Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin' Anthology 2015

by Melinda Curtis

  Matt’s smile was friendly. “I have to run, but I’ll call your room later and see if we can hook up.”

  “Sounds like fun.” Biting back a small groan, she watched his tight ass as he walked away.

  Hook up? Was he kidding? Like she would consider hooking up after what he’d done. More directly, what he hadn’t done. Or did I’ll call mean something different in California-speak than in Missouri?

  Had she come here hoping to run into him? No, she always figured he’d stayed in San Francisco or gone to New York. Followed the money. He’d been studying finance in college. As far as she knew, no one traded stocks or whatever from the beach in Maui.

  She would never have figured him for the beach bum type. He was too young for a midlife crisis. Her curiosity grew the more she pondered. He had a lot of story to tell.

  ~*~

  After changing out of his board shorts, Matt went to look for Jen. Canned Hawaiian music filtered through the speakers above the hotel’s dining patio as Matt walked toward where Jen sat at a small table. In her hand she held a computer tablet. With amazing coordination, or much practice, she managed to eat her salad without looking away from the gadget.

  With her thick, curly brown hair loose past her shoulders, she looked like she hadn’t aged since he saw her last. She was even more beautiful, though. Memories stirred and he glanced past the tables at the edge of the clearing. His groin tightened remembering her lying beneath him, the two of them hidden in the trees that incredible night, just beyond the clearing. Just a pair of horny college students intent on sharing a moment of bliss.

  And what a moment it had been. The way she’d touched him had fed his fantasies for years afterward. Her firm, ripe breasts. Those slender legs wrapped around him, pulling him deeper inside. Her cries as her passion grew. Damn, he could still hear the sound in his head. Shaking off the erotic vision, he stopped at Jen’s table. “Is this seat taken?”

  Jen jumped, flipping her tablet into her salad. Glancing up, she smiled. “Um, no, it’s not,” she said as she wiped dressing off the device.

  Matt signaled the server and ordered a light meal of fish and vegetables. His eyes swept over her as he sipped from his glass of water. “I still can’t get over seeing you.”

  Pushing aside her salad plate, she took a deep breath. “I’m a bit surprised, too. How long are you here?”

  Tipping his head slightly, he said, “I live here now.”

  “Still doing the water sports rental thing?”

  “Yeah. I discovered I couldn’t stay out of the ocean.”

  She studied him silently, her lips turned up just at the corners. He saw nothing in her expression to tell him her true feelings about seeing him after so long. If she was free to renew their passion or if she had a man waiting for her back on the mainland.

  Leaning back so the server could set down his salad, Matt asked, “Are you still in Missouri?”

  “Yes, still living in the county I was born in, isn’t that sad?”

  “No.” He waited until she picked her fork up again, then lifted his own. “You always had a strong sense of family. I’m guessing you’ve got a houseful of kids, a dog and a position in the Parent Teacher Association.”

  “No. Not yet. Maybe not ever.” Her eyes welled and she looked up at the thatched roof over the patio. Blinking, drawing in a breath, she continued. “I’m newly divorced.”

  She sipped her drink and turned her head toward the beach. Her pain was obvious in the tension lines on her forehead.

  “I’m sorry. That’s hard to go through no matter what the situation is.” He dug into his meal, grateful for the distraction, hoping he hadn’t shut her down completely.

  “The resort hasn’t changed much in ten years.” Her tone was light, polite, not giving her emotions away.

  “No, although the staff has either been promoted or they moved on to other jobs.”

  They continued the conversation of strangers, like classmates at a reunion. In his mind she was the lover he’d kissed goodbye just hours ago. But reality had taken them down separate paths.

  How do I bring those paths back together?

  When their server asked, Jen turned down dessert, and the young man brought their checks, which Matt quickly picked up. “My treat.”

  Nothing in her smile said this was anything more than a business meal. To him the time meant so much more. It was a beginning. Whether she knew it or not, she came here for a reason. “Would you like to walk down on the beach with me?”

