HIGH TIDE (28 page)

Nick took the offered hand again. “Likewise.”

With a complacent smile, Walter Davis excused himself.

“Your boss, I presume?”

“Ummm, he’s a bit overbearing don’t you think?”

“I think,” he reached out and touched her chin, “that you handled yourself with dignity and poise. And
I think
that when this day is over, no one is going to interrupt us, and we’re going to have a long talk.”
    Hands were waving her over towards the idle limousine, but Briana ignored them and focused exclusively on Nick. In dark dress slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows, he stole her breath. The collar was open to expose tanned flesh that she knew intimately, and his short chocolate hair ruffled in the breeze. It was the balmy brown eyes that drew her in, though, and the promise in them that made everything else irrelevant.

With a slight pout, Briana grinned. “Only talk?”

“Briana!” Naoki jogged up to them. “Hi Nick, hey Bree. Come on, it’s the
Governor
.”

“Yes, of course, the Governor.” Briana’s eyes were still locked with Nick’s.

With a suggestive smile he mouthed the word
Go
. Back-pedaling, while still holding his gaze, Briana grinned and felt that burst of confidence he infused her with.  

No matter what happened today, at the end
—Nick would be waiting for her.

***

Nick witnessed the transformation, the assurance in those vivid blue eyes, and the deeper emotion that was reserved wholly for him.  He let out a low whistle of appreciation and tipped his head back to eye the crystal clear sky, praying for rain, snow, or anything that would hasten this day and put Briana in his arms again.

After that brief assessment of the sky, Nick’s gaze dropped just beyond Briana’s shoulder and caught a
glimpse of the figure emerging from the limousine. The Governor was already making minimal progress towards the podium, hampered along the way by the slick wheels of Hawaiian real estate. But it was the succeeding passenger that caught Nick’s attention.

It played out i
n slow motion. Black stiletto heels extended from the open door, trailed by a pair of devastating legs in sheer pantyhose. When her head emerged and the long body sinuously came erect inside the open doorway, Nick’s suspicions were confirmed.

Meleana.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Briana tried to concentrate on the speech, but her mind drifted as she searched the crowd waving brochures at their faces to battle the sun’s heat. Nowhere amidst this assemblage could she locate Nick. She envisioned him slipping down to the shore to ponder the pristine beach with an analytical eye. He probably stopped to test the mixture of mineral deposits in the sand and managed to soak the legs of those stylish black slacks that made him look so deliciously male.

That was how she had found him a little over a week ago. It seemed ages ago now, but regardless of the moments on the clock it was enough time to realize that she was in love.
 Completely, totally, ready to toss aside her disciplined,
worry about everyone else
philosophy, in love with him.

Briana crossed her legs and frowned in an attempt to concentrate on the Governor. She fidgeted and subconsciously tightened the clip on her hair.

With his bronzed face, white teeth, and black hair tinged gray at the temples, Tom Hakino was a handsome man, and to the delight of many Hawaiian females, a bachelor. It appeared as if one of his devotees was in tow, the woman seated to his right, her head tipped up in appreciation of him. Adorned in a trendy hat that concealed her face from the sun, glossy black hair cast a natural flip over the shoulders of a silver satin blouse. Something struck Briana as familiar about the lavish female, but the thought was lost in her intent search for Nick. Surely she could escape from this ensemble for a few minutes to be with him.

“And now I’d like to call on the person responsible for today—for
Manale Palms
—and for achieving affordable, alternative housing for native Hawaiians.”

With a confident grin, Governor Hakino found Briana and extended his hand so that the mass of rapt faces swung in her direction.

Damn.

“Ms. Holt, would you please come up here?”

Conscious of Kathy’s delighted giggle by her side, followed by a spontaneous clap, the rest of the ensemble quickly picked up on the applause and Briana was left with no recourse but to rise. She met Naoki’s bespectacled glance, enthusiastic and proud, and then noticed his arm draped affectionately across Kathy’s shoulder.  It was that observation that made Brianna’s smile a little brighter and her tread more buoyant as she approached the podium and graciously shook the Governor’s hand. She skewed another glance at the woman seated by his side, but the face was still cloaked behind the silver sunhat.

Briana’s gaze swept the crowd of acquaintances and strangers to search for familiar smoky eyes, but the Governor had her by the elbow, prompting her towards the dais.

“Thank you everyone for coming out here today.” Even the slight elevation of the platform made the breeze more pronounced. It felt refreshing against her cheeks, which were warm from the sun.

Beyond the crowd, the fountain sparkled with brilliant prisms of water, while at its base the
birds of paradise
created a blanket of sunbursts. The model and its neighboring homes were perfectly landscaped, and today’s superb weather enhanced the greenery. She could easily envision the near future when children would be at play atop the verdant carpet, in what she considered a magical garden.

Briana smiled as she heard her mother whisper,
Good job, Little Orchid
.

 
 ***

Concealed within the stockade of coconut palms, Nick watched Briana ascend the podium. There he observed her brief spell of uncertainty, and that beatific smile that stole his breath. With her head held high, she directed the audience with confidence and poise. The knot at the base of her neck now leaked more strands of gold
, casting prisms about her face. He moved out of the shade of the trees, fascinated by the rapt concentration Briana secured from the crowd. There was confidence in her speech, and he felt a keen sense of pride.

Imagine, only a
little over a week ago he was exhausted with the effort to provoke Briana—now he wanted nothing more than to praise her. What a drastic change his life was about to take. It was dizzying, but he had no reservations.

