The next couple of days went by without incident. The Five-0 team took turns staying with Shauni and providing her 24 hour protection. Danny noticed with interest that Steve always volunteered for the nightshift, but decided not to bring it up. Not yet anyway. Something like that was always good for teasing Steve about later.
Shauni handled a seemingly endless schedule of interviews with radio stations, local publications, and a couple of Hawaiian news shows. She also did a photo shoot for a major magazine which was exhausting to watch much less be the subject being photographed. In between the hectic schedule, she also took time to meet with fans who would find her wherever they went. Steve had to hand it to them: Most of them could probably work for the Feds given how they found information out and showed up to places before Shauni even got there. It was actually a little unnerving.
Thankfully, there had been no sign of Carl Matthews which made everyone breathe a little easier. Steve cautioned that they could not allow their guard down, however. A psychopath like Matthews could come to the surface at any moment so there was no time to be complacent. They had to be on their guard all the time.
By the middle of the week, the schedule allowed for a free afternoon. Steve was relieved since Shauni seemed to be getting tired and he knew his team could use a breather as well. Most of Shauni's entourage headed for either the beach or the hotel pool for some much needed time off. After doing a routine security check, Steve came back to Shauni's suite and found her on the balcony looking out towards the beautiful oceanview.
"Aren't you going to join everyone at the pool? " he asked her. "I'll take you down if you want to go."
She turned around to look at him. "Now that would be a security nightmare, Commander," she smiled sadly. "We wouldn't make it five minutes before I would be surrounded and someone would be trying to grab my suit or something." Steve didn't like the thought of someone taking off her suit in a frenzy to get to her. No, he didn't like that thought even a little. Well, unless he was the one taking off the suit. Wait, where did that come from? he scowled to himself.
"It's better for me to stay up here and let my crew enjoy some time off without my craziness around them." Shauni looked back out towards the beach longingly and Steve felt sorry for her. What would it be like to live under a media microscope where you couldn't enjoy simple pleasures like an afternoon in the sun? Steve couldn't imagine it. After a couple of minutes watching her beautiful profile, he made a decision. He strode up to her and took her hand, "Come on. Let's go." he said pulling her inside.
"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.
"Do you trust me?" He winked at her as he smiled.
Shauni felt her insides go to jello. He's going to kill me with that smile, she thought to herself. "Of course, I trust you." she said.
He scooted her towards her room. "Okay then. Just grab a suit and come with me." he instructed he pulled out his phone and began to make a call. As Shauni went into her room to find a bathing suit, she heard him talking to Danny.
"Danny, it's me. Listen, I need to go to my house for a few hours." (Pause) "No, I don't need anyone to stay with Shauni. She's coming with me, but don't tell anyone. Only you & I will know where she's at and I want to keep it that way. She needs a break and that's one place I know we can go and not be disturbed. I'll check in with you later."
Oh my gosh, he's taking me to his house? Shauni wanted to squeal in delight. Thank goodness she had picked up some new suits before coming on this trip. For some reason, she wanted to impress her handsome SEAL. Well, he's not really MY SEAL, but a woman can dream, right? She rationalized to herself as she picked out her favorite purple and gold bikini to put in a bag along with some sunscreen and lip gloss. Then she grabbed one of the wigs she used when she needed a disguise and slipped it on with a pair of sunglasses before meeting Steve back in the main living area of the suite. He did a double-take when he saw her disguise.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A necessity of traveling, Commander. Sneaking out of hotels is never easy, but it's easier with a disguise…..as long as we do it quickly." Steve nodded in understanding.
"Okay, then. If you're ready to go, come with me. We'll head down the back stairs into the parking garage where I have my truck."
A few minutes later, Steve had pulled out of the parking garage and they were on their way. Once the hotel was safely out of sight, Shauni pulled off the wig and threw it in the back with a sigh of relief.
