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

‘Oh yeah,’ the Aussie he now knew was called EJ drawled out, giving a nod as he looked at Todd with fresh eyes. ‘Malie told us to look out for you.’

‘She did?’

‘Yeah, I just forgot.’

‘Too many reef hits to the head, dude,’ the Kalani lookalike said, walking forward. ‘I’m Akela, this idiot is EJ, and this is Kai and Sammy.’

They all gave him a nod in greeting and though they were all various shades of bronze which made him stand out further alongside them, he felt welcome enough.

‘I’m going to grab some juice,’ Akela said, ‘you want one, Todd?’

‘Sure.’ He dipped into his pocket for his wallet and Akela waved him down.

‘I got this.’

‘Cheers.’

He went off and Todd dropped his trainers to the sand, turning to scan the waves for Malie again.

‘She’s right there, dude.’ EJ shook his hair from his eyes and grinned as he pointed her out. He felt his shoulders ease as he saw her back on her board paddling out again, diving into an extreme wave and reappearing, all steady and controlled. It was quite something to watch. Something else to experience, he was sure.

He thought of her parents and their aversion to the way she lived her life, to this, and he’d never sympathized with an opinion so much, and disagreed with it all at the same time. It was a crazy contradiction but as he lost himself in watching her – the way she handled the immense swells, the adrenalin rush she was sure to be experiencing – he couldn’t imagine her ever not doing it.

How could there be so much beauty in something so terrifying?

Or was he just getting lost in Malie all over again?

Would he feel this way if it was EJ he was watching? Would he be this mesmerized, this hooked, this in awe?

He had a fairly good idea of the answer… there were dozens out there harnessing the power of the waves, but he only had eyes for one.

And he shouldn’t… he really shouldn’t.

What a rush!

She’d had good days, epic days, and out-of-this-world days. This was one of the latter. She was buzzing head to toe as she emerged from the water with her surfing buddies, all laughing and jostling as their feet sunk in the sand. They were on an absolute high. And then she saw him. Todd.

He was standing with the rest of their crew, his pale English skin, his deep blue shirt, and dark swanky shorts all a striking contrast to the rest of them and her heart skipped a beat. She stopped thinking altogether and launched herself up the beach.

‘You made it!’ She threw her board down and without thinking wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

She felt his entire body tense in her hold and she fell back just as quickly. She’d been so wrapped up in the euphoric surf then the cherry of seeing him waiting up the beach, she hadn’t thought twice, she’d just thrown herself at him.

Smart move, Malie.

You idiot.

She smothered her panic in a grin. ‘Sorry, I’m just buzzing, it was a rush out there!’

To her relief he grinned back. ‘If that’s how you’re going to greet me, you want to go back out there, load up some more and come back. I’d love to know what I get next.’

She laughed and punched his shoulder. There, more mate-like. Only, the urge to actually jump him was shockingly strong. Maybe the adrenalin rush of surfing pipe and seeing Todd on top was a step too far. Her inhibitions seemed to be drowning beneath a sea of excitement.

She looked to the guys. ‘Thanks for taking care of him.’

‘No worries,’ Akela said, his grin as he eyed both her and Todd revealing that her little display of affection hadn’t gone unnoticed. ‘Your turn to watch the stuff, we’re going in.’

She high-fived him and watched them head towards the sea, reaching around the hem of her rash vest to strip it from her body. She pulled it over her head, shaking out her hair.

‘I’m thirsty, you thirsty?’ She looked to Todd over her shoulder and his eyes were lost in her lower back, the intensity of his gaze making her breath catch.

She looked down too, popping her hip out as she sought to see what he could, even though she knew what it was. The tattooed butterfly at the base of her spine was an effective, if not teasing, image.

‘You like it?’

He swallowed, his eyes coming back to her face. ‘It’s pretty special.’

‘Hey, Malie,’ Pika called out from the group now joining them at a far more leisurely pace and setting their boards down far more gently than she had—oops. ‘We’re going to grab some juice, you want some?’

She eyed Todd looking for an answer to the same question she posed to him seconds before and he shook his head. ‘Your friends sorted me out earlier.’

‘Just one for me.’

They all headed off leaving her and Todd, and the sudden heat hanging in the air between them.

‘You sure you’re not thirsty? It’s pretty hot out here.’

He gave a soft chuckle. ‘I’m good.’

Forget the sun, her body felt the burn of him. She looked back to the waves, to the people catching the lip and the surfer that took it. She felt the rush in tune with his move and threw her focus into that. It was less… complicated.

‘You were incredible out there.’ She could hear the appreciation thick in his voice and wondered whether it was more than just her surfing skills that had put it there. ‘Don’t you ever get scared, though?’

She shrugged. ‘It’s all part of the thrill.’ She looked to him briefly and then back to the waves. ‘There’s nothing like it. When you’re riding inside the tube, surrounded by water, and all you can see is that hole getting narrower and narrower, you can feel the power of it feeding through your fingers as you trail them along… it’s immense. I feel immortal, free, empowered…’

‘You should