Page 73 of Reckless Hearts

“You are quite bossy this morning,” Flynn barks out, moving from the bed to the bathroom to get ready. “I kinda like it. But seriously, so I need to basically prepare for anything imaginable today?”

“I figured you’d be used to the bossiness. Dealing with Jade should have prepared you,” I joke, and he shakes his head as his eyes close, and he lets out a bothered sigh.

“You being bossy and her being bossy are two different things,” he says, and then he turns to look at me. “There’s gonna be a minor problem. I don’t have any pants. Or anything more than a jumper.”

He looks down at his legs, and I laugh.

“What the hell is a jumper? Are you legit traveling with a onesie?” I’m laughing so hard now, picturing Flynn walking around in some feety pajamas with a zipper up the front.

“It’s a jumper. You know, like a jumper,” he says, and he’s doing nothing to explain this better. But then he walks over to the closet and pulls out a hoodie, holding it up for me.

“Ah, a sweatshirt or a hoodie,” I say, laughing. “Here you go again saying cute shit, and we have somewhere to be.”

“Want me to say your name and see if I can get your beautiful ass back in bed?” His tone is sweet but sexy, and he winks at me.

He pulls on his boxers, adding a T-shirt and as he rifles through the dresser drawers, he comes up short. Looking over at me, he shrugs.

“Nothing but jeans or shorts.”

“Don’t worry about it. Give me a second. I’ll run over to the shop and grab you a few things,” I tell him, and it’s not all that surprising that he isn’t outfitted with the right gear. He came to a tropical destination with all the stuff he’d need to surf. Before sunrise hiking wasn’t on his list.

Twenty minutes later, we’re in Flynn’s rental with me driving, and since I’m not on the rental agreement, I take it as easy as I can. It’s going to be a tough one, once we’re done with the hike and heading to the location I have in mind for surfing. It’s secluded and over tons of bumpy terrain, but it’s so worth it.

I pull up to the window at the entrance to the park, giving them our name and paying the fee, we then move to find a place to park.

It only takes a couple of minutes for us to get ourselves together before we’re off on our hike. I’ve done it hundreds of times, but each time it feels different. I’ve done it for sunrise and sunset, and it’s honestly some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen on the island.

We start our hike up the dormant volcano, silently walking next to each other as Flynn takes in the scenery. The ground is covered in obsidian lava flows, leaving rutted paths along its way with cinder cones dotting the landscape.

It looks like the surface of a planet other than Earth, strange and new, but beautiful, and I’m glad I’ve been able to take Flynn to see it.

“It’s amazing,” he says as we overtake a tour group, several of them not as prepared as we are. Hopefully, their guide clued them in on the weather situation at the top. It’s about to get the coldest it gets on Maui. “Thank you,” he now says, slowing down to pull me into his side, dropping a soft kiss to my temple. “I’ve never done this and it’s something I want to do over and over.”

He looks around and I nod, taking his hand in mine, threading our fingers together. We continue our hike.

I know exactly what he means, despite the darkness and the impending cold, it’s an experience like no other. The terrain and the view, and the scenery are unreal, like nothing you’ll find on the island. It’s even hard to put into words how beautiful it is. I think it’s up there with the most popular of tourist destinations, but it’s different.

People are quiet. The world feels still and peaceful.

“We can do it again whenever you want,” I tell him, now leaning over to kiss his cheek. “I think you’re going to love the surfing location too. Although, I don’t know if your rental car will. Did you get the extra insurance?”

He looks at me, tilting his head to the side. “Maybe you could take it a little easy,” he suggests, and I let out a chuckle.

“Remember, I like it rough.”

When we finally reach the summit, the air is cold. The wind is whipping through the vast open air, sending a chill up my spine.

“Fuck, I’m glad you grabbed me gear from The Pipe Dream. I gotta remember to pay Nate,” Flynn says, slinging an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.

“I already took care of it,” I tell him, and I did. I paid for it, ringing myself up like I work there or something.

“Then I gotta pay you back,” Flynn counters, and I shake my head.

“You pay me back every night and sometimes in the morning,” I tease, leaning into his side. “We’ve got the perfect day for this,” I add, watching the sun’s rays just beginning to burst through. “Once I hiked all the way up here with Daisy and it dumped a ton of hail on us, and the sky was so cloudy you couldn’t see a damn thing.”

“Sounds like a nightmare.”

“It was, but I felt horrible for the tourists who got up at three in the morning to be here and the show was less than stellar.”

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