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.