Crashed into Love: Episode Three (3 page)

“Come on. I have something I want to show you.”

B
utterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and any other creature with fluttering little wings lived in my stomach and heart. I couldn’t stop looking at Liam with wonder. He’d pleasured me. Touched me as if he’d known me forever and expected nothing in return.

Hair whipped in my eyes as we raced down island roads in the open-top roll cage of a jeep. I didn’t really care what we were doing at this point as long as Liam was by my side.

I hadn’t asked where we were going. I’d nodded blankly in my post orgasmic glow. My legs resembled melted candle wax; completely unhelpful thanks to my body being so languid and sated.

The soft glow of the airport appeared on the horizon, silhouetted with spiky palm trees. Feathery clouds hid the moon, while stars winked and glimmered. Why were we going to the airport so late at night? Then again, I had no clue what time it was. Time lost all meaning when my entire world had been shattered by a man’s tongue.

Heat raced over my cheeks, remembering Liam’s blue-black hair nestled between my legs. What a glorious sight he made with his ice-blue eyes blazing up at me. Watching me be pleasured. Relishing in what he did to me. He was a maestro and in that moment I was whatever instrument he wanted me to be.

Liam pulled up to the side of the terminal and switched off the growling jeep. “Ready?”

I breathed deep the tang of air-fuel and mechanical sharpness. I loved the smell of aviation and the airport sent familiar zings of excitement in my blood. It was a portal to exoticness. With one plane, the entire world was open to exploration.

“I’m ready, but for what?”

With a smirk, he jumped out of the car and came around to offer me his hand.

My heart did some serious swooning. Wasn’t he unsatisfied? Didn’t he want to sleep with me? I’d become desperate for him the moment he said he needed to go inside. I thought that’s where the evening would end up. Entwined in each other, locked in passion. Instead, he’d gifted me the best orgasm of my life and asked for nothing.

“We’re going to meet the moon.”

My eyes widened as I looked up into the star-dusted velvetness. “We’re flying?”

He nodded. “I’ve arranged to borrow a very old, and frankly, rather decrepit crop-duster. But it’s all fuelled and ready for a jaunt.” Nerves attacked him and the carefree, happy Liam was replaced with an anxious mumbler. “Of course, we don’t have to. It was just an idea… I can—”

I stepped into his arms, reaching up to press my lips against his. “If you think I don’t want to go on a date with you and see the stars, you’re nuts.” I stopped talking and kissed him, hard. His mouth opened beneath mine and the world swam. Everything around me paled when I was in Liam’s arms. It was as if he touched me on a deeper level. A level I didn’t even know existed. Somehow he’d awakened me and claimed me as his own.

A sharp burst of terror smashed my glow. I couldn’t let myself get so wrapped up in him. In five nights, we’d go back to reality. Island love, or whatever this blooming was, would die a horrid death, and I’d be forced to work with him. This couldn’t be real. Could it? Could something so mind-bendingly perfect happen so soon?

If it was real, how should I react? I liked being in control of my own destiny. Having a say in how and when I achieved my dreams. When and whom I’d fall in love with. Power over my own life was a huge thing for me. Hence why my father had disowned me. And if what I felt for Liam was true? Then, it proved I was powerless.

But realistically, did I have any power to begin with? It was fake. I didn’t decide to almost die in fire and pain. Liam and Anderson denied death and now every day was a bonus.

Did I really want to go back to who I was? Scared of silly work rumours and denying myself happiness, just because of what others would think of me? I’d stunted myself.

It seemed so juvenile. Petty. Unimportant.

It didn’t matter how I became a pilot or any other stupid trivial worry. It boiled down to finding a partner to brave the tide with. A soulmate who weaved into the tapestry of life. The perfect other half that made me
more.
Just more in every way.

Liam smiled so bright I swear he trapped a star between his teeth. “Come, my little co-pilot. Tonight you show me your skills.”

He swiped an identification badge at the side gate riddled with barb wire and official signs warning of nasty penalties if we were unauthorised.