"Much better." said Steve as he looked at her approvingly, letting his eyes linger a little too long. He saw a cute blush creep up her cheeks under his gaze. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Steve took a deep breath and said, "So here's the plan. We're going to my house for the afternoon. I live on the beach with only residential access so there won't be any tourists, or reporters, or anyone else around. I'm sure it's not a big house like you're used to, but you should be comfortable there."
"Just you and me?" Shauni grinned at him.
Steve smiled back, "Just you and me. I want you to relax and forget everything else."
As they made their way to his home, he could sense her relaxing with each mile. He pulled into his driveway and walked around to her side of the truck to open the door for her. He led her into the house and she was instantly surprised at how clean and neat everything looked.
"Wow. Not what I expected from a bachelor pad." She teased.
"Yeah, well, I like things organized. I guess it comes from being in the Navy so long. Besides, this is where I grew up, so it was my family's home before it became just mine." There was a story there, she knew, but decided she would ask him about it later if the opportunity came up for them to talk on a more personal level. Suddenly, she was struck with how much she wanted to get to know Steve McGarrett. She wanted to know everything about him. What made him tick? And what made him who he was?
Steve showed her upstairs to his room where he said she could change into her suit. "I'll meet you back downstairs when you're ready." he told her as he left the room.
Shauni looked around Steve's bedroom. All of the furnishings were practical yet comfortable; Exactly what she would have expected from him, she thought. Her eyes eventually wandered towards his bed as her mind started fantasizing about what it would be like to wake up there beside him. And what it would be like to do every other thing imaginable there with him. She felt her cheeks flush again and decided it would be best to change into her suit and get back downstairs before she let her fantasies get the best of her. She slipped into her bikini, swept her hair up into a messy ponytail, put on her sandals, and brushed some lip gloss onto her lips before heading back downstairs to meet him.
Shauni found Steve in the kitchen putting drinks into a small cooler. He had his back to her when she walked in which gave her a view of him from behind. He was wearing a pair of swimming shorts that fit him perfectly and showed off his slim hips and firm backside. He was also shirtless for the first time since she'd met him. Since they had been working all week and Steve had been wearing his standard uniform of cargo pants and tee-shirts, she didn't realize the impressive tattoos on his body until now. The one between his shoulder blades was amazingly detailed. There has to be a story behind that one, she thought to herself as she made a mental note to ask him about it later. Sensing her behind him, he turned around to smile at her. If she thought he'd been impressive from behind, it was even more breathtaking from his front. Steve had washboard abs, and broad shoulders, along with a couple more intriguing tattoos on his chest and arms. It had been obvious to her already that he took care of himself and was in excellent shape, but now there was no denying that this man's body was a work of art that made all of her girly parts want to stand up and clap. She almost giggled at the thought until she noticed Steve looking at her like he wanted to devour her as well.
If Steve thought he had prepared himself to see Shauni in a bikini, he was sorely mistaken. She looked like a goddess in her barely there purple bikini. The top had a little gold clasp between her breasts and two more on each of her hips that held the little bit of fabric together. For once, he had to thank the bikini gods for designing a suit that would show off a woman's curves so enticingly. It showed off her incredible figure and momentarily made his mouth water. Her skin looked so soft and it was all he could do not to reach out and touch her. He swallowed hard after realizing a little too late that he was staring at her. "Wow….you look…..um….you look amazing." he stuttered. "Are you ready?"
Shauni beamed at him, "I'm ready when you are!" she agreed trying to ignore the thrill in the pit of her stomach at finding him look at her that way.
She followed Steve out onto the lanai where he showed her where to find towels, pointed out the hammock (In case she wanted to take a nap later, he said), and eventually led her down to the water where lounge chairs were waiting. "So this is it. Make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything. I'm going to go for a quick swim."
