How old were you? Trip asked.
She smiled as she remembered. I was twelve when I first got behind the controls. Sophie laughed softly. I think my dad always wanted a son. So, for a while, I was happy to become that son.
I think you make a much better girl than a boy, he teased.
Trey watched her face as another smile curled the corners of her pretty mouth. Maybe she wasnt immune to his charms, after all. He certainly found Sophie intriguing. He didnt see a wedding band, so she probably wasnt married, but beyond that, his radar wasnt working. He couldnt seem to read her reactions to him. Had she been flattered by the compliment or just amused at the attempt?
He reached out, curious to push the issue a bit further. His movement startled her, causing her to draw away. Sorry, he said, pointing to her cheek. You have a smudge of grease there and its been bothering me.
Really? She reached up and rubbed her cheek, missing it entirely. There?
Trey shook his head. Do you mind?
Sophie hesitated, then shook her head. Not at all.
He gently rubbed a spot just above her jaw, the grease wiping away easily. Yet he didnt stop. Instead, Trey continued to smooth his thumb over her soft skin, fascinated by the silken feel of it. There, he finally said. Perfect.
She seemed to be as affected by his touch as he was, shifting uneasily in her seat and trying to focus her attention on the instruments in front of her. If shed been driving a car, he might have asked her to pull over so they could explore his attraction in a little greater detail. But unfortunately, there werent any curbs in the sky and one couldnt just park a plane in the middle of a flight.
Sophie hesitated, then shook her head. Not at all.
He gently rubbed a spot just above her jaw, the grease wiping away easily. Yet he didnt stop. Instead, Trey continued to smooth his thumb over her soft skin, fascinated by the silken feel of it. There, he finally said. Perfect.
She seemed to be as affected by his touch as he was, shifting uneasily in her seat and trying to focus her attention on the instruments in front of her. If shed been driving a car, he might have asked her to pull over so they could explore his attraction in a little greater detail. But unfortunately, there werent any curbs in the sky and one couldnt just park a plane in the middle of a flight.
Trey slowly pulled his hand away. When will we see our first island? he asked.
Im heading out to Suaneva first and then well work our way back to Tahiti.
They flew for a long time in silence, Trey studying a report on power-generating windmills hed brought with him in between watching her. Hed been right to call her exotic. Though she spoke like an American, she acted more like the French women hed known-haughty, aloof, indifferent at times. And then there was a bit of Polynesian in her, as well, in her dress, in the careless addition of a flower behind her ear, in the sexy little tattoo above her ankle.
She glanced over at him and caught him staring. Trey quickly turned his gaze back to the report.
What are you reading? she asked.
He held it up, showing her the cover. Just researching an idea I had. Its nothing.
Windmills?
Theyre ecologically friendly, he said.
Hed been turning the idea over in his head ever since his father had put him on the payroll. Why not build an eco-friendly resort in the South Pacific? Hed have to deal with the problems of providing power and water to a small island anyway and there were now methods to do it without impacting the environment.
This is not really a good season to be seeing our islands, Sophie said.
Ive noticed it rains a lot.
Its the rainy season, she said with a smile. Sometimes, it rains for days. She looked out the window of the plane. Today is a good day. I cant promise you that tomorrow youll even be able to see anything below us.
Trey grabbed his messenger bag from between his feet and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. Tell me everything you know about Suaneva, he demanded, anxious to keep her engaged in conversation.
He listened, silently taking notes as she explained the physical topography of a Polynesian atoll in comparison with an island. But he was less interested in the facts than he was in the sound of her voice.
Suaneva is an atoll. An atoll begins with a volcano sticking out of the water, she explained. She let go of the controls and turned to him to gesture with her hands. But when she saw the startled look on his face, she sent him an apologetic smile. I set the autopilot.
Trey exhaled the breath hed sucked in. Oh. Well, fine then.
Coral builds up around the base beneath the waters surface, she continued, and over the years, the volcano top falls away until all that is left is the coral ring and a huge lagoon in the center. Vegetation grows on the ring and beaches form and you have an atoll. They look like little rings in the sea. She pointed out his window. There. You see? This atoll is part of the Archipeldes Tuamotu. The Tuamotu Archipelago. We are about 150 miles from Papeete. Tahiti is part of les Îles du Vent. The Windward Islands. Mostly mountaintops that havent erupted or disintegrated. Although there are many atolls, too. Vouscomprenez?
