Authors: Sieni A.M.
So handsome
, she thought then stopped. Blushing furiously, she looked away. The knowledge that he could decipher what she just felt embarrassed the heck out of her. She had to learn to tamp down on the butterflies that were taking residence in her stomach when he was in her presence. She had to learn hard and fast. When she dared a peek in his direction, he was laughing. At her! Argh! This was not good. She was going to have to up the ante. Alana scrambled around in her head for an idea.
Ok, mister, get ready for some fire power
, she grated. Gathering every angry emotion she could muster and conceiving every Samoan swear word her cousins had taught her, she set it off like fireworks. She didn’t know what light show she was sending into the universe, but Chase’s eyes widened slightly at her emotional retaliation. Bowing his head, he shook it, his lips curving up into a smile. Alana felt triumphant. As immature and juvenile as it was, she turned away with a smug smile on her face, feeling every bit victorious for rattling him around.
Chapter 14
A
lana could hear the rushing water as she walked down the winding steps that led to the freshwater pools. Tropical shrub concealed their destination while trees hung low overhead and provided shade from the imposing sun. It was two days before the wedding, and most of Malia’s close girlfriends and cousins, including Kane’s old university buddies, were spending the day together at Papaseea Sliding Rocks, a hotspot for locals and tourists alike. To their luck, the place was deserted.
Walking out onto a rocky landing, Alana peered over the edge where water flowed from a river into the deep pool below. At one point, the rock smoothed and curved downwards, providing the perfect perch for sitting and sliding over the waterfall. The drop measured about five meters, and the feeling of free falling was exhilarating. The main pool streamed and cascaded into smaller water holes further down the stream where large black rocks rose and jutted out of the flow. Alana couldn’t wait to get in and cool down. It was one of those humid, sweaty days, and she wanted to peel out of her clothes and get refreshed as soon as possible.
“This place is amazing!” Sera exclaimed beside her.
They stripped out of their shirts and placed them with their belongings near a bush before stepping out into the sun in their swimsuits and shorts. Alana and Sera watched as Reena walked carefully over the rapidly moving water and sat in place. Letting out a whooping sound, she pushed herself forward and allowed gravity to pull her down, sliding over the waterfall and splashing into the pool below. One of her male cousins went next, and acting like the daredevil that he was, slipped down the slide while standing on his feet before leaping into the water at the last second. Sera gasped in surprise while Alana smiled.
Show-off
.
“I’m next!” Sera walked forward and planted herself on the rock.
She catapulted forward and shrieked gleefully all the way before the splash swallowed her voice. As Alana laughed at her enthusiasm, movement a few feet away caught her eye, and she turned in time to see Chase, Kane, and his friends arrive and step onto the landing.
Alana drew in a sharp breath as she watched Chase stride shirtless into the sun. Dark aviators covered his eyes, and his hair was tousled as if he had just run his fingers through it. The light reflected off his broad shoulders and defined the muscles in his arms and toned abdomen. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
Oh crap
. Was this his way of paying her back? If it was, she was in deep trouble. Chase was heaven’s gift to earth, and the man needed to seriously put his shirt back on before the mosquitoes ate up that torso of his. Alana needed to get away and cool down. Literally. Stepping into the river flow, she stumbled awkwardly over to the edge of the waterfall and launched herself over without hesitation. Slipping, she careened off the main path and barreled down the bumpy rocks on the side that hadn’t been smoothed down by overuse. Spiraling out of control, she screamed from shock until she was flying in mid-air and then dropped heavily into the water below. Boom! The impact punched her stomach and squeezed her chest, the cold water stinging her skin. The pain in her bottom throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the big fat bruise to her pride. Alana closed her eyes and wanted nothing more than to stay submerged and not surface until everyone, or more specifically a certain gorgeous guy, left the premises. Her breath halted, the lack of oxygen beginning to tighten around her lungs like a noose. Only in the last millisecond when she burned for air was she forced to come up for breath.
Reena’s high-pitched laughter was the first sound she heard when she emerged, accompanied by the snickering and cackling from her other cousins.
Argh! Thanks a lot guys
. Alana cursed the Samoan custom of laughing at people’s unfortunate accidents. Not that she was innocent; she knew she had her fair share of laughs at the expense of her friends and relatives when they accidentally fell or tripped over their feet, but at this very moment, she was far from amused.
Flushed from embarrassment, she swiped the hair out of her face and avoided looking at the top of the waterfall. She began to swim towards the water’s edge, her ankle throbbing and preventing her from kicking hard, but refusing to show it. Before her feet touched the cool rocks below, she heard a large splash from behind and turned to see a lithe body swimming under the water towards her. Before she could react, Chase surfaced, water glistening off his face and chiseled jaw line. His lush hair was pulled back from dampness to reveal a masculine forehead, and his eyes sparkled a darker shade of blue. Alana wanted to die. Did he really have to come see her glowing red face up close and personal?
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes shining with concern. His eyebrows were drawn closely together, and Alana wanted to reach out and smooth those worry lines away. She was touched that he was concerned for her, but she was also feeling the shame from her little circus act just minutes earlier. She feigned anger to cover it up.
“I’m fine,” she snapped.
“That was quite a tumble you took—”
“I know, but I’m okay. There’s no damsel in distress here.” To prove her point she half turned and swam to the rocks, her foot aching even more now from kicking to stay suspended in the water. Damn, it hurt!
