Try Easy: A Slow-Burn Vacation Fling Love Story (Aloha Series Book 1)

by Jill Brashear

She pulled the jacket over her shoulders, threaded her arms through the sleeves, and zipped it up tightly. Then she lay down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

  The next morning when she woke up, Lou had a plan. She had always been excellent at planning, and she formulated precisely how she was going to convince Keoni to let her love him.

  The Plan

  Hale’iwa, Hawaii

  March 17

  * * *

  Lou

  * * *

  Lou stood in Keoni’s driveway and watched Henry drive away. She turned to look at the house. It was just as charming as she’d remembered. The sloping shingled roof was framed by the blue sky. The white paint on the porch looked fresh, and flowers spilled from their beds into the lawn.

  The breeze lifting her hair off her neck smelled of the salty ocean.

  Lou took a deep breath of the fragrant air and marched up the steps of the front porch with her suitcase. She took another deep breath and knocked.

  Lou glanced around as she waited.

  Keoni’s beige VW Bug was in the driveway, and an upside-down canoe was in the yard next to a giant palm tree.

  It was early afternoon, and the kids weren’t home from school yet. The street was quiet.

  It struck Lou that Keoni may be asleep. He worked nights at the cannery, so it was possible.

  Lou knocked again, louder this time in case Keoni was asleep. Doubts that had been circling her mind since she boarded the plane in Seattle grew stronger.

  What if he turned her away?

  What if he didn’t love her?

  What if he wasn’t alone and another woman was sharing his bed?

  Lou shoved the doubts to the back of her mind and raised her hand to knock again, but before her knuckles could touch the wood, the door flew open.

  Keoni stood in the doorway, wearing only a towel around his hips.

  Lou sucked in a surprised breath, shocked at how his appearance affected her. Keoni was just as stunning as she had remembered. His wet hair dripped onto his shoulders, and water clung to the perfection of his muscled chest.

  Keoni’s presence was a dynamic force. He exuded quiet power and strength. Lou remembered seeing Keoni for the first time at the airport and thinking he was majestic. He was no less so right now, even dressed in only a towel.

  Lou dragged her eyes up to Keoni’s face. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were guarded.

  “Lou?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

  She had rehearsed this. She was going to lead with the picture in the magazine and the interview. She was going to apologize for not asking his permission to submit it, even though she hadn’t submitted it, that was Mr. Tollison.

  Her mind was rambling, and when she opened her mouth, the words tumbled out. “I wake up thinking of you,” she said.

  Keoni’s eyes flicked away from hers, and Lou had a sinking feeling that he didn’t feel the same.

  Keoni glanced over his shoulder behind him, and the sinking feeling turned to despair.

  He wasn’t alone.

  “Lou,” he said with a sigh.

  “Oh, god.”

  Her throat clogged with tears and she started to turn away, then she realized she had made Henry leave. She was stuck.

  Keoni reached out for her hand. When they touched, Lou felt the familiar frisson of electricity in their connection. Keoni’s fingers wrapped around her wrist, and he gave her a tug so that she stepped closer.

  “Heh,” he said, looking down into her eyes. He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His calloused fingers trailed down her neck, then dropped away. “Why are you here?”

  “The magazine article. The picture.”

  His gaze danced over her face. He looked at her mouth for a long time and then finally he blinked up at her. “What?” he asked.

  “The picture in the magazine,” she said. “Didn’t they call you?”

  Keoni shook his head.

  “Surfing Magazine is publishing one of my pictures,” she said. “They were supposed to call you for an interview.”

  Keoni stared at Lou for another moment. “Your picture is going to be in a magazine?” he asked finally.

  Lou nodded, correcting him, “Your picture, actually.” She bit her lip. “I hope you’re not mad.”

  “Mad?” His eyebrows rose. “Why would I be mad?”

  “You were embarrassed about that picture in the tourist pamphlet,” she reminded him.

