Free Hawaiian Heartbreak by Libby Cole Page B

swim with
manta rays if you're not too scared of sharks.”
    “Being
scared of sharks is smart! I'm not the idiot who's ignoring everything survival
of the fittest has taught me, to go hang out with some creatures that could eat
me!”
    Jay
burst out laughing. “You'll know about it if it's one that wants to eat you!
Most species of shark are totally uninterested. Anyway, manta rays are
definitely harmless. Enormous, but harmless. Want to do a night swim with them?
It's something I've never got around to doing, but everyone I know who’s done
it says it’s in the top ten things they’ve ever done.”
    “Sure,
as long as you promise to be shark bait if anything goes wrong. I'll be heading
back to the boat as fast as I can swim.”
    Jay
threw back his head, now roaring with laughter. “Fine, I'll agree to that,
mostly because I know I'll never actually need to fulfil my side of the
bargain. We'll be fine.”
    He
regarded her carefully. “I wish we had time to go off the beaten track together
a bit more. There's an island where you're only allowed to visit if the locals
invite you. It's amazing. I've been a couple of times, and I know you'd love it.
You have to take the time to get to know them though, to get the invitation.”
    The
comment made Kayla's throat tighten. Just another reminder that she would leave
soon. That their time together was short, and every moment needed to be
savoured, because there was going to be so few of them. She pushed the feelings
back down, and mustered up a smile.
    “Maybe
next time.”
    “I hope
so,” Jay regarded her intently, then gave her a half-hearted smile in return.
“At least you have a reason to holiday here again next time. Free
accommodation!”
    Kayla
forced herself to laugh along with him, but it sounded high-pitched and
unnatural.
    “Anyway,”
she brushed aside the awkward moment. “We should get going. I need to grab my
stuff from the hostel so we can catch our flight.”
    “I
still haven't packed,” Jay grinned at her, his usual easy smile returning to
his face. “You get your things together, I'll grab mine, and I'll pick you up
in about an hour, OK? I also happen to know where your dress went. As much as
I'm enjoying this look, I don't know that's it's safe to let you out of my
sight while you're in it.” Jay gave her a light kiss on the lips, but as he started
to pull away he froze, his eyes darkening.
    “How
much time do you need at the hostel anyway?” He murmured, his mouth only inches
from hers. Kayla's breath caught in her throat, and the familiar sparks started
to tingle across her body.
    “Barely
any. I’m pretty much all packed already.”
    “Whereas
I'm a really fast packer,” he promised, and scooping her into his arms, carried
her back to the bedroom.

Chapter Seven
     
    Kayla stared
excitedly through the plane window, watching Big Island come into view. Rough,
volcanic ridges rose out of the sea, climbing higher to the central peak of the
island, where she knew the active volcano was. The sloping sides of the volcano
were forested, but even from this distance, she could see scars of black down
the side where lava had burned away everything in its path, all the way down to
the ocean. A shiver of delight ran down her spine. She'd never seen a live
volcano before. She couldn't wait.
    “You're
like a kid at Christmas,” Jay laughed next to her.
    “Isn't
this your favourite part, though? New adventures coming into view, getting your
first real sense of what a place is like?”
    “You'll
never need to fight me for the window seat, gorgeous. I'd rather see it with
both feet planted on the ground. It's not like you can see enough through those
tiny port holes anyway.”
    “If you
keep going like that I'll eye roll hard enough to injure myself. You're so wrong
I can't even start a debate with you about it.”
    “Hey,
simple things for simple minds,” Jay chuckled, earning himself a playful punch
on the arm.
    The
plane touched down lightly on