Breaker's Passion (8 page)

It wasn’t until Colby was completely out of sight that she finally pulled herself together. What in the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if she had never seen a stunningly beautiful woman. But even with the one woman in her past she compared all other lovers to, she hadn’t felt this level of awareness.

She was confused, concerned that she was suffering from a midlife crisis or emotional breakdown. She had been under tremendous pressure the last few years with her job. As the first female president at Embers College she was under immense scrutiny, even after seven years in the position. Not all the members of the board of trustees had voted for her selection to the post. Every day was a challenge, every decision second-guessed, and that didn’t even count the conflicts with the faculty. Some days she wondered why she had ever wanted the job.

She had loved being a teacher, sharing her knowledge and love of history with students eager to learn everything possible about the subject. Young minds that were quick, insightful, and constantly questioning had kept her on her toes. Now she felt like she was always a half-step behind where she should be. The paperwork was endless, staff meetings long, and the petty squabbles between the faculty members tedious. The constant fund-raising and glad-handing with alumni and benefactors made her nauseous, like little more than a used-car salesman at times. It was supposedly lonely at the top, and now that she was there she knew exactly what that meant. Nobody wanted to be up there with you.

The job had taken a toll on her personal life as well. Her days of casual affairs had ended. She simply didn’t have the time and, frankly, rarely had the interest. When she was a faculty member, she hadn’t lived in the closet, but she never took a date to a professional event either. In the first year or two it didn’t matter. She was so engrossed in her new role she barely had time to do her laundry, let alone have the energy to have sex. But what was her excuse after that?

Maybe that was it. She finally sat down at the small table in the corner of the patio. Maybe being in a place she had never been, on a vacation she desperately needed, had kicked-started her libido. People on vacation often did things they normally wouldn’t even imagine. Especially in a tropical paradise like Maui. Reality didn’t seem to exist in all this beauty. Was that starting to transform her into a woman she’d never seen? More important, was she afraid of her or did she like her?

“May I join you?”

Elizabeth thought the person in her peripheral vision was her waiter, but when the familiar voice sounded she turned and looked into dark, inquiring eyes. Colby was dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and an orange tank top, both pressed mercilessly. She had just taken a bite of eggs Benedict, her mouth too full to answer. Instead she motioned Colby to the chair across from her. Before she had a chance to speak, the waiter had offered Colby coffee and asked if she needed a menu.

Her throat suddenly dry, she had trouble swallowing her breakfast and took a drink of her orange juice. Colby was looking at her as if to ask, “Am I invited to stay for breakfast?” She nodded to that question as well. Colby ordered orange juice and oatmeal as the waiter filled her coffee cup. Finally her mouth was clear enough to speak without seeming rude.

“Good morning. How was your swim?” She realized what she had said a second too late. She didn’t want Colby to know she’d been watching her in the water. The expression of mild interest on Colby’s face told her she had failed miserably.

“Great. You should have joined me.”

Colby’s voice was low and almost a whisper, causing a chill to dance down her spine. “Thanks, but I’m not much of a morning person.” Unless it was waking up with Colby next to her.

“That’s a shame. The water’s perfect. Maybe I’ll change your mind someday.” Colby took her answer almost as a challenge.

She smiled. She knew herself too well. “I doubt that. I don’t do much before two cups of coffee, one if I’m running late.” She took another bite of her breakfast as Colby waved for a refill.

“Ah, I remember what that was like,” Colby countered before she stopped abruptly.

Her expression changed from engaging to something dark before transforming back to not quite the same. What was behind the instant change? But it was none of her business.

Sensing Colby’s withdrawal she said, “It’s a habit I tried to break more times than I can count. But I finally accepted it and have moved on to try to conquer other, more important vices.”

“Such as?” Colby asked as her coffee arrived.

Her breakfast done, Elizabeth pushed her plate to the side and held her glass of water between her damp palms. “The Krispy Kreme drive-through, McDonald’s French fries, Nora Roberts novels.”

“Nora Roberts?” Colby was clearly surprised.

