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"Enjoying the flight?" Ben asks, leaning against the edge of my seat, casual as can be.
"More than usual," I reply, my voice sounding breathier than I intend. Our eyes lock, and there's that electric charge, crackling through the space between us.
He chuckles, a low, rich sound that rumbles through me. "Glad to hear it."
We're interrupted by the ding of the seatbelt sign, and I have to tear my gaze away to fasten mine, hating the timing. When I look up, Ben’s hand is hovering near mine, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his skin. He reaches past me, pretending to adjust the overhead vent, and his fingers brush my shoulder. It's the lightest touch, but it might as well be a brand.
"Let me know if you need anything else," he murmurs, close enough that I catch the hint of mint on his breath.
"Will do," I manage, feeling like I've swallowed a mouthful of cotton.
He straightens up and heads back to the cockpit, and I’m left with the imprint of his touch seared into my skin. It's going to be a long flight.
Time slips by, and I drift in and out of a restless doze, thoughts filled with dark hair, mischievous eyes, and smiles that promise untold stories. When I finally snap awake, there's a softness in the air, a quiet that tells me we're not far from landing.
And then there's a note, pressed into my hand so stealthily that I almost miss the movement. I look up, startled, and meet Ben's gaze across the cabin. There's a devilish tilt to his lips, and I unfold the paper with trembling fingers.
Meet me for a drink when we land? -B
My pulse races, and the cabin pressure has nothing on the way my head spins right now. This is crazy, absolutely insane. I'm Kate Woodbridge, and a pilot with a note shouldn't turn my world upside down.
But as I look at those simple words, written in a strong, sure hand, I realize something important—maybe I want my world flipped on its axis.
I tuck the note into the satin lining of my clutch, a secret pact between the sleek leather and my suddenly daring heart. The cabin feels charged now, every hum of the engine a whisper of what's to come. I steal a glance toward the cockpit and wait for the chime that signals we're free to move. As if on cue, it dings through the cabin, and I push out of my seat with a grace I don't feel.
I glance over at my agent. She’s still fast asleep.
Good.
I pace slowly, ensuring each click of my heels asserts my confidence. When I pass by the cockpit, our eyes catch—a conspiracy in glances—and I drop the slightest of nods. It's all the confirmation he needs. My stomach flutters like it's hosting a swarm of butterflies.
The rest of the flight drags on, minutes stretching into eons as anticipation curls within me. I'm a film star. I've mastered the art of patience before cameras and crews. Yet this waiting game Ben has me playing? It's delicious torture.
Finally, we land, and I'm the picture of composure as we disembark. But beneath the surface? I'm all fizzing excitement and heated skin, ready to bubble over. We snake through the terminal, and there's a magnetic pull between us, invisible but palpable.
In the lounge, the world narrows down to just us—Ben leaning casually against the bar, looking like a daydream in his pilot's uniform. We're alone here, cocooned in this suspended reality between time zones and destinations.
"Kate," he says, his voice low and smooth as aged whiskey, "glad you could join me."
"Couldn't miss it," I reply, my tone airy but my insides tight with nerves. "You know I have a weakness for good company and bad decisions."
"Who said anything about bad?" He grins, and it's infectious, pulling an answering smile from deep within me.
"Maybe just risky then," I tease back, feeling the heat in his gaze as it sweeps over me.
"Life's too short for safe landings," he quips, and we both chuckle, the sound mingling with the soft jazz playing overhead.
We talk, we laugh, and every so often, our hands brush, sending jolts of electricity up my arm. The air around us crackles with unspoken promises, each touch a wordless vow of what's yet to unfold.
But then Marilyn—my agent—shows up and puts an end to it all.
She rakes a gaze over Ben like he’s a bug that needs to be quickly squashed before she levels her eyes on me. “Kate,” she sounds like a helicopter mom, “I’ve been looking all over for you, sweetie. Come on. Let’s get you checked into your suite.”
She continues yammering on as she gently takes my arm and propels me away from Ben without so much as a word to him.
I look back at him and find him smiling, completely unworried about the way my agent ignored him.
He only has eyes for me.
