Crashed into Love: Boxed Set (11 page)

A
bsolutely?       

She said
absolutely
to his request to dance?
And not just any dance, but sex-on-legs Salsa stuff. Just the thought of her in
Nikolai’s arms threatened my temper, and all those hours pumping weights would
come in handy when I slugged him in the jaw.

Shit, perhaps all my feelings for her would die a
fiery death and never need to be voiced. Had she been dating Nik? How did I not
know that? It wasn’t like the airline industry was gossip-free. Joslyn would’ve
told me if she was with someone, wouldn’t she?

My eyes shot wide as Nina gave us both a tight smile
and disappeared into the lantern lit night.

I glared after her. I only looked away because
Anderson’s hand connected with my shoulder. “Beer then?”

Drowning my confusion sounded like a hell of a good
idea. Today was a day I’d like to forget. First crash landing, then finding out
the girl I’d been crushing after was interested in another guy. A guy who was
good looking, intelligent. A guy who’d shattered my reason for living ten years
ago. An irrational amount of insecurity weakened me around Nikolai.

All reason and common sense flew out of my dinged up
head. All I knew was I hoped she was happy; as I couldn’t compete with him. She
deserved someone who made her laugh and shared her life completely. Nik was one
step closer than me with his fancy feet ‘cause Nina obviously enjoyed dancing
with him.

And she was good.

Watching her in his arms had been like watching a
butterfly flicker and dip between flowers. Effortless, weightless—perfect. She
deserved perfect and I had two left feet. Music and me—people got hurt by my
bad rhythm and dance moves.

Nikolai watched me with unreadable eyes as Anderson
guided me to a table across the dance floor. His searing gaze and silent male
possessiveness chased me with every step. I looked over my shoulder. Nik gave
me a nod, drank some water, and left in the same direction as Nina.

Dammit.

My hands clenched. All manner of suspicions ran
rampant. Was he chasing after her? Which fale was he staying in? It better not
be next to Nina. So help me, I’d camp out on her balcony to keep him away.

I sighed. I didn’t really have the right to be
territorial. Nina had no inkling of what I felt. And that was my own stupid
fault.
But you could tell her…
A plan unravelled at supersonic speed in
my head:
Nina doesn’t know.
Even though I wanted to keep my stalkerish
behaviour in the dimmest corner of my ‘not to mention’ lockbox, if I told
her—it might help her make a decision—if she wasn’t already with Nikolai.

Anderson’s raspy voice dragged me from my thoughts. “You
know what you want?” He motioned to the busboy who’d come to wait on us.

“Can I take your order?” The waiter smiled, his
tanned skin glowing in the restaurant lights.

I knew what I wanted, but I doubted Nina was on the
menu.

Anderson nodded, requesting a pizza to share and two
cold ones. The thought of beer was a welcome relief after the hot and sweaty
few hours we’d endured. Who’d of thought landing in such a blissful climate
with sparkling turquoise oceans and twenty-four carat gold sand would be so
traumatic.

The busboy jotted our order down and returned five
minutes later with our sweating pints of local brew, placing them along with
some nut mix on the table.

Anderson stared into the amber liquid, before
raising it in a toast. “Here’s to surviving.”

We clinked glasses. Life was a worthwhile cause to
toast to. I wasn’t going to let anything or anyone get in the way of what I
wanted anymore. The crash was the alarm clock beeping annoyingly in my ear.
Life was too short not to chase my dreams. And I’d waited long enough.

“What do you think caused us to malfunction?” I
asked, after taking a long pull of delicious nectar.

Anderson didn’t answer. He remained mesmerized by
the alcoholic liquid.

Okay… perhaps he didn’t want to talk about it. I was
over it, too. New subject.

“Do you think the War Birds over Wanaka will have
any new WWII aircraft this year?” The aero show was hosted every year, and
never failed to start heated discussions over which plane we thought was best.
Anderson preferred the Mustang. I favoured the Spitfire.

Still no response.

Anderson sat swaying a little, gazing into his
half-drunk beer. He slouched over, looking like a deflated blow-up doll. 

“Hey, you okay, John?” I never used his first name.
But my veins grew sluggish with anxiety. I reached out and touched the top of
his freckle-dusted hand. “Captain?”

