Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Every time Marley or her parents texted, wanting to know how her trip was going and asking for updates, Remi was sure to send back nothing but positive comments. But the truth was…she was lonelier than ever.

Going on vacation by herself had sounded like heaven, but in reality, it was difficult. She was surrounded by happy families and couples. She’d gone to Duke’s for lunch one day, and while the food was amazing, the staff welcoming and friendly, it kind of sucked sitting by herself, the other tables filled with laughing guests. She’d rented a car and driven up to the North Shore, but it was hard to look at the map on her phone and the sights at the same time. And while the Dole Whip at the Dole Plantation was to die for, in the end, she wasn’t brave enough to try out the maze by herself.

So while the weather was amazing, her hotel was perfect, and the views everywhere she looked were beautiful, Remi wasn’t exactly thrilled with the trip. She’d spent more time than Marley would’ve approved of in her hotel room, sketching out cartoons, most of which would probably never see the light of day since they were somewhat depressing.

She was actually ready to go back home. Back to her condo in San Diego, where she could sit in her drawing chair and be the boring, introverted Remi Douchecanoe accused her of being.

Today was the snorkeling trip, then she had one more day on the island before she’d get on a plane and head home.

This excursion, at least, was one she was looking forward to more than any other activity she’d done so far. Mostly because she’d booked a semi-private tour. She wouldn’t have to make small talk with large groups of smiling tourists. From what she understood from the email she received, there was only one other guest booked on the tour. Of course, if that person was annoying, he or she could destroy the trip just as easily as an overpacked boat filled with hyper, screaming tourists, so Remi kept her fingers crossed that whoever had booked the expensive snorkeling trip would be low-key.

She packed her sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, towel, mints for after she got out of the water, and debated for a moment about bringing a pad of paper and a few of her drawing pencils, but ultimately vetoed that idea. She was determined to live in the moment on this trip. To enjoy being on the water, and not have her head buried in her sketchbooks.

After putting on her swimsuit and the cute coverup Marley had convinced her to buy before the trip, Remi swung her bag over her shoulder and took a deep breath. Then she headed out of the hotel room to catch her ride to the pier, where she’d be meeting the boat.

Kevlar was having a good time on vacation, although it was strange to be alone. He spent most of his life around others. Even when he wasn’t dating, he was with his team or around other Navy personnel on the base. Here in Hawaii, he was surrounded by people, but they all pretty much ignored him. No one spoke directly to him unless it was someone in the service industry, asking for his order or inquiring about what they could do for him.

Here, in Hawaii, he was almost invisible.

Chuckling, Kevlar shook his head. Had he really gotten so conceited that he wanted to be fawned over simply because he was a SEAL? No, it wasn’t that. It was more that he’d gotten used to it. Used to the attention he received because of his profession.

This trip was good for him. A way to bring him back down to earth. To reflect on who he was as a person. He’d spent a lot of time watching the families who were staying in his hotel, interacting with their loved ones. He’d sat on Waikiki Beach one afternoon for more people-watching, and that had been fascinating. He liked having no idea who the men and women were who crossed his path. They could be clerks at a big-box store, or CEOs of multimillion-dollar businesses. But on the beach, it didn’t matter. They were all just people, vacationers or locals, enjoying themselves in the sand and surf.

The experience humbled him. His training didn’t matter here. He wasn’t looked up to or looked down at. He was simply another tourist on the beach.

Chuckling a little at himself, Kevlar realized he was getting a bit too philosophical. He couldn’t help but wonder how the trip would’ve gone if Bertie had been with him. Probably stressful. She’d have nagged him about one thing after another; bitched about the rain storm that moved through one afternoon that had soaked him and everyone else on the beach; would’ve spent her time shopping in the high-end stores instead of soaking in the atmosphere and culture of the island.

No, Kevlar had made the right decision to come to Hawaii on his own. Even if he was still getting pissed-off texts from her. It made no sense to him, but apparently him going to Hawaii had really struck a nerve. And now she was haranguing him from thousands of miles away, probably hoping to ruin his trip.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Kevlar had two more days before he was scheduled to fly back to Riverton. Tomorrow, he was planning on driving up to the North Shore to visit with Baker and his wife, Jodelle. He was looking forward to meeting the man he’d only talked to on the phone and via email. He wasn’t a very talkative guy, but ever since he’d gotten together with Jodelle, he definitely seemed more mellow.

Today, Kevlar was going on his scuba trip, the one thing he’d looked forward to the most. He was good in the water, obviously, but usually he was working. Today, he was going to take his time, take in the beauty that was Hawaii and the waters around the island.

Bertie had booked a private tour…probably hoping that he’d propose, even though they’d been nowhere near that level of commitment in their relationship. He wasn’t upset in the least with the cost of this excursion, because it would be worth every penny. As much as he enjoyed people-watching on the beach, too many people diving would scare away the wildlife. The boat captain had sent an email with last-minute details about the trip and had informed him there would be just one other client on the tour, but she wasn’t certified to dive, so she’d be snorkeling. Which was fine with Kevlar. He could be deep beneath the water and she could stay on top of it.

