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“I hate flying,” I said, then took a sip of my drink. “I especially hate flying at Christmas. All these people, the rushing around, the Christmas music. It’s like they’ve all forgotten that they have to strap themselves into a four-hundred-ton plane and hope to God it gets off the ground before they can have a very merry anything. It’s insanity.”
Tate’s lips quirked as he picked up the menu on the table between us. “You know, if you ever want to switch careers, I think you’d have a real shot in advertising. You really know how to bring home the Christmas spirit.”
“The only spirit I’m interested in right now is the kind that will make me forget what I’m about to do.”
“Oh, come on, it won’t be that bad. The flight isn’t even that long.”
“Anything beyond me strapping in and the plane taking off is too long.”
“I don’t remember you complaining this much the last time we flew.”
“That’s because we were flying to St. Lucia for our honeymoon, and I knew you’d be naked for a full week straight. That plane could’ve gone down over the Atlantic and I would’ve swum the rest of the way to that island.”
Tate chuckled. “Hmm, I don’t remember the plane going down during that trip. You, however…”
My eyes roamed over Tate’s leather jacket, burgundy t-shirt, and well-worn jeans, and I had a very vivid flashback of him stretched out beneath the sheer canopy of our island bed, naked as the day he was born.
I took a sip of my drink and tongued my lower lip. “Are you trying to distract me or torture me?”
Tate leaned back in his seat and widened his straddle. Torture me…tease.
“I’d settle for either if it stops your freak-out.”
“I’m not freaking out. I’m thinking of all the times I’d miss out on seeing you naked if we didn’t make it home.”
“Oh my God.” Tate let out a full-on laugh. “That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think? You could’ve told Ace no when he offered the tickets.”
“I wasn’t about to do that. You’ve been talking about going somewhere warm for Christmas for years. And this is a much shorter trip than Australia.”
Tate leaned across the table and took the glass out of my hand. He downed the end of my drink, then took my chin between his fingers. “Remind me to thank you for the sacrifice later.”
My eyes lowered to the tempting lips mere inches from mine. “Count on it.”
Tate reluctantly let me go and moved back to his seat—safely out of reach. Then he picked up the menu and read it over again. “Let’s order. I’m starving. How about the cheeseburger and fries? It’ll help soak up the alcohol.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Tate got to his feet, then stopped. “You’re not going to run away, are you?”
I arched an eyebrow. “While my desire to not fly anywhere is strong, my desire to be where you are is much stronger.”
A sensual smile slowly stretched across Tate’s gorgeous face, and when he leaned down and grazed his lips over mine, his soft curls brushed my cheek. “Go.”
He pulled back, and my heart thumped at the love swirling in those dark eyes.
“Going…”
I watched as he took a couple of steps back, and when he turned to head to the bar, I drank in the sight of his long legs eating up the space with a confidence that made my entire body sit up and pay attention.
Damn, my husband was one sexy motherfucker.
I looked out the window and groaned as snow flurries began to fall from the sky, adding that to my list of reasons I didn’t like to fly out of Chicago at Christmas. Now, not only did I have to worry about the plane getting off the ground, I was busy imagining it slipping and sliding down the runway. This was great…juuust great.
I was about halfway through a ten-point list of reasons why we shouldn’t go anywhere this weekend, when my phone buzzed and I saw Ace’s name flash up on my screen. Perfect timing. I could let him down easy. Give him a chance to give our tickets to someone who didn’t have to risk their lives to use them.
“Well, if it isn’t Hollywood’s hottest, gayest action hero calling.”
Ace’s instantly familiar chuckle vibrated through the phone. “And Chicago’s most loud-mouthed pain-in-the-ass lawyer answering.”
I smirked. “Now, I’d agree with the first half of that statement, but not so much the second half. I’m all about the pleasure when it comes to Tate’s ass.”
I could all but hear Ace’s eyes roll as he groaned in my ear. “Thanks for the overshare, as always. But funnily enough, I wasn’t calling for an update on your love life. I was calling to make sure you’re not plotting ways to avoid getting on the plane. Like getting fall-on-your-ass drunk.”
