Crashed into Love: Boxed Set (17 page)

I eased the throttle higher, following the tarmac to
the wide open blackness, illuminated by blinking white lights.

“Whiskey, alpha, niner. Ready and waiting.”

“Approved. Open skies in front.”

I stole a look at Liam. He was relaxed, head resting
against his seat, watching me with a huge grin and bright eyes. The look he
gave me zapped life into my heart.

Looking back at the runway, I pushed the throttle,
smiling as the thrill of speed increased inch by inch. The wheels ate the
tarmac faster and faster until the throttle was pressed to maximum. Gravity
released its hold on us, and with a swoop that repositioned my stomach into my
feet, we were airborne.

Liam laughed. “Well done. That was really smooth.”

His praise made my heart flutter. I focused on the
fading lights behind us. The airport diminished, leaving us with inkiness and
the subtle glow of instruments.

Liam wanted to watch me fly? Well, I’d show him just
what I could do. I pulled the steering column sharply; we soared upward. The
engine screamed as we careened through turbulence and evening mist. Gravity
pulled on my bones as we raced toward the stratosphere.

Liam made a noise beside me, but I ignored him. I
was too wrapped up in freedom of the skies. At one with the glittering stars,
far above the puny lives of mortals. I relished in pushing the plane as hard
and as high as it would go. All worry of flying streamed off me. I was a
starling. An eagle. Born to do this. Our ascent slowed as the engine coughed.

Spearing through the darkness almost vertically, I
knew we were a second from stalling. I ceased pulling upward, letting the nose
fall. Our speed increased and the horizon on my instruments levelled out.

“Holy hell. That was fast. My ears are popping like
crazy.” Liam muttered, but his eyes glowed with deep-seated happiness.

In a flash of understanding, I knew his feelings for
me were stronger than he let on. He may have been on his knees between my legs
only an hour ago, but my heart told me he had wanted to do more to me, for a
while.

Was he protecting himself by not sleeping with me?
Did he think I wouldn’t love him back? The thought made my chest seize.

Liam ran hands through his hair, shaking his head.
“Did you forget to mention you wanted to be a kamikaze pilot?”

Dispelling my thoughts, I giggled. “You liked it,
quit moaning.” The thought of doing tricks in the sky, much the same as tricks
on the dance floor, filled my mind with exhilarating images. Crap, I’d never
considered being a stunt pilot, but it had a certain appeal.

He laughed, looking longingly at the controls. “You
fly like I want to every day. I doubt passengers would enjoy going vertical to
their destination, however.” He licked his lips. The flash of his tongue
simmered with temptation and tugged my nether regions. His tongue had tasted
me. Licked me. Teased me.

“Can I do something?” he asked.

I had to shake my head to cull my obsession that was
quickly growing out of control.
Yes. Anything.
  I nodded. “You’re the
captain. Do what you want.”

Eyes hooded, he shot me a ‘prepare yourself’ grin.
“Hold on.”

My hands scrambled for purchase, but it was too
late. Liam pushed the joystick forward, and we nosedived.

I became weightless, staying in my seat only thanks
to my harness. If I thought climbing at high speed was amazing, then I was
mistaken. Tears streamed from my eyes as the instruments started beeping with
an automatic voice:
Terrain. Terrain. Pull up. Pull up.

The rush of the drop mingled with terror from the
nosedive we suffered previously. Both flights interwove and I couldn’t
distinguish if I enjoyed it, or the adrenaline coursing through me was from
fear.

Holy crap, he was gonna kill us! Face first,
hurtling toward earth—we were a falling star.

He shot me a look full of pure happiness before
wrenching back and levelling out.

My stomach finally caught up. I gasped. “Wow.” My
body was boneless. But under the shaky fear there was excitement too. If I
wasn’t lashed to my seat, I would’ve kissed him just for reaffirming we were
alive.

“Yep. Love doing that. Love the rush.” His face
shone with excitement. “Walking a fine edge of common sense and lunacy is a bit
of a flaw of mine.”

