Pehea wau i ʻike ai i kou makuahine

Based on the characters and stories of Hawaii Five-0.

Hawaii Five-0 is owned by CBS and their respective creators.

BONUS SCENE

(Somewhere between Chapter 10 and 11)

On board the USS Enterprise - 1999

"Make a hole!"

Catherine didn't even have time to register who gave the command. She backed into the side of the corridor as far as she could, hugging the stack of files in her arms, while the brass marched through. A little strip of paper no bigger than a stick of gum stuck out of one of the folders. Quickly, she pulled it out and read the message.

Fantail. 2100. -S

A little smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. It had been a hellish week. Once they departed from Japan, she knew the clock had started ticking away at what little time she and Steve had together. Each day that passed meant that she was one closer to Steve leaving for BUD/s. Every shift, every meal—Catherine knew that she was closer to losing her best friend. Not that she's ever tell him that. She hurried to deliver the stack of paperwork to Commander Jameson's office before ducking into her bunk to freshen up.

Even though he was moving on to bigger and better things, she couldn't help but be thankful for the little moments they had together. Every minute with him was one that she knew she wasn't supposed to have.

The butterflies she'd had from day one were still strong as ever and Catherine didn't foresee them going anywhere. She pulled out the regulation bun and worked her fingers through it, massaging the sore spots on her head from constantly having her hair up. She gave a half-assed effort to put it up again, but honestly? She was past the point of caring. She was finally off duty for more than a few hours and planned to take advantage of every minute of it.

She hurried through the mostly empty corridors and made her way out to the fantail. "Slow poke," Steve chuckled from above, already perched in their alcove. He reached down and offered her his hand. Catherine slid her palm in his and jumped.

Catherine grabbed onto the ledge and hoisted herself up. "Sorry, Sir," she teased. "Had to swing by my bunk first."

Steve's brows creased into a deep valley as he studied her face in the moonlight. Mist from the Pacific hung in the air between them. "What, uh, what for?"

"Just… Stuff."

His tongue poked at the side of his cheek and his jaw flared. Steve wasn't curious before, but he was now. "What kind of stuff?"

Catherine rolled her eyes. "I just needed to take my hair down for a sec, okay?" She let out a melodic laugh that twinkled like windchimes in the breeze.

"Why's that such a big deal?" He asked. She shot him a look that said Regulations, you dumbass. Steve chuckled and nudged her with his elbow. "I meant apart from the rules, Cath."

She pursed her lips and looked up at him. God, she wanted to hop into his lap and climb that man like a tree. The stubble that glimmered in the dim light. The way the cords of his neck flexed and relaxed as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Steve's eyes flitted down to meet hers, lowering to half mast as he studied the curve of her lips. Lips he had spent hours staring at.

The last time they had been out in the fantail, Catherine had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He should have woken her up, but he didn't. He sat still a statue and memorized her serene face. Now, every time he closed his eyes, he saw her.

Catherine shrugged. "Wearing my hair in a bun all the time pulls on it and it makes my scalp sore. I might chop it off next time I get the chance." She tilted her head up and leaned against the ship, closing her eyes.

"I like your hair," he admitted quietly. "It, uh… It looks real nice. Y'know—The few times I've seen it down." He smiled sheepishly and stole a glance at her face.

Catherine fought hard to keep the smile on her face from growing. Steve was completely and utterly disarming. Everything about him had her on edge. "Thanks."

Knowing the consequences and doing it anyway, Steve reached over and hooked a finger in the elastic band that kept her hair in a tight bun. "May I?"

She looked up at him with surprise written all over her face. They rarely touched. It was both out of respect for the rules that made sure they knew their rightful places, but also in an effort of self preservation. Her mouth parted in shock and she grazed her teeth over the pout of her lower lip. Steve worked the hair tie out, pulling it free as her long, dark hair spilled over the shoulder of her uniform. "Steve," she mumbled breathlessly. She swallowed the lump in her throat and steeled herself enough to say, "Someone could see." Steve trailed his fingers up the back of her neck. He began to slowly massage her scalp, running his fingers through her threads of silky hair. Catherine let out a little moan as she felt her stress begin to melt away. "God, that feels good," she whimpered.

A tiny smile twitched at the corner of Steve's mouth. He was torturing himself, but there was no way in hell he was stopping now. He worked his fingers through her hair, and down the column of her neck, massaging the knots that had her tensing at his touch.

"Steve…" Catherine whispered as she leaned into his touch. "You—You should probably stop." It was barely audible, but it was enough.

His hands stilled on her shoulders. He didn't want to entertain the notion that maybe things would be different between them if he made it into the SEALs, but he couldn't take the chance. He wanted to ask her to wait for him, but the request was selfish. Things on the water were always different than on land.

Being on the Enterprise was like being away at summer camp. Everything changed when you left. Reluctantly, he pulled his hands away and crossed his arms over his chest. "Y'know, Cath—I… I, uh…" Damn. Steve scrubbed the palm of his hand over his jaw and looked out at the water. "I think I'm gonna miss this when it's done."

Catherine pursed her lips to keep from smiling. Her hair was reckless and untamed, but she didn't make a move to put it back up just yet. "I wish things were different." The words were already out before she realized exactly what she had said. She looked down at her uniform pants, desperately wishing she could go back in time and take it back.

"Me too," he said. Steve's admission caught her off guard. He gave her that stupidly adorable smirk as he added, "I mean, don't get me wrong—I love working with you. But sometimes I stay up at night and wonder what would have happened if, uh, if we woulda met in another life, y'know?"

"Yeah," Catherine agreed.