He looked up, eyes flaring wide, startled out of
whatever daydream he was in. “Yes, sure. Fine. Just tired is all.”

I didn’t argue, but it didn’t mean I believed him.
If Samantha suffered PTSD, I might have to get Anderson checked too. I didn’t
like the thought of them travelling on their own. Maybe someone should
chaperone? But then that meant either myself, Nina, or Joslyn had to leave.
There was no way I wanted Nina to go, and I wanted Jos to stay as she deserved
the break.

I scowled. Pity I couldn’t order Nikolai to take
them home. That would solve both my problems: the crew who suffered shock would
be cared for, and it would get him the hell off this island and away from the
girl I wanted.

Our pizza arrived and we munched in silence. I
couldn’t keep up with the pace Anderson devoured. His half was demolished in
the time it took me to savour two slices. I didn’t want to inhale my food. My
taste buds fired with higher sensitivity than normal, and I relished in the
saltiness of salami and tang of tomato. I’d never stopped to appreciate the
little things, but after the brush today, well, I was going to start paying
more attention.

 Anderson wasn’t in the mood to chinwag through
dinner, so I let him be. My thoughts turned inward again as I mentally prepared
the things I’d have to do tomorrow. After I’d taken care of the flight home for
Sam and the captain, I’d go on the hunt for Nina. Hopefully there was another
airline operating and Kiwi Air would reimburse them the fare.

I cringed a little at my stupidity for using
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious this afternoon. I’m sure she must’ve thought
I was an idiot. It was nice to make her laugh, though. To see her eyes sparkle
after the trauma we’d all been through.

My heart swelled when she’d taken my handkerchief.
Knowing she cared enough to worry about my bloody head was the cinch in the
armour I’d been looking for. The same armour she wore from the beginning. Every
day since I’d seen her clambering out of the Tomahawk aircraft after her flying
lesson with Theo six months ago, I’d been waiting for a fracture in her
aloofness. She’d been so beautiful that day. Glowing with life, the sun framing
her bronze hair, and an old bomber jacket slung over her shoulders. In that
snapshot of residual happiness from flying, I saw the woman I wanted to be
with.

I hadn’t glimpsed that look again—the bubbling joy untethering
her from whatever rules she lived by—till today with my stupid comment.

If I viewed the crash as a second chance at life,
maybe she thought the same way.

“You did good today, Mikin. I’m proud of you.”
Anderson spoke, his eyes clear and sharp instead of the muddy, glassy look
throughout dinner.

“That means a lot, thanks.” I smiled, slapping him
on his shoulder. “You sure you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” Wasn’t that
what doctors recommended? To talk it out?

He shook his head. “Nope. I’m good. Just happy to be
alive.”

“Isn’t that the truth.”

Tomorrow a whole new world would unravel for
me—starting with being truthful with Nina and making my second chance at life
absolutely perfect.

I
was first at the
breakfast table and fidgeted with nerves at the thought of seeing Liam after
the uncomfortable run-in last night. I had no clue how he and Nikolai knew each
other. Not that Liam had any right to look at me as if he had some sort of claim
over me.

It was a recipe for complication—two men and a
paradisiacal island. I wanted to stay true to my promise of living life to its
fullest, but not if it meant looking like a skank. Flirting with Liam and
dancing with Nikolai. It wasn’t right. It didn’t
feel
right. Which was
stupid since I’d made no declarations—to either of them. 

“Morning, Nina.” Joslyn arrived first. Her make-up
was non-existent, her eyes bright enough to be mistaken for emeralds.

“How are you?” I asked, scooting down the booth to
give her room to wiggle in.

“Okay. I popped one of those natural sleeping remedy
thingies and was out like a light. I guess the trauma of almost dying was
enough to make me sleep like a corpse.”

I rolled my eyes. “We didn’t almost die, Jos. We
skidded down some tarmac and slid down a slide. No biggie.” I still had trouble
with how lucky we were. It could’ve been so much worse.

Her mouth dropped open in mock horror. “How can you
say that,
Miss
Poppins? We very narrowly escaped a catastrophe. I
might’ve broken my neck and never flown again.” She held up her wrists with a
few skin-coloured bandaids. She looked like a patchwork doll who’d decided to
try and commit sloppy suicide. “All I have to show for being in a crash is
scraped skin and a few bruised ribs.”