Smiling to himself, Kevlar hefted the bag with his gear onto his shoulder. It had been a pain to bring everything with him, but he was too anal to use someone else’s gear. He knew his tank and the rest of the equipment like the back of his hand. He could troubleshoot without thinking twice, which had saved his life more than once while on a mission. If he truly wanted to relax and enjoy the dive, he needed to use the gear he was comfortable with.

Kevlar closed the hotel room door behind him and headed to the lobby to catch a taxi to the pier. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, and he couldn’t wait to get on the water…for pleasure instead of a mission.

Remi tried not to stare at the man who’d joined her on the small boat. He was ruggedly handsome. That was the only way she could describe him. He had a five o’clock shadow, as if he hadn’t bothered to shave while on vacation. His light brown hair was short, and he had the most piercing blue eyes she’d ever seen. He wore a white T-shirt and a pair of black and blue board shorts that highlighted his muscular thighs and legs. Heck, even his toes were attractive…which was the most ridiculous thought in the world, because feet were gross.

At least Douchecanoe’s were.

Remi shook her head. No, she wasn’t going to think about that jerk today. She was on a boat skimming over the water, the sun was shining, and she was going to enjoy herself.

The other guest had introduced himself as Vincent, then he’d disappeared into the cabin of the boat with the captain, leaving Remi by herself in the back of the vessel…which was fine with her. It wasn’t as if she would even know what to talk about with a man who was so obviously out of her league.

Still…her eyes were drawn back to the cabin, and she stared at the man—Vincent—as he talked with the captain. He seemed confident in who he was, clearly had no problem holding his own in whatever conversation he was having with the other man. When he crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles in his forearms bulged.

Remi thought about how she’d sketch him. What kind of personality she’d give him in one of her comics. He’d be fun, a character everyone wanted to be friends with. But he’d have a secret, something that tormented him, which he never shared with anyone.

Taking a deep breath, Remi forced her gaze away from the stranger and purposely turned to look out at the waves as they motored out to wherever it was they were going to be snorkeling. Or scuba diving, in Vincent’s case. Which was a good thing, because she had no idea what she’d talk about if they were swimming together. Remi just wasn’t good in casual situations. Never had been. Marley was the outgoing one. The one who could charm everyone she met.

Remi was…Remi.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. She refused to think about anything other than having a good time today. Once they got where they were going, her fellow guest would go deep-sea diving and she’d do her float-and-breathe thing near the surface. After checking out a couple of different spots, they’d get back in the boat, eat the tacos the captain had promised would be waiting for them—which was ironic, really, considering what she did for a living—and go back to their respective hotels in Oahu.

She didn’t need to impress him or anyone else. They were strangers sharing an excursion. That was it.

Kevlar had no idea why his gaze kept going back to the woman he’d met when he’d arrived at the pier. Maybe because she was unlike most of the women he met these days. Which made him mentally roll his eyes at himself. He was obviously hanging out in the wrong places if meeting a woman who politely shook his hand, gave him a small smile, and didn’t immediately hit on him was unusual.

But for some reason, even while he was making small talk with the captain, his eyes kept straying to where she was sitting. Like now. With her head tipped back and a small smile on her face, Kevlar wondered what she was thinking. Why a beautiful woman like her was on a solo snorkeling trip. He guessed her age to be early thirties, and surely she had a husband and kids. He couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t. Maybe they were off doing something she had no desire to do today, and her husband splurged and spoiled her with the private tour.

“She doesn’t say much,” the captain said, not missing where his gaze had gone. Again.

Kevlar turned to look at the man. He was pretty scruffy. He wore board shorts, just like Kevlar, but his T-shirt had a few sizable holes in it and the color was faded from the sun. If he ran a private excursion like this one, Kevlar would do his best to clean up for the guests, but what did he know?

“The chick?” he said, as if Kevlar hadn’t heard him. “She don’t talk a lot. Which is okay by me. I like ’em quiet and compliant.” He chuckled at his own words.

Kevlar frowned. The man wasn’t being completely inappropriate, but the sexual inuendo was there. It was a rude thing to say about one client to another, and this guy didn’t even know him.

“I guess you being a SEAL and all, you’re used to women throwing themselves at you. You’ll have to work a bit to bring that one to heel, I’d guess.”

Okay, so maybe he did know a little about him. Kevlar racked his brain trying to remember if he’d said anything about being a SEAL in their communications, and couldn’t come up with anything. But then again, Bertie had been the one to set this trip up initially, so it was possible she’d informed him that, since he was a Navy SEAL, he’d be bringing his own gear.