  “That’s different, but…” He shrugged. “This is you. You should know me better than to think I’d be mad.”

  He sounded disappointed, and Lou realized this was going all wrong. She steered things back to her plan.

  “Oh, hell,” she said. “I was hoping you would take one look at me and fall in love.”

  Keoni stiffened. “It’s too late for that,” he said. “I fell in love witchu the moment you stepped offa da plane.”

  “You did?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  Lou glanced behind him into the house. He still hadn’t invited her inside.

  “Are you alone?” she asked, steeling herself for his answer.

  A muscle in his jaw tensed, and he nodded again. “I can’t be with anyone, Lou. I told you that.”

  Lou blew out a frustrated breath and hung her head. She was glad that Keoni wasn’t with anyone else, but this wasn’t exactly good news.

  “Okay,” she said. “I understand.”

  He nodded. “Awrite.”

  “Do you mind if I use your telephone?” she asked.

  Keoni took a step back, gesturing for her to come inside.

  Lou slipped off her sandals and brushed passed Keoni into the house. “I just need to call a ride,” she said.

  “Are you going back to the airport, then?” he asked, coming to stand beside her in the kitchen.

  She turned to look at him, wondering if she should tell him the truth. She’d bought a one-way ticket. She didn’t plan to return to Seattle.

  The room was too small with him in it, especially when he was only wearing a towel. Lou could feel the tension mounting between them, and she knew he felt it, too. How much longer was he going to punish himself for something that wasn’t his fault?

  Lou couldn’t take being so close to him and not touching him. She could smell the coconut shampoo in his hair and it was driving her crazy.

  She abandoned her plan and threw her arms around him. Keoni held very still, and then after a tense moment, his arms came around her. He pulled Lou against his chest so hard that all the air rushed out of her lungs. Then he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with all the passion she had hoped she hadn’t imagined.

  Lou raised up onto her toes and threaded her fingers through Keoni’s wet hair.

  Keoni backed Lou against the wall and kissed her hard enough to bruise her mouth. The stubble on his chin raked over her face. His fingers gripped her hips, and he lifted her off her feet, slamming her into the wall.

  Lou wound her legs around Keoni’s hips and opened her mouth to his tongue. He groaned and shifted his mouth to her cheek, grazing her skin with his teeth.

  “I can’t ask you to suffer for me,” he said in a hoarse voice, leaning his forehead against hers.

  “I already am,” she said, looking into his eyes.

  Lou was pinned between the wall and Keoni’s body, and his head was heavy on hers. She liked the solid feel of him on top of her, and the intensity of his hot gaze trapping hers.

  “Keoni?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re crushing me,” she said.

  “Oh.” His eyes crinkled in the corners and he laughed. “Sorry.”

  Keoni lifted his head off Lou’s and scooped her higher into his arms. He carried her into the kitchen and set her down on the counter so that they were eye to eye. Standing between her legs, he planted his hands next to her hips and resumed looking her in the eye with the same intensity as a moment ago. The towel had fallen off his hips sometime
in the last few minutes. Lou saw that he was blissfully naked and completely unconcerned with it.

  “You deserve the best,” Keoni said. “I can’t give that to you.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t even know what I can give you.”

  “You gave me your soul,” she said. “Are you taking it back?”

  Keoni flinched, and Lou knew her plan had worked. She had counted on his pride not letting him take back something he had given her.

  While he was vulnerable, she pressed her advantage, peppering his face with kisses. She kissed his chin, his jaw, and finally his mouth. She took her time on his mouth. She kissed him just like he kissed her—with slow, torturous patience until finally, Keoni kissed her back.

  “Does that mean I can stay?” Lou asked when they parted.

  Keoni gathered her closer, until they were lined up with their chests touching. “Do you really want to?” he asked.

  Lou looked into his eyes, and she saw the desperation and raw need in them. Keoni would forgive himself eventually, and she would be there every step of the way to make sure he did.

