Landon

During takeoff, Zara picked up on my anxiety. “Are you okay? Does flying make you nervous?”

“No, but flying in a plane that could fit in my bungalow does.”

“For us Hawaiians it’s like taking a taxi,” she said with a dimpled smile while reaching for my hand and squeezing. “I’ll relax you.”

“Don’t add avoiding getting arrested to my list of worries.” I lifted our entwined fingers and kissed her knuckles.

“What else are you worried about?”

“I’m hoping I don’t get recognized,” I admitted, lowering my voice just in case. “I really hope that doesn’t happen, I don’t want anything ruining our mini vacation.”

“It can get crazy?” she whispered back.

“Yeah. I worry about you being thrust into it so quickly.”

“As long as I’m with you, I can handle it.”

Leaning closer to kiss her chastely, I said directly into her ear, “You say that now.”

With our heads bent together, I explained the odds of being recognized on Oahu were much greater than they had been on Lanai. Although I hoped my dark Ray-Bans, New York Yankees baseball hat, and newly acquired island-living scruff would prevent that likelihood, I still needed to prepare her.

“If one person figures it out, it’s usually not long before their reaction causes others to notice. When it happens, just stand beside me as I take quick pictures or give my autograph. If anyone asks you questions, just smile. If I take you by the hand and squeeze, it means we make a run for it.”

She looked down at the heels she wore with a frown. “Should I change into my tackies?”

I laughed when I realized she was completely serious. “No. If necessary, I’ll carry you over my shoulder. But then just be prepared for your ass to appear on TMZ tomorrow.”

“What’s TMZ?” she asked, causing me to chuckle again.

“You’re so adorable.”

How perfect that I had found the one person on earth who was completely unaffected by any part of my world—including fame, materialism, and gossip. That same blessing also made me worry all the more. My world could chew her up and spit her out, without so much as a backward glance. I didn’t want to scare her, but some serious discussions needed to be had before we officially came out as a couple. These days I was completely unaffected by the gossip, but I remembered the first time a story filled with lies was printed about me…it wasn’t fun.

During the short flight she practiced her knowledge of Hawaii, randomly offering me fun facts to prepare for her interview.

“You’re going to wow them today.” I leaned closer to kiss her cheek. “I don’t have a doubt this job is yours.”

“I hope so,” she responded nervously. We settled into a comfortable silence. I assumed she was still rehearsing her responses, until she said, “Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“We do need to talk about the logistics after you leave.”

“I know, and we will. I was kind of hoping to do that once we got back. Besides booking you a flight for your first visit, we need to decide if that visit will be one day after I leave or two.” I paused with a grin.

“Why not just hide me in your suitcase?”

“That works.” She shoved me playfully. “All kidding aside, we need to discuss if you want to tell your parents now. If so, do you want me there with you? I’ll do whatever you need me to do. Okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded and kissed me sweetly.

It wasn’t long at all before our cab pulled up in front of the hotel. Zara’s interview was up the street at ten a.m., which gave us just enough time to check in beforehand. She held my hand the entire time from the lobby to the suite, sporting a brilliant smile on her face.

“Lance, it’s so beautiful,” she said once we stepped into our room. I dropped our overnight bags by the door and stood appreciating her reaction.

Already wearing her interview attire in case she didn’t have time to change, the short black skirt, black and white striped blouse, and insanely high-heeled black pumps caused my cock to twitch and every muscle around it to spasm. She usually dressed very casually, so I had never seen her in heels before. She didn’t need them for height, and they made her long legs go on forever.

I couldn’t wait to request that she wear them when she wrapped those gorgeous legs around my waist.

My gut flipped with anticipation as I watched her take in every detail of the room. When her eyes landed on the big, luxurious bed, she walked past it while running a hand over the smooth white duvet cover. She looked over her shoulder to give me a shy smile, and I flashed her one of my own.

“Comfy.”

“If we had plans of sleeping,” I said with a smirk.

“True.” She moved farther into the suite. The bedroom was separated from a seating area by a frosted-panel retractable wall. Beyond the living room was a small balcony with a table and two chairs. I immediately envisioned us having our breakfast there in the morning after having made love.

She walked over to the wall of windows to stare at the view of the ocean. I moved to stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. Her hands rested on my forearms, and she leaned back into my hold.

“Funny, I live here yet I’ll never get used to the color of our ocean.”

“In all my travels, there isn’t a place on earth as beautiful as Hawaii. I’ve stayed here before, and my favorite thing to do when I checked in was to sit on the balcony and just stare at the view. It would instantly de-stress me.”

“It gets crazy in your world.” She probably meant it as a question, and not a confirmation.

“Very. Does that scare you?”

“Yes, a little. But we’ll figure it out.” She lifted a hand and pointed to the horizon. “Look, they’re welcoming us.” A pod of dolphins popped in and out of the turquoise-blue waters, synchronized in a perfect dance.

Obviously, she wanted to change the subject. Who could blame her? I really didn’t want anything ruining our stay. All that we needed to talk about could wait. The most important thing was that she knew the truth, she’d accepted it, and she still wanted to be with me. Everything else was inconsequential.

