Capri's Fate (12 page)

Hell, yes. And then your mouth latches on to my nipple as I rake my fingernails up your back.
Capri blinked. "Uh, no. I mean, that's okay. Thank you." She grabbed the towel, wrapped it around her shoulders and turned toward the sink. She glanced at her reflection.
You chicken
.

Thall
turned on the water. Capri lowered her head. He turned off the taps. "Hmm. Just a sec."

She waited while he returned holding a
n empty glass. "Let's try again." She placed her head close to the sink. He stepped in behind her. His groin bumped her bottom. Capri gripped the towel. He reached around, filled the glass and poured the water onto her head. "Too hot?"

"No. Just fine. Everything is just fine."

When her hair was soaked, Thall poured shampoo onto his hand and worked it into her hair. Fragrant gardenia scented bubbles burst around Capri's head as strong fingers massaged her scalp. She closed her eyes and wallowed in the fragrance of the shampoo and his presence pushing against her ass
. His fingers are so strong. Like invisible hands, washing away all my…invisible hands?
She sighed.
I miss Thall's massages. They were so erotically awesome.
Goose bumps covered her arms.

Water dribbled down her face. She wiped the drip with the edge of her towel. More water splashed over her head. "The directions say rinse and repeat."

"Yes, please."

Again, his fingers massage
d the shampoo into her hair and she noticed the gardenia-like aroma. He drew small circles against her scalp, gradually increasing in size, then he'd move to a new location and begin again. As his fingers neared the base of her neck, Capri's toes clenched, and she stifled a moan.

Warm water dribbled over her hair as he fluffed the soap away. "Done. Now what?"

Without rising, she waved her arm in the direction of the counter. "Conditioner. The white bottle."

"Your wish is my command."

My wish? My wish is for you to…get a grip, Capri. It's only the brandy talking. Like you'd have a one night stand with a stranger on an airplane.
She sighed.
Damn. When did my common sense wake up? Need more brandy.

Having f
inished conditioning and rinsing her hair, Thall reached for another towel and draped it over her head. "Okay, you can stand up."

Capri
stepped back, started to rise, but bumped into Thall and lost her balance.

"Umph." He landed on the toilet seat with
Capri on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

The warmth of his arms on her belly and the pressure of his chest on her back forced a giggle out of
Capri. "Oops."

He leaned forward and placed his mouth by her ear. "Kind of tight quarters here."

She wiggled her butt. "Yes, but at least it was a nice landing." She stood, turned and offered a hand to help him stand.

He interlocked his fingers with hers and lifted up. Their movements made the towel on her shoulders drop down her back. His chest bumped into hers. He dropped his gaze. "Yes, definitely a nice landing."

Neither moved. Warm flesh pressed against warm flesh. Capri licked her lips and swallowed. A cool drip dribbled down her cheek. Thall wiped it away. "I guess I should let you dry your hair, before you get cold."

"Oh, okay. Yea, sure."
Capri rustled the towel against her hair and watched Thall's tight butt disappear out of the bathroom.
Another moment lost.

She slipped into her blouse,
wrapped the towel around her hair, exited the bathroom and grabbed her suitcase. "I'm going to change." She dragged the case into the room and dug out her nightgown. Holding up the silk garment, she shivered at the thought of his hands sliding up her body as he pulled it off her. She dropped it and grabbed a sweatshirt and baggy, blue plaid pants.

When she stepped into the main cabin,
Thall had lowered the lights and spread a blanket on each couch. His jeans lay in a pile next to the couch. Standing in his boxers, he pointed to the window. "The right side or the scenic left side?"

"Scenic left. I always go first class." She dropped onto her couch. Lightning illuminated the room. She turned and glanced out the window. "Is this storm never going to end?"

"It should blow itself out soon." He settled under his blanket and placed his hands behind his head.

Capri
combed the tangles out of her hair and dried the ends. She heaved a relaxed sigh.

"Everything okay over there on the scenic side?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm much more relaxed."

He yawned. "The wine and the brandy."

"And the company."

He smiled.

She pulled her tablet out of her purse. "Do you mind if I read for a bit?"

"As long as you turn the pages quietly." He yawned and snuggled deeper under his blanket.

"I promise." She clicked the on button and settled back to enjoy her story.

By the third yawn,
Capri decided it was time to sleep. The storm had moved off and the rain stopped pounding on the roof of the plane. She placed the e-reader on the nearby table and turned to peer out the window.

The blackness of the night made it difficult to distinguish anything, but she could see the road under the plane and the silhouette of nearby trees. A black lump moved out of the trees. She blinked and refocused. The lump moved again.

"Oh crap! Something's out there." She stumbled back from the window and tripped over the table.

Thall's
strong hands grabbed her. "What?'"

"I don't know." She straightened herself and knelt on the couch. "Look. There." Her hand shook as she tapped against the glass.

Thall knelt in front of a window and pressed his face to it. "Where? I don't see anything?"

"There. Over by the—ah!" A streak of lightning shone down from above. "See. Did you see that?
It's huge."

"Well, it can't come in. Unless it knows how to unlock the doors."

Capri looked around what suddenly seemed like a very small and vulnerable cabin. "Do you have anything to…you know, protect us?"

"Like a gun?"

She nodded.

"No. But like I said, I doubt it can get in here. I don't think it was human."

"It was humungous. What if it was someone trying to sneak up on us?" She turned her head and glanced back out the window.