He stared at her hands, wondering what it might be like if she actually reached out and touched him. Trey wanted to capture her fingers and pull them to his lips, to kiss each neatly manicured tip until he got a reaction from her. How could such a simple gesture intrigue him so? Yes, he murmured.
In an atoll, there are often separate islands in the ring and these are called motu. A motu can be very large or quite small, but they arelower. Flatter than an island like Bora Bora.
What he wanted right now didnt have anything to do with islands or resorts or trust funds. Listening to her voice, watching her beautiful mouth, was pushing his thoughts in a very different direction. If he had his way, hed demand she land the damn plane so he could drag her into his arms and kiss her. And once he sensed her surrender, hed strip off all their clothes, lie in the warm sand and make love to her. It wasnt just a fantasy. There was definitely an attraction between them. He could see it every time their eyes met.
But as long as they were in the air, nothing could happen. Trey wondered how long it might take to make their tour before heading back to Papeete. He could always just cut the trip short once he saw Suaneva. Hell, maybe it would suit his purposes perfectly and there would be no reason to continue. Or maybe they could simply continue tomorrow, after theyd spent the night together in his bed.
How long before we reach Suaneva? he asked.
SOPHIE GLANCED DOWN AT HER hands clutching the steering yoke of the plane. They were white-knuckled, frozen in place, the only part of her body that looked the way she felt.
It all happened so quickly Sophie hadnt found time to think. From the moment her gaze had focused on this gorgeous man, she hadnt been able to breathe. And the instant Trey Shelton took her hand in his, shed felt a current race through her body, setting every sense on edge.
She couldnt remember a man ever affecting her in such an intense and immediate way. Had she possessed any common sense at all, she would have refused to take him up. Flying with Trey was like flying drunk! Every nerve in her body had shifted into overdrive. The scent of his cologne filled her head and the feel of his warm hand still tingled on the tips of her fingers. His voice sent a shiver down her spine and she could barely stand to look at him without moaning.
Of all the times for her to fall apart, this was the worst possible moment. A man as sexy as Trey didnt just walk into her life every day. And if she had any intentions of seducing him, she couldnt make it seem easy. Her mother had taught her a lot of valuable lessons about the opposite sex, and one of the most important was to let the man take up the chase. She wanted to be elusive and mysterious, but right now she just felt breathless, giddy-desperate. Shed vowed to have a man by New Years and she was a week ahead of schedule.
Thank goodness they were flying over Suaneva, she mused. At least she had conversation to distract her from studying his handsome face and incredible body. Yes, shed imagined him undressed more than once and as theyd flown northwest from Papeete, shed managed to catalog each perfect feature.
He had an attitude that many American men possessed, an easy confidence that made his masculinity even more powerful. His smile was stunning, his features rugged yet refined, and his hazel eyes were so penetrating she thought he could see right through her flimsy facade.
Suaneva is one of the smaller atolls, she said in a shaky voice. Though the lagoon is small, theres a fair amount of land to build on.
Trey peered out the window. I was told someone already tried building a resort there.
Yes, but I dont know whats left of it. Can you see anything down there? She banked the plane steeply to the right to give him a better view, but the moment she eased into the turn, Sophie felt the engine hesitate.
Yes, but I dont know whats left of it. Can you see anything down there? She banked the plane steeply to the right to give him a better view, but the moment she eased into the turn, Sophie felt the engine hesitate.
A few seconds later, it sputtered. Merde, she murmured. Maybe it was just moisture in the fuel line. That sometimes happened during the rainy season. The engine cut out and Sophies instincts immediately kicked in. She switched to the auxiliary tank and tried the ignition, but to her surprise, it wouldnt turn over. The battery was dead and without it, thered be no way to restart the engine.
Whats wrong? Trey asked.
She and her father had practiced dead-stick landings on several occasions and his words came back to her now. Keep the nose up, maintain airspeed and find a smooth place to land.
The engine cut out, Sophie replied, attempting another start.
I can see that, he said, his voice laced with concern. Dont you think you ought to start it up again?
Im trying. But I need to pull us out of this turn first. She lined herself up with the tiny lagoon below, then pushed the ignition for the engine again. There was no response.