by Jenna Chase
"After about 10 or 15 minutes I saw a body lying on the ground. When I got close, I realized that it was the copilot and I just started to run like crazy and eventually wound up on the beach. And then I saw you and that’s it. That’s all I’ve seen since the crash.”
She seemed to have calmed down a bit while she told me what happened to her so I let go of her. I felt callus for wishing that she were someone else. I was glad that she had survived the crash, but I wanted more than anything for Erica to be in front of me and in my arms right now.
“The plane split completely in half somehow. The back half sank in the ocean a few miles out. The half that Erica and I were on.”
“Oh my God, what happened to Erica? Isn't she with you?” she said with pleading eyes.
“No, I don’t know where she is. One minute she was in my arms as were being thrown around the cabin and the next minute …”
“What? What happened?”
“She disappeared. She just slipped away from me and out of the plane. I don’t know where she is. But I hope to God she made it,” I said as I looked out at the vast expanse of ocean. There was nothing there but water for as far as I could see.
The woman put her hands over her face and started to cry again. I wanted to be of some comfort to her but so I put my hand on her back, but all I could think about was finding Erica.
“What’s your name?” I asked the stewardess.
“Lainey.”
“Okay Lainey," I said as I gripped her shoulders. "Were going to find Erica and whoever else survived the crash. Do you think you can find your way back to the plane so that we can radio for help?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure I can, but I don’t know if we will be able to radio for help or not. I checked the instruments when I was in the cockpit and everything seemed to be dead. I did see that the ELT had been set."
"What's that?"
"It's an emergency beacon that's used when no radio contact can be made. I’m not sure who set it, though. If it was the copilot before he … or maybe it was Brad. Maybe Brad is still alive.”
“And Brad is the pilot?”
“Yes. Erica and I have flown with him quite a few times.”
"Was there anyone else on the plane?"
"No, not crew members anyway. Just the pilot and co-pilot, Erica and me. And you didn't have anyone else return with you?"
“No, I came back alone. Okay, why don't we head back to the plane and see what we can find? Maybe the pilot will be there. It’s a safe bet that he would return if he’s alive.”
I looked around, noticing the massive wall of rocks that jutted up out of the trees and actually wished for a brief moment that I could climb them. Aside from the horrific crash, this island was almost like a paradise to me.
I had been far too preoccupied with saving my own life to notice on the swim here, but I imagined that the surrounding clear, blue water was filled with an amazing array of tropical fish. On any other occasion, this island would be stunning. But for now, my thoughts were overshadowed with finding the plane and Erica and getting us both to safety.
"So you've flown with Erica quite a bit," I asked Lainey, hoping to get a little more information about her.
As we walked up the beach toward the jungle, I took in my surroundings more and more. The blue water and the thick jungle of palm trees, as well as the massive wall of rock with streams of water pouring down. It was paradise.
"Yeah, we've been flying together for years. We've had flights together multiple times a week until a few months ago when she and Brad broke up."
"Who's Brad?"
"He's the pilot I mentioned. The one that flew the plane here."
"Oh, so Erica was dating the guy who flew us to Tokyo and then here? But she's not now?"
"I don't know exactly what had happened, but I know that they had broken up a few months ago. She hasn't flown out of Farmingdale in months because it's his main hub."
I was trying to wrap my mind around Erica and that pilot dating when we reached the tree line. My thoughts were interrupted, though, by rain pouring out the sky like I had never experienced in my life. It felt like buckets of water were being thrown down on us and the canopy of the palm trees above wasn't doing much to protect us from the downpour.
“We’ve got to find some kind of shelter,” I yelled as an enormous branch fell out of the sky and almost hit me. The rain was pouring down so hard I could barely even hear myself. “We should head over to that rocky area. Maybe there’s a cave or something we can find shelter under until the rain eases up.”
Lainey nodded and grabbed my hand and we ran through the jungle together. She wasn’t moving very fast because of her shoes but we also had a lot of obstacles in the way. There wasn’t a clear path in any direction and we had to climb over branches and logs and move through vines and bushes to get anywhere.
“The rocks are in this direction,” I yelled to Lainey and just then I saw a giant boulder jutting up out of the ground in front of us. The massive wall of rock went on for a long distance in both directions so we ran alongside it, looking for a place to duck into.
There were a few small inlets but they weren't big enough to protect us from anything until we came to an overhang that was a perfect shelter.
“Erica! Brad! You’re alive!” Lainey yelled as she ran in front of me into the cave. I was simultaneously relieved and furious at what I saw as I entered the cave.
Yes, Erica was alive, but she had her arms wrapped around that pilot, and by the looks of things they were just about to kiss. All I could think about at that moment was getting a guy away from her. I didn't care who or what he was, I suddenly loathed him.
“Get your hands off of her,” I yelled.
“Malcolm! Lainey! Oh, thank God you’re both alive! I was so scared. I thought I was the only one that made it,” she said as she took her hands off of the pilot’s neck and stepped away from him.
