Meet Me in Hawaii Georgia Toffolo (tharntype novel english .TXT) 📖
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- Author: Georgia Toffolo
Book online «Meet Me in Hawaii Georgia Toffolo (tharntype novel english .TXT) 📖». Author Georgia Toffolo
‘Are you not going to say anything?’
Caught staring, he wanted to slap himself. After that afternoon’s embarrassing encounter, the least he could do was show her the real him. The man who was always in control of himself and the situation.
‘You ran off so quickly, I didn’t get chance to… and it wasn’t like you introduced yourself either.’
‘I’m Malie, surf school instructor, ex-champion, it’s a little different to, I’m Mr Masters and I’m the millionaire staying at the private residence beyond the overgrown foliage.’
‘I have to say I prefer your introduction, it’s way cooler.’
Her eyes softened with her smile. ‘You’re a charmer, Mr Masters, I’ll give you that.’
‘Enough with the Mr, it makes me want to turn around and look for my father.’
‘And that’s a bad thing?’
‘When the guy’s partly to blame for my storming onto the beach earlier and making a complete fool of myself in front of you, it is.’
She frowned up at him. ‘You didn’t make a complete fool of yourself.’
‘A partial one then.’
She gave a soft laugh and shook her head. ‘Now that I think on it properly, it’s really quite sweet that you thought Nalu was in trouble and jumped in to help him.’
‘You do?’
She gave him a nod. ‘And now that you know how to spot a rip current and how to deal with them you can keep yourself safe too, but maybe next time leave it to the lifeguard.’
‘Maybe I should just take you with me everywhere, then I wouldn’t need to worry.’
What the hell, Todd?
He felt his own eyes widen over his impulsive response, watched hers flash in tune as her cheeks coloured. And then she gave a breathless, ‘Maybe,’ and his good sense to take it back left him.
The auction was underway behind him, the band hurrying back and forth past them with their instruments and equipment, but he was barely aware of any of it, only her eyes locked on his and the strange connection that seemed determined to pull them together. It had existed on the beach and now here, it was undeniable.
It’s not like he’d lived the life of a monk all these years. He’d tried dating, tried relationships of a sort. But they never lasted long. He couldn’t share his life with another, couldn’t give them what they needed to stick around, and he hadn’t mourned their loss when they’d eventually given up and moved on. It was to be expected. It was what he expected because he was incapable of loving another. He couldn’t risk what his father had suffered after his mother had died giving birth to him.
Love had the power to destroy a man.
It was fickle and weak, too. Foster homes had taught him that.
Love couldn’t be trusted.
Love was a frustration. The only person he truly loved was his father and the guy was driving him nigh on insane with his refusal to accept financial help.
And his mind was wandering down a crazy path that had no place in the here and now. What was wrong with him?
‘If the idea makes you frown like that,’ she suddenly said, ‘are you sure you don’t want to retract your bid and run away right now?’
He forced a smile, at least, he forced it to begin with, but looking into her eyes he didn’t need to force anything. She made him feel it.
‘Believe me, that has nothing to do with the prospect of time with you and everything to do with Mr Masters.’
‘You want to talk about it?’ The question looked like it surprised her as much as it did him. Did he want to talk about it? He never spoke to anyone about personal stuff. He’d stopped doing that long ago after one too many case-worker interviews that were getting him nowhere. But did he want to now, with her? It seemed so easy. Too easy to say yes and it’s that which had him opting for diversion.
‘How about a dance?’ And he didn’t dance. Ever.
She looked past him to the crowd, to the band. ‘Won’t people talk if you’re spied dancing with your surf instructor?’
‘I think they’ll see it as me taking an active role in the evening.’
‘Like your bid?’
‘Sure, like my bid.’
She shook her head and took a long sip of her drink, her cherry-red lips smiling around the straw.
‘You don’t strike me as the kind to worry about a little gossip.’ She didn’t. She seemed carefree, easy, unless she was rollicking someone for their stupidity in the water.
‘OK, Todd, a dance it is.’ She placed her drink down on the table nearest to them and sauntered past him, looking back over her shoulder. ‘But no funny business, you hear, or me not being gentle on a surfboard will be the least of your worries.’
He laughed. Again, with the laughter. What was it about her that had him behaving, no – feeling, so different?
He didn’t know the answer. And for once, he didn’t need to know.
He was happy to go with the flow.
‘You need to lighten up.’ Malie stifled another giggle, her body moving effortlessly to the music as she maintained eye contact with Todd. She didn’t dare look any lower, it would only set her off and she didn’t make a habit of laughing at people. But his stiff corpse-like swing was killing her.
‘Lighten up?’ he said over the music, leaning in so that she could hear. It didn’t stop him clicking his fingers off beat or doing his little sidestep that was as rigid as a soldier on sentry duty.
He really didn’t dance often, or if he did, no one had been kind enough to point out his… er, unique style.
When he’d asked her to dance, she’d assumed he was a bit of a closet clubber, not a jagged puppet. It wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t stand out so much. But his six-foot-plus of presence drew every eye in the room and it
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