"Come here."
Thall opened his arms. "Settle down in here. You're too tired, and maybe a bit drunk to think clearly."

Capri
bit her bottom lip. "Well, maybe you're right. It's been a stupidly long day, and I am rather tired." She moved closer and settled against him. With her face pressed against his chest, she inhaled the aroma of sandalwood. A small flutter in her belly made tingles shoot straight through her.

He pulled the blanket over her and encased her in his arms. "Close your eyes and relax. Remember, my name means warrior. You're safe."

With her head pressed against his chest, she felt the rise and fall of each breath. The scent of her shampoo lingered in the air. "I can hear your heartbeat."

"I have a heart?"

She giggled. "Of course you do."

"Well
, several former girl….uh female acquaintances have suggested that I have no heart or parents, for that matter."

"Oh, you're a heartless bastard?"

"Yea, something like that." His voice was drowsy. "So tell me about being this Leo lion thing."

"Your astrological sign is the lion and his name is Leo."

"Is that good?"

"It means you're courageous, dominant, strong willed, independent and self-confident."

He chuckled. "Yup. Every one of those things."

"On the not so perfect side, it also means you can be extremely arrogant, autocratic and really short-tempered."

"Yup. Every one of those things." He shifted and tightened his embrace. "What are you? Are you a lion too? Oh, sorry, a lioness?"

"A woman never reveals all her secrets on the first…at the first encounter."

He rubbed his hand up her back. "You revealed some wondrous secrets today, so I guess I can wait to find out what animal lurks inside you."

Capri
flushed with embarrassed heat. "Have you figured out where we are?"

"I think we landed on a runway on one of the smaller islands. Not too far from where we were supposed to be."

"A runway. That's good."

"Not really." He leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.

She pushed off his chest. "Why not? A runway means a city. Well, maybe a town. Which means people and help."

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Nah, runway looks unused. I'd say we landed on some smuggler's strip. And if he finds out…"

"And if he finds out…what? You can't leave a sentence hanging like that."

"If he finds out, I may just have to live up to my warrior name."

Capri lowered her head to his chest and squeezed her eyes shut.
No smugglers. No smugglers.

A loud snap made her jump out of his arms. She twisted her head around, checking the cabin interior. "What was that?"

Chapter Twelve

Thall opened his eyes and blinked.
Capri knelt on the couch next to him with her arms wrapped around his neck. He pushed at her arms. "Having trouble breathing."

"Something's out there. There was a huge noise."

He slipped out of her grasp, yawned and stood. After peering out the windows on the left side of the plane and then the right, he turned. "Don't see anything. Or anyone. I'll go check the cockpit windows."

Thall returned a few moments later and sat next to her. "There is a tree down on the runway, just near the nose of the plane. I may have to move it so we can get out of here tomorrow. I think that's what you heard. I don't see any lights or anything moving."

Capri looked out the nearest window. "That big lump we saw. It's gone."

"Probably just an animal." He yawned and scratched his stomach. "Back to sleep. You okay on the couch, or should I stay and hold you?"
I vote for stay.

She scrunched her nose. "No, you go sleep on your couch. I'm a big girl. And you’re a warrior. I'll be safe."

As Thall settled onto his couch, he chuckled. "My name means warrior. The biggest battle I fought recently was for a chair at the local bar." He pulled up the blanket and closed his eyes.
For a first day of being human, this was a pretty good one. I flew a plane. Drank wine. Definitely loving the wine. Held Capri in my arms and actually felt her body. Touched her flesh. Smelled her perfume. Being human has some benefits
. He yawned and slipped into sleep.

The morning sun rose high enough that the rays peeked over the edge of the window near Thall's head. He squeezed his eyes tighter. "Too early."

After tossing and turning and not settling back to sleep, Thall shrugged off the covers and climbed out of bed. Capri still slept. Her arm was tucked under her head, which was turned to the side. A tiny smile lingered on her lips.

What are you dreaming about, I wonder? Hope it's me
. He grabbed his duffel bag and padded off to the airplane's small restroom.

With a shower not being an option, he
struggled with using the tiny sink to shave then dressed and tiptoed past Capri into the galley. He pulled a bag of coffee grounds off the shelf, poured them into the coffee maker and pressed the
on
button. While the coffee brewed, he glanced out the cockpit window. A tall palm tree lay partially on the ground and on the runway. He scratched his head as he pondered how he was going to move it.

The smell of coffee wafted into the cockpit. He returned to the galley, poured himself a cup
, then walked to the door. Unlocking it, he pressed the button for the stairs and pushed the door open. Warm, fresh, humid air flowed past his face as he stepped out into the bright sunshine. Palm fronds and other debris were scattered about the runway. They would need to clean the mess before attempting to takeoff.

Looking to the left, he flinched. Another tree had crashed, and this one was close to the tail of the plane. Mentally crossing his fingers that it did not hit
it, he trotted down the steps and walked toward the tree. He sipped his coffee then shook his head.
Lucky or what? The thing missed us by a couple of inches
.

"Good morning."
Capri waved from the top step.

"Morning. Coffee is made. In the galley."

"I'll join you in a moment." She disappeared back into the plane.

Thall wandered around the plane, checking for any damage and was relieved to see none.

Holding her mug of coffee, Capri stepped beside him. She had dressed in a pair of light brown shorts, matching sandals and a colorful short sleeve top. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. "Well, that was close."