  Her eyelids fluttered and she reached for her purse, tucking the tablet safely inside. “I hate to be rude, but I think the flight and the sun have worn me down. I wish I could stay and catch up on life, but I’m going to go lie down. Perhaps we’ll run into each other tomorrow.”

  I’ll make sure of it. He watched the gentle sway of Jen’s skirt as she walked away. The lightweight fabric draped off her heart-shaped ass. Her tank top hugged a waist that didn’t appear to have gained an inch since college.

  Grinning like an idiot, he signed the meal tickets and handed them to the hostess as he left. Jen was single. Single, and even more beautiful than the memories he’d clung to even after he knew he’d lost his chance at her.

  How often does a guy get a second chance at his first love?

  A week. He had a week to remind her of what they shared. A week to convince her they belonged together.

  There was no way on this earth he was letting her leave without a promise of coming back. And unlike that summer they shared, he wasn’t waiting until the last night to make his move.

  ~*~

  Shortly after she woke the next morning, Jen answered a knock at the door. The hotel porter handed her a delicate glass vase with an orchid, a small card dangling from a pink ribbon tied just below the lip of the vase. She set the flower on the small table near the door, dug out her wallet and tipped the man.

  Turning back to the orchid, she didn’t need to read the card to know who sent the vase. Who else knew she was there? Who else even knew she existed?

  With a loud snort she berated herself for sounding so pitiful. She’d been on her own for just over six months. If no one knew she existed, it might be due to her being holed up in her house all that time.

  She slipped the card out of its envelope. Good morning, beautiful! Call me when you get this.

  Matt had signed simply with his name and phone number. Hardly the romantic overture she’d been hoping for. But what did she think he’d say? I’m an ass for never calling you. I realize my mistake and never want to let you out of my sight.

  Yeah, right. Only in her romance novels. Still, he’d sent a flower when he could have just called her room. She picked up her cell phone and dialed.

  His voice held a smile as he answered. “Did you sleep well?”

  Jen’s throat suddenly went thick, like she’d just wakened next to him. “Yes, surprisingly well. I needed it.”

  “That’s good. I’m not sure what your plans are for the day, but I thought you might like to hike the trail to the waterfall. The short hike, if you prefer.”

  She sighed. That’s what she got for scheduling activities over the Internet when she booked the hotel. “I’m going on a helicopter tour. I booked a few tourist-type activities that I never got around to doing while I worked here.”

  “Oh, I see. Maybe we’ll run into each other during the day, then.”

  “Yes, I’m sure I’ll see you at some point.” The old Jen might have skipped the tour just to be with him, but she wasn’t that girl anymore. Not that she wouldn’t prefer spending time with him. Her life was planned out now, centered on her goals. Not a man.

  No matter how amazingly, heart-stoppingly hot he was.

  He seemed in a hurry to get off the phone after that, rushing through trite polite-isms before hanging up. She set the phone down with a shrug and headed for the shower.

  A few hours later, Jen got out of the shuttle van and checked in with the helicopter tour desk. She was d
irected toward a copter where a couple of men stood talking. A friendly, pimple-faced young man helped her into the rear seating area and demonstrated how to buckle herself in.

  As she adjusted her seat belt, she was aware of someone slipping into the seat beside her. A familiar, whiskey-smooth voice spoke. “Beautiful morning for a flight over the island, isn’t it?”

  She snapped her gaze up to meet Matt’s. “What are you doing here?”

  Ducking his head, he gazed past her out the window toward the center of the island. “I haven’t seen the mountains from above in a few years.”

  “I was asleep when I flew in so I missed seeing them from the plane.”

  The pilot and a young man climbed in front, while someone handed headsets to Matt through the door. He showed her how to adjust the volume as she placed the earpieces over her ears.

