Strong and Sexy (Sky High Air #2)(70)

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Something that doesn’t require you leaving my sight.” While the words were thrilling, the intent behind them was not. He was scared for her, worried beyond belief, but neither of those things was something one based a relationship on.

And God help her, she’d figured out that that was what she wanted—a damn relationship. She was tired of being on her own, tired of fighting off her emotions for him, of not letting him in because she was tough and independent. She could be herself and still have a guy in her life. Him in her life.

“Come with me,” he said.

“Where to?”

“Trust me?”

She looked into his eyes, not all that surprised to realize she trusted him more than she’d ever trusted anyone.

She let him drive, but instead of taking her to his house as she’d expected, he took her and Bella to Sky High.

“I’m not ready for another flight,” she told him, hugging the dog. “I haven’t had any alcohol.”

“I just have a quick flight to Santa Barbara.”

“And you, what, think I’m going to sit and wait for you?”

He came around the car for her and pulled her out, holding her hips, pressing her back against the car as he looked into her eyes. “You won’t be alone here.”

“I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“More than,” he affirmed, sliding his fingers into her hair, holding her face up to his for a long, sweet, slow kiss that pretty much melted all her resolve. “But this isn’t about you, Dani. It’s about me.”

“That’s ridiculously Neanderthal.”

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. “I’m worried about you. I’m so goddamned worried about you that I can’t see straight, not even to fly.”

She stared up at him, her throat tight.

He glided his thumb over her lower lip, his gaze on her mouth, which he covered with his for another extremely nice kiss. “You turn me upside down.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “So completely, f*cking upside down.”

What did that mean? Before she could ask, Bella barked with enthusiasm to get inside. Shayne took her hand and led them inside. He waved at Maddie, who was at the desk talking into a radio while working not one but two keyboards and looking like a supermodel while she was at it. She waved at Dani, handed Shayne a stack of files, tossed Bella a doggie cookie, and went back to multitasking.

Shayne took Bella to his office, then brought Dani onto the tarmac, where they walked past two hangars. They entered a third, a huge steel building housing four planes, all shiny and gleaming and looking very expensive. “Are these all yours?” she asked, awed in spite of herself.

“Those two.” He pointed to the two planes in the back. “The Moody’s on the left, the Learjet on the right.” He gestured to the front planes. “That’s a Piper, it’s Brody’s new baby. Cost a pretty penny, and once we fix her up, she’s going to be the new girl on the block. The other’s a Beechcraft. It’s a client’s, in for some regular maintenance.”

They walked up the middle of the hangar, between the planes, and Dani swallowed hard. She felt so small in here. But then Shayne opened the Lear and nudged her inside, and she gasped.

It was like looking into a beautiful, elegant, sophisticated house. A mansion. The interior was all plush, soft-looking leather, the carpet as thick as a forest. “But…it looks like someone’s living room.”

“I know.” Nudging her in, he shut the door behind them.

“We’re not—”

“Not going up, no. At least you’re not.” He led her down the body of the plane and opened a door at the end, which opened to a mouth-dropping master bedroom suite that might have been ripped right out of Architectural Digest. “There’s a TV,” he said, lifting a remote, “a small library, and hell, there’s even an exercise bike. Make yourself at home until I get back.”

“And then?”

“The kitchen’s fully stocked.”

“Shayne. You can’t baby-sit me forever. You have a life. Flying. Running Sky High Air. Perpetuating that lazy, sexy image.”

He came back to her, a frown on that sexy mouth. “Yeah, my life’s full. So’s yours. And I’ve lived my life just the way I wanted to, I won’t deny that. Neither would you. But maybe I’m…”

She stared up at him. “What?”

“Maybe I’m ready for some changes.”

Well, if that didn’t send her heart skittering. But he looked unaccustomedly uncertain, and she wasn’t used to seeing him look that way. Not this man, who’d never doubted himself, not once. “Changes or not,” she managed. “I’ll handle whatever comes.”

“On your own, right? Just like always?”

Was there an option? “Of course.”

“Of course,” he echoed quietly. “Dani.” His hands came up, cupped her face, his fingers sinking into her hair. “Maybe I’m not the only one who should be thinking about making changes.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? She was fine, just fine—

Okay, she wasn’t exactly fine.

In fact, she knew exactly what he meant. She’d been a loner, too independent. She closed people out.