“She’s here alone,” the captain went on. “No boyfriend. Like you, she was supposed to be here with someone, but she emailed last week and said it’d be just her.” The man grinned. “So if you and her wanted to…you know…feel free. I’ll keep my back turned and mind my own business.”

This guy was disgusting. Kevlar hadn’t missed the small camera aimed right at the seating area in the back of the boat. He wasn’t going to have sex with the cute stranger sitting in the sun any more than he’d have done so with Bertie.

“Not cool, man,” Kevlar said in a low growl. “You this much of a pervert to all your paying customers?”

Clearly hearing the disgust in Kevlar’s tone, the man straightened and, when he answered, any inuendo in his tone was gone. “No, sorry. Of course not. I just thought…” His voice trailed off.

“You thought what?” Kevlar asked, getting more irritated with the man every time he opened his mouth.

“Nothing. You’re right. That was rude and uncalled for,” the captain said in an appropriately cowed tone.

Kevlar figured the asshole was just saying what he thought he should, but he did his best to calm down. “What’s the plan for today?” he asked, wanting to change the subject away from the woman he couldn’t seem to ignore. He’d rather discuss the details for their trip, so he’d know how much time he’d have under the water. He planned on spending every minute diving.

“We’ve got another half hour or so until we get to the first spot. I discovered it last year, and the best part is that none of the other tour boats have found it yet. So it’ll be just us. There are a ton of sea turtles out this way and the coral on the bottom is untouched. There’ll be plenty of wildlife to see and the fish are abundant.”

Kevlar nodded. That sounded fantastic to him.

“We’ll stay there for about an hour, then move to another spot. While you two are back in the water, I’ll get lunch ready. Whenever you’re done diving, you can come up and have tacos. I’ve got some beer or margaritas to go with it. Then we’ll head back.”

“Sounds good,” Kevlar told him. He wouldn’t touch the alcohol, not while on the water, but tacos sounded like a fantastic meal after diving. The captain went on to explain weather conditions and the types of fish he might see, but Kevlar’s attention was drawn once more to the woman sitting out on the deck.

Her hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck, but wisps had escaped and were flying wildly around her head in the wind. The locks had seemed brown back at the pier, but in the sun, the reddish highlights were more prevalent. Her lips were full and pouty, and even though she hadn’t taken off her coverup, Kevlar could tell she was curvy all over. Exactly the kind of woman he loved.

Bertie took pride in staying slim. Too slim for Kevlar’s taste, but he’d never said a word. Even he knew better than to comment on a woman’s weight, no matter what it was. But he couldn’t help but wonder what this woman, Remi, would look like when she took off her coverup.

He was being ridiculous, of course. He knew nothing about her. She could be a shrew. A total pain in the ass, which was why she was here by herself. Maybe no one wanted to come with her because she was a bitch.

But…he didn’t think so.

She’d smiled at him when he’d introduced himself, in a sweet way that hit him squarely in his gut. He had no idea why; plenty of women smiled at him and he didn’t feel a thing. Her gaze had dropped from his when he’d shaken her hand, but she’d peered up at him from beneath her lowered lashes in the next instant, as if she was as drawn to him as he was to her.

Which was stupid. Wasn’t it? He’d just gotten out of a yearlong relationship and wasn’t looking for a rebound.

Kevlar ran a hand through his hair and once again turned to face the ocean in front of him. He had to pull himself together. He wasn’t here to indulge in a vacation fling, and even if he wanted one, there was no indication Remi would be up for that. Not that he’d go there, regardless. He wanted more than a one-night stand with a woman. Meaningless sex wasn’t his idea of a good time.

But he couldn’t deny he was attracted to the woman sharing the boat with him, even though nothing could come of it. As Bertie had proven, he couldn’t even manage a relationship with a woman who lived in the same city, since he was gone so often.

Taking a deep breath, Kevlar decided the best thing to do was to keep his distance. Not because he didn’t like her, but because he liked her too much, regardless of the fact he knew nothing about the woman.

It made no sense, this connection he felt. He’d do what he came here to do—scuba dive, and that’s it. Tomorrow, he’d go up so see Baker and his wife, then head back to California and to his life.

When he got home, it likely wouldn’t be more than a month or two before his next mission, and he needed to concentrate on that. As team leader, he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. To his country, the civilians who could get caught in the middle of something dangerous, and to his team. He had no time for a relationship, obviously.

Even with those thoughts rolling around in his head, Kevlar found himself turning to catch another glimpse of Remi out of the corner of his eye. She’d twisted on the bench so that one foot rested on the cushion, and her coverup had slid down, exposing a pale, curvy thigh.

Swallowing hard, Kevlar pressed his lips together and did his best to think about anything other than how badly he wanted to run his palm up that leg and see for himself if it was as smooth as it looked.

This was supposed to be a relaxing voyage, yet he had a feeling it was going to be anything but. He was a SEAL. The only easy day was yesterday, and he’d made it through Hell Week. He could survive a few hours on a pleasure excursion. No problem.