Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom

by Magda Alexander

  The way he felt lately, he couldn’t blame anyone for looking at him that way. Still, he longed for that sense of normalcy.

  “I wish I knew what to do to help you sleep more.”

  “It’s better with you here. When I do sleep, I’m more content knowing you’re next to me.” He kissed her cheek. “I worry how you sleep through my yelling and moving so much.”

  “No need to be so worried. I sleep just fine. The only time I wake up is when I hear you yelling.”

  “I wish they’d go away. The dreams, I mean.”

  “So do I. Have you thought about talking to someone about them?”

  “I talk to you.”

  “Not what I meant. I mean-Well, someone who might be able to help you through it.”

  He tensed. “You think I’m crazy, too? Is that it?” Oh hell, where did that come from? Becca wouldn’t turn on him like that. They stopped by the passenger side of the car and she whirled around to face him.

  “I never said that! I just-I don’t know, Hunter. You’re going through a lot, there’s been so much happening in the past few years. I just thought-” She shook her head and sighed. “Nevermind.” Her tone was quiet, filled with hurt.

  Damn it, he’d snapped at her for no reason. What did he have to go and mess up a perfectly good day for by being an ass? He quickly set the bags down on the cracked pavement. “Hey. Look at me.” He raised his hands to her cheeks and rubbed then gently with his thumbs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Just the thought of having to rehash all this with someone-I don’t know. I don’t like the idea, but you’re probably right. For once, I want to be the man without such a past. I don’t always want it to affect me like this, and yet it does. Twenty years is a long time. I won’t forget my family’s memory, but sometimes, I want to forget the pain. I know if I keep going down this road without facing it, somehow it’ll only get worse before it gets better.”

  Becca looked him square in the eye. “I get that, you know I do. That’s why I suggested it. I never meant for it to be anything else. I told you the first time and I’ll tell you again. I don’t think you’re crazy, but I do think you’re stressed. You came to the island to get a break, but you’re still just as tense as when you first got there. You’re tired, irritable and it scares me, especially because while I can understand your feelings, listen to you talk, and hold you when you need comfort, there’s not much else I can do for you.”

  “That’s a lot you’re doing!” Hunter protested.

  She shook her head. “From where I’m standing, it’s not. Or at least, it doesn’t feel like it. I want to do more. I want to take your nightmares away. I know I can’t, though. I’m powerless in that regard.”

  Hunter leaned forward and kissed her lips. “I love you. Again, I’m sorry for snapping. I don’t know if I want to go down that route by talking to someone because I don’t think it’ll help, but I promise to give it some thought. What I want most of all is to have all these unanswered questions solved and for you, Sienna and I to be together. A family.”

  Becca smiled. “One of those I can help you with. I want to be with you more than anything. We’ll take it all a day at a time.”

  A car honked nearby. Becca and Hunter turned to see a red Chevy truck, the driver waving at them to move with a cross look on his face.

  “Oops. Guess we’d better get out of his way and get out of here. You have your camera? I know a nice open area nearby. We can see about testing out your new toy with the upcoming sunset.” Hunter picked up the bags, then unlocked the door for her. She climbed in and pulled the door closed. Hunter carefully placed the bags with the frames in the back behind him before he plunked himself down in the seat and started the engine.

  “I love the idea!” Becca buckled her seatbelt, sending him another excited grin. “I’ve been reading through the guide that came with the camera and there’s so many neat features I can’t wait to mess around with.”

  Whew. So he’d smoothed things over this time. This could not keep happening though. Why did he have to keep snapping and getting defensive, specially with her? He took Becca’s words to heart. He needed to do something about the constant nightmares, but what? Was talking to someone about them really the answer? He’d noticed he’d been much more on edge the past few weeks, and it only seemed to get worse. If he was going to make things work with Becca and have Sienna at home with him, he needed to do something.

  They drove in silence to the open field.

