by MJ Fredrick
Three Days, Two Nights
By MJ Fredrick
Nathaniel Reis screwed up. He put his career as an air force pilot before his marriage to Tess, and wound up divorced. Now that he’s left the service, he has a plan to fix things, if only he can get her alone for a few days.
When Tess misses her flight to a corporate retreat, Nat’s there with his island-hopper plane and a plot to get stranded in paradise thanks to “mechanical problems.” But his plan goes awry when a storm blows them off course and they have to make a real emergency landing—and not on the island where he’s stashed supplies.
Tess is furious. She’s anxious to get to her retreat, and away from Nat. She’s even angrier that being so close to him arouses her in a way she hasn’t been for a long time. Rescue can’t come soon enough, but in the meantime, she’s going to have to trust Nat to keep her safe. Even if she’s in danger of falling for him all over again.
19,000 words
Dear Reader,
What do you get when you cross summer with lots of beach time, and long hours of traveling? An executive editor who’s too busy to write the Dear Reader letter, but has time for reading. I find both the beach and the plane are excellent places to read, and thanks to plenty of time spent on both this summer (I went to Australia! And New Zealand!) I’m able to tell you with confidence: our fall lineup of books is outstanding.
We kick off the fall season with seven romantic suspense titles, during our Romantic Suspense celebration in the first week of September. We’re pleased to offer novella Fatal Destiny by Marie Force as a free download to get you started with the romantic suspense offerings. Also in September, fans of Eleri Stone’s sexy, hot paranormal romance debut novel, Mercy, can look forward to her follow-up story, Redemption, set in the same world of the Lost City Shifters.
Looking to dive into a new erotic romance? We have a sizzling trilogy for you. In October, look for Christine D’Abo’s Long Shot trilogy featuring three siblings who share ownership of a coffee shop, and each of whom discover steamy passion within the walls of a local sex club. Christine’s trilogy kicks off with Double Shot.
In addition to a variety of frontlist titles in historical, paranormal, contemporary, steampunk and erotic romance, we’re also pleased to present two authors releasing backlist titles with us. In October, we’ll re-release four science fiction romance titles from the backlist of C.J. Barry, and in November four Western romance titles from the backlist of Susan Edwards.
Also in November, we’re thrilled to offer our first two chick lit titles from three debut authors, Liar’s Guide to True Love by Wendy Chen and Unscripted by Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz. I hope you’ll check out these fun, sometimes laugh-out-loud novels.
Whether you’re on the beach, on a plane, or sitting in your favorite recliner at home, Carina Press can offer you a diverting read to take you away on your next great adventure this fall!
We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press
www.carinapress.com
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Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Chapter One
Nathaniel Reis walked out of the hangar and tossed aside the chamois cloth as he watched the blonde cross the asphalt, her stride confident regardless of the uneven pavement and her ridiculous high heels. Despite the business suit, despite the knotted blond hair, he could see the woman he’d fallen in love with ten years ago.
The woman who’d left him last year. The woman who had no idea she’d hired him to be her pilot.
Yeah, she was going to be pissed.
He stepped out of the shadows and saw the exact moment she recognized him. Her foot in her high heel twisted, the suitcase she rolled behind her bumped into her heel and she snapped her shoulders straight. He thought for a moment she’d turn and walk away, but she’d always been too stubborn for her own good.
He was ready to benefit from that for a change.
“Tess,” he greeted. Then all the smart remarks he’d thought to say when he came up with his plan evaporated as he looked into those familiar green eyes. Her lush mouth tightened in a frustrated line.
“You.” The word came from the back of her throat. “Please tell me you’re not my pilot.”
He bowed deeply, sweeping off his grimy gimme cap. “At your service.”
“I’m going to kill Carl,” she muttered, turning away to yank the wheel of her suitcase out of a pit in the pavement.
Nat hid a smile. Carl, her assistant, had helped him set this up, arranging for her to miss the flight to the resort island with her colleagues, then finding her an alternative means of transportation—Nat’s commuter plane.
She glared, eyes bright with anger, and if he wasn’t mistaken, unshed tears.
“I was given to understand time is of the essence.” He leveled his voice to a soothing tone, the sight of her tears as unnerving as always. “No time for you to go with someone else if you want to get to the island for your corporate retreat.”
She rocked back on her heels and folded her arms. “I suppose you’re the only pilot on duty.”
“I am.”
She clenched her jaw and looked around. Her gaze fell on the lone plane on the tarmac, his single engine baby, restored by his own hands, and she tensed further. He hadn’t thought it possible.
“Tell me that’s not our plane.”
“You hate it when I lie to you.”
