She chuckled to herself as she remembered her run in with a bridezilla two years ago. The girl had wanted to make changes the morning of her wedding to both the groom’s cake and the official wedding cake. She’d had the nerve to threaten Jocelyn’s job. It must have taken her a long time to get that icing out of her hair after Jocelyn had dropped it on the woman’s head.
She settled back against the bench and looked out over the water. She had spent her childhood in New Orleans, and a ton of her time near the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Neither could compare to the crisp turquoise of the Pacific. It was smooth as glass today. She could see the coastline as they chugged along and she drew in a deep breath. The air was so clean, so vibrant. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face.
“Enjoying yourself?”
She slowly opened her eyes and found Kai standing beside her. Without invitation, he slid into the seat to the right of her.
“Yeah, I am. I’ve always liked the water. It’s one of the things I missed most when I lived in Atlanta.”
He nodded. “I don’t think I could live landlocked.”
He looked out over the boat, and she could see him taking note of what was going on. He might play the easygoing guy, but she recognized a businessman when she saw him. He might have picked something that he loved, but in his heart he understood his responsibilities. And dammit, that made him even more enticing.
“It’s different though.”
He turned his attention back to her face and she wished she could see what he was thinking. His sunglasses made it hard.
“Different?”
“Yeah. I was just thinking of the Gulf and how it is so different than this.”
“Hmm. I’ll have to take your word for it. I’ve never been there.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Not many trips to the mainland?”
He shook his head. “I’ve been to the west coast, we have family there, and to Japan and China. But I get a little buggy when I’m on the mainland.”
“I can’t see you reacting that way anywhere. You seem so Laid-back.”
He shrugged. “Too many rules. Too many people.”
She laughed and he stilled.
“What?” she asked when he continued to stare at her.
He swallowed convulsively. “I like your laugh.”
There was a hint of heat threaded in the words that hadn’t been there before. She ordered herself not to pay attention, to not let it get to her. It was hard because she knew without a doubt he would be good in bed. It was easy to see in the way he moved, all power and grace. Plus, he was patient, so a woman had to know that he would definitely do everything in his power to make it worth her time.
She swallowed.
“Why did you laugh?” he asked.
“Oh, because someone living on Oahu saying there are too many people is kind of funny. This place is crowded.”
He leaned back and looked out over the water, then back at her. “There are a lot of places you can find solitude. LA, hard to find. And too much pollution.” He shook his head in disgust.
“That’s one of the things I hated about Atlanta. The pollution was starting to get to me. I have to say I do like the Windward side of the island better. It seems to be at a slower pace.”
He nodded. “I like it. There are other places…if you would like a tour guide?”
She studied him, still irritated that she couldn’t see his eyes. Without seeing them she didn’t know what his expression was. And she knew from the tone it wasn’t just a friendly invite. Kai saw it as a date. He didn’t ever attempt to couch it any other way and she liked him even better for it. A devious man would pretend to want to be only friends and try to talk her into bed. Kai wouldn’t do that. He didn’t need to.
God help her, she wanted to try. She wanted to go out with a man who wanted to spend time with her and wasn’t psychoanalyzing her every move. It would be fun to just be Jocelyn and enjoy her day out. Like today.
“I’d like that.”
He seemed to relax at her agreement. Had he been worried she would say no? Why? From the looks of the other female passengers, he could easily find a hook-up tonight. Or any night for that matter. Just the fact he was worried she would say no interested her.
“Tell you what, before you leave let me have your phone number. I’ll give you a call and take you on a tour. Nothing like seeing the island with a Kama’aina.”
She waited for the instinctive freak out. In the last few months, any time a man made any kind of overture she had freaked out. An unknown man holding the door open for her would have her backing away from him. But with Kai, it wasn’t there. The only feeling she had was the rush of excitement over going on a date. Just for that alone she wanted to kiss him. Beyond that, she wanted to get to know him better.