Turbulent Waters (Billionaire Aviators Book 3)

by Melody Anne

  Nick showed his ID card, and they were allowed inside. That familiar feeling of euphoria filled him as they drew closer to the base of operations. His leg twitched, and without thinking, he reached down and touched it. He wanted to fly, wanted to serve. He didn’t want to admit he wasn’t ready.

  Nick led Chloe to a parking space and then was even more frustrated when he needed Chloe’s help to get out of the car. Her kindness in trying not to be obvious about it was nearly his undoing.

  “It will get easier, Nick,” she promised him when he finally managed to get to his feet.

  “Logically, I know this, but I don’t do well with limitations,” he admitted.

  “You’re doing much better than most of my clients would be at this point,” she told him.

  “I appreciate the words, but they’re just that. This injury isn’t going to continue to beat me down,” he grumbled. Chloe didn’t respond, and he realized he was being an ass. “Sorry,” he added.

  “You don’t need to apologize, Nick. Why don’t you tell me what a normal day is like for you here?” she said.

  “Are you trying to get my mind off my pathetic situation?” he asked with a laugh before slinging an arm around her shoulders.

  “You’re touching me again,” she pointed out.

  “You should be used to it by now,” he told her, not removing his arm. She laughed as he led her inside the large building. More progress, he thought.

  “So are you going to tell me what you do here, or do you just stand around looking pretty?” she asked as they moved farther inside the building where Nick could hear the familiar chatter of crew members.

  “You think I’m pretty?” he said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

  “You know you’re pretty,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

  “Ah, now I’m blushing.” She glared at him. “Fine. It’s not all that exciting,” he told her. “I’ve been at this station for eight years. Usually, a pilot moves every four years, but since I’ve gone up through the ranks quickly, I’ve been able to stay here close to my family, which is important to me. I have done some time up in Kodiak, which is a whole other ball game. When I’m looking for excitement, I love to go there.”

  “What’s the difference?” she asked.

  “Extreme weather, for one thing,” he told her.

  “You’ll have to tell me of some of your experiences there,” she insisted.

  “I can’t divulge it all to you at one time,” he said. “That way you’ll stick around longer.”

  “I’m here for as long as it takes to do the job,” she said.

  “Spoilsport,” he said. They moved closer to the command center, and Nick felt a stirring deep inside. He wanted to be on duty. “This is killing me a little. I miss work,” he admitted.

  “I know it’s hard, but you’ll be back soon. You’re already making great progress,” she assured him.

  “Most days it’s uneventful. I work about eight twenty-four-hour shifts a month. We’re not awake that whole time, but we have to be ready to launch within thirty minutes of a call, so we’re always on alert,” he said.

  “That’s sort of scary . . . that you’re flying in bad weather right after waking up,” she pointed out.

  “We’re used to it,” he assured her. “I usually get about thirty hours a month flying time with different missions.”

  “What are the missions?” There seemed to be something more behind her questions, but Nick was taking it all in and someday soon he would have it figured out. For now, he was happy to just answer.

  “Some are training missions, scouting flights, rescues. It just depends.”

  She was about to say something else when his captain spotted him and grinned, walking over to the two of them.

  “What are you doing down here, Nick?” he asked as he stepped up and shook Nick’s hand.

  “I can’t get enough of this place. You know that, Cap,” Nick said.

  “I’d enjoy the time off if I were you,” Captain William McCormack said.

  “I’ve never been good on my ass,” Nick said.

  Both men laughed. Nick glanced down and saw a look in Chloe’s eyes he didn’t understand. She seemed confused. He was about to ask her about it, but she turned away from him, shutting him out.

  With his captain there, he couldn’t ask her about it right then. He was determined to get to the bottom of it later.

  “I was going to give Chloe a tour of the base, maybe take her out on a boat ride,” Nick said. Chloe looked back up, excitement lighting her eyes. It had been a last-minute idea, but apparently it had been a great one.

  “The boys are getting ready to go out on a practice run. I think we could get you two on board,” William said. Chloe practically bounced on her feet next to him.

  There was more than one way to impress the girl, he thought. He should have thought about wowing her sooner with his Coast Guard suaveness. Maybe he’d gotten knocked in the head a bit harder than he’d originally thought. But now, more than ever before, he was determined to break through the good doc’s defenses.

  They moved through the base, and Nick felt sweet anticipation in the air.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Chloe was almost as giddy as a child as Nick helped her zip up in an official Coast Guard wet suit. Though it was a practice run, they took it seriously and wore full gear. She grinned at Nick as the two approached the large boat they’d be going out on. Nick was sore, she could see it by the way he was favoring his good leg.

  “We can go back, you know,” she said, trying not to show the disappointment in her tone.

  “Are you afraid?” he asked with a wink. His hand lingered near her neck and a tremor washed through her. Nick looked so damn good in a wet suit that she was sad to see it covered by the large life vest that he placed over it.

  “Not at all, but I’m your therapist, and I can see you’re hurting,” she said.

  “I promise to sit while on the boat,” he assured her.

