Page 12 of Ruining His Smirk

The captain’s grin widened.

As it drew closer, the familiar blue-and-white paint scheme came into view.

I blinked. “No way.”

I knew this chopper. The pilot and co-pilot were the same duo who had saved hundreds of penguins during an emergency rescue just a week ago. The discovery that they were married to each other had stayed with me. I had come to really like the disaster husbands, and if they were coming to visit us, I was pumped.

The helicopter circled once before descending toward the ship’s helipad. We turned our faces away as loose crystals of ice burst outward beneath the rotor wash. As soon as the rotors slowed, the cockpit door opened, and two men climbed out.

Yes! A smile spread across my face. It was them after all.

Captain Birch strode forward to greet them. “It’s good to see you two again.”

“You too, Captain,” the pilot replied.

Once the introductions were done, I stepped forward. “Daniel. Reed.” I grinned like a fanboy. “Finally we get to shake hands instead of just talking over the radio.”

They both laughed and Reed shook my hand. “Absolutely.” Reed was a giant in person. I had to crane my head to look into his eyes.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you back down here so soon.” I shook his husband’s hand, looking between the two of them. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled that you’re here.”

At that, they looked at each other, a bit confused. No words were exchanged, but the way they communicated without talking made a tiny kernel of envy stir inside me.

They were openly queer. Handsome. Married. And so in love. They got to live a life of adventure together. Damn, they were blessed. I hoped they knew it.

Captain Birch’s voice carried across the deck.

“Thank you for coming. We owe you.”

I looked up. Keith was standing directly between me and the captain. I took a couple of steps to one side.

The captain looked up at that exact moment, his face splitting into a grin. “There you are.” He swept an arm toward the man standing beside him like he was revealing a grand prize. “Nate, I’d like you to meet the man—”

The rest of his words were lost because I stopped breathing. For one impossible second my mind simply refused to accept what I was seeing. Everything vanished from existence.

The wind.

The laughter.

The rhythmic ticking of the helicopter blades winding down.

Garrett fucking Landry stood on the helipad.

Him!

That arsehole.

That fucking alpha jock who couldn’t take losing to me fair and clean.

He was standing there exactly as I remembered him, broad-shouldered, cocky, and smug. Heat flooded straight through my chest. He was exactly the kind of man I hated. Men I had always been ridiculously attracted to — alpha assholes who couldn’t understand a no.

I closed the distance between us in an instant.

4

Nate

I planted both hands against his barrel chest, shoving him hard.