  The clouds were in perfect position on the horizon tonight for a bright and colorful sunset. Becca looked like a pro already, standing in different locations as she snapped photo after photo. As the day’s last rays of colorful light faded away, she finally stopped, put the cap back over the lens and packed her camera away in it’s bag. She made her way to him with a smile.

  “We picked a good night for a sunset, didn’t we?”

  “Sure did. I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with this camera. I still can’t believe you went and bought me one!”

  He shrugged, playing coy. “As long as you’re enjoying it.”

  “I am, very much.” An airplane from the nearby small airport took off, startling Becca. She watched it go higher up in the sky. “I had no idea we were so close to an airport. Is your plane here at this one?”

  “It is.”

  “Is your plane the one you use when you work?”

  “No. Mine is real small. It carries less than ten passengers. I use one of the company’s planes. Mine is more recreational.”

  She glanced over in the direction the plane took off from, then faced him. “Can we go see yours?”

  Well, that was unexpected. “Are you sure?” he blurted. Yeah, nice answer, idiot. But she’d thrown him for a loop.

  “I don’t want to fly in it, not right away. You did mention you’d take me on it, let me sit and get used to even being around one. We’re not far from yours, so I figure why not?” Her voice trembled slightly, but she sounded fairly certain.

  He was glad she didn’t want to fly right now. The idea of taking a spur of the moment flight didn’t appeal to him at all. Letting her get comfortable with the plane, he could do. That would be easy. He brushed her hair back before kissing her forehead. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty Four

  “Hey, Hunter! It’s been a while!” A short, plump man wearing a security uniform waved ecstatically at them as he led Becca to his plane. “Taking a night spin?”

  “No sir, not tonight. I’m just showing my girlfriend the plane this evening.” He had his arm around her and at the word girlfriend, he gave her right shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “Arthur, I’d like you to meet Becca.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you, Becca.” Arthur held his hand out, his smile warm and friendly. “Hunter speaks so highly of you, but he’s never brought you around. I was wondering if you were imaginary.”

  She laughed and held out her hand to shake his. “I can assure you I’m very real.”

  “Good. I’d hate to think he’s paying you so we all would finally believe that such a woman existed.” He let out a hearty laugh that made his belly shake. “Just giving Hunter a hard time. We all enjoy a little picking around here. He’s no exception. Wait till I tell Dan that I met the infamous Becca.”

  “I had a feeling you two were taking bets,” Hunter chuckled. “How much does he owe you?”

  The man’s cheeks turned a little red, his grin widening. “You’re good, man. He owes me fifty bucks. But, I’ll have to take a picture of you two in case you don’t bring her by again. He’ll want concrete proof.” His tone was hopeful.

  Hunter shook his head, still smiling. “The things I do for you crazy old-timers. You have nothing better to do than take bets on my life, huh? What do you say, Bec?”

  “I won’t be the reason he doesn’t earn that fifty dollars. They want a picture? We’ll give them a photo to remember.” She smiled over at Arther, who already had his phone out. She w
inked and turned to Hunter, cupping his face and leaning in for a kiss. She closed her eyes as the flash of the camera lit up and her lips met Hunter’s.

  “Ha, love it!” Arthur pumped a fist in the air. “I’ll take that fifty and take my wife out for the night. She’ll enjoy it. Seriously, it’s wonderful to meet you, Becca. We might pick a lot, but Hunter here is a good man and it’s nice to see him happy. Always had a feeling one day you two would end up together.”

  Becca smiled. Just how much did Hunter talk about her? Apparently a lot! “It’s great to meet you, too.”

  “Now, if you’re done making me a just slightly embarrassed, I’m going to take Becca to see the plane.” Hunter fist bumped Arthur.

  “Go on, have fun. Don’t be a stranger.” Arthur waved them on. Hunter grasped Becca’s hand and led her away.

  “Embarrassed, hmm?” Becca teased. Then she laughed. “Funny how they’re taking bets about me being real or not. Do I want to know what you say about me?”

