“What I have in mind needs to be done early to get the full effect.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
I turned around to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Okay,” I agreed, not even bothering to ask what he had in mind. I trusted Liam—something I never thought I’d feel again for anyone.
“Go put a swimsuit on, and meet me in the foyer in five minutes.”
Curiosity filled me, but I was willing to let him surprise me.
I left him on the balcony and went to change into my bikini and a cover-up. When I met Liam in the foyer he’d changed into a pair of board shorts and a sleeveless shirt and had a blanket draped over his arm.
Excitement bubbled inside me as I followed him out of the hotel. He stopped and grabbed a paddleboard, tucking it under his arm like he would his surfboard. He handed me the blanket and then took my hand in his.
When we reached the beach he set the board down and I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. It might’ve been August, and Hawaii, but the early morning air was cool and had goosebumps popping out across my arms.
Liam lifted his shirt off and dropped it on the ground before setting the paddleboard in the water. He made sure it was floating properly and then held it steady while reaching out with his other hand for me. I dropped the blanket on the sand beside his shirt and put my hand in his; he clasped it tightly and helped me onto the board. It bobbed in the water with my added weight, and I giggled as it teetered.
“Whoa.” Liam chuckled, grabbing onto it and holding it steady.
I settled myself with my legs crossed, and when it no longer bobbed Liam climbed on across from me, letting his legs dangle in the water. He bent and moved his hands through the water, propelling us forward.
“Why not a surfboard?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Not big enough.”
“What do you have planned for this paddleboard?” I joked, waggling my brows.
He snorted. “Get your head out of the gutter, Ari.”
I smiled at him as we moved out into a bit deeper of water. He pulled his hands from the water and we bobbed with the motion of the waves. Above us, the sky was still fairly dark—just a hint of purples began to show indicating the rising sun.
“I brought you out here because I want you to understand why I love the water so much. The beach. Surfing. Why it’s such a part of me,” he explained.
The wind blew my hair around, and I turned my face to the side so I could see him through the wild strands. “The peace,” I whispered. “That’s why you like it, isn’t it?”
He grinned one of the largest smiles I’d ever seen on his face. “Yeah,” he nodded, ?
??that’s it exactly.”
“That’s why I like to draw, you know,” I told him. “Because when I’m so focused on the image I’m creating, everything else ceases to exist. There is no pain, or suffering, or worrying. Just quiet.”
“We’re a lot alike,” Liam mused, leaning closer to me.
“We are,” I agreed.
Liam took each of my hands in his and ducked his head, pressing his lips firmly to mine.
His lips heated my body, thawing the icy cold that surrounded my limbs.
I kissed him back, and disentangled one of my hands to grab his chin. His stubble scratched at my skin, but I didn’t mind.
When he broke the kiss, I opened my eyes to find the sky was now rimmed in a vibrant orange, the purple tones beginning to fade away.
I looked around, completely in awe.
I’d spent so much of my life locked away.
Hidden.
A dirty secret.