I’m starting fresh, and in this new life, I’m going to do everything that I want. No more people-pleasing because look where it got me.
The guy standing in front of me lets out a deep, throaty laugh, one that oddly sends a jolt of lust through my stomach and down between my legs.
Get your shit together, Quinn!
I need to have a chat with my cat and let her know she’s not in charge. Even if this guy is gorgeous and tan and toned and probably incredible in bed.
“Yes, no men,” I repeat, and he eyes me with suspicion, a drive flaring in his eyes to win me over.
“Friends?”
And now it’s me laughing. He’s pretty persistent, and I guess I do need friends, given I’ve just moved here knowing no one.
“Something tells me you don’t do friends, or at least not well,” I counter, sending him chuckling again. The smile has not left my face, so the mixed messages I’m sending this guy are off the charts.
“That might be true, but I’m willing to give it a try for you,” he says playfully as he extends a hand, introducing himself. “I’m Kai Olsen, and you are?”
I take a pause, looking at his outstretched hand, wondering what I’m about to get myself into. He’s way too young for me, and he’s full of shit if he thinks we’re ever going to be friends. I caught his attention because I’m standing in the water dressed in a bikini. It’s the same reason he caught my attention. He looks damn good shirtless, with a body that was clearly made to make a woman happy.
Maybe I should just take the risk.
But I shake my head, telling myself to take a step back, to take things slow.
Taking his hand in mine, I shake it. But as soon as we touch, I feel it. This spark of electricity shooting through me, and by the way his eyes widen slightly, he feels it too. Our hands stay touching for a few long breaths before I’m the one to pull away.
“I’m Quinn…” I stop before adding my last name. I’m starting over, and that means dropping Sean’s stupid last name and going back to my own. “Quinn Bateman.”
“Took you a second there,” he says, winking at me. “You aren’t giving me a fake name, are you?”
“No, no fake name, just…” Again, I find myself pausing. “Never mind.”
“So friends then, Quinn?” His words are filled with far more seduction than they should be when asking this question.
“Friends, I guess,” I respond, and his laugh fills the small space between us, sending a shiver down my spine and goosebumps dotting my skin. He’s going to be more than friends if I keep standing here because a part of me feels like I deserve a trashy one-night stand after what Sean did.
Although after a five-minute conversation, I quickly learned it was far from a one-night stand, and she was not the only girl. He’d pretty much never stopped “dating,” even after we got married.
How the fuck was I so stupid and blind to all of this? I feel like a complete fool, which is part of the reason I left New York. Hawaii couldn’t be any farther from my old life.
“Want to meet me for lunch today?” Kai asks. “How long are you here for? Where are you staying? I can pick you up.”
He feels a little too overzealous with these questions, and I’m not ready to tell him where I live, but I guess meeting him for lunch wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, and most of those first few days were me trying to find a place to live. Which oddly happened rather quickly. While it might not be what I’m used to, it’s exactly what I hoped it would be.
A quiet little one-bedroom cottage, secluded with a beautiful mountain view, although it is painted lime green and neon pink and sits on a massive two-acre plot of land. The owners would like to sell it but have been struggling to get interest, so it’s being used as a rental for the time being.
It’s actually a great location, not far from the ocean and this cute little town area with a coffee shop, a bakery, a couple of bars and the most quintessential Hawaiian surf shop.
“How about I meet you somewhere?” I suggest, and he gives a little nod in response.
“I gotta know where you are staying so I don’t pick somewhere too far for you,” he says, and he’s really fishing for information now.
“I walked to this beach,” I clarify, hoping that it gives him a better idea.
“Really?” His question comes out quickly, and his narrowed eyes tell me he thinks I’m lying.
“Yes, really. Why?”
