Kona Winds (14 page)

"No," Julie confessed.

"The Pacific Ocean is from sixteen to eighteen thousand feet deep off of these islands. Mauna Kea on the big island is over thirteen thousand feet above the sea. From its base on the ocean floor to its peak, it's somewhere over thirty thousand feet."

"I'm impressed," she said, and meant it.

There had been a lazy glitter in the blue of his eyes. It was gone. Now there was a brooding quality to his look. Julie became aware of his right arm stretched along the back of the seat with his hand resting on the leather upholstery very near her shoulder.

With her long hair swept into a honey-colored coil, the curve of her neck was exposed. His forefinger traced the sensitive cord that ran the length of her neck. Julie's lashes fluttered closed in reaction to his deliberately sensual caress.

"You're beautiful." It was a flat statement, spoken quietly. "You have a very delectable neck."

Julie had little difficulty imagining Ruel nibbling on her skin. Her skin tingled from the feathery contact of his hand, igniting the fire of longing in her flesh. The fact kept running through her mind that Ruel had an apartment in Honolulu. Opening her eyes, she stared straight ahead.

"It's getting late. I think it's time we started home." She kept her voice low, hoping it wouldn't quiver.

"There's another full hour of sunlight left," Ruel said. "I thought we'd drive over by Koko Head. You haven't seen the blowhole."

"I've done enough sight-seeing for one day," Julie insisted, unable to meet the penetrating study of his gaze. "I'd rather go back so I have time to relax before dinner."

"Whatever you say." The light touch of his fingertips on her neck ended as he withdrew his arm from the back of the seat and started the car.

Retracing their route to the lookout, they rejoined Pali Highway. Instead of returning to Honolulu, Ruel continued across the pass. The tropical rain forest of eucalyptus and kukui trees, thick ferns and philodendrons was left behind on the leeward side as the highway tunneled through the cliffs.

Ruel switched on the radio. It was tuned to a station that played native Hawaiian songs. Julie couldn't understand the words and had never heard some of the melodies; but that didn't diminish her enjoyment of the music. It was a double blessing since it filled the silence and eliminated the need to talk.

On previous excursions around the island, Julie had traveled as far south on the windward side as the Valley of the Temples. It wasn't long before she was in familiar territory. Shortly after Ruel had turned onto the Kamehameha Highway along the coastline, she saw the small, conical-shaped island, called Chinaman's Hat for obvious reasons, sitting in the bay.

Farther on, the road cut through a banana grove. The short, stocky trees with their wide fronds resembled shaggy palm trees in a constant state of molt. Heavy stocks of green bananas drooped from the fronds. After passing the Polynesian Cultural Center at Laie and the Kahuku Sugar Mill, they drove by the excavations for an aquafarm where seafood would be cultivated. Square ponds were being formed by bulldozers to raise prawns once the squares were flooded.

Rounding Kuilima Point, they were on the north shore of Oahu. It wouldn't be long before they reached the private road leading to the house. Julie stole a glance at Ruel. There was something uncompromising in the grim set of his features.

The sun had dipped so low that it was shining directly in their eyes when she looked back at the highway. Blinking at the blinding light, she covered her eyes. The car slowed to make the curve into Waimea Bay and the sun was temporarily blocked by the opposite headland. The car didn't follow the highway around the bay. Ruel turned off at the entrance to Waimea Falls.

Julie sat up. "Where are we going?"

"You said you wanted to relax before dinner. I decided we would stop here for a drink," he said, unconcerned that she hadn't been consulted.

Chapter Nine

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY the narrow walls of the verdant valley began closing in on them, blocking out the setting sun. The thick tropical growth kept the valley floor shaded and cool. Julie hadn't yet recovered from her surprise regarding his announcement.

Ruel quirked an eyebrow at her. "Any objections?"

"You could have asked me," she managed.

"You would have said no. I would have insisted." He shrugged. "Now it's an accomplished fact and we were both spared all that unpleasantness." The car was parked in the lot and Ruel half turned in his seat to face her. "This is a lovely, peaceful place. Do I drink alone or will you come with me?"

Obviously he was going whether she accompanied him or not, Julie realized. Which meant she could either sit in the car and wait for him or catch the bus. Both sounded slightly juvenile, and she was supposed to be an adult.

"I'll come with you," she agreed, striving to sound offhand about her decision.

"Good." A smile crinkled his tanned face and sent Julie's heart knocking against her ribs. It was directed at her only briefly as Ruel turned to open his door and step out.

Julie followed suit, not waiting for him to walk around to open her door. Together they crossed the parking lot to the park's rustic wooden buildings. A rooster strutted out of their way—part of the wild fowl that lived in the park.

Ruel's hand rested on the back of her waist as they climbed the steps to the wooden-floored breezeway between the buildings. His touch was a warm, vital thing that seemed to spread through her. He guided her down the length of the buildings to the outdoor staircase to the second floor.

On the upstairs lanai, they sat at a table near the railing. It overlooked a grassy clearing where peacocks were parading, their eerie cries at odds with their beauty. The sky had turned golden and the birds began finding their favorite roosts in the tall spreading monkeypod trees.

A waiter came to their table to take their order. "May I order you a cocktail?" he asked.

Ruel glanced at Julie, saw her hesitation, and ordered, "A Blue Hawaii for the lady, and I'll have a Scotch."

"Yes, sir."

Julie opened her mouth to protest, but the waiter was gone. She looked at Ruel and saw the complacent curve of his mouth. "Don't you like Blue Hawaii?" he asked.

"I don't know. I've never had one," she answered with faint exasperation.

