Kona Winds by Janet Dailey Page A

handkerchief was damp, as she wadded it into her hands and held it on her lap, reluctant to return it to him in its present sodden condition. The heavy silence between them was unnerving. Julie longed to end it, but was afraid she would begin chattering like a nervous schoolgirl. She felt irritated and wished she had waited for the bus regardless of the drizzle.
    Directly ahead of them, a shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds and created a rainbow in the sky. She tried to concentrate on the way the colors faded into each other, instead of the man behind the wheel.
    "Dammit! Will you relax?" Ruel growled savagely, and she nearly jumped out of her seat.
    "I am," she lied quickly and badly.
    "You are as nervy as a cat who's used up eight lives." His mockery was harsh and deliberately   cutting.
    Julie collected her poise. "If I seem uncomfortable, it's probably because I am," she retorted. "Who wouldn't be if they were sitting around in wet clothes?"
    His gaze sliced over her, taking swift note of the way the knit material of her top damply moulded itself to the shapely roundness of her breasts. Heat coursed through her veins, warming her skin, but almost immediately his attention was back on the rain-slick highway in front of him.
    "We'll be at the house soon and you'll be able to change into some dry clothes." Once again his voice and expression were smooth and emotionless.
    As far as Julie was concerned, they couldn't get there soon enough. She made some meaningless comment to him and stared out of the side window. She didn't draw an easy breath until Ruel stopped the car in the circular drive in front of the house.
    "Thanks for the ride." She didn't even glance at him as she said it, pushing open the door and using the excuse of the rain to bolt into the house.
    In the entryway, she heard a trio of laughing voices from Debbie's room and guessed her girl friends were visiting her. She didn't see either Emily or Malia as she hurried up the stairs to her room.
    Stripping out of her wet clothes, she put on a short terry cloth beach jacket. She was shaking, but she didn't know whether it was from nerves or because she was chilled from her wet clothes. The first seemed the most likely. Angry with herself, she began toweling her hair dry with a roughness that hurt.
    A knock at her bedroom door brought an automatic response, "Come in."
    Julie turned as it opened. Ruel walked in and her hands ceased holding the towel. It slid from the darkly golden tangle of her long hair to settle around her neck.
    Why didn't he leave her alone, she thought wildly, and demanded, "What do you want?" Her voice was sharp to that of rudeness.
    His gaze traveled down the length of her tanned legs before meeting the challenging directness of her eyes. She had nothing on beneath the jacket, which he obviously guessed. She was grateful it came down over her hips. He was holding a small tray with a cup and saucer and teapot on its surface.
    "I asked Malia to fix you some hot tea," he answered evenly, and walked into the room to set it on the desk. "After your drenching, I thought you might like a hot drink."
    "Why all this sudden show of concern for my well being?" Julie couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "I thought you were worried about becoming involved with women who worked for you," she lashed out in frustration.
    In a single long stride Ruel was in front of her, roughly grabbing her arms. The tautness of anger was etched in his strong features. He hauled her against his chest, his grip lifting her onto her toes. His mouth was so near she couldn't breathe. Her bare legs rubbed against the smooth material of his slacks and the solidly muscled thighs they covered. His body heat seemed to envelop her. There was a deafening rush of blood in her ears as she waited for the punishment of his kiss.
    It never came. Instead she was released as abruptly as she had been seized. While she stumbled backward, Ruel walked out of the room, slamming the door