My face split into a grin so big it hurt my cheeks.
I reassessed Liam in that moment. All the horrid rumours I’d heard were wrong.
Whatever I’d thought of him before was no longer relevant. I gave my heart free
reign to bolt out of my chest and flap around the cockpit for him to take
possession.

This man was different—he wasn’t like others.

He was like me.

S
leep faded, leaving me
tangled in sheets with sweat drenching my back. The dream ebbed away, leaving
me with a weird sense of loss. I couldn’t recall it, but everything had been
stark and vacant. Almost as if life pressed a pause button and I’d wallowed in
the white noise between.

Luckily, my room was full of colour with red
hibiscus flowers on the bedside table and hand woven geometric carpets. The
vibrancy shooed the rest of my vague unease into the shadows.

Holy hell, it’s hot.

I’d only slept in my boxers, but perspiration,
caused as much from my strange dream as well as island heat, beaded. The Samoan
sun didn’t mess around with toasting the new day. My mouth watered at the
thought of the ocean and a morning swim.

I grabbed my watch and checked the time. For some
stupid reason the hotel had a thing against clocks. Was it their way of forcing
the guests to relax? No deadlines. No appointments.

Blinking, I brought the dial into focus. 8:15 a.m.
Awesome. Plenty of time to swim before breakfast.

I stretched long and hard. My spine creaked,
realigning. The muscle aches from the crash snarled, but it was nothing
compared to the unbearable need in my morning wood. How I’d been able to stop
not once, but twice last night… well, I deserved a pat on the back, ‘cause
man
was I horny.

Nina.

Last night had been absolute heaven. She was a
better pilot than I’d hoped, and my crazy, adolescent dream danced on my
thoughts all evening. Should I tell her what I ultimately wanted, or would it
be too much? Would it send her packing before I had a chance?

Her emotions shone unguarded in her eyes last night.
Every moment I spent in her company solidified she was the one for me.
Unfortunately, instead of relaxing me, I suffered anxiety at the thought of
cocking up and ruining everything.

I wasn’t going to stress about it now, though. Not
when the sun winked outside, and mirage wisps already danced in the humid air.
I had a date with the ocean.

Shooting out of bed, I quickly exchanged boxers for
board shorts, and sprinted down the garden path to the twenty-four carat gold
beach.

“Oof.” I winced as the sand scorched my soles. How
was the beach poker hot already? The sun only woke up an hour ago.

Seemed I wasn’t the only one who was an early riser.
Hotel guests lolled in the water, their voices murmuring over the gentle slap
of tide on sand. A few ambitious people had set up camp, claiming loungers and
umbrellas ready for a day of tanning—determined to change their skin colour. I
never understood why the leather look was in.

Not wanting to leave my foot flesh stuck to granules
of sand, I gritted my teeth and bolted. The water’s edge beckoned; I hurtled
myself into the surf. From running to diving, I sliced through the water.

Dammit. The water was warm, too. Was everything on
this island above body temperature? How was I supposed to cool down?

I hovered under the tide, listening to the
chug-chug
of my heart, and the heavy silence of water. Finally, when my lungs heaved,
bucking for breath, I broke the surface.

Where was Nina? Still sleeping? I wished I’d knocked
on her door and brought her with me. Then again, if she wore the white bikini
again, I doubted I’d do too well with onlookers. I wanted to feast on her and
doubted I’d have the self-control left to pull back this time.

My abs clenched and I sighed. Today, I’d have to go
back to the airport and see how the report was coming along. An evil smile
crossed my mouth as I lay back, letting the water cradle me. What would Nikolai
say if he knew I’d seen Nina naked? Touched her? Tasted her? I hoped he hated
the idea and backed off. Then minor guilt filled me. He wasn’t deliberately
trying to mess up my life—it just seemed he had a knack for it.

I floated like a piece of flotsam, not caring where the
current took me, full of memories of Nina. If I wasn’t careful I’d get a boner
and wouldn’t be able to leave the surf. I doubted Mrs. Na-Na over there with
her floral one piece and Hula-Hoop of a hat would appreciate seeing me with a
massive hard-on. Then again, judging by her pot-bellied, red-nosed hubby, maybe
she would.

