Crashed into Love: Boxed Set (12 page)

A
fter arranging
transport for all three of us to the airport, I helped Anderson and Samantha
get organised. I tried to focus on what I was doing, but all I could think
about was Nina in a bikini by the pool. The moment Jos mentioned that was their
intention, I swear I drooled a little.

I wanted to lather sunscreen over Nina’s pearly
skin. To hold an umbrella to cast shade so she wouldn’t burn. To be there to
grant drinks of icy juice and to lick away the droplets left behind on her
lips. 

My cock stirred in my pants.
Stop it!
My
overactive imagination where Nina was concerned needed to calm down. 

The first day Nina flew with us and came into the
cockpit to collect our coffee order, I’d almost dropped dead out of the sky
when she nailed my preference first shot. I tried to act nonchalant, but it
really affected me. She probably guessed it for all I knew, however, it was
nice to think she knew something as intimate about me as how I took my coffee
in the morning. I wanted to share that ritual with her. To wake beside her and
go about normal boring things like making breakfast together.

Still thinking about the past, I recalled what
Anderson said when Nina left the cockpit. “I’m suffering a major case of deja
vu.”

Of course, I had to ask. “Huh?”

Anderson grinned as if it made perfect sense. “My
wife guessed my coffee order on her first flight, too. In fact, Nina reminds me
a little of her. Determined. Fierce. Gorgeous.” He laughed, adding, “I give you
six months before you’re head over heels and proposing like I did.”

My heartbeat accelerated to bolt around the cockpit.
Was there such a case as predestined attraction? Was I drawn to Nina on a
deeper level than I thought? The head over heels part wasn’t hard to agree
with, I was already unsteady on my feet.

“All set,” Anderson broke into my reverie dumping me
back into the present, heaving his bag onto a shoulder.

I blinked, the madness of the small island airport
swamped me. We stood in the centre of a swirling pond of tourists. Being here
again was surreal after yesterday. A totally different vibe surrounded the terminal.
A carefree and vibrant holiday spirit was prevalent, chasing the moans and
groans of bruised passengers into dusty corners, never to be mentioned again.

“Mikin, thank you. I can’t tell you how happy I am
to be going home to my wife. She’ll make me feel much better with one of her
amazing lamb stews.” He tried to look stern. “I expect you to keep an eye on
that report. I want to know exactly what caused us to crash. You have my
number. Use it.”

I grinned. It was a long running joke that I didn’t like
technology. Give me a plane with mind-boggling instruments, and I understood on
a modular level how to work it. Give me a cell phone, and I’d most likely put
in through the rinse cycle with my dirty washing. And I had, with three phones
previously.

“You just rest. I’ll see you when we pax home in a
week.” I patted him on the back.

Anderson nodded, offering Sam his arm. She gave me a
weary smile, relief in her eyes to be going home.

I waved as they disappeared into the thicket of
babbling tourists and squawking children.

Free to find Nina, I paused outside the terminal
doors. Responsibility nagged, turning my anticipation of spending the day in
her company, to the non-enjoyable knowledge I should spend the day overseeing a
broken plane.

Grumbling, I headed back inside. I couldn’t dash to
the hotel—I was the commanding officer now Anderson was gone. It was up to me
to keep an eye on our wreckage.

The ground staff eyed me as I flashed my
identification and gained access to the back corridors of the airport. Weaving
my way around the chaos of the baggage dock, I narrowly dodged a careening golf
cart, dragging a train of overstuffed bags in every colour.

I stopped a worker in bright orange high-vis
overalls. “Can you tell me which aircraft hangar the Kiwi Air Boeing was towed
to, please?”

The guy’s eyes never met mine, watching a colleague
backing up way too fast and missing the baggage belt by a millimetre. “Which
hangar? That’s a laugh. We only have one. Go outside and to the left. Can’t
miss it.” He didn’t hang around for a thanks. I rolled my eyes as he screamed
at the guy not to drive so maniacally.

Two minutes later, I found myself in the shadow of a
hanger.

My heart constricted as I took in the crumpled
machine that almost killed us. Its wings had been righted with pulleys, so the
bottom mess was visible. It was the main attraction in the hanger, taking up
lumbering space, whispering of things that went wrong.

It looked as if the runway had turned into Jaws and
tore a huge jagged hole in the fuselage. Glints of intestinal insulation and
rubber tires of the failed landing gear, winked through the mangled
undercarriage.

“Mikin. Come to check out your mess?” Nikolai
appeared from the office.

My hackles rose; I struggled to keep my face
impassive. “Rivers. How’s it going?”

We shook hands as we stared at the bird. Broken
wings and gaping stomach aside, it was still a beautiful machine. The crisp
whiteness of its cladding was grimy with dust and bright red straps encircled
its girth looking like streaks of blood.

The recollection of hurtling to earth and whacking
my head roared over me. I rocked on my heels, jamming hands in my jeans.

“I haven’t had time to go in depth yet, but I’d say
you were pretty lucky to make it. I was told by air traffic control you were
about fifty minutes from landing when the initial fault happened.”

