Crashed into Love: Boxed Set (15 page)

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 liked Liam, I couldn’t deny how much I
liked Nikolai, too. He could dance. He was fun. He was simple in a no thinking
kinda way.

I couldn’t afford to let myself like two men. It
would be messy, dangerous, and just plain wrong.
Just come out and tell him.
“I have a dinner date with Liam.”

He took my hand, lazily twirling me. “I know. He
told me. He also told me he kissed you.”

What? Why the hell would Liam tell him that? Words
refused to be summoned as I let him spin me again.

“Liam’s laid his cards out. I think it’s only fair
if I do the same.” He stopped me mid-twirl so I slammed against his chest.

My hands came up to press against his pecs,
steadying myself. Beneath my fingertips, his heart raced.

“I like you, Nina. Ever since you moved me from that
God-awful seat on the plane, you intrigued me. Then when we danced, something
awoke inside me and I felt something for a woman for the first time in ten
years. That’s huge for me, and I’m not going to let you run into Liam’s arms
without knowing the extent of what I’m beginning to feel for you.”

Oh my God. The room breathed in and out as
claustrophobia clawed. Nikolai was lovely. I couldn’t deny the attraction I
held for him, but I’d told Liam only one man interested me on this island. I
couldn’t go back on my word. Not two hours after making it.

“Nikolai. Let me go.”

His arm dropped to press against my lower back,
swaying us into a sensual swing matching the long drawn out note on the breeze.
“Don’t you feel it? You can’t say there isn’t something between us.”

My body went into hyper alert; I trembled
involuntarily. Guilt followed hot on the heels of lust. How could I even think
of being with Nikolai like that? I wanted Liam.

Liam.

Where the hell was he?

I tried to untangle myself, but he dipped me. Our
hips meshed together and the thrill of the dance, the ache of needing to give
in, frazzled my nerves into a fever.

Nikolai groaned as he pulled me back up, agonisingly
slow so every part of me brushed against every part of him. “Kiss me.”

My breath came in little pants; my heart rabbited.
Kiss him?
Yes, go on. See if he kisses as well as Liam.

My eyes hooded as Nikolai titled his head closer.
Yes.
No. Oh God.

I jerked out of his clasp a millisecond before his
lips touched mine. Trying to gather my scattered senses that were strewn all
around my fale, I muttered, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Nikolai swiped a hand through his hair. “You’re
different, Nina. Ten years I’ve waited to feel again. Ten years is a long time
to be lonely. I thought I was ruined for the rest of my life, but you danced
into it. I need you to give me a chance.”

He reached for me, and I bolted back. My neck
spasmed, and my vision plummeted into darkness again. 

The hand-woven carpet caught me with a none too
comforting embrace and I laid there, half in the fale, half in swampy
blackness. Pain licked fire up and down my spine.

Voices came from nowhere:
Give it to her. Now!

You don’t understand. If we do… it might—

“Nina!”

Rough hands pulled me from the grip of
unconsciousness. I blinked. Nikolai’s furrowed brow and worried eyes came into
focus. Mist danced on the edges of my eye-sight, making it seem as if we were
encircled by fog.

He hoisted me against his chest. “You okay?”

“What happened?” My tongue was thick and
caterpillarish. I tried to push out of his arms, but he wouldn’t let me.

“You fainted. When was the last time you ate?”

I rolled my eyes. I knew I should’ve eaten. Stupid
low blood sugar. I had a tendency to get the shakes if I didn’t eat enough.

I gave Nikolai a guilty smile. “Not since breakfast.
I’ve been waiting for Liam to take me to dinner.” Big mistake admitting that.

Nikolai’s eyes narrowed. “So instead of dancing with
me you preferred to dine with the co-pilot?”

“N—no, it’s not like that,” I lied. It was like
that. Completely. I wanted to go with Liam over Nikolai. Did that make me a
terrible person? “I’m sorry.”

He rolled his shoulders, dispelling his frustration.
“Well, either Liam has forgotten about your dinner date, or he’s stood you up.”
He wrapped his arms around me. I held on tight as he hoisted me to my feet.
“I’m going to order you room service and we’re—”

“What’s going on here?”  A voice demanded from the
entrance.

I wanted to slither inside a hole and hide. Could
this get any worse? I was half-naked in Nikolai’s arms. I hadn’t changed from
my bikini I wore to the waterfall.

I cringed, looking at a livid Liam. “It’s not what
it looks like.”

Nikolai kept his arm around my shoulders even as I
tried to shrug him off. “I was here for her at a time you weren’t.”