We stood as we were for several long minutes, just enjoying the moment. I kissed her temple and said, “Baby, you need to get going.”

She sighed and nodded, the side of her head rubbing against my cheek as she did. “Okay, wish me luck.” I turned her to face me, kissing her forehead and then her lips.

“You’ll be great. I’ll ride over with you.”

“No, that’s silly. You stay here and enjoy the hotel. It’s only a few minutes away. I’ll be back once it’s over and we can start having fun.”

“I can’t fucking wait.”

I had lunch delivered and waiting for her return, complete with champagne chilling on ice. Flowers adorned the dresser, soft music played on my portable speaker. I even had all the necessary touches already set up in the bathroom for a romantic candlelit bubble bath in the large sunken tub.

When Zara found me sitting on the balcony an electric smile instantly lit up her face.

“You were busy.”

“I have plans for us.” I stood and pulled her into my arms. “First you. So? How did it go?”

“Lance, it went so well!”

She bounced on her toes while pressing against me. The motion set things into action that had been patiently waiting for her return. It was early in the day, and I knew she had much that she wanted to show me in Waikiki. But I’d seen it all on my many visits to Oahu over the years. What was more important: there we were in a luxurious hotel suite with a big-ass comfy bed waiting and the timer of my patience to finally have her just went off with a ding.

I dug my hand beneath her thick hair, holding the back of her head. Tilting it to the side, I slowly leaned in and gently kissed the smooth skin below her ear. She shivered in my arms, releasing a small sigh as she did.

“Okay, tell me, what are your plans?” she said, rolling her neck to give me better access.

“I have a confession to make,” I whispered.

“Another one?”

“This one I think you’ll forgive easily.” I dragged my lips across her smooth skin until I hit full smiling lips.

As I slowly nibbled on them, she said, “Lance, you’re driving me insane.” Her voice trembled with every kiss.

“That’s the point.” I ran my nose along her jaw, ending with a firm kiss on her lips. “I know it’s a beautiful day, and you’ve been looking forward to showing me the sights. But I’ve seen Waikiki, Honolulu, and every part of this main island many times in my travels. Would you be terribly upset if we…” I stopped long enough to drag my tongue across her bottom lip. “Just relaxed?” A small giggle forced my attention back to her face. “You’re laughing at my attempts to seduce you?”

“You are most definitely an actor, Mr. Price, and so very dramatic. Yes, I’d love to stay here and have you finally make love to me.” She smiled at my surprised expression. “That was what you were implying, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” She lifted her head and kissed the corner of my mouth.

At the touch of her lips, my gut instinct was to crush mine against hers, devour her like she was my last meal, like I’d been starving for years.

But that would set a tone I’d be sure to regret later. Because if my cock had his way she’d be bent over the railing right now, and I’d be pounding her from behind. My cock had had control of my sex life for far too long. For the first time in my life, my heart stepped up and took the reins.

“Are you hungry?”

Please say no.

“Not for food,” she replied with a smile.

“Thank God.” She giggled again when I took her hand in mine and led her back into the suite. She stood at the foot of the bed, nervously pressing her hands to her belly.

I closed the distance and held her arms. “Zara, if you want to wait, we will. I’m sure we can find other things to do.”

“No!” Her response made me laugh. “I’m not nervous, I just…I wish…I want…”

She was so adorable while fumbling for words. “You want?”

With a heavy sigh, she pulled away to sit on the edge of the bed. “How do I say this?”

I sat beside her and took her hand. “Just tell me. Please. You can tell me anything. I want us always to be honest with each other, no matter what.”

“I want the same.” She dragged in another deep breath and slowly released it. “Well, my first time wasn’t all that great. We were both new at it and really had no idea what we were doing. And even when we tried again, it was so…clinical.”

“Clinical?” I asked on a laugh. “That’s not good.”

“It was terrible, Lance. Rip open the foil packet, roll it on, and shove it in, with no romance. I always envisioned…” She rolled her eyes and sighed again. “Crap, I’m ruining the moment with my stupid babbling.”

“I have no idea what you’re trying to say. Just say it.” When I tucked her hair behind her ear, she leaned in to my touch.

“Okay. You know I only had sex with one guy, and each time we used a condom. I’m taking birth control to regulate my…” She looked up and blushed.

“I understand.” I nodded, sparing her more embarrassment.

“So…um…have you…you know…ever had sex without a condom?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then can we just let things happen? Can you replace my not-so-wonderful experience with a magical one?” Realization of what she was getting at made my cock grow farther. She misinterpreted my shocked expression and added, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry about?”

“You must think…”

Placing a finger on her lips, I shook my head, interrupting her. “What I think is, how did I get so fucking lucky? That’s what I think. I’m clean, Zara. You can trust me on that. I still want you to be sure you want nothing between us.”

“I’m sure.”

I stood and pulled her to join me. She stepped right into my arms and wrapped hers firmly around my torso. This woman couldn’t be more perfect. From head to toe, from her kindness to her wit, from her naivety to her confidence, I was in awe of her.

She wanted magic, and all the things movies and romance novels were made of? I was just the man to give that to her.