I totted beside Liam, unable to stop smiling.

We rounded the corner of the building, and I had to swallow my squeal of excitement. Liam was right. The plane was ancient, dinged, scruffy, and looked like it had suffered one too many local typhoons. But it had wings and an engine and promised an evening in the endless starlit yonder.

A fleeting moment of fear made me pause. The last time I flew, it ended rather horribly. Was I brave enough to go above the earth again? Knowing we were at gravity’s mercy whenever it wanted to tug us back down?

Liam squeezed my hand. “If you’re wary about flying again, I totally understand. We don’t have to. Maybe I didn’t think this through.”

I shook my head, battling with the weakness of fear. “How do you feel? Aren’t you struggling with the same apprehension?” After all, he was the one who had to fly the ruined machine.

Liam pursed his lips. “I can’t explain it. I’m wary, of course. But…” He looked up to the sky, murmuring, “If you’re anything like me, you’ll understand completely when I say I live and breathe up there. Gravity is my nemesis. I can’t stay away too long. Regardless if it’s what kills me one day.”

He was totally right; I did understand, and my chest squeezed. If I had to die, I wanted it to be doing something I loved, with a man who wanted to fly me to the moon.

“Let’s go then.” I yanked him toward the crop-duster.

He laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you couldn’t wait to get me locked inside a stuffy cockpit.”

Butterflies flurried in my stomach again. If I wasn’t careful, I’d take off just by the wings he caused. I gave him a sly smirk. “Was I so obvious?” How could he sound so anxious about me wanting him? Wasn’t it obvious how much I did after today? After he’d touched me.

He still wore a shroud of uncertainty which was endearing as much as it was annoying.

Giving me a grin, he headed toward the plane. Removing the chocks in front of the tyres, he laughed. “Theo told me once how you were almost arrested for not using proper etiquette on the radio frequency.” His eyes met mine as my cheeks blazed.

“He told you that?” How horribly embarrassing. Theo had no right either. That was my dirty secret. I didn’t want him telling people, especially Liam, how much I sucked at the beginning. I didn’t know how serious the aeronautical industry took protocol. No chit-chat allowed, certainly not about a recent episode of
The Big Bang Theory
.

“He also said you’re heavy on the pedals, yaw all over the place.”

Liam ducked, laughing, as I swung at him. My cheeks were a furnace, but I saw the humour, too. “I can’t believe he told you all of that.” I pouted.

He caught me around the waist, pressing against me. His hips connected with mine. I froze.

Liam’s eyes softened. “I love hearing about you.” He nuzzled my neck, whispering into sensitive skin. “You’re not a pilot unless air traffic control has told you to be careful on the frequency. Hell, I forgot the phonetic alphabet when I took my final exam. The only thing I could think of for F was fellatio.”

My lips quirked. I could only imagine how that would’ve gone down with air traffic when instead of hearing ‘foxtrot’ for F, they got asked for a blowjob. Talking of blowjobs. I owed him one after tonight. My mouth watered at the thought of seeing him naked. Touching him. Why were we at a deserted airport and not in bed?

Need unfurled, hot and furious. I pushed Liam against the side of the battered plane. His eyes widened as his back connected with the fuselage, and I pounced on him. He was a fair bit taller than me. I had to crane upward to kiss him.

He groaned as I pushed my tongue into his mouth. We both shivered as I rubbed against him.

He reached down and grabbed me by the butt, picking me up. I wrapped my legs around his hips as he spun around, crushing me against the plane. Now that was sneaky. I was the one who wanted to be in control this time. Once again he was the one with power over me.

He rained kisses down my throat. I writhed against him, pulsing with pleasure as I rocked against hardness. At least I affected him as he affected me.

I licked his neck, loving the saltiness and smell of male. Shifting in his hold, my hand inched between us, moving south.

His breath caught in his lungs as my hand latched around what I was looking for. Heat instantly boiled through the thin material of his silky board shorts.

My God, he’s big.