Liam’s nostrils flared. “Don’t go there, Rivers.
Don’t you
dare
go there!”

My eyes widened as curiosity soared. There was
history between these two. What exactly?

Liam glared at me. His blue eyes howled with arctic
winds. “Nina… I thought you agreed to have dinner with me? What did I hear
about room service?” His face tightened with hurt.

It was a miscommunication. I should never have let
Nikolai in, let alone dance with him in my bikini. Fainting was my punishment
for being a slut.

Nikolai answered before I could. “You took too long,
Mikin. She fainted from hunger. Next time you tell her you’ll feed her, don’t
be late.” He squeezed my shoulder and let go. “I’ll see you later, Nina. I’ll
come by and make sure you’re okay.”

I didn’t say anything as Nikolai brushed past Liam.
“I’m not the bad guy here, Mikin. We both deserve to be happy.”

Damn, what was between these two? It had to be bad
with the way animosity thickened the air around them. Damaged feelings blazed
in both their eyes, pain, hurt—whatever happened scared them both. 

“I haven’t forgotten, Rivers. But I’m not giving you
Nina. You want her, then I’m going to fight. Like I should’ve back then,” Liam
snapped.

Nikolai didn’t look back as he left. Liam came to my
side and stood awkwardly. I hated I made him doubt my newly budded feelings for
him and stepped closer. He sighed heavily as his arms encircled me, and I
melted into him.

His body called to mine; I snuggled closer. His
scent, his flavour—everything about him was what I wanted. Nikolai didn’t
compare. How I could’ve forgotten that for a brief second was unthinkable.

“I’m sorry, Liam. I know you probably don’t believe
me, but I meant what I said at the waterfall. There is only one man I’m
interested in on this island.”

He rested his chin on my head. “Funny enough, I do
believe you. I just don’t trust Nikolai.”

That much was obvious.

“What happened between you two?” It had to be a
girl. My heart boycotted the idea Liam had been in love with someone else. I
wanted him to be mine.
Wow. I want him to be mine.
I never thought I’d
say those words, let alone so soon into a courtship.

He stepped away, deliberately ignoring my question.
“I have another idea. Rather than a restaurant, we’ll have room service, then
we’re going out.”

N
ina devoured her
cheeseburger the moment the waiter placed it on the small table located on the
fale’s balcony. Sitting close to each other, I took a bite of my own beef and
cheese, a smile on my lips as Nina closed her eyes and moaned.

“This is the best burger I’ve ever tasted.” She
smothered a fry in aioli before popping it into her mouth. “And these fries are
awesome, too.”

I swallowed my mouthful, wishing I’d ordered a beer
to chase it with. “I think anything would taste good if you fainted from
hunger.” Frowning, I added, “Do you do that often? Forget to eat?” I forced
myself to act normal, while trying to figure out if there was more to it than
she let on. Was she hurt from the crash? Was she hiding something?

“No, not too often. I tend to graze throughout the
day.” She munched another fry before continuing, “What with studying for my
license, my new job, dancing, not to mention life in general; I’m pretty busy.”

Being busy didn’t give her an excuse not to eat. I
shook my head. “You can’t let yourself get run down. How will you complete your
exams if you don’t take care of yourself?” The thought of her becoming any
slighter than she was squeezed my stomach. She was petite. Anymore petite and
she’d be a wraith. Plus, she needed to eat for brainpower. Flying exams were
hard—code, jargon. A scramble of terminology that turned any brain into whisked
eggs. And I wanted her to succeed. There was nothing more satisfying than the
day I earned my commercial pilot wings. She needed to experience that.

The rush of knowing I could fly myself anywhere was
the ultimate gift in freedom. I grinned; I couldn’t help it. It was the
happiest day of my life—the first ray of hope amongst my misery and guilt. I’d
made a promise to myself that day—I’d never give up on finding more happiness,
but it took me until this afternoon when Nina allowed me to kiss her in the
waterfall, to find it. Now, I had a new favourite moment in my life.

Memories of her taste and the pounding waterfall
behind us turned my blood into molasses. Shit, I shouldn’t have thought about
kissing her. Her lips drew me like an arrow to a target, and I couldn’t look
away as she took a sip of her apple juice.

She stopped drinking, cocking her head. “Is
everything alright?”

Did she have to play with her hair when nerves got
the better of her? She grabbed the curtain of silky, bronze locks, exposing her
throat. Her neck was white as the moon and as graceful as a flamingo.