Shauni made herself comfortable on one of the lounge chairs and started to rub on her sunscreen as she watched Steve go into the surf for his swim. Then she couldn't stop staring. Who am I kidding, she thought to herself, I can't EVER seem to stop staring at him. He's just…..beautiful. No, you don't normally call a man beautiful….but there was no other way to describe it in her opinion. Steve McGarrett was no doubt a "man's man", but his body was just so perfect you couldn't help but admire the view. She watched him swim out into the water with confidence in every stroke of his arms. When he was almost out of her sight, he turned around and began to swim back towards the shore. Even though Shauni was in good shape, she was pretty sure a swim like that would nearly kill her. Well, maybe not kill her, but she doubted very seriously she would make it back without help. Yes, I'd definitely need rescuing from a Navy SEAL. Maybe even need some mouth to mouth once we returned to shore. As Steve neared the waters edge, he called out to her, "Want to join me? The water feels great!"
How could she resist? Shauni stood up, took the tie out of her ponytail so her hair could flow freely, and walked down to the water to join him. Steve was right, the water did feel great. When was the last time she had been able to go into the ocean without a dozen or more photographers capturing every moment? It had been too long….and she was determined to savor the moment. She took a deep breath and dove into the water. When she came back up for air, Steve was nowhere to be found. Feeling a little startled, she looked around for him until he popped right up in front of her to her delight. He was close. So close. They looked at each other for a moment before she saw Steve's eyes darken with obvious desire. He brought his hand up to gently sweep aside a piece of her hair. "So beautiful," Steve whispered out loud before he could catch himself. She looked more relaxed and happy than he had seen her all week and he was instantly thankful he had decided to bring her to his home to get away. As Steve looked into the eyes that had mesmerized him all week, he noticed her breathing had quickened. She licked her lips unconsciously and Steve reached out to pull her towards him. Oh my, god, he's going to kiss me! Shauni couldn't have resisted him even if she wanted to. And honestly, who would want to?", she rationalized to herself. With one arm around her waist, Steve took his other hand to gently lift up her chin as he leaned down for a kiss. At first, his kiss was hesitant….as if he wasn't sure she would reciprocate. When he found her as eager as he was, he gently licked his way down her lips to tease open her mouth with his tongue and give him full access to the sweetness inside. And she did taste sweet. Just like he had imagined….and he found himself completely lost in the moment.
God help me, he kisses like a dream!, Shauni thought to herself even as she fought to comprehend this wasn't a dream. It was really happening. She felt herself completely let go. No fear, no inhibitions, no worries at all. Just the two of them standing in the surf and getting lost in each other for a moment. Holy cow, if he can do this to me with a kiss, what else could he do with his tongue? Or his hands? Or his…
Steve broke away from her suddenly and took a step back. "I'm sorry." Steve apologized. "I shouldn't have done that."
It took Shauni a moment to come down from her high. "Wh-what do you mean? "
"I shouldn't have kissed you. I mean, I am supposed to be protecting you; not making out with you on the beach. "
Shauni noticed the guilty look on his face. "Um, well, you don't hear me complaining do you? Why can't you protect me and kiss me at the same time?" she teased.
She could almost see the walls closing in around him as his face took on the stereotypical serious look again. "I can't protect you if I'm distracted." he answered.
Shauni took a step towards him to close the gap once again and put her arms around his neck. "Oh come on, Commander. Nothing wrong with a little fun, huh? Besides you were doing really fantastic things with your tongue there." Steve couldn't help but grin down at her again enjoying the feeling of her arms around him. "Is that a fact?"
"Absolutely." she answered. "Please show me a little more." she invited him with a seductive look in her eyes that left nothing to the imagination.
Steve paused for only a moment. "My pleasure, Ms Steele." Steve replied as he picked up where he left off. He let his hands wander down her back to her firm little backside that he couldn't resist grabbing with both hands. He lifted her up easily and she wrapped her legs around his waist as the surf washed around them.
After a minute, he regrettably broke free once again to say, "One more thing. What do you say we drop the formalities. I won't call you Ms. Steele if you wont call me Commander. Let's just go back to Steve and Shauni. Okay?"
She smiled up at him contendedly."Steve and Shauni. I like the sound of that." she said as he started to kiss her again.