“Excuse me? What did you just say to me?”
The pilot’s eyes narrowed as he took a step toward me.
“I think you heard me perfectly.”
“I heard you. But I don’t know who the hell you think you’re talking to. You may have given me orders on that plane of yours, but not here. And certainly not with her.”
Erica looked back and forth between the two of us but didn’t say a word. She just walked over to Lainey and gave her a hug. I heard them whispering to each other but all of my attention was focused on that pilot. Neither one of the women spoke for a few minutes, and when it was apparent that neither of us was backing down Erica spoke up.
“Come on you two. We're all incredibly lucky to be alive and we should be celebrating. Not … whatever it is that you two are doing,” I heard Erica say as I continued to stare down the pilot. I didn't want to give in to him but the sound of Erica's voice made me remember how desperate I had been to find her. She was alive. And she was standing right next to me.
I looked over at her and into her incredible eyes and it felt like the world around us dropped away. I didn't care about that damned pilot or the plane or the fact that we had crashed on this island. I had found Erica, and that was all that mattered to me. I took Erica’s hand and pulled her over to me, then wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m so glad you’re alive, Erica,” I said softly into her ear.
“What in the hell is going on here,” I heard the pilot say, but I had no intention of answering him. He could rot in hell for all I cared. I had Erica in my arms and all I could think about was the way her body felt against mine and the sweet smell of her hair and skin.
But that all ended when I felt myself yanked backward, then the intense pain of a fist hitting my face. I was stunned for a second but immediately regained my balance and ducked when another swing came at me. I grabbed the pilot's arm and twisted it around, then pushed his face into the cave wall.
"You lay another hand on me and you're dead, buddy."
Chapter 7
Erica
> “What has gotten into the two of you? You're both acting like children,” I said as I grabbed Lainey’s arm and left the cave.
I heard some more yelling, and I didn't know if it was directed at me or if they were still yelling at each other but I wasn't interested in finding out.
The dark, brooding clouds and buckets of rain had disappeared and bright blue sky was visible through the palm tree canopy over the jungle. I was still missing my shoes and it wasn’t easy to walk through the jungle with bare feet, but I had to get away from all that testosterone. As flattering as it was to be fought over by two incredibly handsome men, I wasn't particularly interested in watching some display of strength on my behalf.
They both have some nerve, I thought to myself.
Part of me was secretly thrilled that they both had such strong feelings for me but part of me was wondering what the hell I was doing. I clearly had feelings for both of them. But I knew deep down that it was Malcolm I felt overwhelming desire and passion for.
“What on earth was that all about,” Lainey asked. “What was going on between you and Brad in there? It looked like he was just about to kiss you."
I didn't know what to say to Lainey. I didn't understand what I was feeling at all. I had wanted Brad to kiss me. I'd wanted him to wrap his arms around me and hold me, but now I wasn't sure if it was him that I really wanted or just the feelings of safety and security his arms gave me. Because no matter what happened between us in the last hour I couldn't get Malcolm out of my head.
And when I thought about the way Malcolm looked at me in the cave when he pulled me close to him and told me he was glad I was alive, it sent chills up and down my whole body. No one had ever made me feel like that with a look. Not even Brad when he told me the exact same thing. I was starting to feel bad for leading Brad on, but I hadn't intended to.
"I don't know, it was all the excitement, I guess," I said as I looked at Lainey. "I mean, I care about Brad—"
"But you want Malcolm. I could tell by the way you looked at him. Did something happen between you and Malcolm McDaniel on the plane?”
I looked at Lainey and couldn’t hold back the huge smile that had slowly been creeping across my face. I was a relief actually. I felt like I had been keeping a secret that really wanted to get out.
“Oh my God, Lainey!” I squealed as I grabbed her arm.
I pulled her along a little further to make absolutely sure that we were alone.
“Erica, you have to tell me what happened. Those two were practically about to tear each other’s throats out over you just now!”
“I know! I don’t even know where to start, there’s so much I don’t remember.”
“Well, start at the beginning, after the plane took off.”
“It was just Malcolm on the plane. The rest of the party had stayed over in Tokyo and he was right outside your cabin when I told you that we would be taking off soon. He just sort of hovered over me in the passageway and, God Lainey, he was so close to me. It was like what happened in the galley. I could feel the heat of his skin on mine.”
“Wow. Okay, then what happened,” Lainey said as we strolled past thick patches of palm trees and ferns. We had come to a sort of clearing so we could walk instead of having to climb over stumps and push our way through thick foliage. My feet were grateful for the grass that now formed a cushion underneath them.
“After we took off I went out to the main cabin to see if he needed anything—”
“Well, after what happened in the galley I'm sure you wanted to see what would happen now that you two were alone.”
“Yes, I mean, there’s just something about him, Lainey. I don’t know exactly what it is. He’s attractive, for sure—”
“More like drop dead gorgeous …”
“and he’s well dressed and smells incredible—”
“I bet he does …”
“but there’s something about his energy, and about the way he looks at me. I can practically feel his presence across the room. And then when he gets close …”
“Yes? Keep going. When he gets close, what?”