"I thought you'd like to try one of our exotic drinks. The Mai Tai and Chi Chi are very popular, too, but you seemed more the Blue Hawaii type. If you don't like it, you can order something else." He seemed to dismiss her objection with arrogant ease.

"Thank you," she acknowledged with biting mockery.

Amusement lurked in the blue depths of his eyes at her response, but he made no comment. The waiter returned and set a tall, stemmed glass in front of Julie. The liquid inside the glass was a vivid blue, topped with a wedge of pineapple and a maraschino cherry. Julie sipped at the drink through a straw. It was sweet, but not overly so, and tasted deceptively innocuous.

"How do you like it?" Ruel asked.

"It's good," she admitted. "What's in it?"

"Rum and pineapple juice with blue Curaçao." He named the ingredients. "Are you sorry we stopped here?"

"No." Julie wasn't sure what she was admitting when she said that, but it was the truth. The setting was serenely beautiful with dusk stealing gently over the valley. From the open lanai, Julie saw the glimmering light of the evening star.

"I thought this place would appeal to you after spending your day in those musty, dusty museums," said Ruel.

"The museums were neither musty nor dusty," Julie corrected, although she knew he was only teasing. "I'm still surprised that you went to so much trouble to find me."

"Are you surprised?" came his quiet challenge.

She struggled to ignore the implication of his question. "I appreciate the effort you made to find me." She sipped at her drink and swirled the blue liquid. "I didn't expect the ride home."

"I didn't suggest it this morning because I didn't know what time I would be finished with my appointments today," Ruel explained. "And because I thought you would dream up some excuse not to accept."

Julie thought he was probably right and tried to defend herself. "Simply because I don't expect you to act as my chauffeur."

"Is that the reason?" His mouth quirked dryly. "I thought it was my company you were seeking to avoid." He signaled the waiter to come to their table, then glanced at Julie. "In that case, will you have dinner with me? The food here is very good." The waiter arrived before Julie could respond. "We'd like to look at your menu now," Ruel requested.

"Yes, sir."

As the waiter walked away, Julie protested, "We can't stay for dinner. It's getting late."

Darkness had settled quickly in the valley. She couldn't even make out the shapes of the peacocks nesting in the trees. Their table was lit by a candle flame protected by a colored glass container.

"Do you have a date this evening?" Ruel took the menus the waiter handed him and passed one to Julie.

Automatically she reached for it. "I don't have a date," she admitted, "but your aunt will be expecting me."

"You have all day Saturdays and Sundays off. Why should she be expecting you?" He opened his menu and began looking at the fare.

"But I'm always back in time for dinner," she told him. "Emily will be worried if I'm not there by seven."

He gave her a disconcerting look and reached in his slack's pocket. There was a jingle of coins, then he was placing a quarter on the table in front of Julie.

"There's a telephone downstairs. Call her and tell her you won't be back for dinner tonight." The directness of his gaze challenged her to come up with another excuse.

Julie didn't try. Her fingers hesitantly closed around the shiny coin. It was still warm from his body heat. She looked at it for several seconds, then lifted her gaze to his.

"Shall I tell her not to expect you, either?" she challenged, but that wasn't the question she was really asking.

"I'm a grown man. I don't have to report in," he informed her with cynical mockery.

"Excuse me, then," she muttered, her jaw tightening in resentment of his attitude.

She avoided looking at him as she pushed her chair away from the table and rose. Ruel made the courteous pretense of rising. Pride wanted to make Julie change her mind about having dinner with him, but she had already more or less accepted his invitation. To refuse now would invite questions from him that she didn't want to answer.

Descending the stairs, she walked to the public telephone and deposited the coin. She dialed the number and listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. On the third ring it was answered by Emily.

"This is Julie," she identified herself.

"Julie—I was just wondering where you were." The woman confirmed what Julie suspected.

"I thought I'd better call to let you know I won't be there for dinner," she said.

"Oh." The one word was followed by a long pause. "Will you be home very late tonight?"

"No." Julie glanced toward the staircase to the lanai where Ruel waited. "No, I don't expect to be late." Since Emily hadn't asked, she didn't volunteer the information as to whom she was with.

"Very well. Enjoy yourself."

She wasn't sure if she wanted to do that. "Thank you, I will. Good night." She rang off.

When she returned to the lanai, Ruel stood and held out her chair, pushing it forward after she sat down. Seating himself, he ran his alert gaze over her face.

"Did you speak to Em?" he asked.

"Yes." A fresh drink was sitting beside her half-empty glass. "I didn't order another one."

"I ordered it for you." He leaned back in his chair, looking so laid back and casual. "Is Em satisfied that you're safe?"

Julie hesitated and sipped at her first drink. "Yes, she's satisfied, I think," she answered finally.

"Did you tell her you were with me?" he questioned, and she could almost feel his gaze narrow on her.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I thought you didn't want her to know." Julie shrugged briefly, glancing at him.

"Why should I care whether or not she knows? She isn't likely to object. What made you think I didn't want her to know?" Ruel questioned.

"I don't know. Probably because of your policy of noninvolvement with the hired help," she retorted defensively.

"Circumstances sometimes require policies to be changed." His curt response was punctuated by the clinking of ice cubes as he lifted the glass of Scotch to his lips.

"What kind of circumstances?" Julie challenged, wanting him to feel as uncomfortable as she did.

"Like not being able to forget what it was like to hold you in my arms," answered Ruel without hesitation.

Her lungs seemed to stop functioning, neither breathing in nor exhaling air. She stared at her drink, unable to look at him yet riveted by the blue color of the liquid, its shade not that different from the arresting blue of his eyes. Her heart pounded in her throat.