Sweat drips from my forehead, trailing all the way down to my jaw as I finish tightening the bolts of one of the side panels of the jet towering at my side. Murphy and Delk finish up their work beside me, placing the wrenches and drills used during our excruciating twelve-hour workday back into their toolboxes. Shania Twain's, Man I Feel Like a Woman, blares from the Bluetooth speaker at my ginger-haired friend's side and the three of us sing along to it, our voices echoing through the metal-framed building shamelessly. I've never been a fan of country music, but it's all Murphy listens to and I've got to admit that the predictable yee-haw ballads were starting to grow on me. Delk aggravatingly twerks right in front of our friend's face, pretending to not enjoy the song as much as I can tell he actually does.

"Hey now," Murphy reprimands him with a flushed face, kicking him away with his steel-toed boot, "Cut it out, dip shit!"

"What?" Delk continues to antagonize, now bobbing his head side to side to the guitar lick swelling behind the chorus. "Does Tennessee boy prefer more of a two-step, instead?"

He watches our dark-haired friend dance with squinted, judgemental eyes as he spits back, "You couldn't do a goddamn two-step if you tried!"

In normal fashion, the two begin their next session of bickering and as always, I do my best to tune them out as I wipe the oil stains off my hands and pack up my tools for the night. An office door shuts in the distance, drawing my attention past my aircraft to the supervisor strolling out of work for the evening. Sergeant Campbell whistles a tune as he locks up his door, and I cut my eyes back to my work, just hoping and praying that I can slip out of here before he's able to notice me. Unfortunately, my prayers aren't loud enough to hear over Murphy and Delk's childish squabble and before I know it, Lelani's dad is moving in my direction.

"Murph," I grit quietly through the side of my mouth, "Turn it off."

"Huh?" He replies cluelessly, not knowing the reason behind my sudden dismay. "Do we have another woman-hater on our hands, here? I thought that Hawaiin babe would have changed your mind by now. Hell, you've been seeing her long enough."

My ears feel as though they're on fire as they register the words that just tumbled out of the idiot's mouth, and my eyes only make my panic grow as they watch Sergeant Cambell advance closer towards us.

"Would you shut up?" I reprimand him under my breath, my widened eyes begging him to listen to me just this once. The last thing I need right now is for Lelani's name to tumble off of his lips, and for her Dad to hear it. Once more I urge, "Turn. It. Off."

"Bro, what's up?" Delk asks curiously, darting his dark gaze my way and searching me for an explanation for my sudden alarm at the mention of my girlfriend's name. Finally, he notices the sound of our supervisor's footsteps and without question he asserts, "Murphy, just do it, ass-wipe."

"Fine, I'll turn it off," he replies defensively, still unaware of the reason why. "No need to throw a hissy fit."

"I didn't know we were having a Shania Twain concert here tonight," Sergeant Cambpell's voice sternly calls out to the three of us, making us all go still in our places.

I can't quite make out whether he's joking or not, but my eyes don't linger on him long to find out. Keeping my focus placed on the toolbox in front of me, I quickly answer back, "Sorry, sir. Murphy gets a little carried away with his music sometimes. We were just packing up."

The statement makes him chuckle, and the sound of his laughter has my eyes doing a double-take. For the first time since I've known him, Sergeant Campbell wears a smile on his face. "You boys have a good weekend, alright? Don't forget to sign off on your forms before you head out."

"Aye, aye, sir," we answer back, looking at each other with bewilderment as he begins to stride away.

"What in the hell did his wife put in his cup of coffee this morning?" Delk quietly jokes.

"I was wondering the same damn thing," Murphy laughs. "Whatever it was, that man needs to drink it daily. That's the first time I've seen him not look like he has a stick up his ass."

"Chicken Legs," I try to reprimand him, choking back the laugh sitting at the back of my throat. "Could you be any louder?"

As if I was heard, a voice calls out from behind me, "Dawson."

