Chapter One

Being back in her hometown of Sunset, Alaska was making Sandi Flynt a bit stir-crazy. She’d left the small town more than a decade ago because she was hell bent on getting away. Two days after her seventeenth birthday she’d grabbed her twin sister Mandy in the middle of the night, two small bags and put the small town in their rearview mirror. After hitching a ride on a fishing boat to the lower forty-eight, they moved up and down the west coast picking up work until their diplomas arrived six months later. Sandi joined the Army and Mandy ended up studying pre-med at UCLA.

And now she was back in Sunset. She finished almost seven years picking up wounded fighters and getting their bodies back to safety before she’d ended up in Colorado. Instead of heading to the nearest hospital or medical center to put the flight medic training to use she’d earned in the military, she put her love of outdoors to use. As an adventure guide. She loved it, the excitement without the danger. Well without most of the danger. Until the avalanche that killed her boyfriend. That was a year ago and it had ruined Colorado for her. Without a clue what to do she had made the completely out of the blue decision to come back to her hometown.

She hadn’t set foot in this town in almost eleven years, not even when her mom had finally let her addiction to alcohol kill her. Yet here she was, licking her wounds in the one place she knew inside and out. There would be no surprises here. And absolutely, positively no chance—at all—that she would fall in love.

Nope. She was done with love and men. She had a few choice toys and an impressive collection of rechargeable batteries and that was all she needed.

Other than a job. She needed a job. Well she wanted a job. She’d saved most of her money during her time in the military, only using some of it to help her sister through school, so she had plenty to live on for awhile. But Sunset was dreadfully boring and she needed to keep busy, which meant work. There were no ski resorts or other adventure companies close to town so she decided to go back to flying. It was how people got around in Alaska so there was always a need for a good pilot. And she was a damn good pilot.

But business was not booming in Sunset these days and three courier companies had turned her away. Sunset Air, Sunset Tours and Sunset Express had more pilots than work, so she was headed to Sunset Flights with her fingers crossed. Hoping for the best. “Yeah because that’s worked out well in the past.” Checking her appearance in the mirror she slicked some gloss across her lips and stepped from the car. The morning was sunny and cold, as was everyday in this town, but today she didn’t mind. The biting cold invigorated her and she pulled open the smudged glass door and walked in.

“Welcome to Sunset Flights, how can I…Sandi Flynt is that you?”

She smiled when she looked at the big silver beard and sparkling blue eyes. “Mr. Andersson is that you? I hardly recognize you with the beard.” Her old physics teacher looked like a completely different man.

He stroked his beard. “One of the perks of retirement. What brings you in?”

“I’m hoping you’re in need of a pretty great pilot.” Shoving her hands in her pockets, Sandi waited for the demeaning comments. She was used to it, the military was crawling with more than a couple sexist bastards but it still pissed her off. She had no problem putting them in their places when it was needed.

“You’re a pilot now?”

She shook her head and told him about her time in the Army. “I haven’t flown much for the past three years, but I’ve spent the past year working private flights.”

Mr. Andersson’s grey brows rose. “Really? That’s great Sandi, thanks for your service young lady.”

A blush stole up her face. “You’re welcome.” She looked at him, waiting for him to answer her question about the job.

“Right. I do need a pilot Sandi,”

She stood taller, feeling hope take flight in her chest.

“But I’m down a plane right now and it won’t be fixed for at least ten days. Sorry.”

She smiled. “Ten days? I can wait, take some time to set up my new place.”

“How’s Mandy these days?”

“Great. She’s a trauma surgeon in Los Angeles.”

“Wow that’s great. You girls sure have done well for yourselves.” His smile was bright and jovial, and contagious as all hell.

“Thanks Mr. Andersson.”

“No problem Sandi. Hey August, what brings you by?”

Sandi turned as the bell sounded over the door and a tall ebony haired man blocked all the sun with the width of his body. He was big and wide with bright green eyes and rippling muscles visible through those tight jeans and snug grey sweater. He was gorgeous but he also looked like ten miles of trouble. “Hey Niles, I’m in need of a pilot and I’m told you’re the guy to ask.”

Sandi wanted to jump in and tout her credentials but she didn’t. Not because he was good looking, and he was damn good looking, but because he’d already completely dismissed her. Barely sparing her a glance as he strolled up to the counter and practically leaned against her. “I’ll see you in ten days Mr. Andersson.”

