Like him.
She rolled down the window all the way, allowing the varying island scents to hit her with their full potency. Sweet floral blooms, misty salt air, the heady warmth of the sun, a tantalizing combination of fragrances that made her thrust her face through the open window. Closing her eyes, she inhaled sharply, capturing the breath in her chest for as long as she could stand it before she exhaled long and slow.
“Are you conducting your own personal analysis over there?”
His voice, laced with amusement, startled her and she moved away from the window. Pressing her back against the seat, she hit a button and the window rolled up, cutting off the riot of scents assaulting her. “Don’t make fun,” she murmured, immediately wincing the moment the words left her mouth.
From the time she was young, she’d known she was different. Scents affected her, altered her mood, reached deep within her and never let go. In her early teens, her father had realized her nose was as sensitive as his and so he began a rigorous routine of training. Pulling her into his lab for long, laborious hours, teaching her of molecules and how bringing sometimes-horrible smelling scents together created a perfume people would spend far too much money on to dab on their skin.
Most people were visual, first and foremost. She noticed scents—couldn’t not notice them. When she was younger, she believed it a curse.
Sometimes, secretly, she still did.
“I’m not making fun.” She turned at the sound of his voice, caught him studying her even though he really should have his eyes on the road. “I find you rather…fascinating.”
Her skin warmed. Did he really? No man had ever called her fascinating before.
“You’re a true scientist,” he continued, returning his gaze to the road. “Analyzing each and every scent that hits you, whether it’s good or bad.” He rolled his window down and leaned his head out, nose pointed upward as he sniffed. “Now me? I smell nothing but hot asphalt and car exhaust.”
“What a shame.” She smiled and shook her head. “The ocean is close. I can smell it.”
Rhett nodded. “We’ll drive over this pass and it’ll appear.”
“And all the flowers. The island is laden with them.” She cocked her head to the right. “That hillside is covered.”
He glanced toward the colorful tangle of blooming bushes that lined the hill. “This is perfect.” Excitement filled his voice. “Exactly what I want. The various scents that overrun the Hawaiian Islands, and not the common ones like we discussed either. I think coconut and pineapple smell fine, just like the next person, but they aren’t the only fragrance of the tropics.”
The car crested the hill and as Rhett promised, the Pacific Ocean appeared, spread out before them like a never-ending blue blanket. Ella stared at it, transfixed. The rich green of the rolling hills, the calm sea, the intense blue sky—it was a saturation of vibrant colors that stole her breath.
“It’s lovely,” she murmured.
His quick, warm smile was his answer and they remained quiet for the duration of the ride. Ella preferred it that way, wanting to drink in the sights and sounds and of course, the smells. He soon turned off the main road, their vehicle the only one on what appeared to be a newly asphalted drive. It twisted and turned, drawing closer and closer to the ocean until finally a sprawling resort appeared in the distance.
A discreet wooden sign told her she looked upon the Bancroft Maui Luxury Resort. She’d heard of the Bancroft hotel chain before, knew it as one of the most exclusive—and expensive—hotels in the world.
And they were about to stay at one.
Rhett stopped the car in front of the entrance, where they were greeted by a team of courteous employees. They were quickly escorted into the spacious lobby of the hotel, Hawaiian music playing low in the background, accompanied by the wind rustling through the palm trees swaying just outside.
“We’re sharing a suite,” Rhett informed her only moments later, clutching a key in his hand. “We’ll drive to it. They’re delivering our luggage now.”
Ella frowned. “We’re sharing a suite?” Oh, that can’t be good. Staying in such close quarters with Rhett, how would she be able to withstand him?
“Nothing nefarious in my intentions, I promise. And it’s not really a suite.” He grinned. She was impressed he used the word nefarious—such an old-fashioned word. “It’s pointless for me to stay in a four-thousand-square-foot villa all by myself. Trust me, we won’t get in each other’s way.”
She didn’t answer, decided instead to concentrate on her opulent surroundings. The view of the ocean was stunning, the resort grounds like a tropical paradise. If there were guests here, she didn’t hear or see them. Everything was discreet, gorgeous and bought and paid for with a tremendous amount of money.
Glancing down at herself, she was thankful yet again for Tessa taking her shopping. She wore a long turquoise-colored sundress and strappy, pale gold wedge sandals, simple gold hoops in her ears and a big pair of black sunglasses perched on her nose. All of it picked out by Tessa, who’d texted her early in the morning asking what she planned to wear on the flight.
If she could take away anything from this experience at Worth Luxury, she could at least cherish these few moments she felt like Tessa Worth was her friend.
Oh, and the experience. She needed the experience desperately if she wanted to get far in the industry. That she allowed silly sentiment to take precedence over her career aspirations was…foolish.
They took the car to the villa, which sat on the far end of the property, on a low cliff close to the water’s edge. She followed Rhett to the door, murmuring thank you when he held it open for her. Tried her best to act nonchalant, staying in such an extravagant place, but it was hard considering it was over twice the size of the house she shared with her father.
And cost ten times as much, she was sure.
“Which room do you prefer?” Rhett called as he wandered down the hall, peeking inside each doorway, sizing everything up.