Chapter 6

Idon"t believe in signs. Yet I"ve apparently been waiting for one. And now it"s come.

I"d sent Benny a message last night, telling him where I was and asking if he knew any good car rental places in the area. He recommended one, then begged me again to become one of his pilots.

Until twenty minutes ago, the thought of being handcuffed to one boss and business for three years, no matter what, made my skin crawl. Now, as Olivia and I ride in the back of a cab to the small airfield, I feel in my bones that I"m doing the right thing.

Either that, or I"m talking myself into it because frankly I have no other choice. I can"t keep floating around, taking one month contracts here and there, and living out of suitcases and storage facilities. Not anymore.

The reality is that being a nomad is only viewed as charming until a man is thirty. That said, I"ve never cared what people thought of me, up till now. But if I"m going to deserve Olivia, I"ll need a steady job to provide a good home for us.

Just one glance from her dreamy hazel eyes and I"m helpless. No, actually – the opposite of that. Strong. Centered. Ready to be the man she needs. The safe port in the storm of her transition from living with her asshole father to being her own person in the world.

What kind of a bastard throws away a college acceptance letter? If I ever meet him, my knuckles will be flying straight through his teeth.

Deep breaths, Riggs.

Honestly? My reaction to assholes is one of the reasons it"s best for me to avoid people as much as possible. The world is simpler to navigate when I"m alone. Sure, that might make me look like a curmudgeon. I"ve never cared.

Until now.

Squeezing Olivia"s hand as we turn into the airfield, I hate how nervous she looks. The only thing that upsets me more is remembering her saying out loud that this was a one night stand. It wasn"t. Isn"t. Can"t be. There"s no way I"m letting her disappear.

Olivia seems to be in a trance as I lead us toward a gleaming white Citation Latitude with the discreet Cufflinks logo on the side.

"Can you wait here with our luggage, please?" I ask gently. "I need to go over some details. Just close your eyes and picture yourself being very calm in the interview. Okay?"

"Sure."

She seems surprised when I wrap an arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "Thinking I won"t touch you in front of these people? Think again, gorgeous. I want everyone in the world to know…" I pause, hoping that my smile says what I"m sure she"s not ready to hear yet. "Well, whatever we are. It"s going to take some time to figure that out, right?"

Olivia nods. "Um…yeah."

My thumb traces along her bottom lip until she smiles. Then I hurry toward the mechanics and ground crew doing the checks on our plane. I know that Benny would only hire solid, qualified people, so I"m not surprised that everything is in perfect order, but inspecting the aircraft personally is something I"d enjoy even if it wasn"t a legal requirement.

I"m careful to maintain a neutral expression the whole time in case Olivia is watching. The preflight checks are quick, both around the exterior of the plane and inside the cockpit. Once everything is in order, I go back out to bring in the luggage. "Showtime. Follow me."

As we step in, Olivia looks around in awe. "Wow. People actually travel like this?"

"Better. Today, we travel like this." I gesture to the leather easy chairs. "Would you rather sit back here, or up front with me?"

Her chin jerks up in shock. "With you? You mean…by all of the controls and stuff?"

"Yes. I"ll show you how everything works, and maybe that"ll make you less nervous?"

She stares down at her feet for a few seconds, then takes a slow breath. "Can I come back out here if I change my mind?"

"Of course."

I love that she"s trying so hard to be brave. "Okay."

I seal the door, then gesture for her to sit in the copilot"s seat. "Won"t the other guy need to sit there?"

"It"s just us. Benny needs this plane relocated. That"s why we"re getting a free flight. "

She sits down, hands plastered to her lap as if she"s afraid to touch anything. I adjust her seatbelt, then get settled myself. I casually mention everything I"m doing as I tweak and adjust things across the panels. After a moment, Olivia looks more fascinated than nervous, but remains very still, which allows me to focus on clearing the flight plan, and taxiing to the main runway.

"This plane handles like a dream," I murmur as we begin to speed up. "Deep, slow breaths, angel. I promise, I"ve got this."

"Okay." The word is a whispered whimper. Then she makes a tiny choked sound when the plane lifts from the ground.

"Did your stomach drop? Mine too," I say calmly. "Think of it as an exciting thrill – like a roller coaster."

"I will never go on a roller coaster," she whispers.