My cock jerked and I leaned in fast, planting a kiss
right on her collarbone.
Oh God, she smells good.
I breathed in deep,
drenching my lungs in her coconut and honey scent.

She shuddered. “Liam…” Her voice lilted between
breathlessness and urgency.

My entire body reacted. Every cell sat up, denied
for so long, watching her from the shadows, nursing a burning passion for her. 

I kissed her throat again—an open-mouthed kiss so I
could taste her with a small lick of my tongue.

Her head fell forward onto my shoulder, her hands
clutching at my t-shirt hem.

All thoughts of eating exploded into non-importance.
I wasn't hungry anymore. Well, not for food at least.

I stood abruptly, jostling her off my shoulder.

Nina sucked in a breath. Her eyes swirled with blues
and blacks, and I was sure my own reflected a dark need swiftly growing out of
control. Gone was my self-imposed timeline of not rushing her. I’d wanted to
wait, to make sure she felt for me what I did for her. But seeing her in
Nikolai’s arms. In the bikini I brought for her.
Alone
. It lacerated me,
carved a hole in my chest leaving my breath oozing from my lungs.

I needed affirmation she told me the truth. She
wanted
me
. Not Nikolai. I needed to hear it from her body, not just her
lips.

“I need to go inside.” Would she understand what I
was asking? Could she hear the unvoiced urgency in my gruff tone?

Nina blinked. “Oh, okay.” Regret tinged her face. “I
guess I’ll wait here.”

I sighed, giving her a lopsided smile. Guess I was
too subtle. Holding out my hand, I tried again. “I want to go inside with
you
.”
All thoughts of what I’d like to do to her behind closed doors raced across my
face. “I
need
to go inside.”

Please, say yes
.
If she turned me down, I’d never live through the shame. I bet Nikolai would
swoop in at that exact moment and laugh at my failure to entice her.

My stomach somersaulted as she reached for me,
lacing her fingers with mine briefly. She didn’t say a word as she disappeared
into the fale.

My pulse roared in my ears, drumming with every
step. Hot, urgent, needy blood chugged through my veins, and I faltered. If I
took one more step over the threshold, I’d be a goner. There would be no
stopping what I felt for her.

That wasn’t the problem, though. I’d already
succumbed to my feelings. There were other things I’d planned to do tonight.
Important things—to allow Nina to get to know me better. To do something fun.
Not that fucking her wouldn’t be fun.
Listen to yourself, Liam. Somehow
you’re talking yourself out of sleeping with the woman you’re falling for.

The image of a half-naked Nina in Nikolai’s arms
batter-rammed me again. My self-control snapped in the wake of green-hazed
jealously and I stalked after her, slamming the door behind me.

I’d do everything in my power to make her forget the
engineer and his twinkle toes.

 Nina jumped as the door slammed. Her cheeks flushed
as her eyes dropped to the floor. 

My heart hiccupped. Every inch of me wanted to
protect her, to wrap my arms around her and never let anything hurtful or
dangerous happen again. I wanted to be her safe haven. The guy she could tell
all her fears and worries to, and give her an extra shoulder to bear them.

And I wanted the same from her. I wanted to tell her
what happened ten years ago; to watch with bated breath as I told her my
ultimate lifelong dream.

I wanted her to love me.

Nina stood frozen. Her hair wisped around her head
thanks to the gentle breeze of the ceiling fan. The soft glow of side lamps
shrouded her with shadows. She looked like a sea nymph sent from the waves to
tempt me.

Why the hell was there distance between us? I
rectified it by launching myself at her. Her eyes popped wide as I gathered her
into my arms. We didn’t say a word. Just stood there, drowning in each other. 

Slowly, she reached for my cheek, and my skin
detonated beneath her simple caress. Her fingertips trailed to cup my jaw,
catching on my day old stubble. She massaged my ear lobe before slinking her
hands into my hair, running her nails along the back of my neck.

I shuddered as every part of my anatomy clenched: my
abs, my thighs, my cock. Everything about me wanted this woman.

She stood on tiptoes, biting her lip, hovering in
deliberation.

I didn’t move a muscle. I was spellbound,
moonstruck, compelled.

Her lips landed on mine. I snapped.

Growling, I wrenched her hard against me. Her mouth
yielded to my fierce pressure and she quivered as I licked her tongue. The
sweet tartness from her apple juice intoxicated me as I grabbed handfuls of
hair, arching her back to kiss her harder. 

Harder.

Harder.

I wanted to kiss her with everything I had.
Everything I was. My sanity was close to splitting when she returned my kisses
with full force. Her body entwined with mine, her hands delved down my lower
back and into my board shorts, squeezing my ass, digging fingernails into my
flesh.