  Jen clutched her purse as the rotors began spinning. Matt placed his hand on her forearm. “Ready for liftoff. Did you bring your camera?”

  “Oh, I forgot I had it.” She opened her bag and dug out the flat digital camera she’d bought just for the trip, and pushed the power button. Grateful for the distraction, she pointed it out the window and took some test photos.

  Lowering the camera, she leaned toward the glass, her lips parting in a silent gasp. The ground dropped away beneath them, her stomach briefly following. She felt Matt’s warmth before she saw his arm reach past her to brace against the base of the window. He brushed her shoulder and she fought the urge to rest her arm on his biceps.

  She continued to watch the scenery, pretending not to notice the tingling in her veins brought on by his nearness. Only in her mind had years gone past since their summer together. Her body recognized and remembered him and craved his touch.

  Below them, the green valley came to a sharp point, where a narrow waterfall spilled into a pool at the base. Jen gasped at the beauty.

  As the helicopter leveled, Matt didn’t shift away after the turn pushed him against her. “An incredible view, isn’t it?”

  “It’s…breathtaking.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I was going to say awesome. Funny, I come back to Maui and lose my grown-up vocabulary.”

  “Hey, that’s a good thing, going back to a more innocent time.”

  Immediately pain stabbed her stomach. Damn, how long must she suffer before the ache faded? Before she quit picturing her husband’s arm around his pregnant girlfriend. She closed her eyes and prayed for peace of mind.

  Matt’s hand came to rest on her knee and gently squeezed. “Look, there’s the Iao Needle. Remember when a bunch of us took a road trip tour?”

  “I do.” She met his gaze. “That was the first time I was in the mountains. Surprising, huh? Not just these mountains—any mountains. We didn’t travel much when I was a kid.”

  “We can come back to this spot by car and hike. The trail is pretty easy and it’s not to be missed.”

  Those were fighting words. She grinned. “Pretty easy? Do I look like I can’t get my fat ass up a hill?” Sure, she wasn’t anywhere as fit as he was, but she was a long way from being out of shape.

  “I wasn’t sure if you came to relax or get a workout.” He put his hand over the microphone on his headset and spoke directly in her ear, his voice a seductive invitation. “I’d be happy to help with either.”

  Warmth pooled low inside her. Jen bit her lip before turning back to the scenery. The pilot continued to point out items of interest. Swinging out over the ocean, he said, “Shall we see if there are whales or dolphins around?”

  She nudged Matt’s arm. “You know, that summer I spent here, I never saw a whale.”

  “I don’t think whales were high on our priority list back then.”

  Remembering where her head was much of that summer, her face grew hot. The other girls seemed to be sampling each of the guys, bouncing from bed to bed. Or dick to dick, since they usually had sex out under the trees or in the back of a car. Her eyes had been on one man—the one beside her now.

  He’d been her best friend, with the emphasis on friend for so long she’d decided he wasn’t interested in her as anything more. At the party on their last night on the island, she’d sought him out, practically demanding he make love to her. What had he thought of her after that night?

  She’d believed him the next day when he said he wanted to get together over the holidays. Hinted that they had a future, or a chance at one. He’d kissed her goodbye as she left for the airport.

  And then not a word. Ten years of no phone calls. No texts. No looking her up on social media. Months passed before she was able to write him off as a vacation romance. But she’d never been able to erase the spot where he’d etched his name on her heart.

  After the helicopter landed and they disembarked, Jen searched for the man from the shuttle van, her ride to the hotel.

  Matt’s arm pressed against her back just before he spoke. “Would you like to join me at the luau tonight?”

  Visions flashed through her mind of him dancing in tropical-print shorts beside the other young men they had worked with. But this time he’d be with her in the audience. What was Hawaii without a luau? “That sounds like fun.”

  He grinned. “Let’s get you back to your room, then, and find out what time the party starts.”