Perhaps he took another step, or perhaps she just sensed his presence across the anonymous swarm, but Briana’s eyes locked on his over the crowd
—and she was not about to let go. To the audience her smile was confident and composed. To Nick it was a sexy, promise targeted on him. He wasn’t too proud to gloat that this stunning creature wanted him. And he wasn’t too humble to be grateful.

With the heartfelt speech concluding to a roar of approval from the crowd, and a supporting ovation from the Governor, Briana nodded politely and hastened down the steps. As if her departure was a silent cue for an intermission, the mass began to disassemble and the mayor was maneuvered into a small clique of zealots.

Regal in the skirt that contoured her body and the dissolved knot of hair torn loose to waft a halo about her shoulders, Briana approached him with an explicit quirk of the lips. He returned that smirk and thought that Keo would roar with laughter at the completely smitten expression that had to be stamped on his face.

There were associates politely trying to draw Briana’s attention, developers interested in a piece of the project she painted such vivid depictions of for the big island. But they all could wait.

Breathless, she approached him and whispered, “Hi.”

Nick cocked an eyebrow. “Nice speech.”

“My knees are still shaking.”

“You weren’t nervous.” He shook his head. “You were speaking from the gut, Briana. You knew what the hell you were talking about. That’s more than a lot of people here could claim.”

***

Pleased with the compliment, but even more enchanted with the way his eyes stroked her, Briana
wavered when that gaze clouded over and his jaw tensed.

He is looking past me.

Briana automatically turned to follow his glance, only to discover the woman in the silver sunhat draw near. Her face was concealed beneath the drooping brim, and only red polished lips were visible. Berating her envy of the stylish dress and elegant grace with which the woman carried herself, Briana felt her stomach clench when the head tipped up and she recognized the olive skin and hypnotic eyes.   

“Meleana.” Nick confirmed stiffly.

“Nicolas, what a pleasant surprise.” Bourbon eyes skimmed over Briana and then landed with a purr on Nick. “You’re looking good, but you always did.”

***

If you dig broken men with barely a breath left in them
, Nick thought. “And time has not changed you much either.”

A flicker of uncertainty passed beneath the brim of Meleana’s hat as she debated whether that was an insult. “It’s only been a little over a year.
 My God, Nicolas, I couldn’t age that quickly.”

“The Governor, Meleana?” His head nodded towards the stage. “You’ve certainly set your goals haven’t you?”

Meleana delivered a complacent smile. “Tom was not a
goal
, Nick. It just happened.”

My ass
. “Well, things just happen I suppose. Meleana, have you met Briana Holt?”

Forced to acknowledge
Brianna, Meleana pursed her lips in a caricature of a smile.

“Ah yes, Walter Davis’
s little helper. Great party you put together here—although it could use, I don’t know, maybe a band, a string quartet—some music definitely.”

Nick could see the blood flush Briana’s cheeks, but her voice remained composed.

“As this was more of an event to demonstrate the natural assets of this development, I didn’t feel music was appropriate. But when all the lots are completed there probably will be another celebration, and surely then we’ll want entertainment. I’d appreciate any recommendations you may have, Miss—?”

“Kane,” Melea
na replied subdued.

Nick grinned and gained newfound respect for Briana. Meleana was basically being a bitch, and Briana did not succumb. His arm wound around her shoulder and he dipped to lance a kiss at the base of her ear. Briana jolted, but quickly settled back against him.

“I see you’ve wasted no time after our little breakup, hmmm Nicolas?”

***
  

Briana wondered if everything was
little
to Meleana.
Little helper. Little breakup.
Unconsciously, Briana’s glance scaled down Nick’s body, lingering on some of her favorite parts. Everything was definitely
not little
where he was concerned.

Nick caught that intimate inspection and whispered against the spot he had just kissed. “Don’t look at me like that. Do you want me to make a spectacle of myself and take you right here?”

Before she could close her dropped jaw, Nick cleared his throat and straightened to address his ex.

“If I had met Briana sooner I wouldn’t have wasted as much time as I did. Funny enough, I don’t stand to gain any social status from being with her
—any professional influence—” His fingers clenched on Briana’s arm just beneath the healing scratch. He sought her gaze and uttered huskily, “I’m with Briana because I’m in love with her.”

Heedless of the crowd around her, or the reproachful gaze of the tall brunette
—aware only of the soft din of the trade winds and
Nick
, Briana felt numb. An awed smile lingered just below the surface as she whispered, “You are?”

“Come on.” His hand slid down her arm until his fingers entwined with he
rs. “I think we better go have that talk. “

Reluctantly he lifted his head to acknowledge Meleana,
and added, “—in private.”

“So that was Meleana? Beautiful woman.”

“Do I sense a flash of jealousy in those gorgeous eyes, Bree?”

“More than a flash,” she replied, thinking of the stunning female who oozed elegance that she would never possess.

They crossed the verdant commons, ignorant of the fact that their feet were soaked from grass generously dosed by the sprinklers this morning. Nick stopped her with his hand. “You’re not serious I hope.”

The light touch of his fingers broke Briana’s stride.
 
Am I serious?
Too often in life she had chosen anxiety over assertion, but today, standing in the emerald epicenter of her goals, there was a bubbling sense of confidence that was uniquely gratifying.
Jealous? 
Perhaps. 
Insecure
?  Definitely not.

Briana wanted
Manale Palms
to be a success, and glancing at the faces in the crowd today she realized that she had made it happen. Reaching for Nick’s hand she folded his fingers inside her own, and recognized that she
wanted
Nick McCord even more.