“God, yes, I love her work. My mother still can’t figure out why…how does she phrase it.” She hesitated to get just the right words. “Why does a college-educated woman with a lot of letters after her name read trashy romance novels?” She could practically hear her mother’s voice over her shoulder.

“I couldn’t have asked it better myself,” Colby said.

“Actually, Nora Roberts is anything but trashy, especially when she writes as J.D. Robb, but I’ll tell you what I’ve been telling her for years.”

“I’m on pins and needles.” Colby bent forward in her chair.

She liked Colby’s quick wit. “That after racking my brain all day, making dozens of decisions, answering hundreds of questions, and sitting through marathon meetings, a girl just wants to disappear in fantasy occasionally where she doesn’t have to do anything more taxing than turn the page.”

Colby nodded. “I see your point. I don’t know who Nora Roberts is, or J.D. Robb, for that matter, but I get it.”

“You don’t know J.D. Robb?” she asked teasingly.

“Should I?”

“Have you been to a bookstore in the last ten years?”

Colby looked abashed. “If I say no, will you make me pick up the check?”

This made her laugh. “Of course not. You’ll need your money to buy Naked in Death.” At Colby’s confused look she explained. “It’s the first book in the series featuring Detective Eve Roberts. She’s not a lesbian, but she kicks ass and is h-o-t.”

Colby reached for the check anyway.

“Hey!”

“My treat, since I busted in on you. I think I can swing both breakfast and being naked in bed.” Her eyes twinkled and Elizabeth knew she had intentionally misspoken the title of the book she had just referenced.

“It’s Naked in Death, and I’ll just bet you can.”

The waiter cleared off their dishes, but Elizabeth didn’t want their conversation to end. “No classes this morning?”

“Not on Wednesdays. A girl’s gotta have a chance to unwind, you know, from racking my brain all day, making dozens of decisions, answering hundreds of questions, and swallowing gallons of salt water.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“Which part, racking my brain or making dozens of decisions?”

This conversation felt suspiciously like their first one. “Swallowing gallons of salt water? I’ve seen you out there, surfer Colby Taylor, and you know when to keep your mouth shut and when to open it.”

She flushed when Colby’s eyes darkened and darted to her lips. Her words were not intended to be a play on their intimate encounter two nights ago, but they had the same effect.

“My mother taught me never to argue with a woman with a lot of initials after her name.” Colby leaned toward her, arms on the table.

“I like a girl who listens to her mother,” she said, slightly breathless.

“I like a girl who stands up to hers,” Colby said softly.

For the second time that day her world seemed to center on Colby. The clinking of silverware, the ringing of glasses touching the tables vanished. The crowded restaurant was silent. She was absolutely enthralled with the woman sitting across from her. She couldn’t speak and really didn’t want to. She could look into those dark eyes for hours and never see the same thing. Colby broke the spell.

“Since we’ve established that we like each other…do you have any plans for the day?”

“No.” At least none that she could recall. Even if she could, she’d quickly change them. That thought was very uncharacteristic.

“Have you seen much of my island?” Colby grinned at her reaction to her island.

“Not really. I only arrived on Sunday.” God, had it been only three days since she’d first seen this woman?

Colby stood, extending her hand just like she had that night. “Then I’ve got the perfect thing. Interested?”

In you, yes. In anything you have in mind, definitely. She took the outstretched hand again. “Lead on.”

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” Colby shouted over the whirling rotor blades. They were sitting in the second seat of an EC-130B4 Eco-Star, the pride of the Blue Hawaiian helicopter fleet, awaiting final clearance to lift off. Elizabeth’s headset was connected to the pilot and her fellow passengers by a yellow button, but she shook her head instead. She was still in shock that within thirty minutes of leaving the resort she was in a helicopter waiting to take a bird’s-eye view of the island.

Two other couples were on the flight, both newlyweds and somewhat younger than she and Colby. Over breakfast she had decided that Colby was around her age, but occasionally revealed a tired sadness in her eyes when she thought no one was looking.

