Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(97)

Alika, our concierge, and Kahoni, the other suite’s concierge, check on us after a while and to see if there are any services or amenities we’d like to book. We schedule a group luau dinner for tonight, and a morning of hiking at the waterfalls tomorrow. Other than dinners, I doubt that we’ll all be getting together for excursions each day.

About an hour after being at the pool, Jimmy and Allen join us. With everyone a little hungry, we order some food to eat to tide us over until dinner. We drink. We eat. We swim and we laugh. Some of us nap in between in cabanas or the sun.

Knowing that we’ll be hanging out together the majority of the time, Joe and I start to determine which activities we’d like to definitely do while in Maui.

“I definitely want to do a helicopter tour,” Joe mentions.

“You do that,” I reply, not sure about being back in the air so quickly.

“Come on . . . it won’t be as fun without you,” he encourages.

I mull over the thought. Once we were up in the air on the plane, I actually didn’t mind it. “Okay, if you agree to go zip-lining,” I add.

“Sure,” he agrees. “We should see if it’s still whale migration season.”

“You want to go whale watching?” I muse.

No man admits that he’s into whale watching openly.

“Yeah. I love sailing. It won’t be as private as our family yacht or sailboat, but it’s just the same.”

“Okay,” I agree willingly. “Wait. Your family has a yacht and a sailboat?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Could they not choose between the two so they figured they’d buy both,” I mock.

“Something like that,” he replies, poking me in my side.

“We all should do the couple’s spa package,” Maggie adds, coming over.

“Only one small challenge with that, Mags,” I protest.

“What?” she innocently questions.

“Joe and I aren’t a couple,” I remind.

“So . . .” she pushes.

“So . . . you’re completely naked during those types of massages other than a towel that gets moved around and you massage each other,” I inform her.

“Oh, really?” She ponders the idea. “So. You’re practically naked now. It’s like the same thing.”

“It’s not the same thing,” I argue.

“Yes it is,” she rebuts. “Besides, Joe wouldn’t mind. Would you Joe?”

“No comment,” he says blushing.

Maggie walks away and joins Henry on a lounge chair. I watch Joe’s face and I see him raise an eyebrow at me, as if hoping I will consider the option. I just shake my head in contention. Currently seeing as much naked flesh of Joe Covelli is enough of a distraction. Sunglasses easily hide any gawking I may have been doing or continue to do while lounging.


Around four, we head to our suites to start getting ready for dinner. I order some food from Alika specifically for Sadie and he is quick to appease while taking notes on what to expect for future breakfasts and dinners. After Sadie is fed, I jump into the overly large and elegant marble bathroom to shower. Since I left the bedroom door and one of the sliding glass doors open, I consciously close the bathroom door for privacy. I don’t need to suddenly have a naked Joe coming to join me — I wouldn’t put it past him to try.

Stepping out into the living room, I’m met by six handsome men, four wearing different styles of light grey dress suits with crisp white shirts and Jared and Nathan who are wearing khaki color suits and crisp white shirts. Maggie looks magnificent in a silk red and white floral dress. They all, gape when I come out.

“What?” I question, checking myself to make sure nothing is out of place. I instantly blush not knowing what’s causing their reaction until I process what I am wearing.

Jared walks over to me first. “You look exceptionally lovely.”

“I didn’t know you bought the dress,” Nathan remarks, jumping up and down hugging me.

“Uh, yeah. I wanted it to be a surprise,” I return as my blush deepens.

I knew that if I didn’t wear Nathan’s dress, the one that Joe bought for me, I would never hear the end of it from Joe about why I didn’t put it on, even with it just being the first night. I do love the dress and the way that I feel in it. Joe shares a very pleased gleam in his eye while suppressing a smile at the fact that I’m wearing it.

We file out of the suite in pairs, with Joe and I last as we leave Sadie behind for a few hours. Piling into the Teslas that are free for our use with the suites, we drive out for dinner. It’s luau time.

The setting, entertainment and food are marvelous at the luau. It’s an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life. As the evening moves by and the entertainment is finished, all eight of us are up dancing and having fun. When a slow song starts playing, I rush to take my seat at the table. Five steps later, Joe is grabbing my hand and pulling me into him.

“What are you doing?”

“Dance with me,” he requests.

“No.”

Instead of arguing with me, Joe holds me tighter to his rock, hot body with his right hand as his left hand takes my right. “You look exquisite in that dress,” he redirects.

“Thanks.” I blush, enjoying the closeness of his body. “Some cute guy, I don’t remember his name, bought it for me.”