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A gasp stopped her ill-advised words. And suddenly she realized she’d spoken louder than she intended. The people in front of them stared. The people behind them stared. Everyone stared. And everyone meant everyone. Not only was the pilot and two perfectly coiffed stewardesses staring at her, but so were Uncle Pat and Aunt Mary. Uncle Pat looked as red as an heirloom tomato. “Would you like to finish that sentence?” he blustered.
“I was just kidding.” She forced a smile. “I haven’t… I mean, I don’t want to… I mean–”
“I’m just showing Dara to her seat,” Jason broke in. Then he disappeared into the aircraft, holding her bag hostage.
“Wait just a minute!” With no choice, she dashed after him onto the plane, through an aisle crowded with players stowing their gear. Conversation rose and fell as she traipsed through dozens of spicy male scents and light and heavy laughter. People nodded, smiled and greeted her, as she played follow the leader through the plane.
Finally, Jason stopped in front of a window seat. He gestured to the plush chair. “Here’s your seat.”
The seat would neatly trap her between the window and Jason’s large body. She backed up. “I’d like a different seat.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Are you afraid of being close to me?”
Um, yeah. “Of course not. It’s not like I haven’t been close to you before.” Her face flamed. “You know what I meant. Not close like that.” Except she had been close like that. And she’d liked it.
“What seems to be the problem here?” Pat put his jacket in the overhead bin across the aisle. He tracked his gaze between the two of them. “Is something wrong with your seat?”
Dara grimaced. She couldn’t complain about Jason not cooperating if she refused to sit next to him. Perhaps something good could come of this – like convincing him to work with her. “There’s no problem. I’m going to spend the whole time working on Jason here.”
Jason didn’t appear the least bit worried. “I can’t wait.”
“Good,” Pat said gruffly. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” He moved aside, revealing an approaching figure. “This is Jenny. She’s going to be joining us for the trip.”
Dara blinked at the woman who glided down the aisle. She was beautiful – no, stunning – even by WAG standards. With golden blond hair, deep blue eyes and a willowy, model-like body, she seemed vaguely familiar.
“Hi there.” Jenny smiled warmly. Her eyes lit with recognition at the muscular ballplayer. “It’s nice to see you again, Jason.”
Could this day get any worse? She forced a smile to her lips. “Are you a friend of Mr. Sterling’s?”
“Sort of.” Jenny’s smile turned secretive and coy. She gave a small giggle.
Official report: Yes, the day could get worse. Like, a lot. A lot, a lot. Dara breathed out, fighting the green-eyed monster she refused to acknowledge.
“Jenny is our new team photographer.” Pat pointed to a large camera bag. “Jason recommended her.”
The green-eyed monster stuck its tongue out at her.
Pat rubbed his hands together. “She’s part of our initiative to create a new image for the Dragons. She’ll take some flattering pictures, which will hopefully be picked up by social media instead of the less favorable images.”
“I’m also an influencer,” Jenny shared. “I’d love to get some quotes about the family-friendly events to spread on social media.”
“That sounds great.” The sense of familiarity returned. Perhaps the woman was an actress or model – she certainly had the looks for it. Whoever she was, she clearly had some sort of relationship with Jason. By her attentive gaze, personal feelings were involved.
“Here’s your seat, Jenny.” Pat nodded to the chair in front of him, then pointed back at Dara and Jason. “You two spend the flight discussing plans. I want you to work closely.”
“We will,” Jason promised. “Very closely.”
Closely. A thousand images, memories, desires weighed the word – held against Jason, holding him, touching him. A ding sounded as the Fasten Seatbelt light came on, and she shook the memories away. Jason gestured to her seat. “Ready?”
Not even a little, but she moved forward as he moved aside, not nearly as much as he could have or as fast as she should have. As she slid past him, they brushed intimately close, casting tingles through every inch. She sank into the seat, and Jason sat next to her. With the blue sky on one side and Jason’s large body on the other, she was effectively trapped.
She kept her gaze straight as the pilot made announcements, followed by the stewardesses’ safety instructions. They were flying to California to battle the west coast teams, so the flight would be a long one. As the lights dimmed and the plane jerked to motion, unease twisted her stomach like a carnival tilt-a-whirl. Jason shifted next to her, and their arms touched.
Breathe. Relax. Do not let him affect you. She was acting like a pre-teen fangirl. So what if they accidentally touched once or twice? This was an opportunity – six plus hours to convince him to work with her. Even a little cooperation could go a long way in convincing the team to take it seriously. She bent down, reaching for her bag. Yet it was too far in the narrow space.
“Let me.” A deep voice stopped her movements. With long arms, Jason easily reached the luggage. He brought it up to her.
“Thank you.” She grabbed her laptop and tossed the bag back on the floor. “Why don’t we get started? If we work together, changing the team image will be easy and painless. Let’s talk about the positive actions that can make a difference.”