Oh, shit.

Already I know who it belongs to, and pivoting on my heel, I reluctantly answer back, "Sir?"

"You surf or something?"

The unexpected question takes me by surprise, and I respond with a stutter, "I-I'm sorry? Excuse me?"

"You drive the red Range Rover, don't you?"

"Y-yes sir?"

"Well, I was asking if you surf. I saw the board in the back of your car on the way in this morning, and it caught my eye."

"O-oh," I mumble back, my mind wreaking havoc as I try to figure out what to say next that won't give away the secret I've fought so hard to hide from him. Finally, I settle on, "I- umm- I've been trying to learn, sir."

"Is that so?" He smirks, squinting his brown eyes my way. "My daughter actually surfs. Has since she was a little girl. Teaches lessons and everything. She's actually going to be surfing in that mock competition at Waikiki Beach this weekend."

"Oh, really?" I manage to get out through a crack in my voice. Sucking back a shaky breath, I try to get myself calm and collected before I go to talk again. "I hadn't heard about that yet," I say truthfully, wondering why Lelani hadn't mentioned anything about it to me before.

"Yeah, you three should come check it out," he offers, nodding our way. "Especially if you're considering getting into the sport. What better way to learn than watch, right?"

"R-right," I mutter, forcing a smile to my face despite how panicked I'm feeling inside. For a moment my mind considers the idea that he knows about Lelani and me after all, and this is some sort of master plan to get me to admit it.

Get your shit together, Maverick. Lelani is counting on you.

I force myself to shut down my negative thoughts, apprehensively continuing, "Maybe we will come check it out."

"Alright then," Sergeant Campbell chimes out, wearing a grin as he eases his way out of the conversation. His feet start making their way towards the door again and one last time he calls back, "You three finish up. If I don't end up running into you this weekend, I'll see you bright and early Monday morning."

"Yes sir."

Staying quiet, my friends and I listen carefully as our supervisor's footsteps fade out, along with his presence. We don't say another word until we are certain that he's made it out of the building, and once nothing but the sound of our breathing fills the space around us, Delk decides to speak up first. "Dawson, what the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?" I blurt back defensively, hating that I'm about to be questioned for the second time tonight because I'm afraid that with one wrong word I'm going to fuck this whole arrangement up.

"Sergeant Campbell speaks to us like human beings for the first time since we've gotten here, and you stand there looking like you're going to shit yourself the whole time."

"Yeah," Murphy agrees, now sending me a questioning stare. "You looked like you had seen a ghost or something"

"I don't know what the hell you two are talking about," I lie, using my toolbox as an excuse to walk away from the discussion as I start to wheel it back to the tool room. Unfortunately, they don't let me get away that easily, gathering to their feet and following behind me as they interrogate me some more.

"Will Lelani be going to that competition this weekend?"

"I- I don't know."

"You don't know?" Delk asks me. "You two text each other day and night for the past two months. Surely you'd know if she had a big event coming up?"

"I said I don't know!" I fire back, my tone coming out harsher than I intended it to.

"Okay, seriously dude. What the hell is up? You act weird every time we mention her name at work."

"No, I don't," I argue.

"Yeah, you do. And every time Campbell is around you go completely stiff. What's the correlation?"

"There isn't a correlation," I pathetically deny, feeling myself start to become more annoyed and my pulse gradually quickening. "I don't know what else you want me to say."

Murphy sways awkwardly in place between the two of us, starting to look uncomfortable as he's stuck in the middle of our heated back and forth. "Well, if you two ladies will excuse me, I'm going to go change."

With those words, the ginger starts to bolt away, climbing the work stairs by two up to the lockers in an effort to escape the tension swelling between Delk and me. I think about doing the same thing, wanting to flee the trap my friend has forced me into.

"Why won't you just be honest with me, man? I thought we were best friends."

"Come on, Delk, we are. It's just- It's complicated. It really is."

