She looked at him for a long time. They both agreed that “once we’re off the island the game is over.” Granted, this was a technicality, but still. Maybe he really would never think of more, with her or anyone else. The small amount of hope was hard to ignore, though, because as the chopper rose, so did that light of faith. But reality was also difficult to ignore. She had to stop thinking about what if. Had to stop finding ways to dismiss the reasons they couldn’t be together.
Okay, so she had real feelings for the guy. But she couldn’t tell him that. He would leave her in a heartbeat if she opened herself up like that to him. If she wanted a chance for this fantasy to last—let alone for it to turn into something else—she had to keep her mouth shut.
“Off the island?” she repeated, wondering if he could pick up on her hints.
He nodded.
“But, we agreed that once we’re off the island, we’re no longer in a fake relationship.”
“Well, we’re coming back to the island,” he said, matter of fact.
“So this is like a time out?”
“You make this all sound like a game,” he said.
“Isn’t it?”
He looked at her for a long time. “No.”
That was what she needed. Right there, in that one word, she knew that he felt more for her, too. This wasn’t all fake. There was hope. Hope Carrie had been looking for, not just with Blake, but with her life. She’d been thinking about the kind of life she wanted back in Colorado. The way to go about getting it. How to get the dream job that she’d never told anyone about. Hell, how to just go for her dream. All of her dreams.
She smiled at Blake and truly felt like it was all possible.
“Are you ready?” he asked, the propellers picking up speed.
She nodded happily. “Yes.”
Using the joystick, he lifted them in the air, and she’d never been more terrified, excited, and turned on in her life. Adrenaline was a heady drug, and with Blake behind the controls, he was all things sexy and confident and capable.
There wasn’t a weak thing about him.
And in turn, he made her feel strong.
She just hoped she had the strength to leave the island and the fantasy behind.
…
Damn it, he loved to see Carrie smile. She was looking all around as Blake flew them over the Pacific but stayed close to the island’s edge, getting a bird’s-eye view of the string of islands. He had a plan. He knew he had to tell her about Kevin and Wendy’s engagement, but he wanted her free and happy first before he laid that bombshell out there.
“I can tell you fly all the time!” Carrie said with an impressed tone, looking him over.
Blake nodded, liking that she seemed impressed by him.
He and his buddy had flown together back in the day, and Blake owned his own chopper back in Colorado. Having his license, he called in a favor to his buddy and borrowed the helicopter from his outfitter here. It was just for the afternoon and accomplished what he needed, getting Carrie away.
Then, when he landed them back on the island, he’d tell her everything, including his plan on how to handle Kevin. Because he was coming to realize that Kevin relished throwing everything in Carrie’s face. Well, Blake wouldn’t allow that this time.
“What happened?” she asked, her sweet voice coming through the headset.
He looked at her.
“Huh?”
She studied his face. “You look like something is bothering you.”
He did his best to shake off the look for whatever the hell it was. “I’m good.”
She turned a little to face him, not caring about the scenery anymore, but giving him her full attention.