Determined: To Love: (Part 2 of the Determined Trilogy) by Elizabeth Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

operations, brought me a glass of brandy to help calm my normal pre-flight jitters.
    While David was checking in with the crew in the cockpit, I glanced at my phone. I had a text message from Carrie, my best friend. She had been down in Los Angeles visiting her family for the past two weeks for the holidays, and was just getting back into town today, as I was leaving. She wrote:
    Have fun in Hawaii, Sam. Cocktails next week?
    I texted her back to confirm. I hoped to carve out some time to see her and grill her about a guy she’d been seeing. She had met Derek the same night David and I hooked up during a party at Curtis’s house. I didn’t think it was nearly as serious as David and me, but it seemed like she was having fun, and I wanted to be supportive.
    I turned off my phone and slipped it into a straw tote I had brought specifically for our tropical getaway. I was sipping on my brandy when David came back into the cabin and sat down next to me on the cream-colored leather sofa. The pilots announced that we were ready for takeoff.
    ~
    We landed at Kona International Airport and taxied to the area of the airport reserved for private planes, away from the buzz of high-season commercial traffic. We exited down a short flight of stairs, and waiting for us on the tarmac was a white convertible Lamborghini and a black SUV. I turned to David, my eyes wide. He had shoved his hands into his pockets and was barely containing a devilish grin. A waiting attendant tossed David a set of keys.
    “Ready?”
    The security team took our luggage and themselves to the SUV, while David walked me over to the obscenely sexy vehicle.
    “Ms. Sharp,” he said, opening the door for me. I lowered myself into the black bucket seat and caught David’s eye as he walked around to the driver’s side. He was playing it cool, but I could tell he was very excited. Oh, boys and their toys, I thought.
    David slipped on some sunglasses and brought the engine to life. We zipped past the airport hangars and onto a highway lush with palms and greenery. He commanded the car effortlessly, shifting gears expertly as we banked the curves of the road. I could tell the only reason he was holding back was because the SUV had to keep up. Before long, we exited the highway and headed toward the coast. The air was warm, humid, and had an exotic perfume to it. The sun was just starting to wane as we pulled up to the Four Seasons. A young valet could barely contain his excitement as David handed over the keys. As we walked inside, a man and woman in matching white linen outfits approached us.
    “Aloha, Mr. and Mrs. Keith, please allow me to welcome you to the Four Seasons.” The man said as the woman placed leis made of white orchids around our necks. David did nothing to correct them, and neither did I. “My name is Conrad, and I am the property manager, and this is Leilani, our head of guest experience.”
    She offered her hand, which we each shook.
    “May we show you to the villa?”
    Villa? We followed the pair through the rustic atrium overlooking the ocean. Outside, we traversed a winding stone pathway through palms and ferns, and arrived at modern concrete building with an intricate carved wooden door. Conrad spoke as we passed through the threshold and into the foyer.
    “The Presidential Villa. The largest and most luxurious unit on the entire island. Over five thousand square feet of space, not including your private beach.” We followed him as we walked through room after room. The space was breathtaking and seemed to go on forever. The living room overlooked an infinity pool that led out to a gorgeous ocean vista. Conrad was showing David how to control every function of the space via remote control when Leilani pulled me outside.
    “And over here, you have your private lanai as well as an outdoor lava rock shower.”
    “Wow. This place is gorgeous.” I said, leaning against the railing and looking out to the ocean.
    “Is it your first time to