The Christmas Pact(6)
My hand flew up to cover my heart as it started to race out of control. I blinked a few times and swallowed hard. “What the…what are you doing here?”
Kennedy grinned. “I decided to go home for the holidays after all.”
“And you just happen to be on flight 62?”
“You mentioned you were on the first morning flight, so I figured this might be it.”
I pushed my sunglasses down and looked over them at him. “You wanted to be on my flight?”
“Figured it might give you a chance to reconsider my proposal. My offer is still open, by the way.”
The truth was, last night as I tossed and turned, I had thought about his proposition. A lot. It didn’t sound like that bad of an idea. Maybe I wouldn’t want to take things to the outlandish level he had suggested, but showing up with a date would certainly shift the focus away from all the things I wasn’t accomplishing. Though I didn’t understand why he was anxious to come home with me.
We took seats next to each other as we waited to board.
“You seriously want to come home with me and have no problem lying through your teeth?” I asked.
“Not if it’s for the greater good. But actually, my services wouldn’t exactly be free.”
Disappointed in myself for even considering trusting him, I shook my head. “I should’ve known.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Riley Kennedy. It’s not anything like that.”
“What is it, then, Kennedy Riley?”
“I need a date to my brother’s wedding back in Rochester. It’s on the Saturday before New Year’s Eve.”
“But you said you weren’t planning on going back home for the holidays.”
“I wasn’t. I reconsidered. You said you’d still be in town, right?”
“Yeah. I’m flying back New Year’s Day.”
“That’s perfect, then. And you wouldn’t even have to make up crazy stories or anything. Just be there with me so I don’t have to show up alone.”
I thought about it for a moment. “I guess that’s harmless enough. But I’ll have to think about all of this on the flight.”
It sounded harmless, but something deep in my gut told me that nothing about dealing with Kennedy Riley came without some risk.
Kennedy
I needed my head fucking examined.
Once I buckled into my seat in the row behind Riley, the gravity of what I was considering doing started to hit me. I hadn’t been home to Rochester in years for a reason. I shook my head and looked across the aisle at Riley. She was clutching the armrest, and her knuckles were turning white. I leaned forward.
“Nervous flier?”
She looked over at me and blew a strand of blond hair off her forehead. I noticed a few beads of sweat forming on her brow. It wasn’t hot on the plane.
“A little. But just for takeoff and landing. I’m okay with the middle part,” she said.
I unbuckled and stood in the aisle at her row. “Excuse me, sir?”
Riley’s row had three seats. There was an older woman sitting at the window, a pretty large guy stuffed in the middle, and her in the aisle. The big dude looked up at me.
“Would you mind changing seats? I have an aisle seat one row back.” I looked down at Riley, then back at him. “My fiancée is a nervous flier. I would really appreciate it.”
The guy looked thrilled. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”
He got up and shimmied past Riley, and I buckled myself into the shitty middle seat. I felt Riley watching me, so I leaned my head back against the headrest and turned to face her.
“What?”
“Your fiancée?”
I winked. “What can I say? You’re a damn lucky girl.”
She chuckled. “You didn’t have to give up your aisle seat for me. I’m fine on my own.”
“I’m sure you are. But I figured I could use the extra time sitting next to you to debunk all the reasons your brain is tossing out about why we shouldn’t have a little fun at your mother’s house.”
She sighed. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“You’re overthinking it, Riles. It’s a fantastic idea. You know how I know that?”
“How?”
“Because I came up with it.”
She rolled her big blue eyes.
I laughed. “Seriously, though, you dread going home for the holidays. Why not make it a little fun and get your mom off your back?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe because it doesn’t feel right lying to my entire family.”
“Well, if it will make you feel any better, we can go into the bathroom and join the Mile High Club during the flight. Then you won’t be lying when you tell your mom I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
She blushed. Fucking blushed.
I felt a little twitch in my pants seeing it. Leaning in to her, I lowered my voice. “Exactly how long has it been, Riley? Your letter to that Dear Ida whack job said you hadn’t had a date in ten months, but you must’ve had a hookup or two since then.”
“It’s none of your business how long it’s been.” The slight blush on her face deepened to a crimson red.