“It’s like I can feel him, my whole body can feel him — inside and out — even when he’s not even touching me. And then when he does touch me … I can barely breathe.”
“Wow. So, what happened when you went out to the main cabin. He was alone, and …“
“He was sitting on the couch where he had been before, with all those girls surrounding him. And I went out and some turbulence hit. Nothing too bad, this was before the plane started going down. But I was knocked off balance and fell right into his lap.”
“Oh God, Erica, this is too good. Then what?”
“Then he … well he wouldn’t let me up. He said he was sorry if he had made me uncomfortable earlier but he found me really attractive and he …”
“He what?!”
“He said — I want you now, and that’s something I won’t apologize for,” I repeated to Lainey as I stared into her eyes that continued to grow in size.
“Oh God, Erica, you’re giving me goosebumps. What did you do?”
“I kissed him.”
“What?!” Lainey squealed. “I can’t believe you made the first move!”
“Well, not exactly, Lainey. After what happened in the galley and then being held in place across his lap, it’s not like I kissed him out of the blue or anything.”
“But you wanted him. You wanted him from the very beginning, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I have to admit the minute I saw those dark eyes of his across the main cabin I could barely think of anything else.”
“So? What happened after you kissed him?”
“We … he … I …”
I was having a hard time trying to come up with the right words for what happened next. Partly because the details were still a little hazy, but also because it was so incredibly intimate. I mostly remembered the way our bodies felt together, like they had finally found each other. Like we fit together perfectly.
What had happened between us felt incredibly special and I didn’t want to give Lainey a blow by blow like he was some sort of conquest.
“Let me put it this way. Did you have an orgasm?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds pretty great to me!”
“But then the plane went down and I don’t remember anything after that.”
“The plane went down right after you came?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, that must have been intense.”
“Yeah, it was,” I said, thinking about the last things I really remember. The feeling of Malcolm’s soft lips and rough stubble on my mouth. The look in his eyes as he kissed his way down my breasts and stomach. And the incredible intensity that spread throughout my body when I came with his face between my legs.
I was so lost in that last thought that it wasn’t until it was too late that I realized I had taken a step too close to the edge of a ravine that ran next to the clearing. One of my bare feet slipped on the wet grass and before I knew it I was tumbling down a slope. It wasn’t particularly steep, and it was covered in the same thick grass. But before I landed at the bottom, I managed to hit my head on something hard and was knocked unconscious.
"Erica!"
"Erica, don't move. I'm on my way down!"
I slowly opened my eyes as I heard voices yelling my name. As I lay there slowly becoming aware of my surroundings, I couldn't help but hear that Brad and Malcolm were still at each other's throats.
"Why the hell should I stay up here?"
"Well, I'm going to need you to help me pull her up. What does it even matter if you go down there or stay up here?!"
"It matters because I'm just as capable of carrying her up here as you are."
"I'll be sure and alert the media," I heard Malcolm say I watched him slowly make his way down the grassy hillside.
When I was finally able to focus my eyes, I saw Lainey and Brad looking down at me from the edge of the gu
lly. I also saw Malcolm, a worried look in his eyes, grabbing onto roots and vines as he climbed down to where I was lying.
"Don't move!" he yelled as I tried to sit up.
"Why?"
"You may have broken something. I want to make sure you're all right."
"Don't tell me you're a doctor. I feel fine, Malcolm. I think I just hit my head—"
I immediately sucked my breath in and lost my train of thought as Malcolm jumped down to where I was and immediately cradled my head in his hands, looked deep into my eyes.
"No, I'm not a doctor, but I have had some advanced wilderness first aid training. Do you remember what happened?"
"Well, yes, I slipped and fell down the hill. I'm starting to feel like a total klutz, by the way—"
"Erica! Are you okay? Is she okay, Malcolm?" I heard Lainey yell.
"She seems fine so far—"
"How the hell would you know," Brad said under his breath but loud enough so that we could both hear him.
"That guy is really starting to get on my nerves. So you were with him, I take it?"
"That's not really any of your business," I said without much conviction. I was still swooning over the fact that he was holding my head in his hands and his lips were inches away from mine.
"Okay, that subject is off limits. How about if I ask you some other questions?"
"Such as?"
"Do you have a headache?"
"No. My head hurts back here," I said as I touched the back of my head and flinched a little. "But I don't have a headache."
"How about any ringing or high-pitched sounds in your ears?"
"Nope."
"Dizziness? Lightheadedness?"
I paused as my eyes followed the dark outline of his lashes and were immediately sucked back into the depths of his dark brown eyes.
"Erica? Are you dizzy at all?"
"No, no. I'm fine, Malcolm. Really. Let me get up."
Malcolm helped me sit up and stared at me like he was expecting something to happen and when I didn't faint, he seemed satisfied. He stood up and helped me get to my feet then held me by my waist for a few moments while he made sure I wasn't going to fall over.