steps back, putting distance between us. “There’s a difference between being afraid and not being ready. But either is okay. Honestly, we can spend the night talking. Just talking. I’m happy to tell you what you should look for and expect in a future partner. Harlow tells me you’re interested in one of your neighbors back home?”
“Yes.”
I nod. “I can help you be ready for whatever happens with him without ever laying a finger on you if that makes you more comfortable.”
My assurance seems to set her at ease. “I appreciate that, but I wanted this for a reason. I have to stop freaking out that I’m ‘cheating’ or doing something wrong. I’m a single woman, and it’s perfectly normal to want to know what real pleasure feels like.”
I nod. “If that’s what you want, that’s what I’ll give you. But there’s no reason to rush. We’ll do this at your pace.”
Suddenly, she laughs at herself. “All my hang-ups must be a real turn-on for you.”
“I already said that desiring you isn’t a problem.”
She gives me an artificially bright smile. “So you did. Can I get you something to drink?”
I don’t need her to play hostess, but I sense she isn’t comfortable enough yet for me to start the seduction. “No, thanks. Tell me what relaxes you.”
“Honestly? Nothing.” She shrugs. “I’m a little driven and high-strung even on a good day.”
And this isn’t a good day, at least in her head. I can tell.
I meander to the French doors at the back of the magazine-worthy neutral living room and stare out at the dark ocean rolling beyond her lanai. “Let’s walk.”
“What?”
I open the doors and motion to her. “Come on. Come with me.”
She frowns, then locks the front door, pockets her keys, and follows me. “What are you doing?”
“Ditch the shoes.” I toe mine off, leaving them just outside the back door.
Masey follows suit, and when I hold out my hand, I’m gratified she takes it. That’s a start. I hang on to that as we trek past the lanai and hit the sand.
The beach is deserted and mysterious, illuminated only by the moon. We walk in silence for a bit, the sand filtering between my toes, and I wait. When it’s clear I’m not going to immediately maul her, the tension begins to leave her.
“What do you think of Maui so far?”
“I love it. It’s so much quieter here. It’s one of the first things I noticed when I arrived. I’m so used to LA, you know? The people and the smog, the traffic—ugh, the traffic—the cars, the noise, and the airplanes since I live pretty close to the airport. But when I got here, I walked the beach that first night. I felt like the only person in this corner of the world.”
“It helps that you have your own beach.”
She concedes the point with a self-deprecating nod. “There is that. So…how come a seemingly nice, sexually gifted guy like you isn’t taken?”
It’s a fair question, but not an easy one. “I don’t meet a lot of women taking corporate stiffs out for team-building excursions, and the few I do are usually tourists. Here today, back to the mainland tomorrow. My brother and Harlow are damn lucky to have each other. It’s great—for them. But I’m not in a hurry for marital bliss, so I’m okay with being alone.”
Well, I used to be. Now…I’m rethinking. My reasons for not getting serious about women are definitely more complicated than I’ve let on, but nothing I’ve said is untrue.
She nods. “I don’t meet many men in my line of work, either. Some, but no one I’ve been attracted to. And since my job so often consumes me, I’ll sometimes look up and realize I haven’t left my house for days. Grocery and food delivery services are the best things ever. My cute neighbor moving in two doors down was a nice surprise, too.”
“Why do you think you put up with so much of your ex’s bullshit?”
“Honestly? I convinced myself as a starry-eyed teenager that we were ‘meant to be.’ So when he did something that upset or annoyed me, I made excuses or wrote it off. Law school was stressful, and his job even more so. No one is perfect, and to spend your life with another person, you have to compromise. I had lots of excuses like that. But I thought we were on the same page about sharing our future.”