Page 20 of Beauty and the Beach

“Not our wedding, right?” Ana said.

“Now I’m freaking out.” Makoa put a hand over his heart.

This time, Ana’s smile was less strained and she relaxed against him. “My life is so weird right now with the mermaid thing and then what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.”

Makoa got it. She may decide to remain a mermaid and he’d have to accept that. It didn’t mean that he would love her any less. It meant that they wouldn’t ever be together like Joely and Holt were. They lived in two worlds too. Of course, they were both human and they split their time between Holt's family's horse ranch Upcountry and the Palekaiko Beach Resort.

“You got no worries, Ana. I don’t want anything that you can’t give. I just want to be with you. I have a hard time not saying what I feel.”

“What if you don’t really love me? What if it’s just good sex?”

“It was amazing sex,” he corrected. “And I don’t say anything I don’t mean. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same.” He forced himself to shrug.

“It’s not that. It’s just too soon for me. Sex is easy and fun. But when you get your heart involved, it gets real. And real is scary." Ana gripped his hand. "But I think we've got something here. I don’t fuck just anybody in public, you know.”

Makoa kissed her. “Anytime you want to go to the movies, I’ll go. I’ll call in sick to work and everything.”

“Next time, I’d like to do it in private. Maybe a bed.”

“Kinky,” he said.

Ana buried her face in his chest and hugged him. “I want to do it again.”

This time he picked her up and started walking away from the restaurant. But then her stomach growled and his answered hers. Sighing, he turned back towards Dakitchen.

“You can put me down,” she said, not struggling at all.

“I like holding you. And it gives your legs a rest. I really like your legs. They’re pretty.”

“Thanks,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

“Does it hurt to walk around on land?”

“A bit. I wanted to wear sexy heels for you and that was a catastrophe.”

“I think it turned out pretty fucking fantastic.”

Ana giggled and reached up to kiss him. “We’ve got time to explore this thing between us, right? Let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”

“All you want. I’m not going anywhere.” He put her down when they got to the restaurant and helped her slide into the booth. After they placed their order, Makoa convinced her to share a root beer float with him.

“You burned off plenty of calories,” he said, and that seemed to convince her.

“So, tell me about this wedding you want me to be your date for. Is it formal?”

Makoa nearly snorted the soda out his nose. “No. It’s going to be on Kaanapali Beach. Dude, the one with the yacht, is going to officiate.”

“Who’s getting married?”

“My best friend, Hani. His girlfriend wen come hapai so they decided to make it official.”

“Is that a good thing?” she asked, playing with the straw.

“Oh yeah. They were going to get there eventually. The baby just lit a fire under their ass. Same thing happened to Kai and Marisol. Kai’s my other best friend. We’re all bellhops at the Palekaiko Beach Resort.”

“This is the place where they give you free room and board for working there?”

“We get a salary too. It’s not a lot. But when you count the benefits, I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. Well, that’s not true. One of these days, I’d like to have a fishing boat.”

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