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“Yup.” I flashed a bright smile, thinking about the money he’d spent on this excursion. Now that I’d strapped myself into the plane, I would have gladly paid my fare and then some to get off again. I couldn’t decide where to turn my attention—looking around inside the plane was no good because the pilots and their instruments wereright there. Looking outside was no good, because we were either going to die a gruesome death when the seaplane sank tragically into the bay or die a gruesome death when it tragically crashed into the Black Cuillins.
The pilots shut the door and locked it for good measure.
There it went. My last chance to escape this awfulness without causing a scene had just gone. A light sheen of sweat covered my skin. I sucked in a breath, but it rattled like a sob. Blissfully unaware of my rising panic, the pilots climbed into their seats.
I tried to distract myself but couldn’t think of anything more pressing than imminent death by seaplane. Brodie flipped a switch, and the motor revved to life. The propellers sped up, and the noise grew, sending my fear thrashing around in my chest like a caged animal. I tried to take deep breaths, but they were coming a little too quickly for any real relaxation.
I should have just taken the valium. Coherence was overrated.
The pilots pulled the seaplane into the middle of the harbor, motoring past pleasure boats and a few bigger commercial types. I moved my arms around, touching my legs, my elbows, my stomach, reminding myself this wasn’t a nightmare. It was all real. We picked up speed until the plane tilted back, and we took off.
I turned my face from the window, shut my eyes tight, and clasped my hands. Every change in engine noise made my ribcage crumple a little more in on itself. This was a terrible mistake. We were going to die.
Duncan covered my hands with one of his and held them tight, gently brushing his fingers over mine. A nice gesture, but it couldn’t move my fears. Everything inside me screamed at the climbing sensation, and it was only a matter of time before I let the scream out.
He slipped the headphone off my ear so I could hear him.
“You’re safe, love.”
I couldn’t get enough of his soft, encouraging voice, but I didnotagree. “Mm hmm.”
I stayed where I was, eyes shut tight, jaw clenched to hold back tears. After all of this, I couldn’t start crying, too. I was a grown woman, dammit. People did this all the time.
Ididn’t, but people out there did.
“I know you’re scared, but you can get through this. I’m right here.” He squeezed my hands tighter.
Why,whydid he have to be so soothing? Like his calm could battle my panic and actually win? I opened my eyes to see his blue ones looking back at me with all the confidence of a man unafraid of being in the sky in a tiny metal tube.
“You’re safe,” he said again.
I nodded, not at all sure.
“Look out the window.”
He nodded over my shoulder, but I really didn’t want to look. I would take his word for it. I could just stare at his face for ninety minutes. I’d pay twenty pounds for that.
He smiled and nodded again, indicatingwhatever it wasoutside. Fine.Fine. I took a deep breath and looked.
Oh. Incredible. We’d already left the harbor behind and were flying south over Skye, low enough that every loch and crag appeared crystal clear. Terrifying, but breathtaking, too. I gave him a surprised little smile and pressed my face close to the window again.
In the near distance, the Black Cuillin mountain range were sharp peaks rising up through the low-lying mist. As much as I’d loved the views from our mini-bus as we drove across Scotland, this vantage gave the roads serious competition. More dramatic, no question. The threat of death made the views that much more spectacular.
We glided over the island, and my terror eased its grip, replaced by naked awe. I still struggled to push my worries from my mind, but the fact that I could at all felt like a major win. Maybe I’d absorbed Duncan’s confidence by proximity, or maybe it was just that I could enjoy being with him anywhere, even ten thousand feet in the air. He had one arm around me, pressing close against my shoulder so he could see out the window, too. I consoled myself that if the worst should happen, dying in Duncan’s arms wouldn’t be such a terrible way to go.
A small, clear voice said living there wouldn’t be so bad, either.
Our young guides pointed out lakes and rivers, mountain peaks and film locations. Sooner than I would have thought possible, they made a wide turn to head north again. The plane banked toward my window, and the wide-angle view of the ground it gave me made my stomach roll over. I turned away from the leaning sensation and wound up wrapped in Duncan’s arms.
He pulled me close and caressed my back, my face pressed against his neck. There in his arms, I found protection from the fear of falling from the plane, but a new sense of falling enveloped me. It would only take a little nudge for me to go over that edge, and what would happen if I fell?
Duncan could catch himself, sure, but could he catch me, too? Or would I belly flop all over again?
The plane righted, and the spike of panic ebbed. I leaned back enough to see Duncan’s face, our arms still tangled. For a while, we just looked at each other. No words, just eye contact. And…yeah. I could have stared into this man’s eyes for longer than I’d ever thought likely or normal.
He trailed his fingers across my cheekbone, stroking my jawline with his thumb. A sexy move—but full of tenderness, too. Affection cascaded through me, a typhoon ready to wreck my heart in its aftermath.
So many choices had led us to this place. One small change, and I never would have met Duncan Stewart. Never would have heard his low laughter, seen those blue eyes, or felt so known. I wasn’t sure what would happen when the trip ended, but I would thank my lucky stars the rest of my life we’d had these days together.
