Free Crash Landing by Lori Wilde

his shirtsleeves. About time.
    Except now, his honed biceps were clearly visible and his muscles were even more impressive than she imagined they would be. He’d also taken off his shoes and rolled his pant legs up to his knees. Sand dusted his toes. On anyone else, it would have looked dorky. But somehow, he managed to still look both stylish and rakishly handsome. Business executive cool 101 or how to dress when crashed on a deserted island.
    Seriously, he was too perfect.
    An orange sun faded into the dusk as royal-blue twilight crowded the sky overhead. A mosquito buzzed at her ear and she batted it away.
    His eyes never left her face.
    “What is it?” she asked, unnerved.
    He dazzled her with a toothy smile set to “stun” and nodded down the beach at a surprisingly large pile of driftwood with rocks ringed around it to create a fire pit.
    Wow. He’d done all that? She was duly impressed.
    “Those matches. I need them now,” he said.
    “Um, sure.”
    He kept staring at her.
    “I’ll just go get them out of the cargo hold.” She walked backward toward the rear of the plane. She didn’t want him looking at her butt again. Why had she worn shorts this short?
    His smile never wavered. The breeze ruffled his sandy-blond hair and raised goose bumps over her skin. What would it be like to pull him down in the sand and ravage him? She’d never made out on the beach before, odd considering she came from a country that bordered the sea. But you know what? Out here in the middle of nowhere, she wouldn’t mind giving it a go with Gibb.
    Knock it off.
    She had no choice but to turn her back on Gibb in order to dig the matches out of the cargo hold. She knew, without peeping over her shoulder, that he was still staring at her.
    Hormones fluttered inside her like butterflies dancing around spoiled bananas. Her good intentions disappeared with the setting sun. Darkness had a way of making a girl feel so naughty. Why make out on the gritty sand when there was a nice blanket right here in the back of her plane?
    Quit it!
    Curling her fingers around the lightweight thermal blanket, she closed her eyes. He was a guest at the place where she worked. Hands off, no fraternization with the guests. It was a good gig and she certainly did not want to do anything that would cause her to lose her contract with them.
    “Can’t find the matches?”
    Her eyes flew open. There was Gibb at her elbow looking sexy enough to seduce her without saying a word.
    “Here.” Her voice was shaky as she passed him the matches.
    Their fingers touched.
    Talk about igniting the flame. She was almost panting.
    His smile said he knew every wayward thought flying through her head because they were flying through his, too. Weakly, she sank against the side of the plane, the blanket clutched to her chest as he strode off.
    This time, she was the one to stare at his butt.

6
    W ITH THE WIND blowing off the water and the sun’s vanishing act, the temperature was cooling down. Sophia wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like a shawl and wandered over to the fire pit. Gibb squatted to light an accumulation of dried leaves, sea grasses and twigs. After several minutes of nurturing the fledgling fire, he built it into a crackling blaze.
    “Now.” He straightened. “What were you saying earlier about cooking something to eat? I’m starving.”
    “I have a cooler with iced beer, wieners and hot dog buns in the plane.”
    “You carry wieners with you wherever you go?”
    “Not normally, but I was heading over to my friend’s house for a cookout after work before you demanded that I fly you to Florida.”
    “Would this be your male friend?”
    “Yes.”
    “I would say that I’m sorry I interrupted your evening, but I’m not.”
    What did he mean by that? She glanced up and met his eyes—eyes full of desire.
    For her!
    Her stomach knotted and she tightened her grip on the blanket. Emilio didn’t know yet that they were only going to be friends.