Fear threatens to take over my mind as our plane starts to make its descent for landing. Against my better judgment, I reach over and grip Preston’s arm. He smiles back at me and calmly squeezes my hand, his touch warm and reassuring.

I gaze out the plane’s window and marvel at the breathtaking tropical island slowly coming into view. The ocean is clear, deep, and bright and the lush foliage paints a stunning landscape.

For a moment anxiety fills my chest, and I ponder the possibility of our plane plummeting into the ocean. I’ve read that statistically, you’re more likely to get into a car accident than a plane crash, but that fact is doing little to reassure me now. I feel the plane start to shake and rumble beneath my feet, and I look around, alarmed. Preston notes my sudden distress, taking my hand in his again and leaning over to tell me it’s just the landing gear making that noise. My cheeks color with a blush at my ignorance, but Preston doesn’t tease me, and he lets me squeeze his hand as hard as I can as the plane lands.

When our plane finally touches down, I exhale. I drop Preston’s hand and wait for the plane to pull into the gate.

But even though we’re safe on land, my nerves are still on high alert. I’m now trapped on an island with a man I barely know.

Preston stands up and retrieves my bag from the overhead compartment. “Ready to go, babe?”

Babe. Those words seem foreign to my ears, but I just roll with it. “Yup.”

We disembark and gather the rest of our luggage from baggage claim. A short man dressed in a tuxedo greets us with a sign with Preston’s name on it, and the man places a lei around my neck. The fragrant scent of plumeria tickles my nostrils, and I start to look forward to this trip. Avril’s always saying I need to loosen up, so I’ll do my best to relax and go with the flow instead of needing to obsessively plan every little detail.

The driver leads us to a limo parked in the terminal. I immediately grab my phone and text Avril.

I don’t expect to hear from her right away but am shocked when she replies immediately.

I laugh. No matter what, I can always count on Avril to be consistent.

As the limousine pulls out of the airport, relief washes over me, and it’s not just from the tropical breeze. I’m on vacation—I’m actually in Hawai’i, a place I never thought I’d be able to visit. And Preston has made this dream, one I once thought of as impossible, come true.

The silence between Preston and me is awkward, and, at this moment, I attempt to open up my heart. Still, I question his motivations.

I move closer to him on the back seat and allow myself to really look at him. His incredible muscles are visible underneath his shirt, and the bottom of a tattoo peeks out from his sleeve. Since I’ve already seen him naked in his video, I know precisely what that particular tattoo is—an eagle, globe, and anchor against the backdrop of an American flag.

I also know that he’s seriously packing a seriously huge cock under his shorts, but I try not to think about it, and focus instead on the tattoo.

“Who did the ink?”

He pulls up his sleeve, and I examine the tattoo like I’ve never seen it before, even though I drooled over him shirtless in his store earlier today. “Actually, a place down here in Honolulu. The guy is excellent.” He gives me an admiring glance and adds, “You have some pretty badass ink yourself.”

“Thanks. I designed this one myself, but my friend at work actually inked it,” I say, pointing to the Catrina on my arm. “That’s the kind of work I do. I’ve been getting into watercolor tattoos lately.”

“It’s beautiful. You’re really talented.”

His phone beeps, and he looks down. I watch as his eyes rapidly scan the screen. After taking a deep breath, he throws down his phone and clenches his fist. He quickly turns his head and looks out the window.

“What’s wrong?”

He just shakes his head.

I don’t know what to do. I recognize the look of pain on his face as one I know intimately. He’s just received some bad news.

I place my hand on his thigh. “Hey, what happened?”

He places his own hand over mine, and my heart rate accelerates. “My dad.”

A lump gathers in my throat. “Is he okay?”

Preston laughs bitterly. “Yup, he’s fine. He just wants nothing to do with me.”

Damn. “I’m so sorry, Preston, that’s awful.” I’m not going to lie and tell him that I relate, because I can’t. No one ever cared enough about me to hate me. In a way, sometimes I think it’s better that I’ve never loved or been loved at all.

Not by any humans, at least.

We pass by a beautiful beach, but I’m focused on Preston. “What happened between you two?”

He grits his teeth. “He’s barely spoken to me since that tape was released. He thinks I leaked it on purpose to become famous.”

“But you didn’t, right?”

“Right. Kira denies leaking it, but I don’t believe her. Who else would’ve done it? I mean, she’s always wanted to be the next Kim Kardashian.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, that’s one way to do it.”

“I know. That sounds bad, but she isn’t horrible. She’s a wonderful woman. We just weren’t right for each other.”

I’m impressed that he isn’t bad-mouthing his ex like most men I’ve met do. “Why?”

“She just wanted a different life than the one I wanted. She wants to be super famous. It was out of control. She won’t be happy until she’s queen.”

Wow. “Judging by your Instagram, I thought you wanted to be famous, too. I mean, why would you date someone who was in the public eye if you didn’t want to be in it?”

He shakes his head. “It wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t know who she was when I first met her. I’d been deployed in Iraq and didn’t watch much television. I came back, and she was teaching yoga for vets with PTSD. I just thought she was hot. I didn’t know that she’d been on a reality show. She was really great to me. She helped me through some tough times, and I loved her. But I just want a simple life. No drama. Financial success from hard work, not by exploiting my personal life. A passionate relationship that’s just for my partner and me, not for the world to see.”

I hang on the word simple. My life has always been anything but simple. Chaotic, busy, uncertain, and heartbreaking. Definitely not simple. “That sounds like bliss.”

He smiles at me. “Bliss? Sure, I think so, but most girls don’t. You’re nothing like the type of girls I usually date. Don’t get me wrong—you’re beautiful, of course, but you don’t seem to be remotely impressed by my money.”

“I’m impressed with your work ethic, but I also think you care more about the bottom line than about doing what’s right. We’ve already established you’re hot, but your looks don’t blind me to your faults.” Well, that’s kind of a lie. He’s so sexy that I’m dying to fuck him, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“My father would like you, Yessi. I know we don’t know each other that well yet, but you remind me of him. You’re passionate and intelligent and not afraid to stand up for what you believe in.”

“Does he live here?”

“Yup. My mom wanted to come back here after he retired and got out of the service. But it doesn’t matter. He won’t see me. I thought . . .” Preston doesn’t finish his sentence and looks toward the ocean.

An ache grips my chest—my father didn’t want to see me, either. Not when I was born, when I was a little girl, not ever.

I turn toward Preston, but his head is still facing out the window. I touch his cheek and gently turn his head to look at me. “You should see him. I’ll go with you.”

He tilts his head toward me, and for a moment I think he’s going to kiss me again. Our breath mingles in the air, and my heartbeat accelerates. I lick my lower lip in anticipation.

Our lips meet, and unlike our first kiss, we’re in no rush and have no audience for this one, well except the limo driver. Preston’s hand gently caresses my body as our mouths connect. I lose myself in him, in this moment, and completely allow myself to be present. No more stressing about the future or the past but just enjoying our bond.

After we finally separate, I lower my window. But I’m no longer present. Instead, I’m wondering what kind of future I could have with Preston. I finally exhale and allow my doubt to blow away with the cool Hawaiian breeze.