Memories of the bang, turbulence, and panic-inducing
nosedive hit me with violence. My stomach sank to my toes, reliving the horrid,
unscheduled descent to earth. Why was Nik talking to me so easily? Was it his
attempt at making things better between us? Because nothing could make the past
disappear. I had no desire to talk to him about what we lived through or
anything else for that matter. 

Scowling, I said, “Yep. It was hard, but we got here
in one piece.”

He chuckled sardonically, pointing to parts of the
aircraft strewn around the hanger. “I wouldn’t say in one piece. But close
enough.”

My jaw clenched, adding pressure to the headache I’d
had since the crash.
Don’t rise to his bait.
I swallowed my retort,
staying silent.

Nikolai cleared his throat. “Look, Liam. I’m really
glad you made it. I’d like to talk to you properly. Clear the air, you know?”

He wanted to talk about it? After ten years? I
didn’t think so. I wasn’t that forgiving. “Whatever you have to say about that
night, I don’t want to hear it.”

Nik’s face shuttered, but not before guilt and shame
flared in his eyes. “Fair enough.” He shuffled on the spot, before adding, “By
the way, whatever you feel for Nina. I feel for her, too. I don’t know what the
deal is with you two, but there’s a connection between us. And I won’t give it
up easily.”

Did he really just say that? He could have anyone.
With his skills on the dance floor, I doubted his bed was cold at night.
Whereas, I suffered my sentence alone. I worked my ass off to squirrel away
every cent so I could leave the memories behind. I never indulged in anything I
wanted. Nina was the first thing worth climbing out of my funk and fighting
for.

“Back off, Nik. Now is not a time to push me.” My
fists curled, and I quickly scanned the hanger for witnesses. Five staff
members lingered around the undercarriage, far enough away to hit Nik’s
smug-ass face and run before anyone saw.

His face darkened. “It wasn’t just you who lost
something that night. Nina is the first girl who reminds me of what I’ve been
missing. That’s too precious not to fight for.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” I seethed, turning to
face him, my body tense, ready to pummel.

“All I’m saying is, don’t expect me to stand by and
let you win her. I’m going to try, too, Liam. Both of us deserve to be happy,
and I’m sorry we’re interested in the same girl, but I can’t help who I’m
attracted to.”

My head screamed with pressure. I hated Nikolai in
that moment. He’d set his eyes on Nina. Why did he have to be on the flight?
Why did she have to dance with him?

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right.
Despite my animosity, we both deserved to be happy after what happened, but it
didn’t mean I’d play the victim like I did all those years ago.

I was different. I was harder. I’d fight.

“In that case, Nikolai. Let the best man win.”

I
spent the rest of the
morning lounging around the pool with Joslyn. It was hot, humid, the sun was
bright and high in the sky. I couldn’t stop stressing about Sam and the
Captain. I hoped Liam managed to get them off okay. I hated to think of them in
pain. It seemed wrong Joslyn and I were sprawled in the sun, without a care in
the world, while they were in limbo; both in mind and countries.

The sun seared into my jeans and grey t-shirt. I
hadn’t exactly packed for an island getaway, and the sun seemed intent on
stripping layers of skin, even through my clothes.

My mouth watered as I gazed at the teal pool. It
curved into the distance with an infinity edge, so I struggled to see where the
pool ended and the crystal-blue ocean began. All around us heaven beckoned—the
hotel with its manicured gardens, the tropical birds in the trees with their
kaleidoscope of feathers, and the coconut laden trees dancing gently in the sea
breeze.

I’d considered swimming in one of my corset and
underwear sets, but I doubted it’d suit hotel policy—fishnet stockings and a
garter belt were a little overdressed, not to mention, it screamed whore.  

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the heat anymore. I
was a parched goldfish flopping in a broken bowl. I needed to get in that
water. I’d sizzle into charred meat if I didn’t.

Standing, I said, “I’ve got to go shopping. I need a
bikini.”

Joslyn, the crafty girl, had brought a set with her.
As if she knew a crash landing would result in a week of paid holiday in Samoa.

She waved, mumbling from beneath her cowboy hat. “Be
safe. Don’t go too far from the hotel.”

“Of course I’ll be safe. It’s not like I’ll be eaten
by the locals, Jos.”

She giggled. “Bring me back an ice-cream.”

Slinging my bag on my shoulder, I turned to go. “I
think you need
sun
-cream more than you need an
ice
-cream. You’re
turning into a shish kabob.”

She groaned. “Just go away. You’re interrupting my
tanning.”

I laughed and left her to it. Meandering through the
gardens, I ascended the lobby stairs. It was rather odd having free time. I was
normally so busy. I bit my lip, thinking. Was Nikolai hard at work assessing
the plane? Where was Liam? Was he back from the airport? It was strange not
having communication. 

Every step I walked, my jeans chafed my sweat-beaded
skin and my corset scraped against tender flesh. The moment I bought a bikini,
I would take this lingerie off, and it would stay off until I departed the
over-heated island.

