straining as the air pours in and out of my lungs in laughs and squeals. There’s only the moon, and the path, and the laughter as my man comes pelting down the path after me, coming to claim me.

“You’re mine!” he yells, stumbling over something in the path before recovering. I pour on the speed. Maybe I can outrun him. Laughing, I push just a little harder.

“You’ve gotta catch me first!”