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.
Chapter Eighteen
Nina
I lay on my net-swathed bed, staring at the fan oscillating in the rafters. It had been two hours since Liam dropped me off and dashed off to work. Who could work on this island was beyond me. My body had absorbed the sun and wanted nothing more than to chillax. Apart from when Liam was near, of course. Gone were my worries about people thinking I slept my way to the top. I didn’t care what rumours would say. It all seemed so insignificant.
Liam had wormed his way into my armour and fissured everything I thought I knew about myself. One, I wasn’t immune to chemistry, and two, Liam was the exact mix I needed to sizzle.
And now I was open to a physical relationship, Liam was the one holding me at arm’s length. If it were up to me swimming this afternoon would’ve turned into skinny dipping and other enjoyable activities. But he’d kept it chaste. Sweet. Innocent.
My stomach rumbled and I eyed the room service menu. I didn’t know if I could wait for our dinner date. Maybe I should hunt down Joslyn and see if she wanted to have a sneaky burger and watch some cable. What had she done with the rest of her day? Would she care if I’d been lip-locked with her stepbrother in one of the most romantic settings in the world?
The notes of music wafted in through the open door of my fale, teasing me with images of dancing with Nikolai. I pursed my lips the moment I thought about him. Liam admitted today that he wanted me, but only if he wasn’t stepping in the path of something. I didn’t like Nikolai like that. Did I?
Someone knocked on my door and I was wrenched from my thoughts. Groaning, I dragged myself off the mattress, gasping as I made eye contact with my visitor.
I winced, clutching the back of my neck as my vision went black. Large bright spots danced in front of my eyes. What the hell? Was I low in iron? I blinked and blinked, trying to coax vision to return. The pain in my neck didn’t subside, but slowly my eyesight replaced the darkness and orbs of light. Maybe the whiplash was worse than I thought?
A hand on my wrist wrenched me back to the present. “Nina. Are you okay?”
My heart thumped, and I dropped my arm, disrupting Nikolai’s hold. “Yes, I’m fine.” I blinked again. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “I hope you don’t mind, but I found out your room number.”
I gulped. Away from the pulse of music and flashing party lights he was even more attractive. Rougher around the edges than Liam, with a barely contained sexual edge that sent unwelcome awareness whizzing in my blood.
Nerves scurried over my spine. Nikolai’s in my fale and we’re alone.
I stumbled for a subject. “How’s the investigation going? Any news?”
He laughed. “Liam asked me pretty much the same thing. Are you so anxious to hear a bunch of technical terms and long-winded-paper-pushing jargon?” He leaned in; I leaned back. “It’s not a simple matter of saying it was ‘x’ that caused the crash. The CAA will compile a novel on the reasons why.”
Why did I feel like an idiot? “Oh.”
His smile softened. “Sorry. Just had a stressful day. I’ll let you know as soon as I do. Okay?”
Seeing as I spent the day at the waterfall, I couldn’t relate to stress. But I did know what he needed.
“You need to dance.”
His lips tugged into a grin; his shoulders relaxed. “Am I that obvious? Here I am bitching and moaning—my roundabout way of making sure you were still planning on dancing with me tonight.”
Guilt settled over my shoulders like fine gauze. “I eh, would, but I, um…”
Nikolai stepped closer, his gaze dropped to my lips.
My heart sped up, already thinking it was spinning around the dance floor. Even though I
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.
Chapter Eighteen
Nina
I lay on my net-swathed bed, staring at the fan oscillating in the rafters. It had been two hours since Liam dropped me off and dashed off to work. Who could work on this island was beyond me. My body had absorbed the sun and wanted nothing more than to chillax. Apart from when Liam was near, of course. Gone were my worries about people thinking I slept my way to the top. I didn’t care what rumours would say. It all seemed so insignificant.
Liam had wormed his way into my armour and fissured everything I thought I knew about myself. One, I wasn’t immune to chemistry, and two, Liam was the exact mix I needed to sizzle.
And now I was open to a physical relationship, Liam was the one holding me at arm’s length. If it were up to me swimming this afternoon would’ve turned into skinny dipping and other enjoyable activities. But he’d kept it chaste. Sweet. Innocent.
My stomach rumbled and I eyed the room service menu. I didn’t know if I could wait for our dinner date. Maybe I should hunt down Joslyn and see if she wanted to have a sneaky burger and watch some cable. What had she done with the rest of her day? Would she care if I’d been lip-locked with her stepbrother in one of the most romantic settings in the world?
The notes of music wafted in through the open door of my fale, teasing me with images of dancing with Nikolai. I pursed my lips the moment I thought about him. Liam admitted today that he wanted me, but only if he wasn’t stepping in the path of something. I didn’t like Nikolai like that. Did I?
Someone knocked on my door and I was wrenched from my thoughts. Groaning, I dragged myself off the mattress, gasping as I made eye contact with my visitor.
I winced, clutching the back of my neck as my vision went black. Large bright spots danced in front of my eyes. What the hell? Was I low in iron? I blinked and blinked, trying to coax vision to return. The pain in my neck didn’t subside, but slowly my eyesight replaced the darkness and orbs of light. Maybe the whiplash was worse than I thought?
A hand on my wrist wrenched me back to the present. “Nina. Are you okay?”
My heart thumped, and I dropped my arm, disrupting Nikolai’s hold. “Yes, I’m fine.” I blinked again. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “I hope you don’t mind, but I found out your room number.”
I gulped. Away from the pulse of music and flashing party lights he was even more attractive. Rougher around the edges than Liam, with a barely contained sexual edge that sent unwelcome awareness whizzing in my blood.
Nerves scurried over my spine. Nikolai’s in my fale and we’re alone.
I stumbled for a subject. “How’s the investigation going? Any news?”
He laughed. “Liam asked me pretty much the same thing. Are you so anxious to hear a bunch of technical terms and long-winded-paper-pushing jargon?” He leaned in; I leaned back. “It’s not a simple matter of saying it was ‘x’ that caused the crash. The CAA will compile a novel on the reasons why.”
Why did I feel like an idiot? “Oh.”
His smile softened. “Sorry. Just had a stressful day. I’ll let you know as soon as I do. Okay?”
Seeing as I spent the day at the waterfall, I couldn’t relate to stress. But I did know what he needed.
“You need to dance.”
His lips tugged into a grin; his shoulders relaxed. “Am I that obvious? Here I am bitching and moaning—my roundabout way of making sure you were still planning on dancing with me tonight.”
Guilt settled over my shoulders like fine gauze. “I eh, would, but I, um…”
Nikolai stepped closer, his gaze dropped to my lips.
My heart sped up, already thinking it was spinning around the dance floor. Even though I
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