“I don’t think so.”

I felt my heart turn over in my chest with a fearful kind of hope. “Oh?” I asked in a weak voice. “Why don’t you think so?”

He sent me a suspiciously innocent look. “Well, you’re not looking for a man, are you? A flower on the right side means you want every interested guy to hit on you.”

I supposed he had a point, since that was the last thing I wanted. I fingered the flower as we made our way from the small patch of lush forest that led to the ocean. “It’s as beautiful as I remember,” I told him, taking in the enchanted green serenity around me.

“Yes,” he said simply.

The black sand beach was just as I’d remembered it, too. And the ocean. Oh, the ocean. I’d always had such a fascination with that endless expanse of blue, and I always found it to be the most beautiful right at sunset, which was fast approaching.

Akira sat in the sand, pulling me between his spread legs without a word. I leaned back against his chest, thinking that this was my own perfect little slice of paradise.

“I think I could stay like this forever, with you,” I told him quietly.

He pressed a cheek against my hair, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “Why don’t you, then? Give me one good reason why you can’t stay on this rock?”

My breath grew ragged, and I couldn’t seem to find the breath to speak. I’d been so brave when I was younger, declaring my feelings with no hesitation or reservation whatsoever. It seemed as though I’d just used it all up back then, with none of it left for the grown-up me. It made me sad, but I still couldn’t seem to ask him the questions I wanted to. Could I just stay here? Was it a terrible idea, or a brilliant one? I couldn’t live my life based on whether or not Akira could love me like I did him. I knew that was not way to live. But could I live here, and see him every day, and be able to endure the longing, if we weren’t together?

“I’ll have to think about it,” I told him quietly, watching the sky turn brilliant with the sunset.

He nuzzled his face into my neck, placing a soft kiss there. “You do that.”

“You want me to stay?” I asked him, holding my breath to hear his answer.

“Yes,” he said thickly. “I want that.” He cleared his throat.

We were both silent for a long time, watching the sky turn colors in a glorious display that had never failed to move me.

“This place has the most beautiful sunset in the world,” I murmured.

“Yes. The beach for sunset, and Haleakala for sunrise. Guess where we’re going in the morning?”

I turned my head to give him an amused smile. “You really want to wake up at four a.m. to catch the sunrise?”

“More like three, and yes, we’re going. It’s been years since either of us has seen a Haleakala sunrise, and I think it’s fitting that we go together.”

I snuggled my back into his chest, feeling a wave of contentment wash over me. Even if the world ended tomorrow, I thought I could be okay with it, after having watched this perfect sunset, and after, a perfect sunrise with the love of my life.

It only took one small stroke of his thumb against my collarbone to change the mood from sweet to hot in an instant.

He kissed just the perfect spot on my neck, his hands finding and kneading at my breasts with just the right pressure. I moaned.

“You’re going to ride me reverse cowgirl,” he murmured into my ear. “So you can watch the sunset while I make you come. You will never forget this ride.”

“Sex on the beach? Isn’t that messy?” I asked ruefully, but I was so game. “We’ll get sand in our unmentionables.”

“Maybe. It won’t be so bad if you’re on top, but it will probably be messy, and God only knows where we’ll be finding sand later. Do you mind?” As he spoke, he was shifting me against him, lifting me higher so that he could slide his hips under me, parting my legs to straddle him.

I was already untying my bikini bottoms as he opened his slacks, freeing himself. “I do not. I can’t believe you wore a dress shirt and slacks to the beach, Akira.”

He didn’t respond, but I heard a harsh gasp behind me as I lined myself up over his stiff length. I was already wet, desire only taking the briefest thought for me when it came to Akira.

I circled my hips, wetting his tip.

He groaned loudly.

I worked him into me slowly. I had no choice with his size and the angle. He was so thick that I held my breath as I worked the last few inches inside of me. I sucked in a rough breath when I was finally seated to the hilt, stuffed full of him.

I just stayed like that for a while, adjusting to the size and the angle, which felt even more wonderful with every breath I took, and watched the sunset.

“You’re missing the sunset in this position,” I gasped at him.

His hands stroked my hips, kneading at my flesh. “I’m not missing anything, baby,” he rasped. “Most beautiful view I’ve ever had in my life.”

I shuddered at his words, and began to move, pushing on my knees to lift up and forward, then down and back to reseat myself. We both cried out loudly.

“You feel so good, Akira. You’re so big, but it feels so good.”

“You’re so fucking tight, Baby. I don’t know how long I’ll last, but I want to stay inside of you for days.”

I whimpered, lifting up again, the delicious slide of him dragging along every sensitive nerve inside of me. “I won’t last days, Akira. I don’t even think I’ll last minutes like this.”

He grunted. “Good. Me too. I intend to spend as much time inside of you as possible, and I have no problem trying until we get it right.”

