Coffee and Cockpits (19 page)

When Liam finally broke contact, I whimpered. Mortification replaced all the happy, hot feelings inside. Did I really just whimper? Oh God.

“Nina, I need to tell you something.” He dropped his eyes, but didn’t relinquish his hold on me.

Icy dread filled me. This was the part where he told me he wasn’t really interested, or any other manner of heart-shattering things. I gulped. “What exactly?”

“I needed you to want me to kiss you, as I’ve been wanting to do that for a very long time.”

I frowned. “As in the three days we’ve worked together?” The timeframe seemed a little extreme to say he’d been waiting a long time.

He shook his head, grimacing. “Not exactly.”

Fear choked me. Why did guilt etch his face? “Tell me. What is it?” I tensed, bracing for the worst.

“I’ve had a crush on you for almost a year. More than a crush, actually.”

Air exploded from my lungs. “What do you mean?” The water lapped our bodies and it seemed odd to have such a serious conversation in the middle of a waterfall.

Liam sighed, rivulets of water cascaded down his shoulders. “Ever since I knew you flew with Theo, I wanted to know the woman who had such drive. When I managed to get your name out of him, I searched for more about you. A few months later, I found out you were on the same training course as my stepsister. Imagine my luck when I learned you were friends.”

I cocked my head. “So you kept asking about me because you fancied me?” A small pulsate of hope blossomed in my chest.

“Not quite.” He smiled awkwardly. “At first I wanted to know the girl who fought so hard for her career. But when Joslyn started sharing funny stories about you and what a caring friend you were, I fell a little more each time you were mentioned.”

Fell? My heart kicked my ribs. Was it true that Liam, the unattainable pilot, was
falling
for me? My lips ached to kiss him again. To respond to his admission with a declaration I was falling for him, too. At least he had an excuse—he knew me. From friends and underhanded tactics, he grew to know me by passing comments. I had no excuse. I was teetering closer and closer to the edge of no return the more time I spent with him.

“Liam I—” I wanted to tell him how happy he made me. How much I wanted to learn about him. Find out the secrets he guarded in his blizzard-blown eyes. 

But he pressed a finger against my lips to silence me. “I didn’t tell you to rush you into bed, or try and manipulate you. I wanted you to know the truth. Nina Poppins, I’ve liked you for almost a year, and it means a lot to me for you to grow to like me, too.” He swallowed. “I’m willing to wait for you. After watching you with Nikolai last night, I don’t know if you like him or not. I don’t want to come in the middle of something. But you have to know, I won’t back down without a fight.”

Laughter bubbled in my chest, but I swallowed it back. He thought I liked Nikolai? Sure, he was a nice guy and could dance, but that was all he was. A dancer.

Trying to make him understand, I said, “What you saw on the dance floor wasn’t real. When I dance the projection of lust and sex is shown through the steps and music. It’s what happens when people who are passionate dance together.” I pressed closer, creeping nervous fingertips along his exposed hip-bones. “Believe me when I say you’re not interrupting anything.”

He muttered something under his breath.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

His skin puckered with goose bumps under my touch and I was desperate to taste him again. To transform his worry into gooey-eyed happiness.

“I said it sure didn’t look like it was just a dance from where I was standing. Nikolai wants you.”

I snorted. “That’s the illusion of dancing. Watchers believe we’re madly in love with our partner. Sometimes, for a split moment, you believe it yourself.” My voice drifted as I recalled being in Nikolai’s arms. How strong he was. How confident. He’d jerked me against his hardness before flicking me out for a spin. Hang on—was there a bit too much hardness in his pants than strictly necessary for dancing? I brushed the thought away.

Liam stared deep into my eyes. “You
do
know he has the hots for you.”

I shook my head. “No, but if it’s true, then I won’t dance with him again.” A surge of confidence took over my motor control, and I swam against his chest.

His arms wrapped around my slippery skin to stop me from floating away.

“I’m only interested in one man on this island.” And I meant it. Completely.

Liam’s lips twitched as I pressed mine against his.

W
e arrived back at the hotel not long after our swim. The horizon turned dusky with a tropical storm on the horizon. My headache faded, but it left me weirded out. Perhaps Nina was right, and I should get it looked at.

We drove into the car park. I left the engine idling as Nina clambered off. Her hands rested on my shoulders for balance, and my skin clenched. The kisses we’d shared were imprinted on my very existence. Every moment with her was better than I could’ve imagined. And who would’ve thought it—I’d found a flaw to the faultless Nina: she was a hopeless swimmer. For some reason, knowing she wasn’t accomplished at everything made me relax a little. It still didn’t help knowing she danced as well as Nikolai and fit into his embrace perfectly, but I was the one to kiss her. So take that.

Nina was my Kryptonite. I never thought I’d become so besotted by someone so fast, nor stoop to the levels I’d gone to find out things about her. But every kilo of guilt was worth it. She liked me, too.

“Aren’t you coming into the hotel?” she asked as she rearranged her bikini top, jiggling her boobs in the process.

My mouth went dry. As much as I didn’t want to say goodbye, I had work to do. The thought of leaving her was hard. What if she started thinking about what I’d said? She accepted me at the waterfall; it didn’t mean she couldn’t change her mind. If she had time to think, she might re-evaluate and categorize me as a stalker after all.

Damn plane investigation.

I reached out, caressing her cheek. “I have to speak to operations. They want regular updates on the engineer’s progress, and the Civil Aviation Authority arrives today to oversee the investigation.” That meant going to the airport and seeing Nikolai again. Awesome. Not.

Disappointment shone in her eyes which made my heart do some silly stutter. She’d miss me.

