PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(94)

“Everyone, I have an announcement,” the pilot trumpeted over the voices. “We had to make an emergency landing on this island for obvious reasons; the owner was gracious enough to respond and allow us to land here. He will accommodate us until we can get back into the skies. In the meantime, stay close. Don’t wander around and get into trouble. We don’t want to leave anyone behind.”

“How long will we be here?” an old woman asked. “Someone was expecting me in Castries by a certain time. I need to get to my appointment.”

“Ma’am, I cannot tell you that with any certainty, but I’ll get you to your destination as soon as it’s safe to fly. I do apologize for any inconvenience, but this is out of my control. Once the weather clears and I am sure our plane is safe to fly, we’ll continue to our destination.” He smiled at her and joined the flight attendants in discussion a few yards off.

“Great! We’re stuck on a stupid island,” Claire said as she folded her arms. “Why can’t things ever work out in my favor?”

“Hey, it’s not like you were in a hurry, right? Let’s look around. Maybe we will find something interesting. Or someone interesting.” Amy said. “Come on, be glad we’re all alive.”

“I guess so,” Claire said.

“You want to explore the island?” Amy asked.

“Why not? You coming, Mom?” she asked Willow.

“No, I think I’ll stay here for a while. You girls go ahead.”

The island was beautiful, lined with coconut and palm trees as far as the eye could see. A path led them to an incline, and they lowered their heads as they wound their way into the mini-jungle. Not far up the path, they spotted a couple making out, and Amy hurried Claire so she wouldn’t start moping again.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Claire said when they passed the pair. “It’s not like I care.”

“Do what?” Amy asked innocently.

Claire rolled her eyes at her. “I might be hurting, but it’s not like I begrudge anyone else their happiness.”

“I didn’t do anything. Okay fine, I’m sorry,” she said and laughed. “But look, we’re almost at the top.”

Claire followed closely behind Amy, appreciating the beauty around her along the trail. From the top, they could make out the expanse of the beach front, and to the north they noticed a stone pathway that led to one of the biggest houses they had ever seen.

“Now that’s a house,” Amy said and whistled. “A house and a half.”

“More like a mansion,” Claire said. She stared at the building that towered to the sky. It was white with a modern look about it. Its balcony faced the sea, and a wide and evenly manicured lawn surrounded it.

“I bet there is a pool or Jacuzzi or something up there,” Amy said dreamily. “Should we go find out?”

“We are not going up there,” Claire said as she tugged her friend’s arm. “We don’t even know who they are.”

“They can’t be too bad; they let us land on their island,” she said as she attempted to free herself.

“No,” Claire said and held her arm firmly. Her eyes involuntarily looked up, and she relaxed her hold on Amy.

“What?” She followed Claire’s line of sight.

On the balcony stood a man. He had golden hair and perfect skin that glistened in the sun. He gripped the railing with both hands, and she could make out his muscles against the black, tight shirt he wore. White shorts completed his outfit. He relaxed on the rails and looked around, and Claire found it utterly impossible to turn her eyes away. He caught sight of her, and she blushed as she grabbed Amy’s hand and hurried back to the beach.





CHAPTER 4


“What was that all about?” Amy asked as Claire tugged on her like a rag doll.

“Nothing. I just felt like I was intruding.” Her excuse didn’t even fool herself.

“Sure,” Amy said and folded her arms across her chest.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Claire said, blushing.

“I could see him just as easily as you,” Amy said, her eyes lighting up. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. He is hot!”

“Well, maybe you could go back and find out if he thinks the same about you, but I want nothing to do with men, no matter how hot they are,” Claire commented defensively.

“Oh, so you do admit he is hot, huh?” Amy said as she nudged her playfully on the shoulder.

“He is kinda cute, but that’s it,” Claire blushed and walked back to the plane. “Let’s go back and see if there have been any updates.”

The entire time it took them to get back to the plane, Amy messed with Claire, but she refused to entertain her.

“Why don’t you go after him? But then, that doesn’t make any sense. We are leaving by morning,” Claire said. She put her hands over her eyes as she squinted against the afternoon sun and looked further into the distance. “Do you see Mom?”

Amy also put a hand up to shield her eyes as they looked around, but there was no sign of Willow. “I thought she wanted to stay here.”

“That’s Mom for you. Changes her mind on a whim,” Claire responded. “Let’s look over there.”