Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo (novels for beginners txt) 📕

‘They asked if they can watch me take my lesson now?’ Todd filled in for her, his eyes dancing with amusement. Had he guessed at the cause of her distraction? Was she that obvious?

She snapped her eyes away and gave a flustered, ‘Are you sure you have the time for it, right now?’

‘If you do, then I do.’

She looked to the eager faces of her students and accepted that if she hadn’t, she’d still make time. To have him involved when he clearly had such a good relationship with them all made perfect sense.

She swept an unsteady hand through her hair and nodded, ‘Of course I can.’

And with the kids as an audience… well, any temptation for a repeat of last night’s kiss would be non-existent.

‘Just let me take Tara out with Nalu first…’ she felt better about it already, ‘and then I’m all yours.’

I’m all yours… Really, Malie?

She turned away as his brow quirked up and headed for the kids, her feet stomping through the sand at her own ineptitude. Why did he do this to her? Set her on fire with the merest look, make her come out with ridiculous declarations: I’m all yours.

‘Hey, Mr Masters, will you watch me?’ Tara shouted, the open affection Malie had so easily spied when he’d arrived, shining in the girl’s face once more, reminding Malie that this had nothing to do with how she’d successfully lowered the girl’s guard through Nalu, but everything to do with the relationship he’d forged with Tara himself prior to this trip of a lifetime.

Malie looked back to see him nod, and then his eyes were on her and she struggled to breathe. He was too perfect, damaged in his own way – and still perfect.

Never mind Tara’s guard, Malie needed one, because the more she learned about him, the less he became a passing tourist with a fleeting presence in her life, and a man capable of making tracks on her heart. Something she never wanted to risk. Never mind the fact that he was too important to her plans for the surf school and their charity collaboration.

‘You’re going to need a rash vest and some board shorts.’ She eyed his inappropriate ensemble and wished she hadn’t. It just led to more inappropriate thoughts and she really didn’t need those right now. She lifted her eyes back to his face. ‘Kalani should be able to sort you out.’

‘Great, you ladies get set up and I’ll be right back.’

She dragged her eyes away from his tight behind as he walked off, though her mind wasn’t so easily distracted. She was pondering how it was possible for his rear to look so appealing when he wore swanky shorts that had no place on the beach…

‘Ready, Tara?’

Thank goodness the kids were too young to realize the reason her voice had shot up a couple of octaves. It was hard enough that she was aware of just how attracted to him she was, she didn’t need it becoming public knowledge with his kids too!

Then she caught Jonny’s eye and his smirk.

Too young… you’re too obvious, more like.

Chapter Six

Kalani HAD TAKEN ONE brief scan of his body and tossed him some clothing. A pink rash vest similar to the one the kids were wearing, only adult-sized, and some shorts.

He stood in the surf school’s changing rooms and toyed with not going out at all. He felt ridiculous, and… exposed. Maybe it was the colour of the top – he couldn’t say he wore pink much.

Yeah, it’s just the colour that’s your problem, and not the fact that its unforgiving style shows off every taut ridge.

He worked out, he looked after himself, but he did it for him, he didn’t do it to flaunt it in skin-tight, body-popping, fluorescent colour!

As for the board shorts, they forgave far too much. If he dared think on the kiss they’d shared the previous night, or even looked at Malie in any way other than platonic – which let’s face it, when she was wearing nothing more than the same figure-hugging vest and bikini bottoms would be a challenge – he’d likely be done for indecent tent-like exposure. And the risk wasn’t funny.

He tried to tug the top lower, but it was no good. He was just going to have to play it cool. Be cool. Easy.

‘Hey, Boss, you ready yet!’ Jonny burst into the room. ‘Tara’s getting naggy.’

The lad gave an exaggerated eye-roll, but he couldn’t fool Todd, the teenager doted on the girl like he would a little sister. It was in his nature. Not that you’d guess it to look at him. Plenty of people had judged Jonny wrongly over the years, very much like they had Todd back when he’d been of a similar age. But then Jonny had given them reason to in the days before the Foundation had found him or rather, he’d found the Foundation.

And those days had left their mark. He still bore a scar that slashed through his right eyebrow, a centimetre gap where hair would never grow again. His favoured buzzcut failed to conceal the intricate star that had been illegally tattooed to the base of his skull by an ex-gang member. And as for his body, it was far more chiselled than any fifteen-year-old should be, but Todd knew better than most what had motivated Jonny to bulk up. Fear. Fear of being weak, fear of being crushed, the need to be the biggest, the strongest, to protect those you care about above all else.

Yes, Todd could forgive anyone for being a little intimidated by the lad – even when he sported the same pink rash vest he now did.

‘Don’t you dare,’ Jonny suddenly said and raised a hand towards him in warning as his scarred brow quirked up.

‘What?’

‘You say one word about this pink thing and there’ll be more than words going down between us, Boss.’

Todd laughed, he couldn’t help it. ‘Have you seen me?’

He