The concierge glowed as I asked her where I might
find some ladies attire. She gave me a few options: either the hotel boutique
on the ground floor next to the spa, or head to the small row of shops not far
down the road.

I chose the small shops—to get some culture and
cheaper prices—and left in the way she pointed, making a mental list of things
to buy.

The road was dusty and under kept, but it didn’t
stop speedsters on motorbikes from charging past or local boys on bicycles
wolf-whistling at me.

By the time I saw the row of five or six shops, I
was ready to melt into a puddle. My list had grown incredibly long and
included: water, sunglasses, sunscreen, and as many loose-fitting clothing as
my wallet would allow. Screw sexy corsets in this heat. I’d never let my
‘puppies’ be free and loose before, but going braless sounded like the best
idea I’d ever had.

The little bell above the door of the tourist shop
jingled, and I sighed in relief as air conditioning blasted me above the door;
slicing a temperature barrier between the stagnant heat outside and the chilly
fridge of the shop. Thank God for a reprieve.

“Morning, ma’am.” The young girl behind the counter
smiled. “Looking for anything in particular?” She was barely visible amongst
all the inflatable rubber rings, pool toys, and blow up crocodiles. They truly
did cater to western tourists.

“No, I can manage, thanks.” I grabbed a basket and
shopped; throwing numerous items that weren’t on my list—such as chocolate and
soft drinks—into it. Snacks for after dancing. Just thinking about spinning
with Nikolai gave me happy chills. I just hoped we didn’t have an audience.
Liam wouldn’t understand it was purely physical. Nikolai didn’t tug me the way
Liam did. I couldn’t even decide how Liam made me feel yet… it was all too
confusing. Then again, there was a hidden vulnerability in Nikolai that
screamed for a hug and to get to know him better. Confusion chased those
thoughts away. I didn’t have time to ponder about men. I was here to shop.

The convenience store didn’t sell bikinis, but I did
manage to find a lovely white sequinned sarong which was only a couple of
dollars.

The girl giggled as she rung up my bill. “You’ve
almost wiped me out of sunscreen. Good thing too with skin as white as yours.”

I laughed. “That’s what happens when you live in a
cold country.” Penguins were better suited to living in New Zealand, or fluffy
sheep with their coats of wool.

She eyed my sweaty hair and rumpled t-shirt. “If
you’re looking for cooler clothes, head next door. The lady hand makes her own
things. They’re very good.”

“Awesome, thanks.” I loved local stuff. It always
provided memories of the trip, even after their use had passed.

Lugging my plastic bags next door, I fell instantly
in love with the bikinis on display—feminine and sexy. I spun in place to look
around me with delight.

The older woman behind the desk took my shopping
bags. “Here. You have fun. I’ll put these behind the counter for you.”

Everyone was so nice and friendly. I relinquished my
bags and beelined straight to a pink bikini with a strip of diamantes running
over the tummy.

Then another caught my eye.

And another.

I was star-struck by glitter. Obsessed with sequins.
By the time I made it to the changing room, I clutched six bikinis that I was
head over heels in love with.

I’d just slipped into a blue one-piece with
different patterns cut out from the torso, when the lady threw open the
curtain.

I covered up my breasts on impulse. Crap, since when
did shopkeepers just whisk open curtains like that?

She tut-tutted, shaking her head, her thick black
hair flicking. “Nope. That one won’t do.”

“Excuse me?” I looked at myself in the mirror. I
thought the bathing suit was quite nice. It hid my stomach, but hinted at
sexiness. “Why won’t it do?”

The woman ignored me and rifled through my hangers,
picking the white bikini I’d grabbed with a string of large diamantes hanging
from the base of the bra cups to the scant briefs below. Rhinestones scattered
the straps, along with the smallest fringe of lace. It was very cute, but I
worried it might be too much.

“Try this. With your complexion, it will go lovely.”
She pulled the white sarong I’d bought next door from behind her back. “Plus,
it will match this perfectly.”

Ignoring the fact she’d been through my things, I
nodded and took the sarong. “Okay. I’ll try it.”

I tugged the curtain closed, but she fought me. “Once
you have it on you come out and show me, deal?”

Oh sure, bossy one
.
I nodded, smiling despite myself. “Yes, I’ll parade it for you. Now shoo.”

She giggled and disappeared, leaving me to strip and
shimmy into the white bikini. The moment it was on I knew I wasn’t going to
take it off again. It was perfect. It covered all the right places and graced
all the others with delicious details. The diamonds glittered like teeny tiny
strobe balls, while the lace was the extra sexy touch it needed. In fact, it was
very provocative in a nice way. I tied the sarong around my hips, beaming at my
reflection.

I was pretty if I didn’t mind saying so myself, and
all those hours spent dancing meant my stomach didn’t have an inch of fat.

Opening the curtain with a flourish, I flounced out
with a spring in my step, giving the woman a show.

I choked and slammed to a halt. Holy crap, what was
he doing here?

Blood raced in my veins as his gaze travelled down
my curves before meeting my eyes again. I blushed as he pushed off from the
counter; his body rigid as his eyes deepened from aquamarine to glittering
lapis.

Liam.