A quick glance confirms that her eyes are huge as she stares out the window. "Keep watching the size of the cars." I make sure that my request sounds like a command. "And the trees, and the buildings. Everything will shrink away and then we"ll be in the clouds."

Once we"ve reached our cruising altitude and I"ve checked everything twice, my hand drops to Olivia"s knee. "Weather"s steady all the way there. No turbulence."

She nods, leaning slightly forward to stare out the front. "It"s so different being able to see what"s going on," she murmurs.

"Right? Let me show you what"s happening."

A quick overview of the basic controls makes her eyes light up. "Cool! So you don"t really need to steer for most of the flight?"

"No. But you can, if you want. Care to try?"

"Me?" she gasps. "I"m not qualified. I couldn"t. No, that"s not a good idea…"

Studying her eyes carefully, I can see she"s intrigued. Nervous, yes. But she likes the idea of trying something courageous too.

Taking the controls off autopilot, I switch the guidance to her steering wheel. "It"s all you now, gorgeous. Straight ahead there"s a lake with lots of ducks and birds. Why don"t you take us very gently to the left, so that we go around it and don"t disturb them?"

Olivia is so beautiful as she bites her lip, her eyes huge. After a shaky breath, she takes hold of the controls. "For the ducks," she whispers heroically, nudging the plane a miniscule degree.

I see the change come over her. The shaky hands turning careful. The way she licks her lips, not taking her eyes off the controls. Olivia likes the power.

"A little more…" She follows my instructions beautifully, sending heat coursing through me. I"m going to win this incredible girl over, so that I can watch her come out of her shell bit by bit every single day. "Perfect. Now back to where we were before."

Olivia nods, slightly nudging us to the right until we"re back on course. I switch the controls back to autopilot, and turn to smile at her. "Very good."

Her nose crinkles up adorably. "Did I really just help the ducks?"

Leaning over, I kiss her gently. "Sorry – I lied. We"re way too high to interfere with any wildlife. I just wanted you to take the controls and feel the power of having this entire machine at your fingertips."

Her eyebrows knit together as she growls at me. "You…you scoundrel." Then she laughs. "It was incredible!"

"Glad you enjoyed. Now, review your notes and get ready to ace this interview."

"On it."

For the rest of the flight, Olivia seems to forget where we are, while I try not to get too lost in thought. I can"t tell her that I just committed myself to a job for more than six months for the first time ever. Can"t tell her that everything I"m feeling has already changed me.

In the tight confines of the cockpit, I have a lightbulb moment: she"s the only person I"ve truly enjoyed close spaces with. In the front row on our first flight together. In that tiny motel room. Being so close to Olivia feels natural – even with our clothing still on.

Looking over as we start to descend, I note she still seems nervous, but is able to focus on my well-rehearsed routines as I land the plane and taxi toward the hangar.

As soon as everything is switched off, I stand and pull Olivia into my arms. "You were amazing, baby. Ready to kick some ass at your interview?"

"I think so."

After a quick steamy kiss, I release her to unlock the door. "You don"t think so. You know so."

I flash her a grin, trying to think of something else inspiring to say, then realize I"m face to face with Benny. "I can"t believe it," he laughs, clasping my hand and shaking firmly. "Finally, my buddy and ace pilot is ready to sign his life away."

I feel a dark snarl tangle my guts at the thought of it, yet desperately try to keep my expression neutral. I must have failed, because he blinks in surprise.

"Come on, Riggs. It"s only three years. You"re going to love flying with us. I promise."

"Sure. Right now, I need to get Olivia to her interview. Can you call us a car?"

"For sure." Benny takes off toward the office.

I turn to take Olivia"s hand, and realize she is trembling. Is her fear of flying hitting her after the fact? Or is she really petrified of this interview? My poor sweet shy baby has been through a lot in the past couple of days, and here I am having to send her off to take care of this all on her own.

Grabbing the suitcases, I lead her down the steps. "Let"s go to the restroom so that you can check your hair, gorgeous" I say quietly. My lips graze her ear. "Plus, I need another taste of you before you become a university student and get super busy."

Her lovely hazel eyes blaze. "Are you kidding?" she whispers.

"The first time I made you come was on a plane just a few feet from strangers. At least this time we"ll be behind a locked door."

She stares at me, blinking. Then she slowly nods."If you really think it"s a good idea…"

My eyes burn into hers as I stare at my breathtaking girl. "Oh, baby…I really do."