Page 36 of Between Hello and Goodbye

“We’re on our honeymoon, remember?” I said with a smirk. “You should see Hanalei before you go. That’s my neck of the woods.”

“Oh? I didn’t know that. Come to think of it, I have no idea where you live.”

And I planned to keep it that way. That’s the least I could do—keep her out of my personal space before things got even more personal.

But you’ll bring her to meet Morgan? Cool story, bro.

I coughed. “So do you want to go?”

“Well, I did have plans to spend a riveting day watching other people walk to the beach…” She grinned. “I’d love to see Hanalei and meet your family, but I don’t want to intrude. You were supposed to only check up on me and I already monopolize all your time.”

“I told you, I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”

Except that was turning into complete bullshit the more time I spent with this woman. What I wanted to do was whatever she needed me to do.

“I’ll go on one condition.”

I smirked. “You have conditions.”

“Yes. We go for shave ice afterward. On me.”

“I don’t know,” I said gravely. “Hawaiian shave ice is pretty serious business.”

“So I’ve heard. I want one before I leave.”

“Deal.”

Her grin and the laughter in her eyes sent warmth radiating through my chest. She was a blazing inferno that melted all cold fronts and made it impossible to keep my distance.

While she crutched to her room to change, I sat in her living room and shot Morgan a text.

I’m bringing her to lunch.

The return text came in almost immediately. I expected no end of shit from my brother, and he didn’t disappoint.

Just “her.” Becuz we all know who’s the special lady in your life.?

I rolled my eyes.Be there in an hour.

The vibration of another text came in, but I ignored it. When it came to Morgan’s smartassery, it was best not to encourage him.

Faith came out of the bedroom wearing a summer dress, white with blue flowers, and her hair in a ponytail. The straps of the dress hinted at the perfect shape of her small breasts and revealed her long neck that tapered to an elegant collarbone.

I quickly averted my eyes, but it was too late.

“Thank you,” Faith said.

“I didn’t say anything.”

She smiled. “You didn’t have to.”

Faith had taken my stare as a compliment when it was actually a fierce urge to put my hands on her. To pull her to me and put my mouth to the delicate hollow of her throat. To taste her skin and feel the pulse of her heart under my lips…

This is a bad idea.

But I didn’t say that either.

The drive up to Hanalei from Kapa’a took about forty minutes. We made it in thirty.

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