Steve hunched forward and rested those muscled forearms on his thighs. "Still can't believe you were only a couple'a years behind me at the Naval Academy." He chuckled quietly and sat back against the wall again. Steve looked down at her and studied those perfect features he had committed to heart. "You're sure we never met back then?"

She tossed a smile his way and nodded, "Pretty sure. I mean, I heard your name and we had some mutual friends, but no. I, um—I don't remember meeting you."

"Damn shame," he mumbled as he stared at her mouth and instinctively licked his own lips. "You'd think I'd remember those eyes."

Catherine blushed and looked down at her hands. "I think maybe I should go back to my bunk."

"Cath—"

She slid down from the alcove and landed on her feet. Steve was down right after, standing between her and the door. "You're my C.O."

"I'm well aware." And it was fucking hell.

Catherine ran a hand back through her hair and lifted her eyes to the starry sky. "Then why are we torturing ourselves like this?"

He took a wise step back and raised his hands in surrender. "We're not robots."

"We're officers," she countered. "Who don't want to get court martialed."

Steve took a step towards her. "Officers who recognize that there's a life outside of the job."

Catherine shook her head and looked down at her feet. "It'll always be about the job. It's who we are. Especially when—"

"Especially what?"

She sighed and forced herself to look at him. At that playboy hair and those hurricane eyes. The tattoos she loved to stare at and those strong, capable hands. "Especially when you become a SEAL."

He gave her a sheepish grin and shook his head. "C'mon. You know how hard it is to make it—You probably know the statistics off the top of your head too." She hid her embarrassment behind a laugh and he egged her on. "Don't look at me like that, smarty pants," He teased. "I know you do. Probably spent hours researching BUD/s and SQT and life in the teams and all that."

Her cheeks turned a rosy red and she shook her head, "Stop it."

"I'm right, aren't I?" He smirked.

"Maybe a little, okay? I was just curious!"

His voice dropped from the friendly pitch he usually used to a gruff timbre. "I like that."

Catherine chewed on the corner of her lip. "We only have a few shifts left."

"And then I won't be your C.O. anymore."

She gave him that proud smirk that made him weak in the knees and said, "And then I don't have to feel bad for kicking your ass in poker."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Why hello, Pehea readers! It's been a minute! How are you doing? (Comments and thoughts in the reviews- you know the drill!)

I'm doing PHENOMENAL because (drum roll), I have another book coming out! Whoop Whoop! SO! To mark the occasion and give you all the details, I wanted to write a little Pehea bonus content to say THANK YOU for all the support that each and every one of you have given me.

My next book, Poker Face by Maggie Gates, is up for preorder on Amazon and will be available in paperback, ebooks, and Kindle Unlimited! Release day is May 3, 2021!

Check out the Poker Face preview below!

Every girl dreams about meeting her celebrity crush–Running into them on the street and snapping a selfie. Maybe even being saved like a gorgeous damsel and having said celebrity crush sweep her off of her feet. Me personally? Let's just say that me and the Hemsworth boys have had our fair share of imaginary meet-cutes.

I'm not picky. I'd take any of them.

The thing is, every girl dreams about what she would do if she got to meet her celebrity crush, but no one dreams about what they'd do if they met their celebrity nemesis. Let me tell you–I have a celebrity nemesis. And he was sitting in front of me wearing a scowl that could be seen from space.

And ten hours earlier I had been sitting on his lap, clinging to him like a koala while his tongue was down my throat.

Pastry chef Madeline Dorsey only hates a few things: people who think that charcuterie boards are an acceptable substitution for dinner, last call at the bar, idiots who don't return their shopping carts to the corral, and celebrity chef and restaurateur Luca DeRossi.

When her mortal enemy buys out the restaurant that Maddie views as her kingdom, right on the heels of criticizing her on national television, she has no choice but to go toe to toe with him.

Luca DeRossi was expecting a sleepy, coastal fishing town to be a little more, well, quiet. That is, until a spitfire hurricane of blonde hair comes whirling into his life without warning.

Staying in Beaufort, North Carolina isn't part of his plan and letting a chef with an ego the size of Mars best her isn't on her agenda. When Maddie realizes that Luca isn't quite the judgemental grump he pretends to be, she has to decide which side of him to believe. Maybe there really is a heart of gold underneath all those designer suits. Maybe he's just a jerk. His poker face is too good to tell.

Get ready for Maddie and Luca, their epic meet-cute that turns into a meet-hate, a group of obnoxiously lovable friends, and all the FIRE. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

"Poker Face" is the first book in the Beaufort Poker Club series. This book is an enemies to lovers romance that features a grumpy hero with a swoony side with a heroine that would rather be jumping off of roofs than picking out glass slippers, a feels-packed love story with a fairy tale happily ever after, and some moments that are so hot they'll melt your Kindle. You've been warned.

SO HERE'S THE THING. This book is the first of a six book series. Spoiler alert: in Poker Face you're introduced to a character named Steve who will get his own happily ever after in book two.

BPC Book two (to be released mid-summer 2021) was originally a H50 fan fiction I was going to write. I have been sitting on this story concept for so long and couldn't bring myself to write it, well, because I'm super selfish and love it too much! SO, I decided to withhold from writing it as H50 Fanfiction, and instead, turned it into an original story. When you read Poker Face and BPC book 2, just know that Steve is 100% inspired by McG. If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter (XOMaggieWrites) I'll put up some kind of explanation of what the original H50 concept was and where the inspiration came from.

All that to say, read Poker Face, and stick around for Steve's book coming this summer!

I love you, you know. Miss you, babes and GY6!

Spread kindness!

XO,

-Mags-

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