“Oh, okay. No problem.” She turned to leave; my fingers dropped from her cheek. I had every intention of letting her go, but my hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. With a sharp tug, I jerked her back. She landed in my lap. Her ass fit snugly against the one place she shouldn’t touch. Not yet, anyway. I wanted her to know me, and she had a lot of catching up to do.  Holding the motorbike up with my legs, I wrapped my arms around her. “One goodbye kiss.”

Her lips tugged into a shy smile and my breath caught. Eyes-locked, I kissed her. She tasted of fresh water and temptation. Her lips parted, and my arms squeezed tighter as her tongue darted into my mouth. My eyes snapped closed as I threw myself into her. She moaned as I massaged her tongue with mine.

It was true what people said: that there was one perfect person—a soul mate. I never believed in such flowery stuff, but kissing Nina was unlike kissing any other girl. She fit; even without learning each other’s preferences and quirks. She kissed me as if she’d kissed me all her life.

My thoughts disintegrated, and she became the focal point of my everything. Why was I leaving again? Work? Screw work. I’d much rather hold her hand and stroll on the beach, or sip a cocktail while watching the pending storm chase the last tendrils of sun into hiding.

But I had to go.

Not only would the CAA expect me there, but I was an obsessed idiot who needed to reign himself in and get a grip.

She sighed as I broke the kiss and pushed her upright.

“Can I see you tonight? Dinner perhaps?” My way of subtly making sure she wouldn’t see Nikolai.

Her face brightened. “Sure. Dinner sounds great.” Giving me an endearing wave, she disappeared up the lobby stairs.

Sighing like a lovesick fool, I revved the bike and darted out of the hotel grounds.

I didn’t fancy being cooped up in a car when I could zoom wherever I wanted. Not that it was a fast bike. I doubted the Honda would excel above sixty kilometres per hour.

The airport was a lonely building as I pulled up and parked. As I made my way toward the hanger, I was struck by the eerie quiet. I wasn’t used to being in an airport without the bustle of coming and going. Samoa really was a small island. Idyllic, but quiet enough to appreciate the slow ebb of island living. It was a place I could live. I enjoyed flying, there was nothing I would rather do, but I didn’t like traffic or stress of city living.

In fact, that was my dream—to move away from chaotic cities and live as life intended: with a good woman, great food, and a job I loved. There was also another fantastical element to my dream that I hadn’t shared with anyone. Even Joslyn.

Maybe I’d met the one person I
could
tell. My goals all hinged on whether the woman I ended up with loved me enough to be part of it.  

“Liam. Fancy seeing you here. Again.” Nikolai looked up from probing a dismantled piece of landing gear. Everything was tagged, catalogued, and looked like the man went ballistic with fluorescent post-its.

My eyes darted to the Boeing. It was a morbid science experiment, complete with oily puddles of airplane blood and chunks missing as if someone didn’t know when to stop wielding a scalpel. The dissection was in full swing.

Ah, the CAA had arrived.
I counted three official-looking men in high-vis jackets huddled around the stripped engine. I didn’t know why they were looking at the engines, they weren’t what failed. How come I hadn’t been interviewed? Why had no one asked me what happened? How else would they know to look in the right area?

Turning to Nik, I asked, “When did the bigwigs arrive?”

He scribbled something on his clipboard; his writing looked like an octopus squirted ink all over the page. How anyone could read his scribble, I didn’t know.

“About two hours ago.”

“Why wasn’t I called? Isn’t it protocol to interview the crew before viewing the wreck? Aren’t we supposed to be sworn to secrecy and warned not to speak to the media?” Not that I had any intention of blabbing.

Nik shrugged. “Guess they haven’t got to you yet.” He made eye contact, his shoulders tensed. “What did you do today?”

I crossed my arms. “What’s it to you?”

“Did you see Nina?” Jealously flashed in his brown eyes.

Good. I was glad he was jealous. It meant he viewed me as serious competition. Not that there would
be
a competition.  Nina wasn’t a carnival stuffed toy ready to be claimed by whoever could thump their chests the hardest. Plus, she said she chose me. I just didn’t quite believe her.

“Yes. I kissed her, too.”

His nostrils flared, and he clenched his jaw. “I’m seeing her tonight, you know. You heard her agree to dance with me.”

Animalistic possessiveness took hold at the image of Nina in Nikolai’s arms, dry humping on the dance floor. “Not if I can help it. She agreed to have dinner with me.” Maybe I’d have to do something drastic like piss in a circle around her and mark my territory.

He snorted. “Dinner over dancing? There isn’t any choice to make there, Mikin. You think you know her, but you don’t. Dancers are different. We flock to rhythmic-like people. I bet you Nina is far deeper and saucier than you think.”

Hearing him call Nina saucy did odd things to my insides; twisting, coiling things that hissed with the need to punch him.

Changing the subject before I broke my knuckles against his teeth, I said, “I’m going to talk to Ops. Do you have a report for me?”

His eyes narrowed. “Nope. And I’ve already talked to Ops. They know the deal, so no need.”

He didn’t have authority on whom I could and couldn’t call. “I’ll speak to them anyway.”
Nice way to come across as an argumentative brat
. Not saying goodbye, I disappeared into the small office and shut the door in his smirking face.

I couldn’t fall into the trap of competing for Nina’s affection, that wouldn’t end well, but I’d be damned if I let him walk all over me. If his skillset was dancing; mine was flying.

Rather than call Ops, I made a new plan: find Mack, the air traffic controller, and see if I could commandeer a plane.

Nikolai could give Nina a dance floor. I could give her the sky.

Let’s see who enticed her more.