  Chloe was too excited about going out on the water to fight him any further. She knew she should, but as they reached the boat and she looked at the beautiful red-and-white vessel, she assured herself she’d done her best to stop him.

  “Welcome aboard,” a man said as he held out his hand to assist her.

  “Thanks so much for letting me come along,” she said, trying to contain her excitement.

  “Your first time?” he asked, grinning.

  “Back off, Jed, she’s mine,” Nick said with a scowl.

  “It’s not every day we get such a pretty passenger. Doesn’t hurt to try,” the young man said before he laughed. He then led them to the front of the boat.

  “What was that?” she asked Nick when the young man left them.

  “You have to realize that the crew are a bunch of horndogs. You’re going to be flirted with left and right,” he told her, his frown still in place.

  “You’re exaggerating,” she said. “And I don’t belong to anyone,” she told him. There was no way she was allowing him to get away with that one.

  “We’ll see,” he said. The frown fell away, though, as he reached out and took her hand. She tugged against him, but after a moment, gave up. She liked how her hand felt in his a bit too much. She pushed down the feelings of betrayal to her family.

  For this moment, she could have an enjoyable time. She knew she needed to be asking questions, trying to find information on Nick, but the bottom line seemed to be that all the men seemed to like and respect him. He also held the regard of his captain and the other people at the base. Everyone had seemed happy to see him. It appeared she was the only one, at this point, that knew an investigation was under way. She also knew he’d soon be getting served. Would that change how people were going to react to him? Would it make a difference to him? She wasn’t sure.

  They moved out into the water, and the wind whipped through Chloe’s hair as she enjoyed the calm waters and the conversation between the men. She was trying to think of que
stions she should be asking him, but she didn’t want the moment ruined.

  The radio began to crackle, and Chloe heard official-sounding chatter that had all the men onboard coming to attention. Nick stiffened beside her, and Chloe glanced up in concern.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “It appears the training has just gotten aborted. A 911 call just came in from a recreational boat caught aground in a low tide,” he told her.

  “That doesn’t sound too bad,” she said.

  “No. But the sea is unpredictable, and things can change on a dime. We’re rerouting to the location to help. It’s probably nothing, but a lot of people who own boats don’t know the first thing about safety. If someone gets knocked out or panics, they can get swept out to sea,” he said. “We take it all seriously.”

  “I’m sorry.” He was so anxious. This was another clue that just didn’t add up. Nick did not seem like a man who would be careless about the safety of his men.

  “I want to help,” he said with a frustrated sigh as he gripped his sore leg.

  “You will again,” she said before cringing. If her father gained the right evidence on him, he wouldn’t be helping anyone ever again. He’d be locked up behind bars. That somehow seemed wrong to her. How many heroes were truly out there in the world? Chloe would guess the number was surprisingly small.

  The Coast Guard boat sped through the water, and Chloe remained where she was with her eyes glued to the area. Finally, she saw the small boat, half submerged with what appeared to be two adults and two children on deck. They were waving their arms frantically as the water tugged against the craft, seeming determined to spill it over.

  “We can’t get in there. The water’s too shallow. Those rocks are too close to them, and I’m afraid they’re going to get hurt if we don’t get them out soon,” one of the men said.

  “Call the helicopter in. We’ll stay here,” the captain told them before picking up a megaphone and calling out to the frantic people of their plan.

  Chloe couldn’t tell if they were happy or not about the situation, but as their tiny boat drew closer to the rocks, their panic seemed to escalate. It seemed forever before she heard the engine of the helicopter overhead as it drew closer.

  Everything happened with such precision. Chloe was utterly fascinated. A man was lowered from the helicopter that hovered high above the wrecked boat. He dropped down on the deck, and the two young children reached for him, wrapping their arms around his legs. It looked to Chloe liked he smiled at them before kneeling and saying something she assumed was reassuring.

  A small dog jumped up against the Coast Guard’s leg, and he reached down and scratched its head while he spoke to the parents. The boat shifted and the woman fell down. The Coast Guard quickly assisted her up before waving his hands at the chopper above him, giving them a signal.

  A basket began lowering from the chopper, the wind tugging on it, but it made a smooth descent. The kids cowered behind their parents’ legs as Chloe watched the event continue to unfold.

  One of the children and the family dog got in the basket, and it slowly ascended back into the helicopter. Chloe found herself holding her breath until it reached the safety of the chopper. Once they secured the child and dog, the basket lowered again and the smaller child and mother went up next.

  They took the father last, and then the Coast Guard rescuer ascended. Chloe watched as the chopper flew away. She turned back in time to see a wave hit and the boat get shattered against the nearby rocks.

  “That was too close,” she whispered to Nick.

  “Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds whether a person lives or dies,” he told her somberly.

  “How do you do this so calmly?” she asked.

  “It’s my job. If I panic, it does no one any good,” he told her. He seemed even more tense as his gaze followed the chopper until it was out of sight.

  “You really miss flying,” she said. She almost felt sad for him.

