Kona Winds (12 page)

There was no response. Her face was beaded with rain water. She wiped at it with a wet hand and a handkerchief was offered her. She glanced at him as she accepted it. He faced the road, his bold profile masking any expression.

The windshield wipers swish-swished back and forth in a hypnotic rhythm. Julie wiped her face dry with the handkerchief. The faint, tantalizing scent of his after-shave lotion clung to the linen material, a musky fragrance that seemed indicative of his obvious manhood. That wasn't something Julie wanted to notice about him, not in the close quarters of the car.

"Are you cold? Would you like me to turn the car heater on?" Ruel asked, distantly polite.

"No, it isn't necessary. I'm just wet." She was nervous, disturbed by his nearness and unwilling to admit it.

His handkerchief was damp, as she wadded it into her hands and held it on her lap, reluctant to return it to him in its present sodden condition. The heavy silence between them was unnerving. Julie longed to end it, but was afraid she would begin chattering like a nervous schoolgirl. She felt irritated and wished she had waited for the bus regardless of the drizzle.

Directly ahead of them, a shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds and created a rainbow in the sky. She tried to concentrate on the way the colors faded into each other, instead of the man behind the wheel.

"Dammit! Will you relax?" Ruel growled savagely, and she nearly jumped out of her seat.

"I am," she lied quickly and badly.

"You are as nervy as a cat who's used up eight lives." His mockery was harsh and deliberately
 
cutting.

Julie collected her poise. "If I seem uncomfortable, it's probably because I am," she retorted. "Who wouldn't be if they were sitting around in wet clothes?"

His gaze sliced over her, taking swift note of the way the knit material of her top damply moulded itself to the shapely roundness of her breasts. Heat coursed through her veins, warming her skin, but almost immediately his attention was back on the rain-slick highway in front of him.

"We'll be at the house soon and you'll be able to change into some dry clothes." Once again his voice and expression were smooth and emotionless.

As far as Julie was concerned, they couldn't get there soon enough. She made some meaningless comment to him and stared out of the side window. She didn't draw an easy breath until Ruel stopped the car in the circular drive in front of the house.

"Thanks for the ride." She didn't even glance at him as she said it, pushing open the door and using the excuse of the rain to bolt into the house.

In the entryway, she heard a trio of laughing voices from Debbie's room and guessed her girl friends were visiting her. She didn't see either Emily or Malia as she hurried up the stairs to her room.

Stripping out of her wet clothes, she put on a short terry cloth beach jacket. She was shaking, but she didn't know whether it was from nerves or because she was chilled from her wet clothes. The first seemed the most likely. Angry with herself, she began toweling her hair dry with a roughness that hurt.

A knock at her bedroom door brought an automatic response, "Come in."

Julie turned as it opened. Ruel walked in and her hands ceased holding the towel. It slid from the darkly golden tangle of her long hair to settle around her neck.

Why didn't he leave her alone, she thought wildly, and demanded, "What do you want?" Her voice was sharp to that of rudeness.

His gaze traveled down the length of her tanned legs before meeting the challenging directness of her eyes. She had nothing on beneath the jacket, which he obviously guessed. She was grateful it came down over her hips. He was holding a small tray with a cup and saucer and teapot on its surface.

"I asked Malia to fix you some hot tea," he answered evenly, and walked into the room to set it on the desk. "After your drenching, I thought you might like a hot drink."

"Why all this sudden show of concern for my well being?" Julie couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "I thought you were worried about becoming involved with women who worked for you," she lashed out in frustration.

In a single long stride Ruel was in front of her, roughly grabbing her arms. The tautness of anger was etched in his strong features. He hauled her against his chest, his grip lifting her onto her toes. His mouth was so near she couldn't breathe. Her bare legs rubbed against the smooth material of his slacks and the solidly muscled thighs they covered. His body heat seemed to envelop her. There was a deafening rush of blood in her ears as she waited for the punishment of his kiss.

It never came. Instead she was released as abruptly as she had been seized. While she stumbled backward, Ruel walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Waves of disappointment rushed through her. She was faced with the humiliating possibility that she had goaded him deliberately, expecting the retaliation of an embrace. She slumped into the desk chair and buried her face in her hands. The tea was lukewarm before she got around to drinking it.

After dinner that evening, Julie sat in the living room with Emily, painfully conscious of Ruel's presence. It was a strain to concentrate on what Emily was saying and appear interested, but she tried.

"You look pale, Julie," the woman observed. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Fine," she insisted with a tense smile. The narrowed glance of skepticism she received made her add, "I have a slight headache, that's all."

"Ruel mentioned to Malia that you were caught in the shower this afternoon. Maybe you're coming down with something," Emily suggested.

"I don't think so," Julie denied. "It's just a common headache, not the common cold."

"Perhaps some fresh air will help it," said Ruel. He stood beside the French doors that led onto the ground floor lanai. "It isn't raining anymore. Why not take a short stroll outside?"

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," she agreed eagerly, glad to escape the stifling atmosphere of the house.

Rising from the sofa, she crossed the room to the double doors Ruel held open for her. It wasn't until she had stepped onto the veranda mat she realized he intended to accompany her, and she glanced back into the room at Emily. There was nothing in the woman's expression to indicate that she found anything wrong with the situation.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Julie said, "I want to apologize for what I said and the way I behaved today. You didn't deserve it, and I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," he acknowledged simply and with an air of diffidence. "Although it doesn't solve our problem, does it?"

Her gaze skittered away, not quite able to meet his look sideways. "Problem? I don't know what you mean."

