Chapter Eight
Blue skies, lapping waves. For what seemed like a long time, Melanie lay in the warm sand. She didn't want to think about where she was and she certainly didn't want to move. The heaviness across her waist made her look down. A tanned and muscular arm draped across her and the strong fingers of a male hand rested lightly against her lower abdomen.
Was she on vacation? She had no earthly idea where she was or who she was with.
The arm didn't look like her boyfriend’s, no wait… her ex-boyfriend Mitch’s arm. It was too strong, too tanned, and too well-defined.
Melanie moved her head and it began to pound. Panic set in.
She looked around her and all she could see was sandy beach, brilliant aquamarine sea, and azure blue skies.
"Oh my God, where am I? What the hell have I done?" She whispered.
She turned her head to look at the rest of the man attached to the arm around her waist.
"Jesus Christ." She had no recollection, no recognition of the beautiful stranger. He looked as exhausted as she felt. His clothes were ragged, and so were hers. She pulled his arm from her, scrambling to get up but her head was too woozy and she landed back on her ass. She was wearing only her bra and her skirt had been torn away, leaving most of her thighs exposed.
The ridiculously handsome stranger opened his eyes, looked at her intently for a moment, and then sprang to life.
"Melanie!" he said. His voice was full of concern.
"How do you know my name?" She said.
"What do you mean? We were on the flight together--"
"What flight? Who are you?"
"It's me, Alex your..." His voice trailed off.
"My what?" A feeling of dread came over her, that name -- it meant something.
He put his hands to her shoulders but she shrugged them off. "Get away from me! I need to know how I got here."
"Melanie, we were in a plane crash. You and I are the only ones that made it."
Her breathing became rapid. She remembered that she was a flight attendant with Drummond Airlines.
"How many people are dead? How many people were on the flight?"
"There were just three of us."
"That doesn't make sense. I work passenger flights--"
"Just three crew on a small plane. You and I are the only ones alive."
"Where are we?"
"I'm not sure exactly. We were flying to Tahiti when we went down, so we're somewhere in the South Pacific."
"Why did you have your arm around me?"
He looked at her intensely, his thoughts hidden under his dark brows.
"Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"The plane ditched into the sea but the fuselage gave way. The plane separated into two sections. I was in the cockpit and you were in the living area with Sebastian. I found you floating face down in the water. I barely made it to shore with you."
She shook her head, thinking he could have been inventing the whole thing.
"How about this Sebastian guy?"
"I couldn't find him... there was no trace."
"Who was he?"
Alex fought strong emotions as he looked down into the sand. When he looked up again he had recovered himself.
"Don't worry about him. There's nothing we can do for him now. What's the last thing you remember before waking up on the beach?"
Her sense of panic hadn't subsided. She was trembling as she tried to draw the shredded strands of her memories together.
"I'm a flight attendant." She said. The man nodded. "I was... I was in bed with Mitch."
"Who's Mitch?" Alex said.
Melanie hesitated. The guy in front of her seemed angry, jealous if she didn't know better.
"My boyfriend. Mitch McGovern. I went back to his place after my last flight from Columbus to LA."
"Since when?"
"Not long; about six months." She put her hands to her mouth in shock.
"What is it Melanie? What's wrong?"
"No! No, no, no, no. Shit."
Alex moved closer to her again but she pulled away. The memories were coming back: the underwear under the bed, the baseball bat.
"That bastard." She said.
"Did he do something to you?" Alex was a ball of rage, full of protective concern. Melanie couldn't hold back. She buried her head in her knees and began to shudder as the sobs came out. She felt Alex's big, protective arm wrap around her and this time she didn't pull away.
"Don't worry, baby." He whispered to her. "I'll make everything good. I promise you."
"Get away from me. I don't even know who you are." She didn't move though. The strong arm around her felt too good. She hadn't cried about breaking up with Mitch -- at least she couldn't remember having cried and she needed to now.
"It's okay Alex whispered. You just tell me what he did to you and I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him."
She lifted her head, fought back the tears, and pushed the stranger's arm away.
"It's okay. He already did. I don't need you to fight my battles for me… whoever you are."
The big man appeared torn by her words.
"You mean you don't remember anything about us?"
Melanie froze, searched her head for anything that would give her a clue.
"I'm sorry. The last thing I remember is giving Mitch what he deserved for--"
"For what?"
"Nothing. I remember breaking up with him, if you really have to know."
"That's good."
"I'm glad you think so."
"That's not what I mean. It's just that it makes what we have--"
"We don't have anything. All I remember is breaking up with my boyfriend and then I wake up with a headache from hell on a beach in the middle of nowhere with a gorgeous man lying next to--" She stopped herself. The asshole was smiling. How could she be so stupid?
"It's okay," he said, "you're confused."
She smiled at him for the first time.
"And I'm gorgeous." The smile left her face. "And you’re adorable." He added. They stared at each other for a tense moment before a smile cracked Melanie's face again. Alex smiled too, an irresistibly sexy smile. In moments, the two of them were lost in crazy, hysterical laughter, lying on their backs side by side in the sand.
"This is all too much." Melanie said when the giggles finally subsided. "I just--"
"It's okay, really." Alex rolled up onto his elbow by her side. "You don't have to remember anything. Just take your time. Everything will come back. And even if it doesn't, well, I have no problem starting over again."
He put his hand out and gently caressed her cheek.
Could she really be in a relationship with this guy? He was the man of her dreams.
"How long have we -- uh..."
"Been together?"
"Yes."
"Not long. We were just getting started when the plane went down."
"What does that mean?"
"We met in the airport just before the flight and both of us knew there was something. We could feel it right away."
Melanie could feel it right now as well. Her headache was nearly gone and maybe it was the disorientation, the exotic surroundings, and the heat, but she wanted this man with all her heart. If only she could remember, she would take him right now.
"Then we met in the plane's private quarters and it was electric. We couldn't hold ourselves back--"
"Stop! That's enough. I don't want to hear anymore. I need to remember things myself. I don't need you putting thoughts in my head."
"You're right; forgive me, Melanie. Like I said, I'm happy to start all over again with you from scratch. Come on, we better get started taking a look around this island and see what's floated up on the beach from the plane and what we need to do to get set up for tonight."
He stood up and she could see how tall he was, how strong and rugged he looked in his torn castaway clothes. He helped her to her feet and she felt like a tiny doll in his hands.
"One half of the plane went down over there, so there should be plenty of salvage coming in from that direction." He turned to go but Melanie stopped him.
"What is it?" He said. She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on tiptoe to reach up and peck him on the cheek. Although she meant it platonically, the sensation of her lips against his powerful jaw excited her far beyond anything the harmless action should have been capable of. This guy was huge, strong, incredibly sweet, and he had saved her life. He also hadn't cheated on her. Not that she knew of anyway.
"What was that for?" he said.
"For saving me. And for giving me time."
He gave her that sexy smile again, took her small hand into his own and then they continued down the beach together.
Melanie froze.
"What's that?" She said, pointing into the distance. Alex squinted in the tropical sunlight.
"Oh my God." He gasped. It's a body!" The two broke into a run and began sprinting across the hot sand.