Page 26 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

10

JANNA

Ipulled Laser out of the bar and relished the fresh air after the stuffy heat inside. And things had gotten a lot hotter in there when Dalton decided to take up space at our table. How could a man be so hot and so infuriating at the same time?

Laser was fuming. I didn’t blame her. I didn’t know the guy who came up barking at her, but it was pretty clear there was a relationship there. I’d only known the dude for thirty seconds but I didn’t think I liked him. He was rude. And poor Pickle had not done a damn thing.

“You okay?” I asked, slowing my pace as we started to walk back toward the airfield.

The bar was on the outskirts of town and the airfield was only a mile or so away. Since we both knew we were going to be drinking and neither of us was willing to drive drunk, we walked. I was happy to stretch my legs after the long day of traveling. And I loved that it wasn’t too cold to walk. I loved walking at night. It was one of the things I missed when I was in Alaska.

“Just another Tuesday with Bill,” Laser said. “He’s always been like this. He’s jealous, possessive, and completely delusional. He doesn’t want me, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have me.”

I glanced back at the bar, half-expecting him to come storming out after us, but the door stayed shut. “He’s not going to follow us, is he?”

“Not if Herc has anything to say about it,” she muttered, then sighed. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”

“Anytime,” I said, squeezing her hand before letting go. “You want to head back?”

She nodded, but then her eyes landed on the small market next door. “Actually let’s grab something first. I’m not interested in the night being over so early.”

We walked into the market, and while I picked up some junk food, candy bars, and energy drinks, Laser was scanning the row of liquor. As soon as we were outside, Laser opened the bottle and took a drink before passing it to me.

Okay. It wasn’t anything I was used to, but it was relationship drama and I had talked a few girlfriends through similar situations. Whiskey and chocolate were necessary.

When we got back to the airfield, we didn’t go to the dorm. Instead, we climbed a small hill and sat down on the ground.

“I love coming up here,” Laser said. “It’s so peaceful.”

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

She had not said anything more about the man I learned was Wild Bill and I didn’t ask. I figured she would tell me if she wanted to.

“So, how did you get the name Laser?” I asked after taking a swig from the bottle. My eyes burned a bit but the whiskey had stopped burning its way down my throat.

She sighed. “You can call me Cheryl,” she said. “I would like it if you did. Spending six months out of the year with these men all calling me Laser makes me feel… I don’t know. Not me. Like just one of the guys, which is great and I like that, but call me Cheryl.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “I can do that.”

“They call me Laser because a few years ago I was sick. I struggled to get out of bed. Laser is a spin on ‘lays her’ ass down on the job. It was a dick nickname, but I kind of like it. I don’t think of it as laying down but more like I have laser vision. I’m a damn good spotter and all those assholes love it when I’m the one in the air with them.”

I laughed. “I have a feeling I’m going to be dubbed Princess.”

She groaned. “I have a feeling you’re right. But own it. Don’t let them make it an insult. You’re a pretty princess. You carry yourself with grace. Own it.”

I looked out over Reddington Rescue. From where we were seated, the base looked small. My tour earlier had not covered the full expanse of the property. Now, I could see a basketball court highlighted by a single floodlight. There were some picnic tables near the court. It made me look forward to the next few months. I could imagine the flyboys shirtless and sweaty on the court. The second the thought entered my mind, I felt ridiculous. What the hell was wrong with me? I was a little old to be boy crazy.

“I’m so done with these arrogant assholes,” Cheryl said. Her words snapped me out of my own lustful thoughts and back to the present. “Guys who think just because they can land a plane on a matchbox, they’re God’s gift to women. Fly fast, fuck around, and you’ll always take them back. And you know what’s worse? You do. A few times.”

She took a long drink from the bottle, shuddered, and swallowed before passing the bottle to me. I took my own drink and waited for her to get it off her chest.

“We never even put a label on it,” she said. “That’s the part that really screws with you. He was always telling me he didn’t want to put a label on things. I was fine with that… for a while. I thought maybe if I gave him space, he’d catch up.”

I passed the bottle back.

“And when I finally laid out what I wanted, he pretended to be onbiard. He led me on and made me think he wanted something more. And then he went and put his dick where it didn’t belong again.”

“God,” I muttered. “What a piece of⁠—”