The butterflies in Elizabeth’s stomach settled as the aircraft rose from the ground. She was sandwiched between the Italian husband on her left and Colby on her right. The pilot had assigned their seats based on weight, and Colby was sitting next to the window. She had tried to get the pilot to switch her with Elizabeth, but he had politely refused.

Fifteen minutes later they were flying over the strip of hotels on the Kaanapali side of the island. She saw her hotel and the familiar pink of the Embassy Villas next door. As the pilot identified various points of interest, Colby motioned for her to lean over her to get a better view out the window. Each time she did she caught a whiff of the scent that was uniquely Colby, and more than once she felt slightly dizzy. Several times during the flight Colby touched her arm or leg to get her attention while she pointed out something. Every touch was hot and left a mark that only she could feel.

Halfway into the flight the pilot hovered over the green slopes of Mt. Haleakala. After a few minutes he descended to a remote landing site. Colby helped her out of the helicopter when the large blades completely stopped, again offering her hand.

Colby didn’t release her hand as they walked in the lush grass. They strolled to the top of the slope, and with barely any wind it was absolutely silent. She didn’t say anything, unwilling to break the solitude. Colby seemed to take her job as tour guide seriously, and her voice was soft as she pointed out the West Maui Mountains, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Molokini Islet, and the small island of Molokai. Still holding Colby’s hand, she stood in awe until the pop of a champagne bottle behind her broke the quiet of Mother Nature.

“Champagne?” Colby asked.

“Seems perfect. I wouldn’t miss it,” she replied, and followed Colby back down the slope.

As they drank, the pilot entertained them with amusing stories of other flights and a brief geography lesson of the 20,000 acre Ulupalakua Ranch where they had landed. The rolling green pastureland, forests, and mountain vistas were home to thousands of head of cattle, some of which Elizabeth saw grazing below.

The pilot insisted they pose in front of the helicopter for several pictures, and Elizabeth’s knees went weak when Colby put her arm around her waist. The pilot assumed they were a couple and teased them into the same romantic poses the other passengers had assumed.

The feel of Colby’s strong body pressed against her back, arms wrapped around her waist, almost undid her. She was on fire. Every nerve ending, one in particular, was ready to explode. When the pilot said they needed to head back, she didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

The remainder of the flight was a blur. She remembered only the feel of soft, hot skin and the coiled energy of Colby sitting beside her. She was so on edge she could barely walk from where the helicopter landed to Colby’s truck.

“Ready for some lunch?” Colby asked, rolling down her window and handing a five-dollar bill to the parking-lot attendant.

With her stomach tied in knots, she was in no mood for food. “Sure,” she lied.

The water splashed onto the stamped-cement patio just out of reach of her feet. Colby had let Elizabeth choose the table at Kimo’s, and now they were sitting outside and Colby was relishing the fresh air. She had no idea what had gotten into her this morning. First it was breakfast, then the helicopter ride, and now a lunch invitation. She hadn’t spent this much time with a woman in years. At least outside of a sexual liaison.

She studied Elizabeth as she studied the menu. That same strand of hair was determined to remain free. Whether she wore a ball cap, a ponytail, or a bun like she had it in now, it simply refused to be tamed. Was Elizabeth the same?

She was stunningly beautiful. A smattering of freckles across her nose made her look young, whereas the few laugh lines around her eyes made her appear sophisticated and womanly. And she was definitely all woman.

Sitting beside her in the helicopter had been nothing but torture. The ride lasted only ninety minutes but had felt like forever. She hadn’t intended it to be anything other than the best way to show Elizabeth the wide variety of landscape on the island. She had been on this trip several times herself, but never with a woman. More specifically a woman she was interested in and for some odd reason wanted only the best for.

When Elizabeth had stretched over her to get a better view of something out the window, Colby inhaled the smell of her shampoo or perfume or whatever it was that made up the fragrance that she remembered from that night. She couldn’t keep her hands to herself in the aircraft and thoroughly enjoyed their impromptu photo shoot.

What was happening? Feeling this interested in someone or something other than surfing frightened her. She didn’t deserve this, whatever this was. She wasn’t worthy of the attention of an attractive woman. Sex was one thing, but this was altogether different.