Closing my eyes against the sun’s glare, a hand
collided with my chest, sending me spluttering under water. Salt water stung my
nose as I shot off the sandy bottom ready to pummel someone. “What the—”

Joslyn burst into giggles. “Too easy.” 

I bared my teeth, launching at her. “That’s it.
You’re shark meat.” No one dunked me without paying a serious price.

She squealed as I picked her up and harpooned her
into the water. She kicked and flailed, looking like a drowned possum.

I laughed as she emerged from the water, hair
clinging to her scalp. “You’re such a douche-canoe.” She swiped a hand over her
face; a smile fighting the pout on her lips.

I pointed to myself with a fake wounded expression.
“Me? You started it.”

She pushed the water, dousing me in a wave. “You
never let me win.”

I advanced on her as she reeled backward. “You’re so
tiny. How could I? It wouldn’t do my pride any good to know a whippet of a
sister could kick my ass.” I didn’t think I’d truly appreciated how much I
loved my annoying stepsister. No one else managed to break my jail of anguish.
Who teased me so well and reminded me life was for moving forward, not looking
back.

And she’d helped me learn about Nina.

The moment I thought about her, blood gushed into my
shorts again. I needed to have a wank, or do something to dispel my pent-up
frustration. Fighting an erection every time I thought about Nina wasn’t going
to work.  

Joslyn splashed me again. “So… where have you been?
I came searching for you yesterday. Couldn’t find you. Come to think of it, I
couldn’t find Nina either.” She put hands on her hips. “Are you putting the
moves on my best friend?”

I narrowed my eyes. Did she mind if I was? I’d never
stopped to think if she’d be pissed. Would she think I was stealing Nina from
her?

I paddled backward, pretending the coconut trees
were a lot more interesting. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She scoffed. “Come on. You’ve at least kissed her by
now. You conveniently forget it was me who siphoned you all that juicy gossip.
The one who indulged your annoying questions.” She winked. “Don’t tell me you
haven’t been using this island stranding as a perfect time to get into her
knickers.”

I shot her a scowl. “You know it isn’t like that.”

“I know it isn’t.” She sighed. “I’m worried about
you. I just wish you’d tell her the truth so you can move on if she doesn't
like you like that. She needs to know.”

A smile broadened my face. I
had
told Nina
the truth. With the falls crashing behind us, I’d spilled my stalkerish secret.
And so far so good. One thing I’d never tell Joslyn was I’d already been in her
knickers. That wasn’t shareable with a sister. No matter how close we were.

“I did tell her.”

Her eyes popped. “You did! Wow. And?”

I shrugged, playing it cool. “She seems to like me,
too.”

She threw her arms around my neck. “Really? Liam,
that’s wonderful! I’m so happy you got her to open up. She was always so
standoffish when it comes to men. I think it stems from her daddy issues.”

I winced, remembering her anguish as she hung up on
her yelling father. Was that entirely true, though? After seeing her dancing
with Nikolai, I wondered if there was more to her. She certainly looked like
she enjoyed being in his arms. Bloody guy and his Salsa skills.

Why the hell did I say goodnight to her outside her
fale last night? Why didn’t I go inside and finish what I started? My
insecurities that she’d ditch me for the dancer/engineer only increased, rather
than diminished, the more time I spent with her.

What if I wasn’t enough?

Needing to see Nina to ease the band of pressure
around my chest, I struck off for the shore. “Come on. Breakfast time.”

* * * * *

The outdoor restaurant bustled with staff and
guests. My eyes scanned the crowd, homing in on the one person I couldn’t wait
to see. There was no hope for me. If I couldn’t spend a few hours away from
her, I might as well sign over my manhood and beg her to keep me. Sad excuse of
a man.

Nina sat at a table closest to the pool, dressed in
a yellow summer dress, her hair high in a ponytail, showing off the long
expanse of her neck. I’d kissed her neck. Nuzzled her.