My fingers couldn’t wrap around him; he was as hard as a joystick. His erection jumped in my hand, and if he wasn’t holding me up, I would’ve melted just touching him. I’d never grabbed a guy so brazenly before, but instinct took over. I stroked him with tight fingers. Coaxing from tip to base.

“Fuck.” Liam’s voice was tight, gravelly. He buried his head in my neck, pressing himself harder into my hand. His biceps bulged in his white t-shirt as he held me upright, pressed against the plane. If only I was still wearing my sarong and not shorts. I would strip Liam of his clothing and push him inside me. The pleasure he’d given me at the hotel was nothing compared to the need I had.

I pumped him again. Relishing how his hips jerked into my hand with each caress.

He groaned as I increased friction. “Nina. You’ve… got to stop. We’re on… a runway. Who knows… who’s watching?” His voice caught, eyes flashed with blue fire.

I didn’t want to stop. Holding him like this made him mine. If I let go he’d no longer be.

With a tight jaw, he moved his hips away. I strained to keep hold of his erection, but he dropped me to my feet and kissed me gently.

This guy had the self-control of a saint.

“Will you let me pleasure you like you did for me?” I asked, wetting my lips. I’d never been so drunk on the thought of sucking a guy off. But Liam was different. I wanted him in my mouth, just like I wanted him in me. I wanted to
claim
him.

He clenched his teeth, pressing his forehead against mine. “I can’t believe you just asked me that, and we’re in a fucking airport with no privacy.” He nipped at my throat. “You can do anything you want to me. But first, we’re going flying.”

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, I was harnessed inside the smoky-and-mildew-laced interior of the Samoan crop-duster.

Liam smiled, his finger hovering over the ignition button. “Ready?” His teeth flashed white in the night. Not waiting for my answer, he flicked on the engine. The plane vibrated at such a violent pitch, my boobs wobbled. I missed my corset and boning. “Take her up, Nina.”

My eyes flew wide. “Are you sure? I don’t mind letting you take off.” In fact, I wouldn’t have minded as I could’ve gawked at his prowess over a flimsy machine; watched as he fought a battle against gravity and won by splicing through the air.

“No, go ahead. You hold your PPL. The entire reason we’re here is for me to watch you.” He leaned back, linking hands behind his head, grinning. The posture tightened his t-shirt against his pecs and wafted me with fresh cinnamon.

Damn, my concentration was non-existent. My hand still had a phantom imprint of his hot male hardness, and I wrapped my fingers around the joystick in front of me, trying to stop the urge to reach over and touch him again.

It was second nature to put my feet on the pedals that controlled the rudder. It was the only way to steer when on the ground. Pushing the throttle higher, the engine screamed. We shot into movement.

Crushing my lip between my teeth, I manoeuvred us from the docking bay and onto the runway, making sure the nose of the plane was dead centre with the white strip. In the darkness, I couldn’t make out the gorge marks from our crash. Just as well since my stomach might rebel and leap out of my body.

I put on my headset and turned to the correct frequency.

A crackled, bored voice came over the hissing headphones. “Air traffic control, Faleolo International Airport.”

“Whiskey, alpha, niner, ready for takeoff. Awaiting your go ahead,” I stated our registration firmly. My hands shook a little. I always hated this part. I had no idea why talking to a man on the air freaked me out so much.

“Wind knots at twelve miles per hour, north east. Easy does it. You have permission.”

I eased the throttle higher, following the tarmac to the wide open blackness, illuminated by blinking white lights.

“Whiskey, alpha, niner. Ready and waiting.”

“Approved. Open skies in front.”

I stole a look at Liam. He was relaxed, head resting against his seat, watching me with a huge grin and bright eyes. The look he gave me zapped life into my heart.

Looking back at the runway, I pushed the throttle, smiling as the thrill of speed increased inch by inch. The wheels ate the tarmac faster and faster until the throttle was pressed to maximum. Gravity released its hold on us, and with a swoop that repositioned my stomach into my feet, we were airborne.