Crossing his arms defiantly against his chest, he cocks his head in my direction, "It's complicated? Seriously? That's the best answer you can give me?"

"Please, Delk," I beg, wishing he would drop it because as much as it sucks to keep the truth from him, it's the only way I know to keep Lani's and my relationship alive.

His eyes observe me carefully as if they're prodding me for further explanation, despite my wishes for him not to. In a single moment, I see his expression go from confusion to certainty, and with dread, I watch a wicked smirk pull against his lips.

"You son of a bitch," he laughs. "You're banging our boss's daughter and you tried to hide it from us?"

"Don't say it like that," I wince, hating the way he described my relationship with Lelani as if it only involved sex. "I-it's not like that."

"Whatever you say, man. What the hell are you planning to say to her Dad when he finds out, huh?"

"He's not going to find out," I shake my head, trying to convince myself that what I'm saying is actually true. "I mean, he can't find out. Please, Delk, as my best friend, I'm asking you to keep this between us, okay?"

"What about Murphy?"

"You know just as well as I do, that fool speaks before he even thinks. He definitely can't know."

"You're not wrong," Delk laughs, knowing our unfiltered friend all too well. "I suppose I can keep my mouth shut, but don't think I'm doing it for you," he affirms, nudging me with his elbow. "I'm doing this for Lelani. I like her."

His words have my mind spinning about the Hawaiin-born beauty, those beautiful brown eyes of hers, and the ability they have to suck me in with just one glance.

"I like her, too," I smile. "Shit," I curse under my breath, nearly forgetting my plans for the night after my stressful encounter with her Dad. "I'm actually supposed to be meeting her." In a hurry, I shove my toolbox into its place, not hesitating a step more as I head out for the night. "I've got to go. Night, Delk."

"Night, lover boy," he sings back, teasingly. "And don't you worry. My lips are sealed."

I sure as hell hope so.

༄༄༄

The backdoor of Malia's Cafe bolts open as soon as I pull up to the parking lot behind the quaint restaurant. Lelani is running towards me before I've even opened my car door, a huge, sweet smile playing across her face. Just as happy to see her, I clamber out of the driver seat briskly, hollering out,

"You happy to see me or something, wild thing?"

"Maybe," she answers back with a sexy smirk, jumping up into my arms playfully.

I catch her with ease, hoisting her ass up with my hands as her legs cling around my waist. I continue to hold her like this as she brings her lips to mine, placing a hungry kiss against them. Pulling back and taking my grease-streaked face in her hands, she asks, "Why'd you keep me waiting so long, Maverick?"

"Well, you're constantly keeping me on my toes, Miss Kehale. So I figured it was my job to return the favor," I quip back.

"Oh, really?" She smiles back. Keeping her voice to a whisper, she draws her lips to my ear and says, "You know, Brodie, the longer you keep a girl waiting, the more impatient she gets."

Drawing my mouth to her ear now, I hush back, "Are you trying to seduce me?" The accusation makes her giggle, and I finish, "Because it's working."

I touch my lips against the skin right behind her ear, kissing the spot tenderly and making goosebumps spread across the back of her neck. I only draw my mouth away when my eyes catch sight of something sitting outside the back door of the Café.

"Lani," I say with my mouth agape as my eyes squint and adjust to the karaoke machine that was once sitting inside. Carefully dropping her down, I take her hand in mine and lead us over to it. "What the hell is that doing out here? I thought you said you were wanting to get it fixed."

"I was," she sighs, "Momma said she didn't want to fork out the money to have it done and said it was crowding the restaurant."

"But you love that thing. You should keep it."

"I wish I could, but competition is coming up in a few months. I've gotta save up my money, or else I would."

"Hell, I'll give you the money to fix it," I genuinely offer, recalling the night she told me about it and the way her face lit up recalling her childhood memories. "It means too much to you to just throw it away."

"Absolutely not, Brodie," she shakes her head fervently, refusing to accept my offer.