I couldn’t take it. I’d explode right there. She was
a hallucinogenic. A sensory overload. She’d drugged me and left me sex-crazed. 

Panting, nipping, kissing, licking, I grabbed her
around the waist and picked her up. Her legs whipped around me to squeeze my
hips. She bowed into me, causing fire to ignite in my shorts. The line of
gunpowder had been lit and everything inside me sizzled, waiting for an
impeding explosion.

Shuffling forward, the bed knocked against my knees.
I dropped Nina onto the sheets.

Her breath caught, looking up at me with endless
blue eyes. Her hair tangled on the bedspread, looking copper-black in the low
lighting. And her cleavage heaved, held prisoner only by triangles of her white
bikini.

I hovered over her, my breathing harsh and rattling.

Shaking, I reached for her, and swirled a fingertip
around her erect nipple visible through the material. 

I didn’t think she expected me to touch her there.
Her breath erupted from her lungs, neck arched. Her beauty stole all oxygen
from my body and left only one piece of me working.

Hooking my finger under the triangle, I pulled it to
the side, exposing her. Her nipple was tight and pink.

She bit her lip, panting. “Oh God, Liam. Your
touch….wow.”

Didn’t that make me glow. I blazed with happiness,
knowing I affected her.

Wanting to overdose on her, I bent my head and
sucked her nipple. My arms burned with keeping myself hovering above, but
keeping my body separated was the only way I could maintain a resemblance of
the man I was. One press into her hips and I’d be replaced by an alter-ego of a
horny teenager with no stamina.

Nina’s hands clutched my hair, pushing her nipple
further into my mouth.

Her skin was cool and slightly salty from the heat
of the day. I tried to stem the growl in my throat. She was mine. If Nikolai so
much as looked at her with interest again, I’d probably be escorted off the
island in handcuffs.

Rolling her nipple with my tongue, I reached behind
her neck and undid the string holding the top in place. It came away as easily
as silk. I feasted my eyes on her naked skin.

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

I crashed to my knees beside the bed, pulling her
hips closer. Before she could say a word, my mouth descended over her bikini
briefs, and I exhaled a hot, heavy breath right between her legs.

“Oh my
God,
Liam.” She writhed on the bed,
her fingers scrambling at the sheets.

I ran my hands along her thighs, over her hips and
up her waist, tracing her muscles, pressing delicate ribs as she arched.

“Can I?” I needed permission. I wanted to give her
something without taking anything in return. I wanted to show her I was giving.
Thoughtful. And so drunk on her I wanted to drink and savour and taste. 

She barely formed a sentence. “Uh huh…”

My mouth latched over her bikini again while my
hands went to her hips and the two white strings. With a sharp tug they both
came away.

I paused to gaze up at Nina. Her head was thrown
back, eyes squeezed tight.

Inching the material down her legs, my cock jumped
in my shorts. She was stunning. Her folds were soft and hidden, a glisten of
wetness that turned my roaring blood into a thundering waterfall.

I bent my head.

She froze as my lips hovered, so close to touching
her. Not one breath as she waited…

I paused as long as I could, drawing out the
anticipation, before my mouth descended.

In that moment, I belonged to her. My brain fogged
and nothing was more important than being on my knees in front of the woman
who’d captured my heart.

She melted into my touch. My heart packed up in that
instant and was lost in baggage reclaim, waiting for Nina to claim it.

I groaned as I licked and nuzzled. Closing my eyes,
I set a strong and steady pace. I wanted to lavish her with attention. It was
fitting being on my knees before her. She could break me in two if she turned
me away, and she’d never know what sort of spell she cast over me.

Running my hand along her calf, I hitched her leg
over my shoulder. I caressed upward until my finger found her heat.

She moaned loudly as I pressed inside her. Loving
the resistance, the tightness.

“Liam…” she whispered brokenly. “Please… I need…I
want you.”

The image of fucking her almost took me to the edge.
My mind swam with lust, and I licked her harder. My finger pressed deeper,
rocking in rhythm, matching my tongue.

Her breath came faster, her hands scrambled quicker,
stomach muscles quivering.

“Stop… come here,” she panted.

I didn’t obey and increased my tempo.

“Oh, don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

I had no intention of stopping. My hips jerked,
wanting to dive into her. Claim her.

With one last thrust, she bowed upright, shattering
around my finger. The clutch and release of her orgasm sent fire scorching
through my heart and into my groin. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk for hours
with how much I needed her.

Slowly, she returned to earth.