He nodded. “Sounds good, and call me Niles. You’re old enough now.” He winked and gave her a wave before turning to the gorgeous man.

She felt her skin heat and tossed him a wave as she exited the door. The sun hit her but she hardly felt it, so heavy was her doubt over her decision to move back to Sunset. She got in her car and blasted the music from her phone, closing her eyes and letting the beat wash over her. It was the only thing other than flying—in the air, down a mountain or up the side of a large rock face—that helped clear her mind and handle stress. That’s what she needed at the moment. “Shit!” She screamed out, startled by the knock on her window. “What do you want,” she asked with the window rolled down just an inch.

“Niles tells me you’re a pilot.”

“I am.”

“He also told me you’re looking for work.”

“Nah, he told me he could hire me in ten days.”

“Well I could use your services until then. If you really are a pilot.”

She looked him over, noting everything from his too amused smirk and his cocky stance, and found him lacking everywhere but appearance. “Goodbye.” Rolling the window up, Sandi blasted her music and reversed out of the parking spot and far, far away from the handsome fucker with the long black hair.

* * *

Why August Wilde thought it was a good idea to set up one of his Wilde Adventures in Alaska, he had no idea. But on days like today when his main pilot had taken off for Las Vegas with his girlfriend in the middle of the night and his backup pilot had put in her notice two weeks ago, he thought maybe the idea was cursed. Hell maybe the whole state was cursed.

There were two tours scheduled over the next two days and no one on staff could fly the damn planes. “Shit!” He smacked his desk with a closed fist in frustration. He could have hired that female pilot from Sunset Flights for at least a couple days, but she’d bristled at his tone and dismissed him quick. And he hadn’t even gotten her name.

“Hey, pick on a desk your own size dickhead.” His best friend and business partner Dominic Domicci strolled in wearing an easy smile.

“I would but there are nothing but midget desks around here.” He was six and a half feet tall so most things were small to him. “What do you need Dom?”

Dom kicked his feet up on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms with a smile. “What I need is a sixty year old scotch and a twenty year old blonde with natural DD’s. But what I’ll settle for is you finding us a pilot.” Dark brown eyes stared a hole through him.

Normally Dom was a laid-back guy, but when it came to business he was a killer. “I almost had one, but she was so touchy she drove off before I could get her name.” He shook his head in disbelief. Rarely did women run away from a billionaire and certainly not one with his good looks.

“What did you say to her?”

August repeated the story and laughed. “Just rolled up the window and said ‘goodbye’ in this icy voice. It was unreal.”

“What the fuck Auggie? Why would you do that?”

He shrugged. “She probably wasn’t even a pilot. You know how many women show up at our locations pretending to have some sort of wilderness training.”

Dom stood and stared down at his friend. “But she didn’t show up here did she? She went to Niles and now she probably won’t want anything to do with us.”

August didn’t give a damn. Money always talked and he had plenty of it. “I’ll find us a pilot Dom, don’t worry.”

“You don’t need to because I’ve found one. She’s a woman so make sure you get your shit together when you go see her. She’s a pilot—former military—and she worked three years at Colorado Outdoor Adventures. She skis, boards, hikes, rafts and climbs.” Dom dropped the folder on the desk. “Contact info inside.” Turning on his heels, Dom walked out whistling.

August cursed his best friend’s good name for five full minutes before picking up the folder and looking inside. Sandi, not short for Sandra, Flynt was an impressive woman if her resume was to be believed. That was a big if so he went in search of his friend. “Where did you get this?”

Dom looked up at him, completely unconcerned with his tone. “I called every transport company in town and they all gave me one name. Sandi Flynt is a local girl, was a local girl who returned to town recently and has been looking for work. I had an investigator I know check up on her and there you have it. All one hundred percent true.” His smile faded and his chocolate eyes seemed to darken. “Keep your opinions regarding women to yourself Auggie. If you screw this up I will kick your ass.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine but if this one can’t do the job, she’s gone. Pilot or no pilot on staff.”

“Fine.”

August smiled at the small victory. This Sandi Flynt would soon prove herself to be just like all the rest. In search of a husband, but she’d settle for a rich husband. “Not bloody likely,” he said to himself as he prepared to call her.