I laughed. “Count yourself a walking miracle then.”

Liam approached the table; shuffling beside him was
Samantha. What were they doing together? I hated myself for the small spike of
suspicion. Then embarrassment flowed in my veins. Samantha really didn’t look
well. Her hair was unwashed; her face the colour of dirty dishwater.

“Are you alright, Samantha?” My voice was soft,
encouraging.

A fleeting grim smile graced her lips before she
plonked down opposite. “Actually, no, I don’t think I am. Feeling a little odd
to tell you the truth.” She looked up with an adoring expression as Liam sat
next to her. “Liam took me to see the hotel doctor, but they can’t find
anything wrong. They think it’s delayed shock.”

If Liam held any animosity over the little
altercation last night, he didn’t show it. He gave me a soft grin. “They’ve
prescribed some anti-depressants, but I think it’s best if Samantha takes
scenario two.”

My mind whirled, trying to recall scenario two from
the letter they gave us.

Liam saved me. “I’m going to arrange transport for
her to fly back with another carrier later this afternoon.” He stood, saying,
“In the meantime, I’m heading to the buffet to grab breakfast. Our energy
levels are low. Food always makes everything better.”

Joslyn leaped up. “I’m so glad you agree. I was
trying to be polite, but the pastries have been summoning me for the past ten
minutes.” She dashed off.

I smirked, before Liam caught my eye, and my lips
uncurled. He held out his hand to help Samantha from the booth.

She gave him a watery smile and headed after Joslyn.

Liam and I stood, the air around us gathering like
an electric storm. “So…” He looked at his feet, before blurting, “How do you
know Nikolai?”

I swallowed, I wanted to lie and come up with some
other story, but my tongue swelled on the taste of deception. “I met him on our
first flight.”

His eyebrows rose. “And you know him well enough to
dance like that?”

Crap, how long had he been watching?

“It’s different with dancers. I’ve done Salsa for a
few years, so has Nikolai. We bumped into each other in Sydney and got along.”
I hated to see the pang of insecurity in his eyes.  My heart deflated as I
rushed to add, “It doesn’t mean anything.”

A surge of hope flittered over his face, and I
couldn’t ignore the answering shiver dancing a jig over my spleen. Why did he
affect me so much?

I licked my lips. “How do
you
know Nikolai?”
They didn’t look all that happy to see each other. Or was it just because they
were waving their cocks around trying to establish who knew me best? If that
was the case, were they both interested in me?

Liam sighed. “Nik and I go back a few years. Long
story.”

“We’re stuck on an island. I have time to listen.”

He grinned wryly. “Something happened between us,
but it’s not worth mentioning. Should we grab some food before Joslyn hoovers
it all up?”

I eyed him, trying to decipher his reluctance to
talk about Nikolai. Giving up, I shrugged. “Sure. Food sounds amazing.”

* * * * *

 After inhaling a plate loaded with hashbrowns,
roasted tomatoes, and bacon, I tucked into my chocolate croissant just as
Anderson made an appearance.

If it was possible, he looked even worse this
morning. His grey-streaked hair was lank, his body sagging like stretched
material.

Liam swallowed his mouthful of scrambled eggs and
stood. “Shit, Anderson. Are you alright?” He guided the captain to a seat then
passed him a glass of water.

A tremor of fear dashed over me. Samantha and the
captain both looked… faded. As if their vibrant souls were doused with clouds
and chill. 

“Yes. Stop fussing, Mikin. I’m fine,” he muttered
and took a bite of pastry from Joslyn’s plate. His moustache gathered a stack
of croissant crumbs as he munched away.

Liam and I shared a look. I hoped my eyes told him
both Anderson and Samantha needed to go home.

He gave me an infinitesimal nod.

Sharing rapport across the table in silent language
added to my confusion. Every moment I spent in Liam’s company, I was interwoven
with him. It was as if I had no control—no choice but to allow the current to
guide me closer to him.

Joslyn broke our connection. “Boss you ain’t looking
so good. Neither is Samantha. Liam was just saying he booked Sam on a flight
home this afternoon. I think you should go, too.”

