by Jade Hart
Nikolai on the other hand was easy and fun. One night with him would equal burned calories and sweat. Not scorned feelings or tears. I’d take option two any day. Not that I had any calories to burn—a few biscuits didn’t constitute as dinner. I made a note to order something before I went to sleep.
Nikolai came back, holding out his hand. “Ready to shake your tail feathers?”
I looked behind me, pretending surprise. “Feathers? I don’t have feathers.”
He reached around and pinched my butt.
I slapped his hand away. He captured it instead, laughing. “Was that a yes?”
“If you keep your hands off my butt, then yes.” I cringed at how excited my voice was. I hoped the crew were so knackered no one left their rooms. I wanted to purge myself on the dance floor. To let loose with Nikolai. Dancing was private; I didn’t want my colleagues to see.
Nikolai jerked his hand and the inertia spun me onto the dance floor. My dress fluttered around my legs, and I relaxed for the first time since I boarded the plane.
My heart was high in my chest thrumming with the beat, and my hips swayed to the tempo. I didn’t want safe and virginal tonight. I wanted fierce, passionate dancing. Something that left me panting and my feet screaming in my heels.
I think Nikolai felt the same. The look he gave me wasn’t tame like it was last night. His jaw was set, eyes trained on my lips. He grinned tightly, showing perfect, white teeth. He tugged me to slam against his chest; musky body spray and freshness encased me.
His hot hand branded my lower back as he pulled me even tighter. We moved straight into a Merengue sway. My thighs burned as I followed his lead. My mouth parted as areas of our bodies brushed.
I didn’t know this man, at all. And I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to. All I needed from him was a good swing.
As the music melted into me, I tried to place the beat. It wasn’t one I’d heard—a Lambada but with an island undercurrent. It conjured images of palm trees and teal oceans mixed with Mardi Gras and mayhem from Rio de Janeiro.
Nikolai didn’t let up the pace and spun me countless times, occasionally hooking my leg over his hip to grind to the beat.
I was in my element, laughing sultrily as he bent me backwards, running a hand down my throat, chest, and stomach as I dipped. His fingertips left a trail of fire in their wake.
The songs all merged into one, and we were both panting hard by the time we stopped for water.
The guests and wait staff clapped as we took our seats. I was so caught up in the song, I hadn’t noticed we were the only ones on the dance floor. Oops.
“You’re a great dancer, Nina.” Nikolai said, once he’d chugged back two glasses of water from the bottle we summoned over. “Where did you say you learned again?”
Ah, that was sneaky—asking again. I hadn’t told him the first time when he’d asked.
Wiping my forehead from excess sheen, I answered, “I was lucky enough to catch the eye of an instructor at one of the local dance studios.” Lucky my ass. The prick. “He told me he’d teach me for free if I entered competitions with him. Apparently, I was a natural.” He was a two-timing scoundrel, and I should’ve seen him for what he was and not blinded by the glamour of dancing. I shrugged. “So I accepted.” And got my heart broken. The end.
“Did you dance in a lot of contests?” Nikolai leaned forward, his elbows on the table; the breeze mussed his hair a little.
I dropped my eyes. I didn’t like to brag, but every contest I’d been in, I won. However, I never knew if it was because of my talent or jerk-ex’s. “A few,” I muttered. “My teacher was very good. I was lucky.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. He was right. You are a natural. You listen to your body and aren’t afraid to go with the way you’re feeling. To abandon your thoughts and give in to what your body wants. That’s rare to be able to switch off and just… be.”
I blushed, waving to take the limelight off me. “What about you? You’re pretty good yourself. Where did you learn?”
“My family has always danced. My mom taught Salsa part-time at the local school and was in a few competitions, but she stopped when she married my father as she didn’t want to make him jealous.” He laughed. “Of course, then Dad felt guilty she stopped so he learned, even though he had two left feet. They’re a good partnership now.”
“Nina?” Liam appeared behind Nikolai’s shoulder with Captain Anderson. They were both in casual gear: t-shirts and shorts, and looked ready for a beer.
Oh crap on holy fire.
“Liam,” I stuttered.
He gave me a tight smile, but his eyes zeroed in on Nikolai. “Nik. I thought you were working tonight.”
They knew each other?
Nikolai gave me a look. His eyebrows knitted together as he tensed. “I was going to, but Mack advised it would take longer than they thought to move the wreck. So, I caught a cab.” He smiled, tipping his head. “Evening, Anderson.”
The Captain grunted. His skin was taut and green eyes wish-washy. “Glad to see the engineering department is already on it. I’ll be interested in reading the report.” He focused his attention back to his co-pilot. “We gonna get that beer, Mikin?”
I swear Anderson wobbled a little. My eyes narrowed. Should I call the hotel doctor?
Liam had trouble wrenching his gaze off mine. “Uh, yes.” Life came back into his face and he nodded hard. “Definitely. Dying for a beer.” Shaking Nikolai’s hand, he added, “See ya around, Nik. Have to have that drink another time, seeing as you’ve got company.”
Nikolai didn’t have the grace to look embarrassed, but I sure did. Heat scorched my cheeks as Nikolai muttered, “Sure, another time.”
Liam frowned. “Yeah, fine.” His eyes fluttered to mine, but he spoke to Nikolai. “Just out of curiosity, how do you know Nina?”
I gulped. Wonderful. I’d come across like a slut if Nikolai told him we’d only met twice, and half of that we’d been bumping and grinding. Stop blushing.
When Nikolai just shrugged, Liam looked hard at me. “Nina. Can I have a word with you, please?” There was sweet sincerity all over his face. The only problem was, I could see past his ruse. He was anything but serene; his jaw clenched, hands curled.
I didn’t know what to do. I retaliated, “Should you be having a beer with your head injury?”
Anderson’s gaze whipped to Liam. “You didn’t tell me you were hurt.” His voice wasn’t the usual firm pilot I knew. There was something definitely not right with him.
Liam shot me an angry scowl. “It’s nothing. A bump. That’s all.”
I stood, unable to stand the tension between Liam and Nikolai. I refused to be in the middle of a man sandwich, believing they had a claim on me. Plus, I couldn’t fathom dancing in front of Liam. “Right, well, I’m tired. I’m leaving.”
Nikolai raised his eyebrow; disappointment clouded his eyes. “You sure you have to go?”
Liam straightened, sucking all my awareness into his vicinity. How did he do that? How did every part of my body turn into crackles of lightning, full of electric tingles and jagged white power when he was near?
I sighed, forcing myself not to look at Liam. “Yes. It’s been a long day. Sorry.”
Nikolai swiped a hand through his hair, sending musky body spray my way. “I understand. Shall I meet you here, same time tomorrow?”
Before I had time to filter my answer, which I really should’ve done with the way Liam glared at me, I said, “Absolutely.”
Absolutely?
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 sle
ep 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.”