  “Hey! Only the best.” Hunter feigned hurt. “See what I mean though? Everyone around me knew I was in love with you. It took me a lot longer to realize it.” They stopped in front of a small plane.

  Becca sucked in air and her knees buckled. Planes. Dang it, she hated planes. But this had been her idea.

  “Angel, we don’t have to do this, you know.” Hunter must have sensed her hesitation. He gently touched her shoulders, keeping her steady.

  “No, I think I do. I don’t want to always be so afraid of them,” she said firmly, squaring her shoulders and mentally scolding herself. She inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times. She could do this. They weren’t going in the air. She was just sitting and exploring. That’s it. One step at a time. If she could never fly again, then at least she had to say she tried. She wasn’t a quitter. This was her starting point.

  “All right. Here we go then.” Hunter opened the door to the plane and helped her up. She stood inside now, on shaky legs. She swallowed hard. Oh man, she was really doing this. Stepping on a plane after twenty years! Hunter pulled himself up and now stood by her side.

  “You okay?” he asked softly, pulling her into his arms.

  “Honestly? I’m not sure. I don’t know how I feel yet about being on a plane even if we aren’t taking it in the air.” Her pulse quickened.

  “Just take it easy. Deep breaths. You say the word and we’ll get out of here.” Hunter planted a kiss on her cheek. “Let’s get some light in here.” He moved away from her. She could see his shadow and heard him shuffling around. Then came the light.

  Becca took in her surroundings. On each side of the plane were seats. She counted eight of them. Four on each side. She recalled sitting by the window that night. When the lightning hit, she recalled the brightest flash. She cringed and fought to breathe. What had she been thinking?

  No. Don’t go there. I can do this. I can. It’s just a plane.

  Just a plane? No. It was more than that. A plane had the power to take her whole world and turn it upside down. It had changed everything about her life. Everything.

  Okay, but anything could do that. A car. A bus. A train. A building for that matter.

  She could do this.

  “Angel,” Hunter said from behind her.

  She shrieked.

  “Hey. It’s okay. Come here.” He pulled her back in his arms. “I went through the same feeling. It gets better. Remember, it’s your pace. Whatever you need, I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe.”

  She knew he would. He always had.

  “How many times did it take you just sitting on a plane to get past the fear?” she asked. Her throat was so dry. She wished she’d asked to pick up a bottle of water or something before doing this.

  His deep green eyes met hers. “Thirty-seven.”

  The number and the certainty in his voice struck her as odd.

  “Each time the memories eased, a little at a time. I’d climb up and sit in different seats. I even climbed in the cockpit a few times. I’d freeze. I’d feel sick to my stomach. I wanted to yell and scream and put a hole in the plane for what I felt, what I lost. But I fought those feelings down, pushed myself to get past them. The last time before I felt okay, I brought two pictures with me. One of you, and the only one I have of my parents. Now I carry those pictures in my wallet all the time.”

  “You only have one picture of your parents? You never got to go and get things from where you lived?” She hadn’t either of course, but then for whatever reason, her grandparents never wanted to go there. They’d sent someone to deal with it. She never understood why.

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t even know what happened to the house or anything in it. Back then, I never really thought about that stuff, you know? I just accepted that I had to live somewhere else and never thought about getting anything from home. Hell, for that matter, I don’t even remember why we were on the plane in the first place. I do remember I wanted to be at some kind of sports camp and wasn’t happy that I didn’t get to go.” Hunter gestured to the seats. “Want to sit?”

  “Yes.” Sitting would be good. Maybe the dizziness would go away if she sat. She moved toward one of the seats and folded herself lower. She crossed her legs, realizing she felt a little better now that she’d been on the plane longer. Hunter lowered himself into the seat across from her. He reached for her hand.

  “You know it wasn’t until the nightmares started and the incidents on the island that I started really thinking back and wondering why. Where were we going or coming back from? Why were were on the same plane? It never really phased me before that.”

