Page 50 of The Easy Way
Chapter Fifteen
The plane toucheddown on the small island of St. Brigitte with no fanfare. When the captain had announced over the loudspeaker that they were preparing for landing, Cam had done nothing more than shift his hips slightly, so Cort could buckle his seatbelt around him, and then leaned back against the cushions with his eyes closed once again. Cort watched Cam as he lay sprawled on the couch, his thighs draped over Cort’s lap, but Cam didn’t even seem to notice they were losing altitude until the plane bumped down on the runway and began toslow.
“Smooth landing,” Cort remarked as the plane began totaxi.
Cam’s eyes opened slowly and he gave Cort a sleepy, knowing smirk. “If you wanna call itthat.”
Cort rolled his eyes and Cam laughed. “I can’t believe how relaxed I was during thatflight.”
“You need me to relax you before every flight, badass, I can makearrangements.”
“Is that right? I don’t know if I could affordyou.”
“For you? My rates are very, very reasonable. I’ll take it out on yourass.”
Cam snickered as if he was half-drunk. Maybe he was. God knew, the endorphins cruising through Cort’s bloodstream right now were beyond anything he’d ever achieved withalcohol.
The plane taxied to a halt, and Cort tried to get his mind in order. The interlude on the plane had been incredible - so amazing it was hard for him to remember this wasn’t why he washere.
Notentirely.
But he couldn’t lie and say things hadn’t changed either. He’d help Damon get his life back, help figure out who’dreallycaused the crash, but maybe, just maybe, there was a way he could keep Cam,too.
Cort sat up straighter. Cam frowned slightly, but seemed to take his cue, swinging his legs off the sofa and placing his feet on thefloor.
Andres arrived to open the cabin door as they finally came to a stop, and Cort could see the early-evening sunlight gilding the palm trees, the small one-story white and blue hangar, and the white surface of the runway outside the door. He wondered if Damon would meet him here and now, or whether he’d call him later. Either way, he was confident Damon had a plan, and since Damon was most likely here already, Cort would be ready and waiting to follow hislead.
Cort reached over to unfasten Cam’s seatbelt, then unfastened his own and stood to stretch, feeling his shirt ride up. He scratched the surface of his stomach absently, feeling the sticky remnants of the mind-blowing orgasms they’d shared only an hour ago. Though he and Cam had cleaned up as best they could in the tiny bathroom, Cam hadn’t been kidding when he’d said there was no tub on board and it was impossible to get really clean. Still, Cort couldn’t bring himself to care very much - he liked knowing he was wearing the evidence on himself, and he liked even better knowing Cam was,too.
Cam had started for the doorway, but turned back hesitantly to look at Cort, as though unsure whether or not he should wait for him. Cort conjured up a reassuring smile and held out his hand, which Cam grabbed eagerly. He let Cam lead him down the steps to thetarmac.
Cort felt a pang of something he couldn’t quite identify as he felt Cam’s smaller hand in his own. In a way, it was everything right and good - which was weird enough in a man who’d shied away from commitment as much as Cort had during his entire adult life. This thing building between him and Cam wasreal.He wasn’t sure how it had happened, or why, but it was as real as anything else Cort knew, and he genuinely cared about Cam more than he’d ever cared about anyone... exceptDamon.
“Camden!” A smiling woman who Cort vaguely recognized from the ballroom the other night strode forward to greet them with outstretched hands. “It’s so very, very good to see you,dear.”
“Mrs. Tyndall,” Cam said, dropping Cort’s hand so he could grip her gently by the arms and lean forward to kiss her cheek. “I didn’t expect you to come out to meetus.”
“Well,” she said in a conspiratorial tone. “I generally don’t, but I asked them to alert me whenyourplane would be arriving so I could greet you myself. You’ve always been one of my favorites. Gerry and I are so glad you were able to makeit.”
Cam smiled. Mrs. Tyndall glanced around, and then back at the plane, as though expecting someone else. “Is your brother not withyou?”
“Oh, uh. No. Bas still won’t be coming. I’m sorry if that message was mixed up,somehow.”
Mrs. Tyndall frowned. “Oh, but I was sure…” She waved a hand dismissively. “Ah, well. Never get old, boys.” Her smile was rueful as she turned her attention to Cort. “And who might you be, youngman?”
Cort grinned. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been called a youngman.
Cam’s hand went around Cort’s waist. “This is KendrickCortland.”
Cort could sense Cam’s hesitation over how to introduce him - what title to give him. They weren’t dating, there was no easy description, so Cort understood the dilemma, but it annoyed himanyway.
The woman was middle aged, but stylish, in an airy white dress which flowed around her despite the heat and humidity weighing down the air. Her smile was genuine and friendly - far more than Cort had expected to find in someone who had a charity named after her, but then, Cort was coming to realize that judging someone based on the size of their bank account was pretty fucking stupid, no matter which side of the income bracket you stoodon.
He took the hand Mrs. Tyndall offered him. “Please, call me Cort, ma’am.” After a brief handshake, he stepped back and wrapped his arm around Cam in what he knew was a proprietary way. Cam might not know what to call him, but he wanted there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that for right now, at least, Cam washis.
Mrs. Tyndall smiled at his display, and regarded him with a glint in her eye. “And you must call me Lydia. Camden is the only one who can’t seem to break the habit of calling me by my full name, even now that he’s an adult. Let me show you up to the house.” She pointed up the hill, to where a large, white stone mansion was just peeking out between a heavy stand of trees. “Camden, I know you always loved the beach walk. Or maybe you’d rather see the orange trees along theway?”
Cort didn’t want to head to the house immediately. If Damon was on this island - and Cort couldsensethat he was close by - he wouldn’t be up at the mansion. He was far more likely to have come onto the island as a pilot, a mechanic, or even perhaps a groundskeeper. He turned around and looked back towards the plane, which was being rolled behind the hangar. If he could go and scope out the hangar for just aminute…
