CHAPTER ONE
I took a deep breath, then winced. I was trying to enjoy basking in the Miami sun, but I was still a little sore. It had been over a month now since I’d sustained my injuries. I was fit enough to work now, but I still got occasional reminders of what had happened to me when I moved or breathed just wrong.
My phone chimed that I had a new text message, and I winced again. I needed to remember to keep it in the off position. It helped me to delay the inevitable. I reached down to the concrete below my pool lounge chair, gripped my phone, and held down the off button until it powered off.
Just seconds later, I heard the Kings of Leon song that served as Stephan’s ringtone begin to play. He sighed heavily from his lounge chair beside me, then rose, heading into the hotel bar that was nearest the pool. If I hadn’t been sure my text was from James, I was now. It was his pattern lately. He would call Stephan after failing to get ahold of me. And for some odd reason, Stephan felt obliged to answer his calls. It had been the cause of an unusual new tension that had sprung up between us.
A different figure loomed over me a moment later, casting a shadow as it hovered near the seat that Stephan had just vacated.
“Mind if I join you, Bee?” Damien asked in his heavy Australian accent. I didn’t open my eyes from behind my dark shades, but I recognized his voice easily enough.
I made a humming noise that meant I didn’t care, and he lounged beside me.
Stephan and I had had to call in several big favors from another crew to get to Miami for our layover.
But I had wanted so desperately to avoid New York this week that Stephan had made it happen.
Somehow Captain Damien and First Officer Murphy had managed to do the same, after Stephan had casually mentioned in a text that we would be missing our New York trip for the week. At first, I’d thought it was rather stalker-ish of them, but more and more, the two men were growing on me. Damien had made no overtures. He was, in fact, great company for a person who just wanted some peace and quiet. He had no problem being comfortably silent, occasionally making light-hearted comments that drew me out of my black moods. And he was accompanied by Murphy more often than not. Murphy could make anyone laugh. Even me in the depressed mood that was dogging me lately.
“That cover-up is gonna give you an interesting tan line,” Damien said in an amused tone.
I wore a black swimsuit coverup that went to the top of my thighs. I wore it over my plain black bikini.
The coverup was see-through, but it was just dark enough to mostly obscure the faint traces of bruises that still patterned my torso in a stark reminder of the violence I’d survived just weeks ago. They had faded considerably, but they were still dark enough to need covering. I would draw unwanted attention if I bared my skin for all to see. I’d already gotten enough unwanted attention lately. The paparazzi would take any excuse to make me a headline nowadays. I wasn’t in any mood to encourage them.
“No one wants to see what’s under this cover-up. Trust me,” I told him, still not opening my eyes or even twitching.
He coughed back a little laugh that made me uncomfortable. I was perceptive enough to know that Damien was more than a little interested in me in a romantic way. Any reminders of the fact were unwelcome.
“I beg to differ,” he said quietly, and I felt myself frown.
“Sorry, sorry,” he said quickly, before I could speak. I let it go. As long as he knew I wasn’t interested in anything beyond friendship, I was content to let sleeping dogs lie.
Damien was handsome and funny and great company. He was also a shameless womanizer. I figured it was just second nature to him to try to to show interest in any woman in his vicinity. And it was also in his nature to flatter any woman when given an opening. I was usually more careful about giving him that opening.
“Is everything okay between you and Stephan? I’ve never seen you guys like this before. You’re so stiff with each other. Are you fighting?”
My gut clenched. Things did seem off between us, and I wasn’t sure how to make it better. I figured he had to be at least a little resentful of me for making him miss his week’s worth of Melvin time this week.
Not that I had actually made him. I had told him more than once that I would understand if he still wanted to go to New York. The crew we had traded with had even agreed to just do a single trade with me. But Stephan had insisted we stick together. He was worried about me, I knew.
I liked Damien. I even thought of him as a friend. One of my few pilot friends. But I couldn’t imagine discussing my difficulties with Stephan with anyone. It felt almost disloyal.
“He’s just worried about me, I think. Since the attack, we’ve both been on edge,” I explained. It was all true, but didn’t address the reason for our awkwardness.
Damien made a neutral little hum in his throat. “What about that James guy? You two doing okay? I saw a little bit of the media circus that surrounds him. You get tired of all that, and drop him? You could have any man you want, you know.”
I sucked in a breath. Damien was usually very good about not asking questions like that. It was why he had made good company lately.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, my tone cool.
He got the hint. “Damn, sorry. I’m on a roll, putting my foot in my mouth, aren’t I?”
I gave a half-smile, finally looking at him. I gave a little nod, and he laughed.
“Well, I guess I owe you now. You want to ask me any rude, prying questions about my personal life?”
he asked. He had a great smile. It was all even white teeth, and self-deprecating humor. It would have been hard not to smile back. I didn’t even try.
“Nope,” I told him with no hesitation.
He laughed again, as though I was much more funny than I actually was. “I guess when you answer yes to that question, I’ll know I have you where I want you.”
I just wrinkled my nose and turned my face away.