"Don't you?" The rejoinder was aloofly amused.
 

"No, I'm afraid I don't know," Julie insisted, continuing to walk straight ahead. She was glad of the darkness and its concealing shadows.

The touch of Ruel's hand on her waist halted her. Applying slight pressure, he turned her to face him. She forced herself to breathe evenly and not pay any attention to the fluttering of her pulse. As long as his touch remained impersonal, she wasn't going to make a fool of herself by resisting.

"Pretending hasn't made it go away, Kulie," he said.

His hands lightly spanned her waist without making any attempt to lessen the distance between them. Julie felt herself becoming putty in his hands and pivoted away from him while she still had some backbone. Ruel let her turn away, but he didn't release her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she repeated. "What was that you called me?"

"Kulie. That's your name in Hawaiian," Ruel answered.

"How fascinating." There was a faint tremor in her voice as she attempted to change the subject. "What is yours?"

"It's an old family name. Ruel doesn't have an equivalent in Hawaiian." Patience seemed to dominate his answer.

"I see," she murmured.

"We're going to have to come up with another solution for our problem," Ruel reverted to his earlier discussion.

An odd weakness attacked her knees. "As far as I'm concerned, we don't have a problem, Mr. Chandler." She took a quick step forward, moving out of his unresisting hold. Warily she stayed out of his reach. "If you'll excuse me, I have some letters to write." She started toward the outside set of stairs that led to the upper lanai and her bedroom. "Good night."

"Running isn't the answer, Julie." His voice carried quietly to her, but he didn't try to stop her. "You'll have to face it sooner or later."

Julie infinitely preferred later. Tonight she couldn't cope with the potency of his attraction. She certainly couldn't be as calm and reasonable about it as Ruel sounded.

The French doors to her bedroom were unlocked. She opened them and paused. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Ruel standing near the chaise lounge by the pool. The red glow of a cigarette was in his hand. In an abrupt movement that suggested anger, he crushed out the cigarette beneath his heel. Jamming his fists into the pockets of his slacks, he turned away from the house.

Julie could only guess at the cause for his action. This physical thing between them didn't please him anymore than it pleased her. He was probably irritated with himself for even mentioning it. As for a solution. . . . She went into her bedroom and closed the doors. An affair was the obvious answer. But if it burned itself out before Debbie was better, how would she be able to stay here in the same house with him?

Chapter Eight

RUEL WAS SELDOM at the house during the week that followed. On the one evening he did spend at home, he made no attempt to speak to Julie or draw her aside. She kept telling herself she was relieved that he had decided not to pursue the matter. If she weren't totally convinced she didn't admit it.

On Saturday morning she joined Emily for breakfast at nine o'clock on the lanai. The sun was warming the cobblestoned floor and the air was fragrant with the scents of many tropical flowers blooming in the garden. Julie helped herself to the slices of fresh pineapple on the table and sat in a rattan chair next to Emily.

"It's a gorgeous day, isn't it?" Julie remarked.

"It couldn't be better," the woman agreed. "What are your plans for today?"

"I thought I'd go into Honolulu. I haven't been there yet, and—" she lifted her shoulders in an expressive shrug and laughed "—what would I say to my friends if they asked me whether I'd been to Waikiki or not?"

"I suppose that's true. But personally I don't think you're missing anything." Emily's opinion of the commercially developed area hadn't changed.

"Besides, there are several other places of interest I want to see in Honolulu," Julie defended her decision.

"Yes, there are a few," Emily conceded. "You're welcome to use the car."

"No, I'll take the bus. I'm not familiar with the streets. Trying to find my way in traffic is not my idea of fun anyway. And there's always the problem of finding a place to park." The disadvantages outweighed the other considerations in Julie's opinion.
 

"It's quite a long bus ride," the woman cautioned.

"I don't mind," she insisted. "It will give me time to look at the countryside."

"What will?" Ruel walked onto the lanai.
 

"Good morning, Ruel." Emily offered him a cheek, which he dutifully bent to kiss before helping himself to the coffee.

Dressed in a loose-fitting Hawaiian shirt of white cotton and light blue slacks, Ruel walked behind Julie to sit in a chair beside her. Setting his cup on the table, he buttered a slice of sweet bread.

"What will give you time to look at the country?" he repeated his question without glancing at her.

"Julie is taking the bus into Honolulu this morning," his aunt explained. "I was just warning her that it would be a long ride, what with all the stops it has to make along the way."

"I'm going downtown this morning. You're welcome to ride with me," he offered indifferently.

Julie hesitated, a polite refusal forming on her lips, but Emily was speaking before she had the chance to respond. "How thoughtful of you, Ruel!" she exclaimed. "It's the perfect answer."

"I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble. I know you have business to attend to and—" Julie tried delicately to get out of accepting.

"It wouldn't be any trouble," Ruel assured her blandly, a glint of challenge in his blue eyes. "I have to drive to Honolulu anyway. I can drop you wherever you like."

"Of course he can," Emily inserted. "It would certainly be more comfortable than riding on a crowded bus. And you'll still be able to see the country."

She was left with little option but to accept his offer. "In that case, I'll ride with you," she agreed.

After breakfast, Julie went upstairs to collect her purse while Ruel brought the car around to the front. Emily waved goodbye to them from the house. It was an hour's drive into the city and she tried to think of what they could talk about for all that length of time.

"You make this drive almost every day. It must get tiresome."

"Sometimes," he agreed, "especially if the traffic is heavy. It also gives me time to think—to sort out various projects and problems. Views like that—" he indicated the one ahead of them "—keep it from becoming too monotonous."