now.” With that, Alana backed away and turned to go when Chase suddenly grabbed her arm, halting her movements. Startled, she faced him.
Closing his eyes briefly as if he were in pain, he stepped closer, bridging the gap between them. Alana drew in a sharp breath. Too close . He was too close for comfort, and she shifted uncomfortably. Didn’t the man have any sense of personal space? She swallowed the hard knot lodged in her throat, her eyes darting to and fro across his blue shirt, lashes blinking in time to her heartbeat. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her forehead. Chase slowly reached out with his other hand and gently tipped her chin upwards so she could meet his eyes. Ocean blue to rainforest green. In another time and setting, Alana would have playfully smacked it away, embarrassed by the proximity the situation posed. What she felt instead surprised her. She held his gaze and felt completely safe. Protected. Sheltered. Wrapped up in Chase’s powerful, invisible aura, she couldn’t help the feeling of comfort that slowly overtook her, easing the butterflies that were in turmoil in her stomach just seconds before. She felt calm by this simple touch, and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
“You have never met someone like me before, Alana,” he said quietly without a trace of arrogance. Not a question but a declaration.
“And what are you?” she asked.
His eyes spoke of an emotion Alana could not place, the pad of his thumb caressing her jaw gently. Talk to me , she pleaded with her own. Trust me .
His mouth curved into a small smile, and he lowered his hands, stepping away from her. She could still feel the imprint of his fingers on her face stamped beneath her skin. She watched in bewilderment as he walked back to the car and got inside, all lithe and smooth moves, before shutting the door firmly—this final act an answer to her question. He was leaving the country and was never going to tell her; he was an enigma and will remain that way. She stood aside and watched helplessly as the car rolled away before turning onto the main road. Once again, he left her all alone with her puzzled thoughts and burning questions.
Chapter 8
P eering over the ridge that played host to a tangle of bushy weeds and vines—a blessing in the disguise of a safety net should one accidentally fall over—Alana wondered where her sister was. She paused in her climb and looked beyond the drop to the overhanging of trees that stretched like an endless marquee in every direction. She took the opportunity to catch her breath. They had been hiking for twenty-five minutes, choosing to go together in the late Friday afternoon when the day’s heat and stickiness gave way to the evening’s cool breeze and significantly lower temperature. Alana passed several hikers on their descent, and one old man stopped to encourage her, patting her on the head like she was a child. “ Malo le ogosa’i . You’re almost there.”
She smiled politely and thought Malia probably needed that more than she did at the moment. Deciding to wait for her to catch up, Alana perched on the smooth root of a large tree that jutted and tore up out of the soil. She didn’t have to wait long.
Malia huffed and puffed her way around the bend with her hands on her hips and a heavy gait that looked like pure agony to Alana. The V-neck of her shirt was soaked in sweat, and her face was flushed crimson. Her messy braid was coming undone with tendrils of hair sticking to her neck and forehead. Alana couldn’t help chuckling at the sight before her.
“You know, when you said you wanted to hike up Mt. Vaea, I didn’t realize it was going to be more like a crawl.”
“Shut…up,” came her wheezing response. “Clearly, I forgot…about your jogging… advantage over me….” Malia plopped herself heavily on another root and began to massage her calves. “I am so unfit, it’s not even funny. I blame all those
Closing his eyes briefly as if he were in pain, he stepped closer, bridging the gap between them. Alana drew in a sharp breath. Too close . He was too close for comfort, and she shifted uncomfortably. Didn’t the man have any sense of personal space? She swallowed the hard knot lodged in her throat, her eyes darting to and fro across his blue shirt, lashes blinking in time to her heartbeat. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her forehead. Chase slowly reached out with his other hand and gently tipped her chin upwards so she could meet his eyes. Ocean blue to rainforest green. In another time and setting, Alana would have playfully smacked it away, embarrassed by the proximity the situation posed. What she felt instead surprised her. She held his gaze and felt completely safe. Protected. Sheltered. Wrapped up in Chase’s powerful, invisible aura, she couldn’t help the feeling of comfort that slowly overtook her, easing the butterflies that were in turmoil in her stomach just seconds before. She felt calm by this simple touch, and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
“You have never met someone like me before, Alana,” he said quietly without a trace of arrogance. Not a question but a declaration.
“And what are you?” she asked.
His eyes spoke of an emotion Alana could not place, the pad of his thumb caressing her jaw gently. Talk to me , she pleaded with her own. Trust me .
His mouth curved into a small smile, and he lowered his hands, stepping away from her. She could still feel the imprint of his fingers on her face stamped beneath her skin. She watched in bewilderment as he walked back to the car and got inside, all lithe and smooth moves, before shutting the door firmly—this final act an answer to her question. He was leaving the country and was never going to tell her; he was an enigma and will remain that way. She stood aside and watched helplessly as the car rolled away before turning onto the main road. Once again, he left her all alone with her puzzled thoughts and burning questions.
Chapter 8
P eering over the ridge that played host to a tangle of bushy weeds and vines—a blessing in the disguise of a safety net should one accidentally fall over—Alana wondered where her sister was. She paused in her climb and looked beyond the drop to the overhanging of trees that stretched like an endless marquee in every direction. She took the opportunity to catch her breath. They had been hiking for twenty-five minutes, choosing to go together in the late Friday afternoon when the day’s heat and stickiness gave way to the evening’s cool breeze and significantly lower temperature. Alana passed several hikers on their descent, and one old man stopped to encourage her, patting her on the head like she was a child. “ Malo le ogosa’i . You’re almost there.”
She smiled politely and thought Malia probably needed that more than she did at the moment. Deciding to wait for her to catch up, Alana perched on the smooth root of a large tree that jutted and tore up out of the soil. She didn’t have to wait long.
Malia huffed and puffed her way around the bend with her hands on her hips and a heavy gait that looked like pure agony to Alana. The V-neck of her shirt was soaked in sweat, and her face was flushed crimson. Her messy braid was coming undone with tendrils of hair sticking to her neck and forehead. Alana couldn’t help chuckling at the sight before her.
“You know, when you said you wanted to hike up Mt. Vaea, I didn’t realize it was going to be more like a crawl.”
“Shut…up,” came her wheezing response. “Clearly, I forgot…about your jogging… advantage over me….” Malia plopped herself heavily on another root and began to massage her calves. “I am so unfit, it’s not even funny. I blame all those
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