Zara

I could feel his excitement, just as I was sure he could feel mine. While staring into each other’s eyes, we were both caught in a web of unknowns. Yet how could I be at all concerned that the big scary spider known as the future would eat us up alive when Lance made me feel the way I felt when with him. The way he protected me by covering my body with his, or stole my breath by the way he gazed into my eyes. I couldn’t question why all the concern I carried literally dissipated in his presence.

It just felt right.

It was when I was away from him with nothing but the memory of his scent, or the way his muscular arms wrapped around me, or the way his full, sexy-as-sin lips kissed me that my logic took over.

I must not have hidden my thoughts very well when he said, “Hey, stop worrying about the unknown. The sun is shining. It’s gorgeous out, and I have a hot date with a bikini-clad South African.” He kissed my nose and smiled. “Time to get my six-foot-three frame on a tiny board of death and pretend I’m not terrified I’ll be a shark’s lunch.”

“If it makes you feel better, it would most likely just take a taste and spit you out when it realized you weren’t a seal or dolphin.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That’s not funny.”

I laughed at the look on his face. “I’m sorry. I’ll protect you. I promise.” I ran my fingers through his hair, lifting it off his forehead as I did. “You need a haircut.”

“I do. Can you suggest anyone?”

“I can trim it for you later if you want.”

“Can you do it wearing nothing but your bikini? Or better yet, naked?”

Pulling away, I pointed a finger. “Be good.” I then waved a hand toward the surfboard that leaned against the wall. “Your lesson awaits. Can you grab that board, shark-bait?”

“Again, not funny.”

He secured the surfboard in the Jeep and drove us to Lopa. On the way, we made a quick stop in town to grab sandwiches and drinks for lunch. Conversation was light during the short ride. Not letting the surfboard that separated us stop him from holding my hand, he’d occasionally lift it to kiss my knuckles. It was such a simple act, yet it overwhelmed me.

Following my direction, he pulled into the gravel lot that held Aloha Surf and Sea. My friend Victor had started his business after we graduated from high school. Since then, he’d opened three locations on Lanai and was hoping to expand to different parts of Oahu.

I hadn’t seen him in years. Our parents were good friends, so were our sisters.

Victor and I had agreed to go to our prom together, since dating options in our school were limited. When I told my family one night at dinner, Annia made the mistake of blurting out that she thought Victor had a crush on me. Suddenly, the boy my father was fond of became the boy who could hurt his daughter. He failed to hide his suspicions, and soon enough Victor’s visits became few and far between.

His family attended Annia’s wedding, but other than that night, the only other time I would see him was if we ran into each other in town.

Victor spotted me standing beside Lance as he removed the surfboard from the Jeep. “Zara!” he yelled out, beaming from ear to ear. Sure, I hadn’t seen him in a while, but his enthusiasm seemed a bit overdramatic.

“Hey, Victor.”

The crunching of gravel echoed as he strode toward us. Without warning, he immediately lifted me into his arms while spinning me around. My eyes cut to Lance, whose glare was focused on where Victor’s one hand lay dangerously close to my ass.

“Put me down, you loon.” He chuckled, placing me back on the ground with a devious smile.

“God, it’s good to see you. I was going to call you to grab dinner. I’ve just been so busy with the business I haven’t had time to have a personal life.”

Is he kidding? We hadn’t socialized in years.

“Who’s that?” Victor nosed toward Lance.

“Victor, this is my friend Lance. He’s your lesson.”

“He is?”

“I am?”

The way they both spoke at the same time and the confused looks on their faces could have been a scene right out of a sitcom.

Lance leaned closer and said, “Seriously, Zara?”

“Yes.” I raised a brow, scolding him without the words. “He’s the best. He’ll take good care of you.”

“She’s right. I’ll have you surfing like a pro by the time I’m done with you.” Victor flashed a toothy grin. “You look familiar. Have you been here before?”

“Definitely not.” Victor stood eyeing Lance, who eyed him right back.

“Lance is vacationing here with us for a few weeks,” I said, trying to distract their pissing contest. Call me naïve, but I’d had no idea that I’d be instigating these two into a cockfight of sorts…pun intended.

The two men were yin and yang in the looks department. Lance had a few inches on Victor, and used it to his advantage while looking down at him. Where Lance’s hair was dark and styled, Victor’s was blond and shaggy. Where Lance’s sexy scruff screamed hotness, Victor’s unkempt facial hair screamed mangy. Lance’s crystal-blue eyes narrowed, just as Victor’s brown eyes did. Lance’s muscular arms and chest flexed, while Victor’s thin, lanky frame straightened and stiffened.

Good lord, I thought.

“Ready to start?” I asked Victor. The quicker this hour was over, the better.

“Let’s do this. I’ll go easy on you since you’re a novice.”

“Great.” Lance didn’t look at all amused. With the board under one arm, he stealthily wrapped his other arm around my waist…and then proceeded to ignore my sideways shocked glance.

“Didn’t know you were seeing someone, Zara,” Victor admitted, folding his arms in a challenge of sorts.

“Um…”

“Keeping me a secret, sweetheart?” Lance looked down at me expectantly.

“Um…”

“She’s very private when it comes to our relationship. Right, baby?” I spontaneously grinned, because to be honest I really liked jealous, territorial Lance. He matched my broad smile and winked.

I wasn’t afraid of what Lance was insinuating to Victor…but seriously, what was that all about? When I’d told Lance I’d help him learn to surf, I had immediately thought of Victor. I was beginning to regret it.

Victor nodded with a tight smile of his own that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well, I’ll go grab my board. Meet you two on the beach.”

“What the hell was that?” I asked the moment Victor disappeared inside his tiny shop while still smiling like a fool.

“That surfer dude wants you.”

“He does not,” I denied, even though words my father had said after the prom rang in my mind.

“Zara, that boy is trouble.”

“Papa, he’s just a friend,” I argued.

“Well, friend or not he looks at you funny. There could only be one reason he spends so much time with you, and I don’t like it.”

“Maybe he likes my company.”

“Maybe I’ll have a chat with Victor,” my father countered.

Dad had claimed he was joking, denying that he actually did have that chat with Victor. Yet I found it hard to believe it was a coincidence that I saw less of him after prom, or that he never came by the house again.

“Yes, he does,” Lance argued. “I should know.” He tightened his hold around my waist, and leaned in, placing his lips on my ear. “And if he touches your ass again, I’m going to beat him with his own board.”