Chapter 3

3

LEILANI

L eilani drove back to the station with a smile so big it made her face hurt. She couldn't believe she just did that!

She'd never asked someone she met on the job for their number. It always felt inappropriate.

Maybe she shouldn't have done it, but there was no time for self doubt now. She'd really done it.

Hell, she couldn't remember the last time she asked someone for their number regardless of where they met.

But when she saw how brave the other woman was, she could help herself. Of course, it didn't hurt that the woman was stunning. Her wavy dark hair looked so soft she wanted nothing more than to bury her fingers in it, clear and determined aqua blue eyes, and full lips she hoped to see light up in a smile.

She was beautiful. Immaculate. Wealthy. Older. Not someone Leilani would have ever usually approached.

Anyway, she'd done it. She'd asked.

She just couldn't believe the woman had said yes!

"Adaze," she whispered to herself, her smile still plastered on her face.

The name tasted perfect in her mouth. She just wanted to say it over and over again. More than that, she wanted to hear her own name coming from those kissable lips.

Finally, she made it back to the station with a pep in her step. Adaze's blue eyes were still swirling in her head like the waves of the ocean itself.

In the lounge, Sierra and Rory looked up at her with a grin from where they were clustered together around one of the coffee tables. For the moment, they'd abandoned the sofas for the floor. A card game was underway on the table, but it was abandoned the second they'd seen Leilani.

"Your break sure ran a little long," Sierra smirked, sliding a cup of coffee down to her. "Made you this when you said you were on your way back. Now we're even."

"Sorry, I went to check on the woman from the boat and she didn't have a ride home from the hospital," she said, taking her seat. "I hope I didn't miss any calls."

"Don't worry. We were just messing with you. We had back up here."

"Yeah," Rory leaned forward. "So how did that go? Nothing to do with how beautiful she was, I'm sure."

Leilani couldn't keep a smile off her face. "It went well, I think. I mean, she did give me her number."

"Good for you!" They clapped her on the shoulder. "You deserve it."

"Just make sure you give us both an invitation to the housewarming in a couple of months."

She laughed. "It's not like that. I just got her number. I haven't even asked her on a date yet. She might not even say yes."

Sierra opened her mouth to say something when the door to the captain's office slammed open. She fell silent as Captain Hallie Hunter's eyes snapped to her.

"Silva, my office. Now. We need to talk." Without waiting to see if she followed, she turned back into the room.

Leilani shot her coworkers a look before following the captain into the small room. It was sparse but homey, with pictures of her wife on her wall. Only once the door was shut did Captain Hunter say a word.

"Have a seat." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk.

Leilani did, chewing on her lip as she braced for the reprimand she knew she was about to get for her insubordination.

"Want to tell me what got into you back there?" Captain Hunter asked in a natural tone.

Leilani grit her teeth. Did she want her to dig her own grave?

"I won't apologize if that's what you're after." She crossed her arms, grim determination on her face. "The woman might not even be alive right now if I hadn't done it. I don't—I won't—I can't regret it. All I did was my job."

Captain Hunter paused, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not asking you to apologize. Yes, what you did was reckless, but you did save her and there's no guarantee we would have been able to save her if you hadn't. You did a good job. You should be proud."

"Oh? So I'm not in trouble? But then why am I here?"

She laughed. "What? Do you think the only reason I can call you in here is to reprimand you?"

"Um, yes?" She gave a nervous smile.

She rolled her eyes. "I wanted to tell you you did good. You really went above and beyond out there today."

"I was just doing my job."

"Really? Because from where I was sitting, you weren't the only one on that boat, but you were the only one in the water."

She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, that's what I was hired for, water rescue specialty. Swimming is as easy as walking to me. And I understand the ocean. I can read it; become one with it. It was nothing."

"I disagree, and I'm willing to bet the woman you saved would disagree too. Did I hear you went to check on her in the hospital?"

"I did. Don't worry, I used my break, yeah. I wanted to make sure she had a ride home."

"And how was she?"

"She seemed to be holding up well considering everything. Adaze is an incredibly strong person."

"That's good, and no, you didn't use your break. Checking on someone you saved like that absolutely counts as work to me. Did you even get a chance to hit the showers yet?"

"No, Captain."

