Page 6 of Paradise Found
By the time he got to the shore, he was exhausted and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Axel collapsed on his towel, the hot sand relaxing his lower back and the wind soothing him into slumber.
When sleep came, it came fast.
“Axel, Axel.” The salty-sweet air spoke into his ear. He turned sideways, hoping to chase the musical voice. If he could get closer to the sound, he would find her, hold her, take her. The throbbing in his pants intensified, then—
“Wake up, Axel.” The voice turned urgent. “Oh no, you’re so burnt! Axel, wake up, please.” She sounded amused, concerned, and so damn cute.
Closer. Axel wanted to be closer to that cute, sweet voice. When he moved, awareness pinched him awake. Literally—his skin was prickling like no one’s business. His eyes shot open.
Oleanna’s face was inches away. Long, wet hair framed her cheekbones, some strands grazing his face. He felt a small hand on his shoulder, which registered both arousal and something else.
Pain. So much pain.
She must have noticed him flinch. Oleanna pulled her hand back and sat on her heels.
If he thought she was gorgeous earlier, with her hair combed to the side and a dress hinting at a shapely figure, right now, she was utterly breathtaking.
She must have recently come out of the water, her hair and chest dripping with moisture. She wore a bikini top, her modest cleavage peeking between the triangles of black cloth. The strip of skin that marked the sun’s darkening against her natural, untanned skin was so beautiful he wanted to worship it.
Worship a tan line? He must be losing his mind.
“How long have you been asleep?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know. I swam for a while at around three, I think. What time is it now?”
“It’s nearly sunset,” she stated. “Oh my god, did you wear any sunscreen?”
He sat up and immediately regretted it. He heard his skin crinkle in complaint because charred skin did that.
“Oh, fuck,” he eloquently summarized.
“We have aloe vera gel in the cottage. It might help. Uncle Greg had been calling your cell for a while because my aunt wanted to know if you were hungry.”
“I must have left it up there.”
“That and sunscreen. The rays are much stronger than on the mainland, especially if you’ve been swimming,” she said, compassion and amusement making her voice achingly intimate. Damn, she was sweet.
“Too bad I turn into a red lobster instead of a golden goddess like you,” he stated, enjoying the grin that brightened her features.
“Golden goddess?” she retorted with a raised brow. “I’m no less immune to getting burnt. That’s actually why I do most of my swimming just before sunset. The water is warm from the sun all day and I don’t have to worry about burning.”
“Ah, pro tip. I should write all your advice down. Otherwise, I won’t last a day, never mind two weeks.”
“Well, first, bring your cell in case you’re out here on your own. Swimming at dusk is nice, but please make sure you leave a light on in the cottage if you plan to be out late. No streetlights”—she pointed to the palm trees swaying with the wind—“so it gets super dark.”
“And beautiful,” he mumbled, unable to turn away from her face.
She sat back, looking toward the horizon. “I know,” she agreed amiably. “It’s almost here.” Her voice was reverent.
Just as the light caught the edges of her long lashes, he understood she meant the sunset.
In what felt like a blink, the horizon exploded with color: purples and pinks, oranges and blues, streaks of silver and hints of black. They sat quietly, legs stretched and arms scaffolding them as they leaned back.
“I’ve never seen a sunset like this,” he uttered.
“That’s because there’s nothing like it. We’re on the west side of the island where the sugar cane plantations were established for decades, so it has the least tourist development in Oahu. There are no hotel lights or pollution.”
“And no tourists.”