Her gaze snapped back to his and a touch of guilt niggled when she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. She never had cared for flying. But she popped the lip out again as if unwilling to let him see her fear. She never had let him see her weaknesses, not until they overwhelmed her and it was too late. Hell, he hadn’t known how miserable she was in their marriage until she’d walked away. Her haughty expression returned and she flicked her gaze up and down the length of his body. He waited for something to warm her eyes—attraction, memory—but too much ice buried her emotions.
She squared her shoulders. “Right. How soon can you be ready?”
He spread his arms. “I’m ready now.”
Her eyes widened just a bit at his cargo shorts and stretched-out T-shirt, the cap, the unlaced boots. He’d put a lot of thought into how he’d greet her. If he’d walked out wearing jeans and a nice shirt, she’d know something was up. Maybe he’d overdone it the other way.
Apprehension lodged in his chest. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe nothing of the woman he loved remained. He’d ruined the carefree girl she’d been, soured their relationship, allowing her to become invisible. Was there anything left to salvage?
Still, he’d put too much time into this plan to back out now. He’d waited—maybe too long—until his business was steady before he’d gone to look for her. He didn’t want to wait any longer. If the plan didn’t work, he’d bring them back here and let her go. But if he didn’t follow through, he’d always wonder.
“At least change your shirt,” she urged.
She’d never cared so much about appearance before, and the change in her gave him one more twinge of regret. “No one at your resort is going to know who I am.”
“I’ll know. Please, Nat. Is it really too mu
ch to ask?”
He resisted the urge to strip off the shirt right in front of her. She was already teetering on the edge of her temper. Now was not the time to push her over, not when she could still walk away. Instead he nodded once and walked back into the hangar.
Tess Bonner drew her suitcase to an upright position and leaned briefly on the handle, hoping to settle her shaking legs. She’d recognized him the moment he stepped out of the shadows, though this was the last place she expected to see her estranged husband.
He looked amazing, too, relaxed in his T-shirt, cargo shorts and hiking boots, scruffy stubble along his jaw, his hair only slightly longer than he’d worn it in the service. His hands were stained with grease and scraped as if he had to work hard to keep his plane in working order. What had brought him here?
She shut the thought down. Nat couldn’t be her concern anymore.
She should have trusted her instincts. When she saw the letters NR together, she still thought of Nat, so BANR Airlines had given her pause for a moment. After all, Nat had joined the Air Force to become a pilot. But he’d been an Air Force pilot, a lifer, with a military-is-God attitude. She never thought he’d own his own airfield, not here in Florida. The military had formed him into the perfect man to work for a big airline. He loved rules and regulations.
She never thought he’d actually leave the military. He’d loved being a pilot, loved training new pilots. What had changed since she walked away?
How ironic that he seemed to be living a carefree life now, and she was the one following rules.
Nat returned with a pristine white linen shirt over his T-shirt that made his shoulders look huge and set off his tan. He hadn’t looked so good in years, and for a moment she savored the heat rushing through her as she remembered his body sliding against hers, over hers, in hers.
At least the trip to the resort was short. Once he was out of sight, he’d once again be out of mind.
Right. She hated when he lied to her, but had no problems lying to herself.
Chapter Two
“Nat! Oh, God!” Tess gripped the handle above the window of the plane and pressed her head against the back of the seat as far as she could. She wanted to close her eyes but was afraid to give up even that much control. Instead she watched the muscles in Nat’s arms bunch as he fought with the yoke.
Rain lashed against the windshield, streaming in odd patterns, illuminated by flashes of lightning. The little plane was tossed by the wind and God knew what else. She felt like a kernel of popcorn in a popper.
“Don’t worry,” he said through gritted teeth—the strained expression enough to make her worry. “I’ve got her under control.”
Impossible. He could no more control this plane than she could direct a feather in a windstorm. As if to verify her suspicion, the engine sputtered, and her heart along with it.
The mood in the plane shifted and she glanced over to see Nat’s jaw tense, the lines around his mouth drawn.
“Is your seatbelt on?” he asked, pointlessly. When had he known her not to fasten her seatbelt?
“Y-yes.”
“Good, because it’s going to be a bumpy landing.” He pushed the yoke forward and the nose of the plane dipped down toward—please, God—land.
Nat wiped the rain from his face and looked at his plane, sitting crooked on the beach, one wheel snapped beneath her, the corresponding wing touching the sand. He’d tried to spare Tess what he could. The storm itself hadn’t been a total surprise, but its intensity had been. Worse, it had blown them off course. He was pretty sure they were on the wrong island.
And now he’d scared the hell out of Tess, who sat shivering in the plane, watching him through the windshield with wide eyes.
Shaking off the rain, he strode back to the plane and hauled himself in.
“How bad is it?”
“There’s some structural damage. Can’t take off because the wheel’s snapped, and even if we could take off, I’m not sure we could fly straight. The broken wheel has the plane tilted.” He held up a slanted hand to demonstrate. “The only reason we haven’t rolled further is because the weight of the plane is leaning on the wing over here. If we don’t remedy that, it will damage the wing.”
