Unseen Messages

But how could I stop her power when all I wanted was for her to hug me the way she’d done with the kids?

Clearing my throat, I looked away.

Estelle came to stand over me. “Is it broken?” She pointed at my ankle.

I squinted; the sun silhouetted her through the trees. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure a normal leg and foot isn’t supposed to bend like that.”

She scowled. “You don’t have to be pissy about it. It was a simple question.”

What?

I hadn’t meant my answer to come across surly and rude. She unnerved me. It made me try too hard and sprout crap I didn’t mean.

Dragging long hair over her shoulder, she muttered, “Can you stand at least?”

Keeping my eyes down, I did my best to answer without any hint of attitude. “No.” I wouldn’t give her any other reason to think I was an asshole.

“The pain is that bad? Or you just didn’t try?”

Way to make me feel like even more of a loser than I am.

My teeth clenched. “Of course, I fucking tried.”

She sucked in a gasp at my curse.

The children drifted closer, drying their eyes and focusing on me rather than their dead parents.

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad?” Estelle squatted beside me, resting her tiny hands on my quad.

I flinched. The heat of her fingers lacerated me through my jeans. Even with a crashed landing, immense pain, and night in a storm, my cock still twitched with longing.

I didn’t know this woman, yet everything about her shackled a collar around my neck and made me want to beg for scraps of attention. Why did she have to be on my flight? Why did she have to sign up for a stupid helicopter taxi? Why couldn’t she have stayed away?

“Are you going to answer me?” Her head tilted. Sunshine dappled her bare arms, highlighting cuts, scrapes, and mud but somehow making her even more beautiful. Twigs and leaves tangled her hair as if she’d slept in a tree, and her lips were wet and pink.

What the hell did she ask me?

I forced myself not to look at the glittering gemstones on her top, beckoning me to peer down her cleavage to the hint of bra beneath.

“Earth to Galloway.”

My heart raced hearing my name on her lips.

She leaned closer, giving me a glimpse down her shirt and the full swell of her breasts. Desire shot between my legs before horror replaced it at the slice across her perfect skin. Blood splattered, rust-coloured, and no longer flowing but the large laceration showed just how hurt she was.

Shit.

“Who cares about me? What about you. How badly are you hurt?”

Her eyebrow rose as she followed my gaze. Slapping a hand over the gaping top, she sniffed. “That’s none of your business. I asked about you.”

I reached for her, wanting to rip the neckline and force her to admit that she wasn’t okay. That it ought to be me taking care of her not the other way around. “Let me see—”

She swatted my hand. “No chance.” Temper glowered on her face. “Answer the damn question and forget about me. On a scale of one—”

“One to ten?” Fine, if she didn’t want me to care for her, she could just leave me the hell alone. “I’d say a fucking eleven.”

Her forehead furrowed. “Don’t swear.”

Great, now I was aroused and annoyed and pissed off that I couldn’t do a damn thing to help the people around me. They deserved attention far more than I did. I didn’t do well being told off—no matter that she was right. 

Breathing shallowly, her fingers suddenly splayed along the length of my leg, travelling from swollen shin, deformed ankle, to my mangled foot below.

Every muscle in my body clenched. I swallowed my agonising groan.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, but I think you’re right.” She bit her lip. “I don’t want to be a pessimist but I think a few metacarpals in your foot are broken, your ankle most definitely is, and perhaps your tibia, too.”

She leaned closer, and I had no hope in hell of not staring at her parted mouth and thick eyelashes. The island faded. My leg faded. Everything faded but the chemistry dragging me deeper into her spell.

“I’m so sorry, Galloway.”

Who are you?

She had no idea the effect she had on me (or if she did, she wanted nothing to do with it).

“It’s swollen and hot and the deformity is worrying.” Sitting on her haunches, she gave me a weary smile. “I guess all we can do is hope your body knows how to heal and do as much as we can to prevent a clean knit...until we’re found, of course.”

So basically...I’m screwed.

I didn’t want to think about my disability. I didn’t want to come to terms with what the injury would mean. All I wanted was a simple reminder of happier things and for whatever reason...she had the power to make me forget.

I couldn’t stop staring at her. The make-up she’d been wearing last night had washed off in the storm and a rivulet of mascara smudged below her eye.

Without thinking, I ran my thumb along the soft skin of her cheekbone.

She turned frigid. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

Now, what was her problem? I couldn’t be nice? I couldn’t tend to her while she tended to me?

I shrugged, doing my best to downplay what’d happened. “You had dirt on your face.”

Conner snickered. “We’re all covered in dirt. I don’t think a speck on her face is gonna be a problem.”