Anderson growled, “I’m not abandoning my crew,
Joslyn. I’m staying.” Taking a sip of water, he added, “I’ve heard from
operations. I have more info. Do you want the bad news, or the not so bad
news?”

Watching him drink, signalled an overwhelming desire
for one. It was as if all the liquid in my stomach evaporated and left me a dry
husk.

I stuck my hand up. A waitress with a hibiscus
flower behind her ear and Samoan skin gleaming a honey brown appeared. “Can I
get you something?”

“Yes, please. A fresh juice. Watermelon if you can?”
Fruit in liquid form had never sounded so good. A sharp twinge in my neck made
me wince. I rubbed it, frustrated the pain didn’t show signs of abating.

“No problem. Straight away. Anyone else?”

Liam nodded. “I’d love a pineapple juice, please.”
He looked at me. “I suddenly have this staggering need to drink something
sugary.”

Tingles of strangeness tip-toed down my spine. That
was weird. I eyed Joslyn to see if she had an unexplained need for juice, but
she was busy tending to Samantha. Poor girl looked as if a fever had broiled to
an inferno—her skin sheened with redness.

Anderson raised an eyebrow. “Was juice so much more
important than hearing what operations has to say?” He shot us an amused smirk,
but it didn’t have his usual pizzazz.

“Sorry, Captain. Go ahead. Give us the not so good
news,” I said while Liam chuckled.

Anderson wiped his moustache. “All doom and gloom,
huh, Nina?”

I shrugged. “Not really. I’d rather save the not so
bad for the salve after hearing the worst of it. Then again, if you’re
stalling, it must be pretty terrible.” Why did I get an ominous feeling? As if
the world inched closer to impending demise?

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Well.
I’m sure this isn’t news to anyone, but the plane has to be investigated and
airline authorities will get involved. It will remain here for however long it
takes Nikolai Rivers and the team to assess and report.”

I nodded. “So we’ll travel home on the next
scheduled flight?” I didn’t fancy paying to go on another airline when I could
stay and travel home for free.

He tensed, wrapping an arm around his stomach. In
front of my eyes he deflated a little. “Yes. In six days. Operations have
already arranged for us to pax home. That’s the not so bad news. A paid
vacation, if you want to look at it that way.”

Joslyn piped up. “Pax—you mean, we don’t have to
work the service?”

Liam took over, eyeing Anderson with concern. “At
least you won’t have to serve us coffee, Jos. We’ll be the ones pressing the
attendant button.” He put his hands on the table, announcing, “However, as
second in command I’m ordering Captain Anderson and Samantha to return today.”

Anderson opened his mouth to disagree, but then shut
it when he winced. “Fair enough. I won’t be stupid and say I’m not in a bit of
pain.”

Samantha’s face relaxed. “Me, too. I need to go
home. I just want to be in my own home and see a doctor I trust.”

I agreed they needed to go, but were they safe to
fly?

Liam stood. “I’ll call the carrier and arrange Kiwi
Air to take care of the booking. Anyone else want off this island? Speak now or
hold your peace for the next six days.”

Anxiousness for Anderson and Sam threatened to tug
me under, but at the same time a small glow of happiness brightened. I tried to
keep my face straight and serious, but come on. I was on island arrest for a
full week! With free accommodation and money to boot. Why the hell would I go?

Joslyn nudged my leg under the table. I shot her a
look. She reverberated with eagerness. In fact, Joslyn seemed the happiest out
of all of us. She struggled to keep a smile from creeping over her lips.

Unable to help myself, I grinned. “I’m staying.”

“Me, too,” Joslyn said straight way. “I’m gonna do
some serious tanning and become as brown as these gorgeous natives.” Her eyes
followed a delicious young man carrying a platter of honeydew melons cut into
flowers.

Liam rolled his eyes, tension weighting his
shoulders. He was now in control, and I doubted he liked the thought of his
stepsister lolling around the pool for six days. Who knew what mischief she’d
find? And she’d find some, no doubt about that.

Liam straightened. “Alright. I’ll make the
arrangements. Sam, Anderson, I’ll come help you pack and hire a car to take you
to the airport.” Looking at me, he added, “I’ll see you later.”

“Do you want some help?” My stomach clenched,
thinking how proficient he was—how caring.

“Nope. I’ll come find you. Just stay safe.”