“So maybe we should get the weight off the wing.”
Her willingness to solve the problem surprised him, though it shouldn’t have. The woman he’d been married to had always looked for solutions. At least until she stopped looking for one for their marriage. “All right. You want to ditch those high heels first.”
She nodded. “Can you step out of the plane? I want to take off my hose as well.”
“Sure.” Not like he hadn’t seen her bare skin before—not like he didn’t hope to see it again soon—but if it put her at ease after that landing, why not?
He swung out of the plane and turned his back until he heard the door open and the sound of her feet hitting the sand. He glanced past her to see stockings on the seat behind her, the sexy thigh high kind, and took what felt like a kick to the chest. Who the hell was she meeting at the resort that made her choose to wear those? Carl hadn’t said anything about a man in her life, and he’d known Nat’s intentions. Maybe he hadn’t known about a new love interest. Jealousy at another man touching her ran side by side with guilt. Was he taking her away from someone she loved? But jealousy pulled ahead and outstripped guilt for the win. He shrugged out of his drenched linen shirt and tossed it on the seat over the hose.
“What are we going to use to prop up the strut?” She focused on the wing, digging her bare toes into the damp sand and flexing those gorgeous calf muscles.
He inclined his head to the tree line at the edge of the beach. “There’s a dead tree over there. Let’s see if we can drag it over.” His gaze flicked to the lemon yellow suit she wore. “You’re going to get dirty.”
“I didn’t pack any tree-dragging clothes,” she retorted. “Let’s just do this.”
As they walked across the beach, she said, “So you radioed for help, right?”
“I sent our last known coordinates and put out a distress signal when we lost altitude.” He nudged her shoulder with his as they approached the fallen trunk. “Move over.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to kick it over and make sure there are no creepy crawlies there.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Unless you want to find out when you pick it up.”
She stepped back and swept her hand in a gesture that told him to feel free. He kicked and part of the wood disintegrated under his boot. A number of six-legged creatures scrambled out. Tess jumped back with a squeal, rubbing at her bare legs when the sand kicked up to tickle them.
“Oops,” Nat said.
“Oops,” she repeated.
He scanned the area, hands on his hips. “Yeah, we need something else.” His gaze settled on the thicket of growth off the beach.
“Wait here,” he said.
Tess jumped forward at that. “Oh no, you don’t.”
He was not leaving her alone out here. She grabbed his arm to stop him before he took two steps into the mini-jungle. Wow, definitely not slacking in the workout department. She dropped his arm and stepped away when he looked down at her. “You are not leaving me out here by myself. Do you even know where we are?”
He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Not exactly.”
“Then you don’t know what’s out there. It could be anything.”
“And it could be help,” he pointed out.
Hope floated to the surface. “Do you think so? Then I’ll come with you.”
He looked down at her bare feet. “Well, you can’t go like that and I can’t see anything else out here that’s going to keep that wing off the ground. Go back to the plane. I’ll be out in a bit.”
“And if you’re not?”
He winked. “Then you’ll be rid of me once and for all. Go ahead, wait in the plane.” He turned into the jungle.
She watched until he disappeared before returning to
the plane.
And her imagination went into overdrive.
What if he got bitten by a snake, or eaten by a crocodile? What if someone dangerous lived on the island, someone who didn’t like trespassers? What would she do on this island by herself with no radio and no GPS?
Did airplanes have door locks?
Crap, crap, crap. Nat trudged into the undergrowth and with each step it became more and more clear—this was the wrong island. Nothing looked familiar, the bushes were thicker, vines overran the path, and worst of all, the supplies he’d stashed earlier this week were not here. So no hammock, no air mattress, no champagne, none of the supplies he’d tucked away for his seduction.
Thank God he’d packed the condoms and bottled water in the plane.
He’d spent weeks planning this out, working with her assistant so she’d miss her plane, arranging to be her replacement, and the damned storm had ruined it all. The past year he’d regretted not going after her when she had left, but he hadn’t been able to walk away from his duty, not when so much shit was going down overseas. And after Mike was hurt and Nat decided not to reup…well, he couldn’t exactly go to her empty-handed. He had no desire to sit around on his ass, like his brother who had two kids and let his teacher wife support him, or his father, who only worked when the unemployment payments ran out. No, he was going to go to Tess with something, so he’d hooked up with Brandon, who’d needed another pilot and an influx of cash, and he had a partner.
Now, seeing how successful she’d become, he was afraid he’d underestimated what he needed to do to win her back. Maybe his walking away from the service, even owning his own business wasn’t going to be enough to convince her he was ready to put her first.
He found a rock that would prop up the strut and hefted it. At least the strain of carrying it took his mind off how he was going to win Tess back now.