I ground back down onto him, then dragged up again, my movements getting faster.

He gripped my hips tighter, moving his hips to take over the movements. I was fine with that, since he built us into just the right rhythm, pounding into me.

My head fell back, but I kept my eyes open on the brilliant sky as I came, shivers of ecstasy rocking my body as the sky continued to give me the show of a lifetime. I cried out his name hoarsely, unable to even try to keep it in.

He shouted my name, bottoming out inside of me with one last hard slam, his hard hands on my hips all that kept me upright.

It took long minutes for us both to recover. We covered the essentials and settled back into watching the sky and the ocean again.

I sighed contentedly as the last brilliant streaks of gold faded from the sky.

It was a perfect night, very little of it spent sleeping. I thought that Akira had elicited every last orgasm inside of me by the time I drifted into a deep, but short, sleep.

He was waking me again way too soon.

“No. Humans need to rest, Akira.”

“I know, Lana. You just need to bundle up and get into the car. I’ll do all the driving, and you can sleep until we reach the top of Haleakala.

“Fine,” I said grumpily, sitting up. We’d ended up sleeping in my old bedroom, and I raided the closet for jeans and a sweatshirt.

We were in the car and driving within fifteen minutes, and I leaned my chair back, promptly falling back to sleep.

I grumbled when he woke me again, calling him a few nasty names as I woke up what seemed like an instant later.

Of course, I had to take it all back as I watched the sun rising in what I was convinced was the most beautiful sunrise in the world. Streaks of gold painted the clouds that hovered just below us. Cradled in Akira’s arms, I knew that this was the closest to paradise I’d ever been.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Let’s go hang out at the bar,” he murmured into my ear later that afternoon. We’d spent the morning surfing. The saltwater had stung the crap out of my feet at first, but I hadn’t made a peep. I wouldn’t miss out on a day of surfing with Akira for any amount of discomfort.

I stiffened, because Milena worked there. He seemed to read my thoughts. “Milena is taking some time off. She’s been too unstable lately to even work.”

I agreed easily enough. I’d never pass up on a chance to see Tutu and Mari.

We reached the stretch of Kalua shops quickly, sharing a companionable silence in the car. Akira opened the door for me before I’d even unbuckled my seat belt. He had always been like that, always the gentleman for me; even when I was ten, when he’d called me a ‘little lady’, as he opened it with a flourish. I had secretly loved the title.

The bar was already crowded, even though it was early afternoon. I realized that it was Friday. This place had always been hopping on Friday night. Two spaces at the full bar magically opened up when a few locals saw that Akira wanted us to sit there. He nodded at them respectfully. They nodded back, not having to explain. It was a fact that Akira Kalua got and gave respect in these parts. No words needed to be exchanged.

He ordered a beer, looking at me when the bartender asked what for the lady. I smiled at the friendly man, not recognizing him at all. It didn’t mean that he was new, I supposed. It just meant that he wasn’t more than eight years into the job. There was a time when I would have known everyone here. Even as an underage teenager, I’d practically lived here. He was a local. He had a slight build and friendly brown eyes. He was the opposite of Akira looks-wise, looking harmless with his nice smile. “Just water, thank you.”

Akira gave me a disgusted look, his mean upper lip curling at me. “That’s borin’.”

I laughed. “What? Are you disappointed that I won’t be getting drunk and letting you take advantage of me?”

It was a score. He almost blushed at the comment. I leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “You know I don’t have to be drunk for that. You can search me on the internet anytime you like, and have your way with your filthy palm.”

He grabbed me, tickling me unmercifully for the taunt. There were tears running down my face before he let me loose, a grin on his face.

I knew without having to look around that we had the attention of the bar crowd. I didn’t care. I smiled back at him, a happy twinkle in my eye that had been absent for at least eight years. “I know, when you torture me that much, that I hit a nerve.”

He was smiling at me unreservedly, a smile that was rare and that I treasured. His eyes were soft, and he just looked…happy. “Come here,” he said, pulling me against him and kissing the top of my head.

We separated quickly from the embrace, both suddenly self-conscious. I resumed my own seat, taking a drink of my water.

He clucked his tongue at me. “At least get a soda or somethin’. That is just a sad thing to drink at a bar.”

I just shrugged. “I don’t like soda. I guess I wouldn’t mind tea.”

He rose, kissing the top of my head again, as though he couldn’t help it. “I’ll be right back. Tutu has the best tea next door. You still take it plain?”

I nodded, my eyes following his every move as he strode across the room. A few familiar locals stopped to greet me, as though they’d been intimidated to approach when Akira was there.

I smiled and chatted with them, catching up a bit.

When Akira returned, he brought my tea, and Tutu. They were a sight, mother and son, one so massive, the other the definition of petite. It always made me smile, because the tiny one called the shots. Akira was a respectful, dutiful son.