"I'm serious, Lani. I want to."

"No," she affirms once more. "You are too damn sweet for your own good. It's fine, it really is."

But her eyes linger on the machine and I can see the sadness behind them, despite how much she tries to hide it. "Would you just let me do it, dammit?"

"Maverick, if you don't shut up about that damn karaoke machine and kiss me-"

I don't wait for her to say any more before I press my lips up to hers, pushing her back against the brick wall behind us and causing moans to escape her throat as my hands smooth down her curves. My mouth moves to her neck, which arches up for me, allowing me to taste more of her soft, hot skin. Her fingers trail to the back of my head, intertwining themselves into my hair and tugging against it the more I kiss and touch her the way she wants me to.

Both of our breaths are rugged and labored, our bodies inching closer and closer to one another as we can't help but crave to feel more of each other. Hating that my eyes have to leave her, my gaze darts to the parking lot around us, checking to make sure that we're still the only ones here. A cool night breeze brushes past us, making the palm trees surrounding the restaurant dance in the starry, night sky above.

⚠️

"Should we go inside?" I wonder out loud, immediately regretting the suggestion as I return my eyes back to her and see the way the moon glows against her golden skin. I don't want her to move a goddamn inch. I just want to watch her, just as she looks now, with her brown eyes sparkling, even in the darkness of the night.

Her stare locks with mine, and even though we both know we should take this inside, neither one of us can bring ourselves to move. Running my knuckle against her cheek, I slip it down her neck and then to her chest, feeling it rise with the heavy breath she's taking as she silently requests for me to touch more.

Lelani's fingers start to unfasten the buttons of her blouse, slowly revealing my eyes to her bare chest that lies underneath. My breath hitches as I soak in the sight of her hard nipples, and the muscle beneath my camouflage-printed pants goes stiff.

"You're so damn gorgeous, you know that?"

"So are you," she grins back, brushing her thumb against my cheekbone.

Her other hand goes down to the hem of my pants, and slowly her fingers make their way to the buckle of my belt. The bulge between my legs grows more, pressing against her thigh and making her notice too.

"Do I make you hard, Maverick?"

Oh, god. Just the sound of her saying that makes me want to come.

I nod my head ardently, certain that she already knows the answer to that question. Moving my palms down her torso, they find their way to her waist and I clutch onto her curves, wishing I could feel more of them in my hands.

With the perfect mixture of sweet and sexy, Leilani glances up to me, biting down against her bottom lip and trying her best to hide her smile as I glide one of my palms in between her thighs.

"Do I make you wet, Lani?"

The corner of her lips tug upward, deviously. She takes my hand into hers, drawing it down inside of her pants and pushing it up against the dampened material of her panties.

"You tell me. Am I wet, Brodie?"

That's all my will can take, and in the next second, I drop to my knees, yanking her shorts and underwear away from her hips and working them down her legs. Her movements are as fast and fervid as mine as she kicks the bottoms off her ankles and gives me access to her bare sex. The sight alone has my heart racing, forcing me to have to gulp back the desire burning in the back of my throat.

Taking my time, I run my palms up the length of her legs, gently brushing my fingertips against the inside of her thighs and making them open further for me. Intentionally, my fingers move towards her clit, but I stop myself as notice the the grime and grease that still covers my hands from work.

"Why'd you stop?" She pouts, looking down at me, "Touch me, Brodie."

"My hands are a mess," I chuckle, so badly wanting to keep making her feel good.

Gliding my tongue out, I wet my lips, trying to figure out my next move now that I've already torn Lelani's shorts off. Staying on my knees, my hands pull one of her legs up, slinging it around my shoulder and drawing her wet core closer to my mouth.

Heavy, shaky pants leave her as my breath spills out against her skin, her pussy close enough for me to kiss. Not being able to hold off any longer, I hush out, "It's a good thing I'd rather taste you."

༄༄༄

🔥😂

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