  Chapter 2

  The beach was already crowded when they arrived that evening at the weekly luau. The smell of roast pork filled the air as the men hoisted the pig from the underground oven. People chattered at the tables set back from the performance stage.

  Jen stood holding her plate at the buffet, battling indecision. There were a million choices, so she put small amounts of way too many delicacies on her plate. But when would she be back in Maui again? She could diet when she got back home.

  Matt sat opposite her at their small table. With all the other diners around them, the setting was hardly intimate, but they could speak softly and not feel like they had an audience. She took a mouthful of mahi mahi and let the coconut and garlic flavors sit on her tongue. She moaned in pleasure. “This fish is heavenly. I haven’t had mahi mahi since the last time I was in Maui.”

  “Try some of the pahole salad,” he suggested.

  She poked at the unfamiliar curly greens nestled with onion and tomatoes. She tried a bite, surprised at the pleasant taste. “What is it?”

  “Fern shoots.”

  “Interesting.” The rest of her food was identifiable and incredibly delicious.

  When Matt returned to the buffet for their desserts, she glanced around at the other diners, wondering what their stories were. So many people laughing and enjoying their meals.

  Musicians set up on one side of a grass mat in the sand and tuned their ukuleles, the drummers sitting down with their legs around their drums. They played a rousing number and native dancers rushed in from one side.

  Both male and female dancers wore long grass skirts and wild, colorful headdresses that rose at least a foot above their heads. Jen wondered how they kept from losing the hats as they danced.

  The women had on bikinis and leis with their skirts, and all the dancers wore woven bracelets and anklets. They shimmied in a traditional, fast-paced dance. Jen couldn’t help but watch the muscular torsos of the young men.

  Matt had learned the dances years ago, and although he’d never performed for tourists, he often joined the guys when they danced at after-hour parties. His hard, bronzed pecs and six-pack abs rolled with the best of the performers. Everything he did seemed to show off his body to its best advantage.

  Working as he had in the waves, showing tourists how to surf or ride a Jet Ski, he seemed to always be shirtless, clad only in low-riding shorts or swim trunks. And she never complained, enjoying every minute of drooling over that body.

  “You seem deep in thought,” he commented.

  Jen jumped, a giggle escaping as heat warmed her neck. “I, uh, was remembering how you guys used to dance for the rest of us. How did you learn to hula, anyway?”


  He shrugged. “I danced to any music that played. I started imitating the guys and they were impressed enough to ask me to join them, when there was no audience. I could teach you.”

  She shook her head and took a sip of her Blue Hawaiian drink. “I tried sometimes when the girls showed me. I haven’t got enough roll in my hips. I didn’t then, and I have even less now, I’m sure.”

  His gaze heated. “I’m sure I could get those hips rolling.”

  Rocking, anyway. Bucking, riding— She cleared her throat, but didn’t even try to speak. Instead, she spooned a bite of coconut pudding into her mouth and savored the sweet distraction.

  “The dancers look so young, don’t they?” he asked.

  She agreed. “Did we look like that? Was it so long ago we danced in the sand together?”

  In her mind she slipped back. The farewell party was a casual but wild gathering on the beach on the last night before most of the college students who’d worked over the summer flew home. She and Matt had been among them. After a summer of being the good girl, she’d put caution behind her and was determined to seduce him.

  Letting loose hadn’t taken much work. Using a few of the sexier moves she’d seen the other girls do to music, she pretended to be graceful and showed off her body. Grinding her pelvis against his hip, she let her eyes and her body speak for her.

  He’d led her away from the fire, away from the crowd, and they’d kissed for the first time in the shadows of the surf shed. Her arms had wrapped tightly around his neck. She’d captured his lips, thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. Their tongues tangled as his moan deepened, sending vibrations through her breasts. Matt had broken away only long enough to suggest they find somewhere less open to continue.

  That kiss was forever burned in her memory as the best first kiss.

  “Where is the music taking you?” Matt’s voice brought her back to the present and the luau.