  “I’ve wondered that off and on, but never pushed forward with it. Not like my grandparents would tell me anything. I asked my aunt once, but she claimed she knew nothing about it. I don’t know if she lied or meant it. I figured it wasn’t meant for me to find out.”

  Hunter frowned and she wondered what he wanted to say. What was he thinking about? “Want to see the front? See the view from the cockpit?” His face lit up.

  She just smiled, loving the way his mind changed gears. “Sure.” This time, when she stood, her knees weren’t so shaky. She followed Hunter as they sat side by side in the front of the plane. Becca glanced at all the gears, buttons, and knobs. “Wow. How do you keep track of everything? It looks so complicated!”

  “It really isn’t, actually,” Hunter assured her. “It takes a lot of learning, but it’s not that bad. I know, looks can be deceiving. I’ll teach you one day, when you’re ready.”

  She marveled at how he said when, not if. Hunter put so much faith in her. He believed she could actually one day be ready to let him take her out on a plane, let alone teach her to fly? Then again, she’d been so fearful of learning to drive, and he’d let her at it on an open road on the way back to Vermont the first time she’d visited with him on the island. She remembered being scared out of her mind, and the nice car he’d rented only made her feel worse. She thought she’d crash it, mess up because of her knee or just not be ready.

  Turned out, she’d done well. She went home after that and begged her aunt to help her get her driver’s license.

  Becca laughed. “Intimidating. That’s all I have to say. I think I’ll leave the flying up to the pros.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a brow. “So, are you saying that I’m a pro?”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure yet,” she replied with a sly grin. Staring out the large window, she pictured Hunter sitting right where he was now, but up in the air. Then she wondered how pilots felt while they were so high above the ground. They were responsible for others’ safety and their own. That seemed like such a huge weight to carry. She could probably say the same thing about other vehicles, but she already knew there was a big difference from driving a car to flying a plane. Maybe she needed to stop overthinking. “How do you feel? When you’re flying, I mean?” Curious to his answers, Becca looked over at him again.

  His gaze met hers. “Free,” he responded. “
I feel free. It’s like I’m away from the craziness of the world. I didn’t feel that at first, but that’s what it’s like. There’s nothing holding me back.”

  Becca understood that feeling very well. She enjoyed the feel of being free. Free from the restraints of her legs when she pushed herself to walk again, or when she lost herself in a painting. She could be whatever or whoever she wanted on that canvas.

  She almost wished she hadn’t come into the cockpit with Hunter. The idea of all those buttons and gears terrified her. How did one keep track of every single thing? She gripped the seat and stared back out through the window. Lightning bolts sliced the sky. Storms, lightning, the plane. No, she couldn’t do this anymore. “Hunter, a storm is coming,” she whispered. Dang it, did she sound dumb or what? This was the summer of storms, in more ways than one.

  He shot from his seat a little faster than she’d anticipated. “Let’s head out then.”

  She reached for her purse and stood, keeping an eye on the sky. She knew she wasn’t in any harm. The storm was still far enough away, and they weren’t going anywhere on this plane, but she wasn’t ready to face both of them at the same time.

  He stood close and rubbed his hand up and down her back. “We can go home, or…” he leaned close, kissing her ear, “Make new memories with planes and storms.”

  Her heart thudded against her ribcage at the feel of Hunter’s lips near her skin and at the same time, a rumble of thunder warned the storm was coming closer. “I don’t-”

  “This is just as much for me, Bec,” he whispered. “I-I’ve kind of been afraid to fly ever since that night a few months ago. Something happened inside me and I don’t know how to explain it. Todd keeps asking about me going back to work and I’m not ready. I’ve had flights since then, but they’re been short and easy. I saw that lightning the same time as you and I wanted to panic. It’s still up to you, but I was thinking about sitting on the plane while the storm moves over us.”