  “Yeah, more than you know,” he said before turning his gaze away from the sky. “It just feels good to be out there, to save lives.”

  “Why a helicopter and not a boat?” she asked.

  The boat they were on turned and began heading back to the base. The training session was cancelled entirely as the sea was picking up turbulence. They wanted to get her and Nick back to the base.

  “I went to flight school and knew from the first time I took a helicopter up in the air that that was all I wanted to do. There’s no way I would be happy sitting on my ass day after day. And though I love boating, the rush I get from flying is incomparable,” he told her.

  “What made you choose the Coast Guard instead of something else like the Army or even a civilian job?” she asked.

  “My oldest brother chose to fly for an airline, which didn’t last long,” he said. “He’s too much of a control freak, and though he loves to fly, he soon had to own his own company so he could have the best of both worlds. My other brother, Maverick, flies for the Marines, and I wanted to do something different. I wanted to help people instead of try to destroy them or cart them around,” he said with a shrug. “Flying is in our blood. My dad and uncle both flew. For my uncle, it was as much a passion as it is for my brothers and me. For my dad, it was more of a hobby.”

  “Was the job hard to learn?” she asked. These weren’t the questions she should be asking him. She should be trying to delve into that night her brother had died, but this was what she wanted to know, even if she didn’t understand why.

  “Yes and no. There is a lot you have to remember to protect your crew. Each flight has two pilots, and it takes us both. Weather is extreme. It might be beautiful one moment and low visibility the next. Washington gets a lot of fog and a lot of unpredictable storms. Most people don’t check a weather update before heading out to sea. It’s not that they’re stupid, it’s just that they’re inexperienced. I think there should be far stricter boating laws, but that’s just my opinion. My brother always tells me if I want to get into the politics of it, then I should run for office.”

  “Have you thought about doing that?” she asked, surprised.

  “Not a chance in hell,” he said. “Can you imagine me in a monkey suit?” He grinned at her.

  “Yes, I can, actually,” she said, almost able to envision it. He would look mighty fine in a three-piece suit.

  “What is your favorite thing about being a pilot?”

  He hesitated as he looked out at the water. She liked that he was considering the question. “I suppose part of it is knowing I have a skill that most people don’t. I can fly a helicopter through the worst of weather and reach someone who is otherwise unreachable, and therefore save their life. I’m not doing it alone and we don’t always win, but when we do, it’s a euphoric feeling unlike anything else,” he admitted.

  “I’ve heard pilots have God complexes,” she said with a laugh.

  “You’ve heard right,” he told her with a wink. All of this should make her distance herself even further from him, but it was making her have respect instead. He seemed so honest with his answers. She was growing more and more confused.

  “Is there anything you don’t like about being a Coast Guard pilot?” she asked.

  “Nope. Nothing,” he told her.

  “Will you ever do anything else?” What would it do to him if he weren’t able to do the job, she wanted to ask, but she feared that would lead to suspicion on his part.

  “Definitely no. This is more than a job, it’s a calling. I’ll be here until I retire, and I won’t retire without kicking and screaming. The new kids will come in, and I’ll be an old crotchety man,” he said with a laugh.

  “I somehow can’t picture that,” she told him as the boat docked at the base and she stood up.

  “With the way I’m walking now, it’s easier than ever before to picture it,” he said with a laugh that didn’t have any merriment in it.

  After a long bout of good-byes, they made it
back to Chloe’s car. She was silent on the return trip to his house. The day had given her far more questions than answers, and she was even more confused than she’d been on the first day she’d arrived.

  She feared it was only going to get more difficult the longer she was with this charismatic man.

  CHAPTER TEN

  After their trip to the Coast Guard base Nick had thought things might change with Chloe. He’d felt her opening up to him, but after their return, he’d watched her retreat again. Several days passed with him trying to speak intimately with her. She avoided conversation with him. That look in her eyes of concern and confusion seemed to grow day by day. He was determined to find out why.

  The woman was incredibly good at avoiding his questions and his advances. Tonight, if she was able to resist his charm, he might be left with no choice but to throw in the towel and accept defeat.

  The sun was several hours from setting. After their late-morning session, she’d told him to rest up for a walk they’d take later. He’d been too amped to rest, but at least it had given him time to get done what he’d wanted. With a favor called in to his brother Coop, he had a picnic waiting down on the dock. He was going to give the woman a night of romance.

  Waiting by the back door with her jacket on his arm, he once again glanced at his watch. She was taking her time getting there, he thought, but she was well worth the anticipation of her arrival. He was sitting on the back of the couch because he needed to maintain all the energy he could in his weaker knee. He had much more pleasant activities planned for him and Chloe than a simple walk.

  When the door to her room shut, the click sent a shot of adrenaline through him. It was showtime, and Nick planned on it being an all-night event. Chloe entered the room with her typical aloof smile in place, and Nick responded by grinning at her.

  He was satisfied when her steps faltered for just a second before she approached.

  “How’s the knee feeling? We worked it hard today,” she said. She kept her distance. He held out the coat, giving her no choice but to move closer. She did so with hesitation.