"Alright, I've got work to do. You can get going. Get yourself cleaned up then go wait for the next call with the others.

"Thanks, Boss." She shot her a smile and all but raced back to the lounge.

Even when she wasn't in trouble, there was something about being in the office that always made her feel like a kid being called to the principal's office.

She slipped into the locker room and walked over to the rows of showers at the back. Grabbing a few of the soaps out of the waiting baskets, she washed the sea, salt and sweat from her skin. She wondered if Adaze was in the shower now as well.

Long smooth limbs. Lovely curves of her breasts and ass. Mmmm.

She hoped she was relaxing, treating herself. Maybe she would take a bubble bath, have a glass of wine. Or maybe she would just rinse off really quick and curl up on the sofa with a comfort show and a cup of tea.

Maybe she had a dog or a cat of her own curled up with her to keep her company. Or a friend she could call on for support.

Leilani just hoped the other woman wasn't alone after her ordeal.

She would have offered to stay and keep her company herself, but she needed to get back to work.

Also, she wasn't entirely sure she would be welcome in her space.

After all, she might have just given her the number out of obligation. She hated the thought but just couldn't ignore it once it was in her head. Leilani was just a firefighter and Adaze was clearly someone wealthy and important.

Not that Leilani thought of herself as any less, but since leaving the island, it had become clear that sadly, everyone was not equal.

Once she was clean, dry, and dressed in a new work uniform, she headed back into the lounge.

When she made it back to the others, Sierra was by her side in an instant. "So when are you going to call this Sugar Mommy?" she asked, tugging her to sit beside her on one of the sofas.

"Sugar Mommy, seriously?!" Leilani was indignant.

"I'm just saying what I see!" Sierra threw up her hands. "Surely she's some kind of CEO or businesswoman. She looks like she should be running for president."

"Hmmm. CEO, I think," Leilani responded.

"She might be beautiful, but isn't she about 20 years older than you, Leilani?"

"Well, I do like an older woman," Leilani quipped back. "All that experience… mmmm!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Sierra laughed. "So, when are we calling Sugar Mommy?"

"Soon, but I want to give her time to relax, maybe sleep off some of what happened. I was thinking maybe tomorrow."

"You're going to wait that long?" she whined.

Leilani shrugged. "I don't want to come on too strong. She's been through a lot and probably needs a minute to catch her breath."

"But think about how much faster she could catch her breath if you were there to help her." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"I don't want to pressure her. She went through a lot, and I want her to go out with me because she wants to not because of what happened or because she feels like she owes me or whatever."

"You're sweet, but I don't think you need to worry about that. I saw the way she looked at you in your wet uniform."

"Yeah, well, I am. Enough about me. How's everyone else been? Sierra, did you end up going out with that girl you met at the farmer's market?"

She sighed. "I did. I took her out to one of my favorite trails. She told me she liked hikes so I thought it would be a good first date. She sprained her ankle about ten minutes in and I haven't heard from her since."

"Shit, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I should have realized it was a bad place for a first date."

"No, Sierra, it was an accident. It could have happened to anyone, and I doubt you just left her on the side of the trail."

"Of course not! I helped her back to the car and wrapped her ankle for her. I offered to drive her home, but she said no."

"Then it sounds like it just wasn't a good fit. Yeah, it sucks that she got hurt, but you were on a hike, accidents happen. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Thanks." Sierra forced a smile. "It's good to hear that. I still don't think I'll take another girl out hiking for a first date."

"Fair, but it's honestly not a bad idea." Rory knocked their shoulders together. "I know I'd be over the moon if someone suggested it."

"Didn't you once take a girl to the gym for a date?" Leilani grinned.

"It was one time! And we met at the gym. I thought it would be sweet!"

"Wasn't it your one-month anniversary?"

She crossed her arms. "That's why I thought it would be sweet."

"I think it was sweet," Leilani said. "She just wasn't the right person for you."

"Long story short, I ended up reinstalling the Her dating app, but I haven't met anyone yet."

"I'm sure you will. These things just take time."

"I know. I just wish it didn't take so long."

They didn't get any other calls that evening, instead getting to enjoy some downtime relaxing and talking. Slow days like that didn't happen often so it was important to savor it while they had the chance.