I stopped to drink her in.

Joslyn ran into the back of me. “Oi. You can’t stop
in the middle of the road like that.” When I didn’t move, she followed my eyes
and sighed. “Liam. You are besotted.”

Pinching me, she whispered, “Don’t think Nina
doesn’t know you’ve fallen for her. You’re not as subtle as you like to think.”

Ouch, that sucked. It was so hard to know which card
to play: egotistical pilot or considerate island lover. Could Nina see how
pathetic I was when it came to her? How much I wanted to make her smile and
laugh. To provide her with everything she ever wanted?

Joslyn left me gawking and flounced to the table.
Nina stood when she saw her, smiling. They wrapped their arms around each
other.

I frowned as they stayed in the embrace far longer
than normal. Nina’s eyes popped wide to something Joslyn must’ve mentioned.
Damn meddling sister. Now, what the hell had she said?

I stalked toward them, deciding to play the
egotistical pilot card to keep my girly thoughts at bay. Nina’s eyes sent
explosions of horniness racing through my body. I should’ve released some of my
pent-up frustration. If I let Nina come anywhere near that part of my anatomy,
I’d last a minute, if that.

Joslyn smirked at us. “I’m off to get some
breakfast.” She practically skipped to the buffet. 

Nina shifted self-consciously. “Hi.”

My voice box deserted me. “Morning.” I cleared my
throat. “Did you sleep well?”

She bit her lip. “No. Terrible. Ask me why.”

My stomach floundered. Oh God, the way she watched
me, I knew I shouldn’t ask. We were in a restaurant. With witnesses. My voice
dropped to gravel. “Why didn’t you sleep well?”

She stepped closer, resting her hands on my chest.
Her eyes captured me. “Because you weren’t beside me. Because you left me after
the most amazing night of my life. Because I wanted you so badly even the
sheets turned me on.”

I groaned, grabbing her hands, pressing them hard
against my pecs. “You keep telling me things like this when we’re in public.
Not fair.”

Her lips parted. “We weren’t in public last night.
You could have taken me on the runway.”

My cock surged. Holy fuck.

“Nina, you’re severely testing my self-control.”
Pulling her into me, I pressed her hips against mine. Her eyes popped and she
sucked in a breath, noticing how hard I was. I murmured in her ear, “As much as
I wanted to take you at the airport, I want to do this right. I don’t want to
rush it. Just like with our first kiss. I need
you
to need
me
.”

She kissed the hollow of my throat, sending gusts of
sensation all over me. “I need you, Liam. How many times do you want me to say
it? I’ll beg.”

I chuckled. “I like the sound of—”

“Get a room you two.” Joslyn plonked down at the
table, her plate dotted with an assortment of food.

Nina and I jumped apart. I sat down immediately so
my shorts were no longer in view.

Nina’s cheeks could’ve started a fire. “I’m going to
get some food.”

She left, not making eye contact with either of us.

“Way to go, Jos.” I was pissed, but also ecstatic.
Nina was as churned up as I was. Excellent.

She waved a waffle in my face. “You be careful. If
this is just about sex, then go for it and have fun. But if you’re falling
harder than she’s falling for you… protect yourself. I love Nina, but I don’t
want her hurting you.”

I didn’t have time to reply. Nina slinked into her
chair, depositing an English breakfast in front of me.

“You got me food.” Why did that squeeze my heart and
wring it dry? Such a simple gesture, but damn it made me happy.

She smirked. “I doubt you want to stand anytime
soon.”

Joslyn burst out laughing.

I knew I should be embarrassed, but I wasn’t. I
threw her a grin and stabbed a sausage.

“So, what’s on everyone’s agenda today?” Joslyn
asked.

Nina fluttered her lashes my way. “I have some
ideas.”

Joslyn rolled her eyes. “Save those ideas for when
the sun has gone to bed. I’m planning on putting in a solid eight-hour-day on
my tan. You keen to be my fellow lying-on-a-lounger-lizard, Nina?”