  She shrugged, clutching Keoni’s shoulders as he scooted her even closer. “I don’t have anything better to do,” she said.

  THE END

  Epilogue

  Sunset Beach, Hawaii

  March 20, 1968

  * * *

  The breeze blew across the sand, kicking up skirts and ruffling hair. The sun was bright, and the sky was cloudless. It was a perfect day at Sunset Beach, not unlike the one when Eddie had died.

  It was the second anniversary of his death, and Eddie’s closest friends and family had gathered on the beach to have a party in his honor.

  It seemed like the entire island of Oahu was crowded onto Sunset Beach to celebrate Eddie. The group was eclectic in age, ethnicity, and social status. Old people stood in small groups, while young children dashed away from their parents to build castles in the sand. Surfers popped up on glassy waves, and snorkelers explored the marine life swimming in the coral reef. They were all there to honor one man who’d been ripped away from them too soon.

  A small stage had been set up on the beach, and Ryla Aikau’s band was performing. Couples swayed on the sand, holding each other tightly while Ryla crooned a traditional love song from the stage.

  The scene was just as Eddie would have wanted. Everyone he loved was in attendance. His family. His friends. The girl he had loved. They were all there for him.

  Eddie’s best friend was in love with a beautiful haole girl from the mainland.

  Eddie’s other best friend had just won the most prestigious championship in the world of surfing.

  Eddie’s girlfriend was living her life without him.

  The waves were bigger than usual at Sunset Beach, and the conditions were perfect. Everyone’s lives had gone on without Eddie, and that was exactly how he would have wanted it.

  Acknowledgments

  Writing Try Easy allowed me to wallow in my obsession with the Hawaiian Islands. When we visited Oahu in 2014, I walked up the Diamond Head Crater Monument two times. Once because it was the touristy thing to do, and the second time because I was so enchanted with the magical views.

  I was inspired by the rugged landscape, the colorful sunsets, and the resilience of the native people. I hope that the setting of Try Easy is three-dimensional enough to be one of the characters and that my readers fall in love with Hawaii as well as Keoni and Lou.

  I couldn’t have written this book without the support of my husband. When I told him I wanted to write a book, I was terrified that he might think I was insane. I mean, it’s crazy, right? I had another career at the time and two young children. How the hell was I going to write a book? But he just said, “You can do it!” And he kept saying that every time I wanted to give up. Thanks for believing in me, Drew.

  Thanks to my children, who had to put up with me dragging my laptop to every sporting event or function they participated in so that I could sneak in a little writing time. Grace and Michael, you two are the reason I hung in there when I wanted to quit. I hope you have learned a few valuable life lessons from all my ramblings—and now you can tell all your friends that I finally finished!

  Thank you to Lew Rauton for sharing Hawaii with your family and for inspiring the name of the main character. Aloha and Mahola.

  Thank you to my wonderful Beta Readers—Jana Spencer, Michele Hochstrasser, Jane Marcus, and Cynthia Matz.

  Thank you to my developmental advisor, Shari Box.

  Thank you to Rian Harris for inspiring the title of Try Easy one day in hot yoga class. We were all trying way too hard to fling ourselves into arm balances, and you advised us in your loving voice to try easy instead. For one brief moment, as Drake played over the speakers and sweat dripped into my eyes, I owned crow pose, and life made perfect sense.

  Thank you to my readers for picking up a new author. I know there are many other choices you could have made, and I am grateful to you for giving me a chance.

  About the Author

  Jill Brashear is an author of romance novels with hot heroes, smart heroines and sexy settings. Try Easy is her first book, and she plans to write many more. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her family, but dreams of tropical getaways.

  To be informed of her latest releases, sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.jillbrashear.com

  Jill loves connecting with her readers. Send her an email at jillbrashear@jillbrashear.com

  Also by Jill Brashear

  Try Me

  Coming March 2020