“Ah, the infamous Samoan woman’s pride.” She heard the smile in his voice. “You know, you really have to learn to be more honest,” he added with amusement.
Alana stopped and turned, her arms circling in the water to keep her afloat. Chase’s eyes had a teasing glint, and his mouth was turned up into a half grin. She pursed her lips and swam closer to avoid the likelihood of eavesdroppers.
“And you know,
you
have to learn to shut off that ability of yours,” she whispered furiously.
“All I’m saying is that what you feel and how you portray it are at odds with each other,” Chase said, holding her gaze. “You are a walking emotional roller coaster, or in this case—” his eyes dipped briefly to her submerged body “—a swimming one.”
Alana’s heart raced. “Well…welcome to the world of the female psyche,” she almost stammered.
Chase laughed quietly and this infuriated her some more. “Do I amuse you, Chase?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Oh, Alana, you do more than amuse.” He smiled before his face turned serious. “You sprained your ankle,” he said, nodding once in the direction of her submerged legs. “I can help relieve the pain.”
Alana’s mouth dropped opened. “How? Oh, of course, let me guess. Is this another one of your superhuman abilities?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.
His eyes were a piercing blue and penetrated hers, leaving her to shiver in the cold water. Could this man be any more mysterious? He was reluctant to divulge information about himself before, but now he was willing to help her? The thought of him touching her both thrilled and scared her. If it was anything like the voodoo blue lights she witnessed, she was not prepared for that.
Sucking in a stubborn breath, she responded tightly. “No thanks. I’m a nurse and I can tell it’s not that serious. It’ll be fine.”
Chase raised his eyebrows and studied her for a moment, the silence increasing her anxiety. His skeptical look told her he didn’t believe her.
“Alright,” he finally said. “If you say so.”
Turning, he dived under the water swimming away from her. Alana frowned before she resumed kicking her way towards the shore. When her feet touched uneven earth, she winced from the pain. Straightening to disguise the ache, she tried not to hobble noticeably to the nearest rock. Alana rested on the smooth surface warmed from the sun and exhaled a deep breath.
“Come on, Lana, let’s go again!” Sera called and waved from the far side of the pool. She was waiting to climb back up to slide down again.
“You go ahead!” Alana called over the roar of the water. “I’ll be there soon.”
She had no idea how she was going to climb up to the top, but she was determined to try. While the nurse in her told her to sit and rest her foot, unyielding Alana wanted to keep going and not miss out on the fun. And if she was really being honest with herself, it was to prove a point to Chase. Standing, Alana walked over the uneven rocks, hissing from the ache, until she reached the steps.
You are being stupid. Don’t let this guy get under your skin
. Ignoring her internal chastisement, she climbed slowly until she reached the landing at the top.
“Come on, Lana!” Malia waved her over to where she was standing with Kane, their feet submerged in water. Alana gave a strained smile and waved back.
“Are you alright?” Sera asked coming to stand beside her.
Alana averted her gaze. “I’m fine.”
When she peered down the waterfall she met Chase’s hard glare—one that warned her not to do what she was thinking of doing. Fueled by pride, Alana defiantly made her way to the edge of the waterfall and sat down allowing the flowing stream to surround her legs and thighs. Using her hands to push herself forward, she launched down the rocky smooth slide. Her heart sped up from the velocity, water spraying around her, and then she was airborne. The feeling was elating, but it was over in a moment as she hit the deep pool feet first. The impact exploded shards of pain in her foot, and she blanched underwater, salty tears springing in her eyes and mixing with the fresh water. She gasped for air when she emerged, scolding herself for her stupidity. The pain was excruciating as she swam to the rocky shore. Bracing onto a smooth rock, she climbed out and whimpered quietly as she settled down to sit. Inspecting her foot, she knew there was no way she could walk down the aisle without a noticeable limp.
Stupid, stubborn idiot, stupid, stupid
, she chided. Well, I definitely deserved that. A cool breeze chilled her body, causing goose bumps along her arms and neck. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, willing the sun to dry her soaked clothes quickly.
“Alana.” Chase approached from behind. She stilled, but her heart sped up at the sound of his baritone voice.
She heard his firm footsteps shift over the pebbles, and she looked up into his face as he moved to the side of her. The sun was behind him, and his body was illuminated by the way the rays bounced off his back and masked his facial expression from the shadow.
“I want to show you something. Will you come with me?” he asked, stretching his arm to help her up from her rocky perch.
She frowned. “Now? Where?” she asked suspiciously.
“It’s a surprise,” he offered as explanation. “I promise I’ll switch off my ability,” he added to mock her earlier statement.
Alana squinted up at him and huffed. Then she looked around and noted Malia and Kane were talking on the far side of the pool. Sera was laughing with her cousins who were at the top of the waterfall and were preparing to teach her to slide down on her feet. The rest of the group was either swimming or lazing out in the sun and completely oblivious to the conversation that was going on between her and Chase. She pondered his request seriously. As much as she was intimidated by his presence and his ability to read her emotions, curiosity won out. She was ready to get to the bottom of his secrets once and for all, and she saw this as an opportunity to finally get some answers.
“Okay,” she said. She rose up on her feet, wincing slightly from the pressure.
“This way,” he said, tilting his head in the direction the stream of water was flowing. Alana stepped gingerly on the uneven stones, making every effort not to draw attention to her foot as she attempted to keep up with Chase’s long strides. He slowed his pace to match her own, and she silently thanked him for his thoughtfulness.