Strong and Sexy (Sky High Air #2)(64)
Fine. If he needed to assuage his guilt, she’d let him save her the cab fare. Crossing the lounge for her purse, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Eyes glossy, cheeks flushed.
Nipples hard.
He’d seen, of course. He always saw, and no doubt, her body’s reaction to him had freaked him out. Good to know some things never changed. With a sigh, she grabbed her purse and walked out ahead of him, head high, hoping he was watching her pretty damn fantastic ass and kicking himself for being so stupid as to let her get away.
Chapter 22
S hayne carried Dani through the lobby. He had a strand of her hair in his mouth and her belt was cutting his ribs. But she felt warm and soft, and was looking at him as if she wanted to jump his bones.
“Shayne?”
“Yeah?”
She looped her arms around his neck and grinned at him. “Have I mentioned I like it when you carry me?”
She had brandy breath, and he still wanted to kiss her.
“Shayne?”
“Yeah?”
“I also like it when you look at me like I’m someone special to you. Because you’re someone special to me.”
“You’re going to be sorry you admitted that when you’re sober.”
“Why?”
“Because when you’re sober you don’t like me as much, unless we’re in bed.”
Her smile faded as she stared up at him. “Then I must be a very stupid woman when I’m sober.”
He used his foot to open the door to the tarmac. A gust of wind rolled over them and he hunched over her to protect her from it, which effectively brought his face closer to hers.
She sighed. “Very stupid.”
He took her down to the first hangar, where he’d had his Cessna fueled up for their trip.
Inside the plane she looked around. “It’s tiny,” she said in an extremely small voice. “Very tiny.”
“It’s a six-seater.” He plopped her down across the two seats behind the pilot seat, then grabbed a blanket and spread it over her. “Plenty big enough.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m assuming you got yourself in this condition so you can sleep through the flight.”
“Well, there’s that…”
He turned back and looked down at her, so sweetly sprawled in the seats. “And what else?”
She covered her eyes.
Huh. He crouched beside her. “Dani?”
Uncovering her eyes, she hit him with the full potency of her gaze, which if he’d been standing would have staggered him.
“Can you handle the truth?” she whispered.
No. “Yes.”
“You’re freaking me out as much as this flight is.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because…” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m drunk enough for this.”
“Talk to me, Dani.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Sky High Air exists all because of you? That without you it wouldn’t exist?”
“Because that’s not true.”
“It’s your money.”
“And without it, we’d have come up with something else.”
“You handle all the client relations. You bring in all the clients.”
“I’m president of operations. You know that.”
“You are Sky High Air.”
He shook his head. “Why are we having this conversation?”
“Because you’re not who I thought you were, okay? Because you’re not just the laid-back, easygoing, fun-loving playboy who sleeps with anyone with a pretty smile. You’re…” She sighed. “More. A lot more. And I don’t know what to do with that.”
“You’re not making sense. At first you didn’t want to be with me because I was that guy. Now you’re pissed because I’m not?” He shook his head. “Maybe I should be the one drinking.”
She rolled away from him. “You know what? Don’t listen to me.”
“Now that’s a deal.” Rising, he turned away too, happy to not have this conversation, because he was this close to humiliating himself and begging her to want him for more than just sex. “I have to do the preflight check. Wait here.”
Grateful for the fresh air, he stepped off the plane, and as he did, a shadow stepped in front of him.
Michelle.
He bit back his sigh. She had a private jet that they housed here in this hangar. She was a frequent flier, a real jet-setter who lived and loved the lifestyle, so it wasn’t unusual for her to be here.
What was unusual was for her to be here and him not know it. Maddie usually kept him apprised of which client was on the premises.
But then again, Maddie had apparently clocked out early today to have shots with Dani.
In any case, Michelle smiled at him. A tall, gorgeous, stacked brunette who’d graced many a lingerie catalog in her modeling days, which she’d just recently left for higher, loftier aspirations—acting—she was so beautiful it actually hurt to look at her, and Shayne had definitely enjoyed their two dates.
And their activities on that second date.
But even as she lifted her gaze to his, he remembered what had driven him away—her naked, overwhelming ambition to have a diamond on the ring finger of her left hand.